פרשה: חיי שרה · עלייה: שלישי (תפארת)

עשרה גמלים, Ten camels, etc. One reason that Eliezer took ten camels was that relative to Abraham's wealth this was equivalent to an ordinary person taking one single camel loaded with gifts.

Another reason is that the number ten simply means "many," as we find in Samuel I 1,8, where Elkanan asks Channah if he was not worth more to her than "ten sons?" The meaning there is clearly not the number ten, but "ten" as indicative of a large number.

The reason the Torah adds that the camels belonged to his master (something we would have assumed even without it being mentioned) is that these camels were specially trained to answer Abraham's specific needs. They were capable of carrying especially heavy loads.

The Torah adds: וכל טוב אדוניו, "and all the good things of his master," to tell us that Eliezer took the choicest of all the precious possessions of Abraham. This was in order to persuade the girl in the event that she would initially refuse to move away from her parental home. Seeing that her husband-to-be possessed such wealth might change her mind. The word בידו means the same as שבידו, something that was under Eliezer's control (inasmuch as he was in charge of all of Abraham's possessions).

ויאמר: ה׳ הקרה נא, He said: "G'd! please make it happen, etc." Eliezer was certain that his master's prayer that G'd would send His angel ahead of Eliezer to facilitate his mission would be fulfilled. He added a prayer expressing the hope that he would be found worthy to be the instrument through which Abraham's prayer would be fulfilled. It happens on occasion that the prayer of the original petitioner goes unanswered due to the unworthiness of the petitioner's messenger.

The reason Eliezer had to proceed in this order was that he feared Abraham's family might deceive him and try to palm off one of their maidservants on him, claiming that she was their family. He therefore stipulated that the girl to be regarded as suitable for Isaac should proceed to do more than he asked of her by also offering to water his camels. This would be characteristic of a girl who was related to Abraham. In fact Rebeccah described herself immediately as a daughter of Bethuel (verse 24).

טרם כלה לדנר, Before he had finished speaking, etc. This means that Eliezer was still addressing G'd when Rebeccah materialised. He realised immediately that she was slated to become Isaac's wife.

רבקה יוצאת, Rebeccah was coming out. G'd timed her appearance to coincide exactly with Eliezer's prayer so that he would not meet another girl by mistake while Rebeccah, who had been born to Bethuel, was the intended mate for Isaac. I have explained this in connection with 22,20 where the Torah mentions that Abraham had received word of her birth.

הגמיאיני נא מעט מים, "let me please sip a little water, etc." Eliezer actually asked for less than he had originally stipulated, seeing he meant to ask her "to incline her jug in order to let him drink (extensively)." Not only did he only ask to take a sip, but he stressed that he wanted only a little water. He also failed to ask her to incline her jug in order to give him to drink. Our sages (Bereshit Rabbah 60,5) explain that Eliezer saw that the waters rose towards Rebeccah. This is when he realised that she was not a Canaanite girl and that she was destined for Isaac. He became afraid that he might forfeit an opportunity by insisting on the conditions he had made in his prayer, and proceeded to ask for the minimum possible. He wanted to make it easy for the girl to meet his request.

ותאמר שתה אדוני, She said: "drink my lord, etc." Instead of letting Eliezer merely sip a little water, the girl offered that he drink freely, as much as he wanted. She did not want him to have to use his hand to drink out of, but she lowered the jug to make it more convenient for him. The word ותשקהו, means that not only did Eliezer not have to lift the jug to his lips but she placed it so that he did not even have to tilt it. She brought the jug to the level of his mouth.

Rebeccah purposely did not add the words: "I will also water your camels" immediately. Had she added the words immediately, before Eliezer had finished drinking, the latter might have cut short his own drinking knowing that Rebeccah would still have to go to the trouble of watering the camels. As long as she had not offered this, Eliezer had no reason to entertain such considerations.

ותכל להשקותו, When she completed giving him to drink, etc. Seeing that the Torah does not describe Eliezer as having finished drinking, it is clear the Torah wants us to know that she kept bringing him water until he stopped drinking.

It is also possible that Rebeccah judged when Eliezer should stop drinking, seeing that weary travellers who have gone without water for a long time are not the best judges of when they may be drinking more than is good for their health.

We may view the matter also in light of what the Talmud teaches in Berachot 40, based on Deuteronomy 11,15 that one must feed one's animals before eating oneself. This ruling applies only when there is no danger to the life of the person involved. If his life is in danger, concern for his own health takes precedence over the wellbeing of his animals. When Rebeccah heard Eliezer ask for some water she concluded that she faced a man whose need for water was immediate. This is why she said to him: "drink!" As soon as she had given him sufficient water to ensure he was not in danger of dehydrating she suggested giving water to his camels, the ones which normally should have been looked after first. This is why the Torah phrases Rebeccah's action in such a way that we understand that as soon as was practicable she turned her attention to the camels, giving them to drink. She added that she would continue until the camels had finished drinking, meaning that in the case of the camels she was not going to rely on her personal judgment of when the animals had had enough to drink. She kept drawing water for the camels until they stopped drinking.

והאיש משתאה לה מחריש, And the man was amazed at her, remaining silent, etc. The Torah explains here that though Eliezer had no longer any reason to await Rebeccah's completing her task of watering the camels seeing she had already done much more than he had stipulated in his prayer, he kept his peace. One of the reasons he waited before enquiring from her about who she was may have been that he wanted to test whether she would indeed complete the onerous task of drawing water for all the ten camels as she had promised to do, or if she would tire in the process and carry out less than she had promised. As soon as she completed watering all the camels he gave her the jewelry intended for Isaac's bride.

על ידיה, on her hands. This means that the bracelets fitted her as if made to fit her specific measurements. Eliezer placed this jewelry on Rebeccah's hands as a sign of acknowledging G'd's personal guidance in his mission thus far.

בת מי את, הגידי, "Whose daughter are you? Tell me, etc." The Torah lumps both these questions together to show that Eliezer did not entertain any doubts that the girl must belong to Abraham's family. Had he entertained such doubts he could not have enquired immediately about the chance of lodging in her parents' home until he had clarified who her parents were. He merely wanted to know her father's name. He added his enquiry about staying at her parents' overnight to emphasise that this had nothing to do with her father's name, that he was convinced G'd had guided him to the right family.

בת בתואל..אשר ילדה לנחור. The daughter of Bethuel whom Milkah bore for Nachor. Rebeccah emphasised that she was not the daughter or granddaughter of a concubine, but of the ranking wife.