Some questions to discuss:
1. Why does Avraham send his servant to a distant land to find a wife for Yitzhak?
2. What, precisely, are the guidelines that Avraham gives his servant?
3. What is the name of Avraham's servant?
4. Why do some people think the servant's name is Eliezer?
5. Did the servant do the right thing when he set up a test to find a wife for Yitzhak?
והאמר רב כל נחש שאינו כאליעזר עבד אברהם וכיונתן בן שאול אינו נחש
But doesn’t Rav say that any divination that is not like the divination of Eliezer, the servant of Abraham, when he went to seek a bride for Isaac (see Genesis 24:14), or like the divination of Jonathan, son of Saul, who sought an omen as to whether he and his arms bearer would defeat the Philistines (see I Samuel 14:8–12), is not divination?
This Talmudic passage discusses "divination" a form of superstition that the Torah forbids. Who is the example listed here of someone who acts in a superstitious way? Is this surprising? See the following source where Rambam (Maimonides) explains exactly what is forbidden and look what example he gives!
(ד) אֵין מְנַחֲשִׁין כְּעַכּוּ''ם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ויקרא יט כו) "לֹא תְנַחֲשׁוּ". כֵּיצַד הוּא הַנַּחַשׁ. כְּגוֹן אֵלּוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים הוֹאִיל וְנָפְלָה פִּתִּי מִפִּי אוֹ נָפַל מַקְלִי מִיָּדִי אֵינִי הוֹלֵךְ לְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הַיּוֹם שֶׁאִם אֵלֵךְ אֵין חֲפָצַיי נַעֲשִׂים. הוֹאִיל וְעָבַר שׁוּעָל מִימִינִי אֵינִי יוֹצֵא מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתִי הַיּוֹם שֶׁאִם אֵצֵא יִפְגָּעֵנִי אָדָם רַמַּאי. וְכֵן אֵלּוּ שֶׁשּׁוֹמְעִים צִפְצוּף הָעוֹף וְאוֹמְרִים יִהְיֶה כָּךְ וְלֹא יִהְיֶה כָּךְ. טוֹב לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי וְרַע לַעֲשׂוֹת דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי. וְכֵן אֵלּוּ שֶׁאוֹמְרִים שְׁחֹט תַּרְנְגוֹל זֶה שֶׁקָּרָא עַרְבִית. שְׁחֹט תַּרְנְגלֶת זוֹ שֶׁקָּרְאָה כְּמוֹ תַּרְנְגוֹל. וְכֵן הַמֵּשִׂים סִימָנִים לְעַצְמוֹ אִם יֶאֱרַע לִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ אֶעֱשֶׂה דָּבָר פְּלוֹנִי וְאִם לֹא יֶאֱרַע לִי לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה, כֶּאֱלִיעֶזֶר עֶבֶד אַבְרָהָם. וְכֵן כָּל כַּיּוֹצֵא בַּדְּבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ הַכּל אָסוּר. וְכָל הָעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֶׂה מִפְּנֵי דָּבָר מִדְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ לוֹקֶה:
(4) It is forbidden to practice divination as the idolaters do, even as it is said: "Nor shall ye use divination" (Ibid. 19.26). How is divination practiced? For instance, those who say: "Seeing that the bread fell out of my mouth", or, "my cane fell out of my hand I shall not go to-day to that place, for if I do go, my desire will not be fulfilled; seeing that a fox passed by my right hand I shall not leave my door step to-day, for if I do leave a false person will encounter me". Likewise those who hear the chirping of a bird say: "It will be so, but not so; it is good to do that thing and bad to do the other thing". So are those who say: "Kill this rooster, he crowed during the evening; kill that hen, she crows like a rooster". So, too, is one who sets certain signs for himself to regulate his actions, saying: "If such thing will come to pass I shall do that thing, but if it will not come to pass I shall not do it", even as Eliezer, Abraham's servant did. And so are all like practices of such things forbidden. And whosoever commits an act as a result of any one of such practices, is lashed.
Ra'avad is a commentary on Rambam. He only comments when he disagrees and boy does he disgaree here! Look what he says!
So, too, is one who sets certain signs for himself etc. This is a gross error, for such thing is, indeed, permitted. Perhaps the text (Hullin, 95b) misled him, as he saw there, saying: "Such divination which is not like the divination of Eliezer (Gen. 24. 13–14) and Jonathan (I. Samuel, 20. 21–22) is not considered divining", and he evidently thought that the subject there is concerning a charge against such practice. Whereas it is not all so, for the meaning thereof is this: It is not proper to depend upon it. I wonder how he could think that way of such righteous men. Indeed, had they been present when he said it, they would have applied tongues of fire to his face.
The Kessef Mishneh is a commentary on Rambam written by Rabbi Joseph Caro. Do you know another famous book that he wrote? How does he resolve the dispute between Rambam and Raavad? Do you find his answer convincing?
How does Rashi understand the story in the Torah? Similar to Rambam or differently?
וגם גמליך אשקה כי ראוי לשואל שישאל פחות מצרכו שלא להטריח וראוי לנדיב שיוסיף ויעשה לשואל די מחסורו או יותר:
I will also water your camels. A supplicant should ask for less than his needs and the giver should provide him with all his needs or more.