Kommentar zu Bereschit 24:55

ויאמר אחיה ואמה AND HER BROTHER AND HER MOTHER SAID —But where was Bethuel? He wished to prevent the marriage therefore an angel came and killed him (Genesis Rabbah 60:12).

A year. Give her time to adjust to the idea of moving to another country.

ויאמר אחיה ואמה , when there are both major and minor characters in a story, the Torah attributes what is happening primarily to the major character. Although Rivkah’s mother was senior to Lavan, he, in his capacity as the manager of this household was mentioned first. We find something similar in Numbers 12,1 where Miriam, who was junior to Aaron is mentioned first since she did the talking and Aaron only listened. This is also why Esther is mentioned first in Esther 9,29, although the position as prime minister occupied by Mordechai was senior to that of the queen. The initiative of what is reported in the verse was Esther’s, hence her name is mentioned first.

ויאמר אחיה תשב הנערה, “her brother said: let the girl stay here (for a while).” According to the plain meaning of the text, Rivkah’s father Bethuel was the one who had said: הנה רבקה לפניך קח ולך, “here is Rivkah at your command, take her and go.” When they heard this, Lavan and his mother said that she should not leave for a while, a year or at least ten months. Ibn Ezra claims that the ones who spoke were the ones who had received the gifts from Eliezer, whereas the father kept silent on the subject. It is possible that Lavan was a more prominent and distinguished person than his father, and this accounts for his speaking up first. This would be supported by the Torah writing ויען לבן ובתואל, instead of ויען בתואל ולבן.

He wanted to prevent ... [therefore] an angel came and killed him. Besueil poisoned the food in Eliezer’s plate, and then he rushed Eliezer to eat before he would notice it. For it is written here (v. 33), “Food was set before him,” and about Yosef also it is written (50:26), “He was set in a coffin.” Here, too, they sought to kill Eliezer and put him in a coffin. But Eliezer realized it and said (v. 33), “I will not eat until I have spoken my words.” In the meantime, the angel moved the plate and the poison ended up in front of Besueil, who ate the poisoned food and died. (source unknown)

ויאמר אחיה ואמה, “Her brother and mother said;” Rashi, noticing that Betuel, Rivkah’s father is not quoted as making a response to Eliezer, says that he actually wanted to prevent the marriage so that an angel was dispatched by G–d to kill him in order to prevent him from carrying out his objection. He says so although the Torah had quoted both Lavan and Betuel as agreeing to the match being made in heaven in verses 50-51. An alternate interpretation explaining Betuel’s “silence.” He had meant to poison Eliezer so as to prevent the marriage. An angel switched plates while Eliezer was speaking and when Betuel started eating he died from his own poison.

תשב הנערה אתנו, “let the girl stay with us, etc.;” if you were to ask how they could have asked for a delay after having already agreed to the match and having declared the match as having been made in heaven? They had even said: “take Rivkah and be on your way!” (verse 51) At the beginning they had thought that Eliezer had been authorized only to arrange for the betrothal which would take place in Yitzchok’s hometown. The matter therefore had appeared as very urgent. Now that they saw that Eliezer had already performed (through the gifts) the rites of betrothal, they no longer saw any reason for the hurry. They therefore asked that an engaged girl be given the customary 12 months to prepare herself for her nuptials. (Compare Talmud, Ketuvot 57)י

Let the girl abide. They purposely tried to irritate Eliezer because they were disappointed with the gifts they had received. Rivkah alone received substantial gifts, but these would go with her to Yitzchok’s house. Ad-noy has made my journey successful. Therefore it is Him you are offending when you try to delay me. Let us call the girl. This was a strategy to deflect Eliezer’s charge that they were thwarting Hashem’s will. Will you go with this man. They tried to make him seem suspect in her eyes.

ימים (literally, days) means a year — just as (Leviticus 25:29) “For a whole year (ימים) shall he have the right of redemption” — for the custom was to give a maiden twelve months to provide herself with a trousseau (literally, ornaments) (Genesis Rabbah 60:12).

ימים או עשור. a year or at least 10 months. The word ימים meaning “a year” also occurs in Leviticus 25,29. Our sages arrived at the conclusion that this verse is the source for giving a bride a period of 12 months during which she may provide for herself economically before moving in with her husband.

ימים או עשור, the word: ימים does not refer to a few days, but to the days making up 12 months, i.e. a year. (Compare Esther 2,12)

או עשור OR TEN — i. e. ten months. But if you say that it does really mean “days” (“a few days”, and that it does not mean a year) I reply that it is not usual for people who make a request to ask for a little and to say “If you do not agree to this, then give us even more” (Ketubot 57b).

ועשור, a general, as opposed to a specific adjective, including any number. This does not apply to such verses where the number is an ordinal number such as בעשור לחודש “on the tenth of the month” in Leviticus 23,27 and other places in the Torah. In those verses the word עשור is an adjective describing the tenth day of the month.