Q. The posuk (Chayei Soro 24: 54) mentions that Avraham's servant (Eliezer) AND THE MEN THAT WERE WITH HIM ate, drank, and slept.
These men were not mentioned until now. Are these men part of Eliezer's retinue? Or do they refer to Besuel and Lovon? If the former, did they come with him? Or did they arrive later? If the former, why did Rivka not offer to give them water as well?
A. There are three mentions of the men that accompanied Eliezer in Parshas Chaye Sarah. It seems from the simple text and Meforshim, that those men came with Eliezer to help him, as he came with a heavily loaded caravan of ten camels.
Chezkuni, Yikro Deuraissa, Meshech Chochmo and others explain that an added purpose for their coming was to complement the minyan needed for a Seudas Eirusin (following Tosafos Kesubbos 7b).
Shaarei Aharon (32) quotes Rav Ephroim that the reason they were not mentioned constantly, was that since they constituted a group that followed Eliezer, they were included with their leader.
He also mentions that it is obvious that if Rivka gave even the camels to drink, she previously had to draw water for the men.
Rabbi A. Bartfeld as revised by Horav Dovid Pam, Horav Aharon Miller and Horav Chanoch Ehrentreu Shlit'a
Important Numbers
