אָ֤ז תִּנָּקֶה֙ מֵאָ֣לָתִ֔י כִּ֥י תָב֖וֹא אֶל־מִשְׁפַּחְתִּ֑י וְאִם־לֹ֤א יִתְּנוּ֙ לָ֔ךְ וְהָיִ֥יתָ נָקִ֖י מֵאָלָתִֽי׃
Então estarás livre do meu juramento, quando chegares à minha família. E se eles não te derem, ficarás livre do meu juramento.'
Ramban
FROM MY FATHER’s HOUSE, ‘UMEI’ERETZ MOLAD’TI’ (AND FROM THE LAND OF MY NATIVITY). Rashi comments: “From my father’s house — from Haran. And from the land of my nativity — from Ur of the Chaldees.” If this is so, the expression, Unto my country and to ‘molad’ti’ thou shalt go,87Verse 4 here. must also refer to Ur of the Chaldees. But Heaven forbid that the sacred seed should mix with the sons of Ham,88The Chaldees and the entire land of Shinar belonged to the sons of Ham. See Ramban, above, 11:28. the sinful one!89Above, 9:22-24. Even if one would say that Abraham had some family there from the seed of Shem, the fact is however that the servant went to Haran as his master said! Now perhaps the Rabbi [Rashi] thinks that eretz molad’to87Verse 4 here.(the land of his birth) was Ur of the Chaldees, but molad’ti87Verse 4 here. means “my family,” and my country87Verse 4 here. means the land wherein he lived. But all these are futile words since here, in the verse before us, he said, And thou shalt take a wife for my son from there, [and according to Rashi, who explained ume’eretz molad’ti, mentioned in this verse, as meaning Ur of the Chaldees, it would follow that Abraham commanded Eliezer to go there to get a wife from the children of Ham]! Moreover, Abraham stayed in the land of Canaan for a longer period than he did in Haran, and so why should Haran be called his country simply because he lived there for some time? Instead, the meaning of the expression, unto my country and to ‘molad’ti’,87Verse 4 here. is “unto my country in which I was born,” [namely, Haran in Mesopotamia], for there he stayed and from there his ancestors came, as was already explained.90See Ramban above, 11:28 and 12:1. In Bereshith Rabbah we find:9159:13. “From my father’s house — this is the house of his father. And from the land of my birth — this is the environs [of his father’s house].”
It is possible that unto my country and unto ‘molad’ti’ means “Unto my country and unto my family,” for he did not want a wife to be taken for Isaac even from the people of his country but only from his family. Similarly in the verse, And thou shalt take a wife for my son from there, [the word misham (from there)] alludes to the expression, from my father’s house, mentioned at the beginning of the verse. And so did the servant say when quoting Abraham, And thou shalt take a wife for my son of my family, and of my father’s house,92Further, Verse 40. and again he said, quoting his master. Then shalt thou be clear from my oath when thou comest to my family.93Ibid., Verse 41. These words were said by the servant to honor them so that they would listen to him.
It is possible that unto my country and unto ‘molad’ti’ means “Unto my country and unto my family,” for he did not want a wife to be taken for Isaac even from the people of his country but only from his family. Similarly in the verse, And thou shalt take a wife for my son from there, [the word misham (from there)] alludes to the expression, from my father’s house, mentioned at the beginning of the verse. And so did the servant say when quoting Abraham, And thou shalt take a wife for my son of my family, and of my father’s house,92Further, Verse 40. and again he said, quoting his master. Then shalt thou be clear from my oath when thou comest to my family.93Ibid., Verse 41. These words were said by the servant to honor them so that they would listen to him.
Rav Hirsch
V. 19. לא יאבה וגו׳ Gott wird sein Verlangen nicht bewilligen, seiner Erwartung nicht entsprechen (siehe Bereschit 24, 5). אלה .כל האלה heißt durchaus in erster Bedeutung nicht Fluch, sondern Eid. והיית נקי מאלתי (Bereschit 24, 41). תהי נא אלה בינותינו (daselbst 26, 28). ושמעה קול אלה (Wajikra 5, 1). Es ist, wie ja auch in השבע liegt (siehe zu Schmot 20, 7) das Sichunterstellen unter Gott, für den Fall, daß das im Eide gesprochene Wort nicht wahr ist oder nicht wahr gemacht wird. Daher ja auch נשא שם und אלה geradezu die Wurzel des Gottesbegriffs. Da jedoch die im Eide aufgerufene Gottesmacht zunächst in dem den Eidbruch strafenden Verderben des Eidbrüchigen sich zu zeigen hat, so bezeichnet אלה auch besonders diese Verderben bringende Seite des Eides, den Fluch, den der Meineidige auf sich herabzieht. So Bamidbar 5, 21 bei der סוטה, wo אלה neben שבועה genannt ist.
Rav Hirsch
V. 22. והייתם נקיים מד׳ ומישראל (vergl. Bereschit 24, 41). והיית נקי מאלתי, אז תנקה מאלתי der mir geleistete Eid wird dir nichts mehr anhaben können, du wirst von ihm aus keine Verpflichtung mehr haben, du hast ihm genügt. So auch hier: Gott und Israel werden keine Forderung weiter an euch haben.