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וַיִּקַּ֣ח הָ֠עֶבֶד עֲשָׂרָ֨ה גְמַלִּ֜ים מִגְּמַלֵּ֤י אֲדֹנָיו֙ וַיֵּ֔לֶךְ וְכָל־ט֥וּב אֲדֹנָ֖יו בְּיָד֑וֹ וַיָּ֗קָם וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־אֲרַ֥ם נַֽהֲרַ֖יִם אֶל־עִ֥יר נָחֽוֹר׃
И взял раб из верблюдов господина своего десять верблюдов и пошел; имея все добрые дела своего хозяина'в его руке; и он встал и пошел в Арам-Нахараим, в город Нахор.
Rashi on Genesis
מגמלי אדניו OF HIS MASTER’S CAMELS — These were distinguished from other camels by going out muzzled to avoid robbery — i.e. that they should not graze in other peoples’ fields (Genesis Rabbah 59:11).
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Ramban on Genesis
AND ALL THE GOODS OF HIS MASTER BEING IN HIS HAND. Rashi comments: “This refers to a deed of gift of all his possessions which he wrote in favor of Isaac so that they would be eager to send him their daughter.” And so it is also stated in Bereshith Rabbah,10659:15. “He carried with him a disposition of property.”
According to this opinion, the verse stating, And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac,107Further, 25:5. means that he caused him to take possession of the belonging at the time of his death so that the other children would not contest his ownership, just as it is said, And he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived.108Ibid., Verse 6. If so, the word “taking” applies also to the first part of the verse, And the servant ‘took’ ten camels, and departed, and all the goods of his master he took in his hand. Perhaps [the words of the verse are to be transposed as follows]: “And the servant took ten camels and all the goods of his master in his hand, and departed.”
Others109This interpretation is found in the commentary of Chizkuni. explain the sense of the verse as meaning that immediately upon being sworn, the servant himself went and took many camels from his master’s camels because all his master’s goods were in his hand, he being the officer and captain over all and authorized to take from him whatever he desired, just as the verse says, that ruled over all that he had.80Verse 2 here.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the meaning of this verse is similar to that of the verse concerning Hazael, general of Aram, And Hazael went to meet him [Elisha the prophet], and took a present with him, and every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden,110II Kings 8:9. [which means “and ‘of’ every good thing of Damascus].” Here too Scripture states that he took in his hand of all his master’s goods ten camels’ burden. The sense of the verse concerning Hazael is that the camels carried all that was good and excellent among those species of fruits and precious things that were found in Damascus or in his master’s house, and in addition they carried a present with them. In a similar sense is the verse, ten asses laden with the good of Egypt,111Further, 45:23. [which means laden with the good and excellent fruits of Egypt]. The verses, however, shorten expressions when the subjects are understood.
According to this opinion, the verse stating, And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac,107Further, 25:5. means that he caused him to take possession of the belonging at the time of his death so that the other children would not contest his ownership, just as it is said, And he sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived.108Ibid., Verse 6. If so, the word “taking” applies also to the first part of the verse, And the servant ‘took’ ten camels, and departed, and all the goods of his master he took in his hand. Perhaps [the words of the verse are to be transposed as follows]: “And the servant took ten camels and all the goods of his master in his hand, and departed.”
Others109This interpretation is found in the commentary of Chizkuni. explain the sense of the verse as meaning that immediately upon being sworn, the servant himself went and took many camels from his master’s camels because all his master’s goods were in his hand, he being the officer and captain over all and authorized to take from him whatever he desired, just as the verse says, that ruled over all that he had.80Verse 2 here.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the meaning of this verse is similar to that of the verse concerning Hazael, general of Aram, And Hazael went to meet him [Elisha the prophet], and took a present with him, and every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden,110II Kings 8:9. [which means “and ‘of’ every good thing of Damascus].” Here too Scripture states that he took in his hand of all his master’s goods ten camels’ burden. The sense of the verse concerning Hazael is that the camels carried all that was good and excellent among those species of fruits and precious things that were found in Damascus or in his master’s house, and in addition they carried a present with them. In a similar sense is the verse, ten asses laden with the good of Egypt,111Further, 45:23. [which means laden with the good and excellent fruits of Egypt]. The verses, however, shorten expressions when the subjects are understood.
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Rashbam on Genesis
וכל טוב אדוניו, the important people in Avraham’s household. This is why they are referred to as האנשים, a complimentary description, in verse 54.
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Sforno on Genesis
ויקח העבד עשרה גמלים מדמלי אדוניו וילך. He took permission from his master to set out on the way after he made prepared the camels for the journey.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
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.
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Radak on Genesis
ויקח...וכל טוב, not literally “all the good,” but most of the good things. The exaggeration here is similar to when the Torah describes כל הארץ, “the whole earth” as going to Egypt to buy grain. (Genesis 41,57) What is meant is: “most people from all over.” There are many such “exaggerations.” What the Torah meant was that Eliezer took with him samples of most of the precious possessions in Avraham’s household in order to show the family of the potential bride that she would be marrying into a wealthy family. Our sages (quoted by Rashi) explain the term וכל טוב as referring to a document in which Avraham had appointed Yitzchok as his sole heir. Eliezer brought this document with him, i.e. בידו, “in his hand.”
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Tur HaArokh
וכל טוב אדוניו בידו, “with all the good things of his master in his hand.” Rashi explains that the word כל טוב refers to a document bequeathing all of Avraham’s wealth to his son Yitzchok. Although we already know (25,5) that Yitzchok had been appointed the sole heir, Avraham gave this document to Eliezer in order to encourage the family of the girl Eliezer would choose as Yitzchok’s bride to allow her to leave home and move to a distant land.
Some commentators feel that when the servant (Eliezer) had sworn to his master, he took 10 camels and loaded them with all of Avraham’s portable treasures as he had been instructed to do just that
Nachmanides explains the verse in line with the plain meaning of the text, i.e. that Eliezer took 10 of his master’s camels and loaded them with all the valuable chattels including exotic fruit which Avraham possessed.
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Siftei Chakhamim
They would go out only muzzled, out of concern for robbery... [Rashi knows this] because it is written (v. 32): “And he removed the muzzles the camels,” which implies that until now they were muzzled. [You might ask: Why was muzzling necessary?] Hashem does not bring wrongdoing to the animals of the righteous, as it says in Chulin 7a! An answer is: Hashem surely does not bring them wrongdoing but Eliezer muzzled them so they will not eat even [what is lying near] the sides of the road. Although the produce there is considered abandoned since the owners assumedly gave up hope [of recovering it], Eliezer the servant of Avraham was very pious and did not wish to benefit from another’s property even when permitted. But Re’m answers that one should not rely on a miracle. [Although Hashem usually protects,] it is different where harm is sure to happen, as the camels were going among other people’s fields.
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Rav Hirsch on Torah
Indem erst in der zweiten Hälfte des Verses, ויקם וילך, der Aufbruch zur Reise erzählt wird, kann das וילך der ersten Hälfte nicht schon das Reisen selbst bedeuten, sondern gehört mit zur Zurüstung der Reise. Die Kamele waren nicht beladen, sie waren bestimmt, die Braut und ihre Dienerinnen aufzunehmen. Es waren herrschaftliche Kamele, als solche durch Rüst- und Sattelzeug kenntlich. Er aber ging zu Fuße und trug Geschenke. Aus Kohelet 10, 7 erscheint, dass Knechte überhaupt nie geritten, sie waren daran erkennbar, dass sie nur zu Fuße gingen. Auch bei der Rückreise ging er nur zu Fuße und führte Rebekkas Kamel. Unsere Damen scheinen keine kavaliermäßig geübten Reiterinnen gewesen zu sein, sondern des Führers bedurft zu haben, so ja auch die Sunamiterin (Kön. II. 4. 24). Elieser trat also nicht als reicher Kaufmann mit etwa zehn beladenen Kamelen, sondern völlig als Knecht, als bepackter Knecht auf, der herrschaftliche Kamele irgendwohin zu führen hat. Nur so war ja auch die spätere Probe hinsichtlich des Charakters des Mädchens eine wirkliche. Was einem müden bepackten Knechte gegenüber von reiner Menschlichkeit zeugte, konnte einem reichen Kavalier gegenüber alles andere gewesen sein.
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Chizkuni
ויקח העבד, “the servant took, etc;” Eliezer was able to do so, as the Torah tells us that Avraham had entrusted all his most treasured possessions to his care, וכל .טוב אדוניו בידו
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Rashi on Genesis
וכל טוב אדניו בידו AND ALL THE GOODS OF HIS MASTER WERE IN HIS HAND — He wrote a deed of gift of all his possessions in favour of Isaac so that they would be eager to send him their daughter (Genesis Rabbah 59:11).
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Sforno on Genesis
וכל טוב אדוניו בידו, he took with him many silver and golden trinkets. He did not need to ask for permission to do this seeing that all of these items were under his authority on an all year round basis in his capacity of being Avraham’s general manager.
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Radak on Genesis
אל ארם נהרים, so called because it was the confluence of two rivers.
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Siftei Chakhamim
He wrote a gift-deed to Yitzchok of all his possessions... [Rashi knows this] because when the verse says: “He departed, and all the property of his master was in his hand,” a new point is being expressed: even though Eliezer departed, all his master’s property was still in his hand. If all the verse means is that the property remained in Eliezer’s possession, why does the verse even need to tell us this? [It would be obvious, so] what is the new point? Furthermore, why did Scripture not tell us this in the previous section, that all his master’s property was in his possession? Perforce, it means that Avraham gave a gift-deed to Yitzchok. But Re’m writes that [Rashi knows this] because there is no other way that all his master’s property would be “in his hand.” Avraham surely would not grant all his money to Eliezer! We need not ask: It is written later (25:5), “Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchok.” Does this not imply that he did not give a gift-deed to Yitzchok beforehand? [An answer is:] Rashi explained there in the name of R. Nechemia [that Avraham gave Yitzchok] the blessing of Hashem, Who had said to Avraham, “And you will be [in control of the world’s] blessing.” Avraham then entrusted the blessings to Yitzchok. A further answer: Avraham acquired possessions after his gift-deed to Yitzchok, during the ten years following Sarah’s death. Avraham, upon his death, bequeathed them to Yitzchok.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
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.
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Rav Hirsch on Torah
Dass man die reichsten Schmucksachen von bedeutendem Werte in einem Kasten von eben nicht großem Umfange tragen könne, braucht nicht erst erinnert zu werden.
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Chizkuni
עשרה גמלים, “ten camels” to be ridden by ten men who would form the necessary quorum at the engagement and (marriage ceremony). [The bracket is to tell the reader that different manuscripts either have or do not have that word. Ed.]
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Rashi on Genesis
ארם נהרים MESOPOTAMIA (literally, ARAM OF THE TWO RIVERS) — it was situated between the two rivers, Euphrates and Tigris.
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Sforno on Genesis
ויקם וילך, on his way.
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Radak on Genesis
עיר נחור, this refers to Ur Kasdim where Nachor had remained behind after his father Terach had moved to Charan together with his other son Avraham.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
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.
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Rav Hirsch on Torah
Nach unseren Weisen waren Abrahams herrschaftliche Kamele an den Maulkörben kenntlich, die sie trugen, und welche sie verhinderten, von fremden Ackern etwas zur Nahrung zu nehmen. Jüdische Große dürften somit nicht in der Rücksichtslosigkeit, sondern in der größeren Rücksicht und Schonung für fremdes Eigentum ihre Auszeichnung gefunden haben.
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Chizkuni
מגמלי אדוניו, “from the camels owned by his master;” from the choicest, raised in his own home.
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Or HaChaim on Genesis
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).
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Chizkuni
וכל טוב אדוניו בידו, “there are opinions according to whom the letter מ as a prefix to the word מגמלי should be placed in front of the letter כ in the word: וכל, so that that word is read as ומכל, “and samples of all,“ etc. These “samples” are what the Torah speaks about in reporting Eliezer as sharing out all kinds of goodies in verse 53 of our chapter.
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