| 27. And he said, "Blessed is the Lord, the God of my master, Abraham, Who has not forsaken His loving kindness and His truth from my master. As for me, the Lord led me on the road to the house of my master's kinsmen." |
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כז. וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא עָזַב חַסְדּוֹ וַאֲמִתּוֹ מֵעִם אֲדֹנִי אָנֹכִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ נָחַנִי יְ־הֹוָ־ה בֵּית אֲחֵי אֲדֹנִי: |
| on the road: on the designated road, the straight road, on the very road that I needed. Likewise, every “beth,” “lammed,” and “hey,” that serve as a prefix and are vowelized with a “pattach” refer to something specific, already mentioned elsewhere, or of [some object] where it is clear and obvious about what one is speaking. [i.e., The“pattach” under the prefix denotes the הֵא הַיְדִיעָה, the definite article.] |
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בדרך: דרך המיומן, דרך הישר, באותו דרך שהייתי צריך. וכן כל בי"ת ולמ"ד וה"א המשמשים בראש התיבה ונקודים בפת"ח מדברים בדבר הפשוט שנזכר כבר במקום אחר או שהוא מבורר וניכר באיזו הוא מדבר: |
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| 28. And the maiden ran, and she told her mother's house what had happened. |
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כח. וַתָּרָץ הַנַּעֲרָ וַתַּגֵּד לְבֵית אִמָּהּ כַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה: |
| her mother’s house: It was customary for women to have a house in which to stay to do their work, and a daughter confides only in her mother. — [Gen. Rabbah 60:7] |
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לבית אמה: דרך הנשים היתה להיות להן בית לישב בו למלאכתן, ואין הבת מגדת אלא לאמה: |
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| 29. Now Rebecca had a brother whose name was Laban, and Laban ran to the man outside, to the fountain. |
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כט. וּלְרִבְקָה אָח וּשְׁמוֹ לָבָן וַיָּרָץ לָבָן אֶל הָאִישׁ הַחוּצָה אֶל הָעָיִן: |
| and Laban ran: Why did he run and for what did he run? “Now it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring,” he said, “This person is rich,” and he set his eyes on the money. — [Gen. Rabbah 60:7] |
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וירץ: למה וירץ ועל מה רץ, ויהי כראות את הנזם, אמר עשיר הוא זה, ונתן עיניו בממון: |
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| 30. And it came to pass, when he saw the nose ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands, and when he heard the words of his sister Rebecca, saying, "So did the man speak to me, " that he came to the man, and behold, he was standing over the camels at the fountain. |
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ל. וַיְהִי כִּרְאֹת אֶת הַנֶּזֶם וְאֶת הַצְּמִדִים עַל יְדֵי אֲחֹתוֹ וּכְשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת דִּבְרֵי רִבְקָה אֲחֹתוֹ לֵאמֹר כֹּה דִבֶּר אֵלַי הָאִישׁ וַיָּבֹא אֶל הָאִישׁ וְהִנֵּה עֹמֵד עַל הַגְּמַלִּים עַל הָעָיִן: |
| over the camels: to guard them, as (above 18:8):“And he was standing over them,” in order to serve them. |
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על הגמלים: לשמרן, כמו (לעיל יח ח) והוא עומד עליהם, לשמשם: |
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| 31. And he said, "Come, you who are blessed of the Lord. Why should you stand outside, when I have cleared the house, and a place for the camels?" |
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לא. וַיֹּאמֶר בּוֹא בְּרוּךְ יְ־הֹוָ־ה לָמָּה תַעֲמֹד בַּחוּץ וְאָנֹכִי פִּנִּיתִי הַבַּיִת וּמָקוֹם לַגְּמַלִּים: |
| when I have cleared the house: of idolatry. — [Gen. Rabbah 60:7] |
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פניתי הבית: מעבודה זרה: |
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| 32. So the man came to the house and unmuzzled the camels, and he gave straw and fodder to the camels and water to wash his feet and the feet of the men who were with him. |
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לב. וַיָּבֹא הָאִישׁ הַבַּיְתָה וַיְפַתַּח הַגְּמַלִּים וַיִּתֵּן תֶּבֶן וּמִסְפּוֹא לַגְּמַלִּים וּמַיִם לִרְחֹץ רַגְלָיו וְרַגְלֵי הָאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ: |
| and unmuzzled the camels: He loosened their muzzles, for he would shut their mouths so that they would not graze along the way in fields belonging to others. — [Gen. Rabbah 60:8, Targum Jonathan] |
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ויפתח: התיר זמם שלהם, שהיה סותם את פיהם שלא ירעו בדרך בשדות אחרים: |
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| 33. And [food] was set before him to eat, but he said, "I will not eat until I have spoken my words." And he said, "Speak." |
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לג. [ויישם] וַיּוּשַׂם לְפָנָיו לֶאֱכֹל וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא אֹכַל עַד אִם דִּבַּרְתִּי דְּבָרָי וַיֹּאמֶר דַּבֵּר: |
| until I have spoken: Here אִם serves as an expression of אִשֶׁר, [that] and as an expression of כּי, as in (below 49: 10):“Until (עַד כִּי) Shiloh will come.” This is what our Sages of blessed memory said (Rosh Hashanah 3a): The word כִּי serves for four meanings. One of these is [the Aramaic] אִי, which is equivalent to [the Hebrew] אִם. |
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עד אם דברתי: הרי אם משמש בלשון אשר ובלשון כי, כמו (לקמן מט י) עד כי יבא שילה, וזה שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל כי משמש בארבע לשונות, והאחת אי, והוא אם: |
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| 34. And he said, "I am Abraham's servant. |
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לד. וַיֹּאמַר עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם אָנֹכִי: |
| 35. And the Lord blessed my master exceedingly, and he became great, and He gave him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, man servants and maid servants, camels and donkeys. |
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לה. וַי־הֹוָ־ה בֵּרַךְ אֶת אֲדֹנִי מְאֹד וַיִּגְדָּל וַיִּתֶּן לוֹ צֹאן וּבָקָר וְכֶסֶף וְזָהָב וַעֲבָדִם וּשְׁפָחֹת וּגְמַלִּים וַחֲמֹרִים: |
| 36. And Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master after she had become old, and he gave him all that he possesses. |
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לו. וַתֵּלֶד שָׂרָה אֵשֶׁת אֲדֹנִי בֵן לַאדֹנִי אַחֲרֵי זִקְנָתָהּ וַיִּתֶּן לּוֹ אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ: |
| and he gave him all that he possesses: He showed them a gift deed. |
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ויתן לו את כל אשר לו: שטר מתנה הראה להם: |
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| 37. And my master adjured me, saying, 'You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell. |
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לז. וַיַּשְׁבִּעֵנִי אֲדֹנִי לֵאמֹר לֹא תִקַּח אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִבְּנוֹת הַכְּנַעֲנִי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי יֹשֵׁב בְּאַרְצוֹ: |
| You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites: unless you first go to my father’s house, and she will not wish to follow you. |
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לא תקח אשה לבני מבנות הכנעני: אם לא תלך תחלה אל בית אבי ולא תאבה ללכת אחריך: |
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| 38. Instead, you must go to my father's house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.' |
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לח. אִם לֹא אֶל בֵּית אָבִי תֵּלֵךְ וְאֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתִּי וְלָקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי: |
| 39. And I said to my master, 'Perhaps the woman will not follow me?' |
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לט. וָאֹמַר אֶל אֲדֹנִי אֻלַי לֹא תֵלֵךְ הָאִשָּׁה אַחֲרָי: |
| Perhaps the woman will not follow me: It [the word אֻלַי (perhaps)] is written [without a“vav” and may be read] אֵלַי (to me). Eliezer had a daughter, and he was looking for a pretext so that Abraham would tell him, to turn to him, to marry off his daughter to him (Isaac). Abraham said to him,“My son is blessed, and you are cursed [Eliezer was a descendant of Canaan who had been cursed by Noah], and an accursed one cannot unite with a blessed one.” |
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אלי לא תלך האשה: אלי כתיב, בת היתה לו לאליעזר והיה מחזר למצוא עילה שיאמר לו אברהם לפנות אליו להשיאו בתו, אמר לו אברהם בני ברוך ואתה ארור, ואין ארור מדבק בברוך: |
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| 40. And he said to me, 'The Lord, before Whom I walked, will send His angel with you and make your way prosper, and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house. |
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מ. וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָי יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֲשֶׁר הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי לְפָנָיו יִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכוֹ אִתָּךְ וְהִצְלִיחַ דַּרְכֶּךָ וְלָקַחְתָּ אִשָּׁה לִבְנִי מִמִּשְׁפַּחְתִּי וּמִבֵּית אָבִי: |
| 41. You will then be absolved from my oath, when you come to my family, and if they do not give [her] to you, you will be absolved from my oath.' |
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מא. אָז תִּנָּקֶה מֵאָלָתִי כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל מִשְׁפַּחְתִּי וְאִם לֹא יִתְּנוּ לָךְ וְהָיִיתָ נָקִי מֵאָלָתִי: |
| 42. So I came today to the fountain, and I said, 'O Lord, God of my master Abraham, if You desire to prosper my way upon which I am going |
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מב. וָאָבֹא הַיּוֹם אֶל הָעָיִן וָאֹמַר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אִם יֶשְׁךָ נָּא מַצְלִיחַ דַּרְכִּי אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי הֹלֵךְ עָלֶיהָ: |
| So I came today: Today I left, and today I arrived. From here we learn that the earth shrank for him [i.e., his journey was miraculously shortened]. Rabbi Acha said: The ordinary conversation of the servants of the Patriarchs is more beloved before the Omnipresent than the Torah of their sons, for the section dealing with Eliezer is repeated in the Torah, whereas many fundamentals of the Torah were given only through allusions. — [Gen. Rabbah 60:8] |
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ואבא היום: היום יצאתי והיום באתי, מכאן שקפצה לו הארץ. אמר רבי אחא יפה שיחתן של עבדי אבות לפני המקום מתורתן של בנים, שהרי פרשה של אליעזר כפולה בתורה, והרבה גופי תורה לא נתנו אלא ברמיזה: |
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| 43. Behold, I am standing by the water fountain. When a maiden comes out to draw [water], I will say to her, 'Please, give me a little water to drink from your pitcher.' |
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מג. הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל עֵין הַמָּיִם וְהָיָה הָעַלְמָה הַיֹּצֵאת לִשְׁאֹב וְאָמַרְתִּי אֵלֶיהָ הַשְׁקִינִי נָא מְעַט מַיִם מִכַּדֵּךְ: |
| 44. And [if] she will say to me, 'You too may drink, and I will also draw water for your camels,' she is the woman whom the Lord has designated for my master's son.' |
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מד. וְאָמְרָה אֵלַי גַּם אַתָּה שְׁתֵה וְגַם לִגְמַלֶּיךָ אֶשְׁאָב הִוא הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר הֹכִיחַ יְ־הֹוָ־ה לְבֶן אֲדֹנִי: |
| You too: [The word] גַּם (also), includes the people who were with him. |
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גם אתה: גם לרבות אנשים שעמו: |
| designated: [Meaning]: He clarified and made known, and likewise, every expression of הוֹכָחָה in Scripture denotes clarification of a matter. |
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הוכיח: בירר והודיע, וכן כל הוכחה שבמקרא ברור דבר: |
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| 45. I had not yet finished speaking thus in my heart, and behold, Rebecca came out with her pitcher on her shoulder, and she went down to the fountain and drew water, and I said to her, 'Please give me to drink.' |
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מה. אֲנִי טֶרֶם אֲכַלֶּה לְדַבֵּר אֶל לִבִּי וְהִנֵּה רִבְקָה יֹצֵאת וְכַדָּהּ עַל שִׁכְמָהּ וַתֵּרֶד הָעַיְנָה וַתִּשְׁאָב וָאֹמַר אֵלֶיהָ הַשְׁקִינִי נָא: |
| I had not yet finished: [Meaning]:“I was not yet finishing.” And similarly, wherever the present tense is called for, sometimes the past tense is used, and it could have been written טֶרֶם כִּלִתִי (past tense), “I had not yet finished;” and sometimes the future tense is used. An example [that a verb denoting continuous action is sometimes expressed in the past and sometimes in the future] is (Job 1: 5):“for Job would say” (אָמַר) : this is in the past tense.“So would Job do” (יַעִשֶׂה) : this is in the future tense. But the meaning of both is in the present tense, [namely] “for so would Job say: Perhaps my sons have sinned? and so he would do this” [in a continuous fashion]. |
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טרם אכלה: טרם שאני מכלה, וכן כל לשון הווה פעמים שהוא מדבר בלשון עבר ויכול לכתוב כמו טרם כליתי, ופעמים שמדבר בלשון עתיד, כמו (איוב א ה) כי אמר איוב, הרי לשון עבר, (שם) ככה יעשה איוב הרי לשון עתיד. ופירוש שניהם לשון הווה, כי אומר היה איוב (שם) אולי חטאו בני וגו' והיה עושה כך: |
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| 46. And she hastened and lowered her pitcher from upon her, and she said, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels.' So I drank, and she also watered the camels. |
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מו. וַתְּמַהֵר וַתּוֹרֶד כַּדָּהּ מֵעָלֶיהָ וַתֹּאמֶר שְׁתֵה וְגַם גְּמַלֶּיךָ אַשְׁקֶה וָאֵשְׁתְּ וְגַם הַגְּמַלִּים הִשְׁקָתָה: |
| 47. And I asked her, and I said, 'Whose daughter are you?' And she replied, 'The daughter of Bethuel the son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.' And I placed the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her hands. |
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מז. וָאֶשְׁאַל אֹתָהּ וָאֹמַר בַּת מִי אַתְּ וַתֹּאמֶר בַּת בְּתוּאֵל בֶּן נָחוֹר אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה לּוֹ מִלְכָּה וָאָשִׂם הַנֶּזֶם עַל אַפָּהּ וְהַצְּמִידִים עַל יָדֶיהָ: |
| And I asked…and I placed: He reversed the sequence of events, because, in fact, he had first given [her the jewelry] and then asked [about her family]. But [he changed the order] lest they catch him in his words and say,“How did you give her [the jewelry] when you did not yet know who she was?” |
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ואשאל ואשים: שנה הסדר, שהרי הוא תחלה נתן ואחר כך שאל, אלא שלא יתפשוהו בדבריו ויאמרו היאך נתת לה, ועדיין אינך יודע מי היא: |
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| 48. And I kneeled and prostrated myself to the Lord, and I blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, Who led me on the true path, to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. |
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מח. וָאֶקֹּד וָאֶשְׁתַּחֲוֶה לַי־הֹוָ־ה וָאֲבָרֵךְ אֶת יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֱלֹהֵי אֲדֹנִי אַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר הִנְחַנִי בְּדֶרֶךְ אֱמֶת לָקַחַת אֶת בַּת אֲחִי אֲדֹנִי לִבְנוֹ: |
| 49. And now, if you will do loving kindness and truth with my master, tell me, and if not, tell me, and I will turn to the right or to the left." |
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מט. וְעַתָּה אִם יֶשְׁכֶם עֹשִׂים חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת אֶת אֲדֹנִי הַגִּידוּ לִי וְאִם לֹא הַגִּידוּ לִי וְאֶפְנֶה עַל יָמִין אוֹ עַל שְׂמֹאל: |
| to the right: [This refers to a wife] from the daughters of Ishmael. |
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על ימין: מבנות ישמעאל: |
| to the left: [This refers to a wife] from the daughters of Lot, who dwelt to the left of Abraham (Gen. Rabbah 60:9). |
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על שמאל: מבנות לוט שהיה יושב לשמאלו של אברהם: |
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| 50. And Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The matter has emanated from the Lord. We cannot speak to you either bad or good. |
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נ. וַיַּעַן לָבָן וּבְתוּאֵל וַיֹּאמְרוּ מֵיְ־הֹוָ־ה יָצָא הַדָּבָר לֹא נוּכַל דַּבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַע אוֹ טוֹב: |
| And Laban and Bethuel answered: He [Laban] was wicked and jumped to reply before his father. |
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ויען לבן ובתואל: רשע היה וקפץ להשיב לפני אביו: |
| We cannot speak to you: to refuse in this matter, either with an unfavorable reply, or with an appropriate reply, because it is obvious that the matter has emanated from the Lord, according to your words, that He designated her for you. |
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לא נוכל דבר אליך: למאן בדבר הזה, לא על ידי תשובת דבר רע ולא על ידי תשובת דבר הגון לפי שניכר שמה' יצא הדבר, לפי דבריך שזימנה לך: |
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| 51. Behold Rebecca is before you, take [her] and go, and let her be a wife for your master's son, as the Lord has spoken." |
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נא. הִנֵּה רִבְקָה לְפָנֶיךָ קַח וָלֵךְ וּתְהִי אִשָּׁה לְבֶן אֲדֹנֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר יְ־הֹוָ־ה: |
| 52. Now it came to pass when Abraham's servant heard their words, that he prostrated himself on the ground to the Lord. |
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נב. וַיְהִי כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה לַי־הֹוָ־ה: |
| that he prostrated himself on the ground: From here [we learn] that we must give thanks for good tidings. |
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וישתחו ארצה: מכאן שמודים על בשורה טובה: |
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