Genesis 21:14

"Bread and bottle of water" - and not silver and gold because [Avraham] had hatred for him because [Ishmael] went out into a bad culture.

"And the boy" - (Bereishis Rabbah) Even the boy was placed on [Hagai's] shoulder, since Sarah placed in him an evil eye and he got a fever and couldn't walk on his feet.

"And she went and she wandered" - She returned to the idols of her father's house (Bereishis Rabbah).

And Abraham rose up in the morning, and took bread and a cruse of water, and gave to Hagar to bear upon her shoulder, and bound it to her loins, to signify that she was a servant, and the child, and dismissed her with a letter of divorce (be-gitta). And she went, and wandered from the way into the desert which was hard by Beersheba.

Bread and a skin of water. Since Hashem told him to listen to all that Sarah said he could not give Hagar anything without Sarah’s permission. Nevertheless, after Sarah’s death he gave the sons of his concubines gifts (25:6).

It is also possible that he gave Hagar gifts that Scripture does not mention. She went and lost her way. Avraham gave her sufficient supplies to reach Beer Sheva had she not become lost.

AND THE CHILD, AND HE SENT HER AWAY. This is to be understood in connection with the above: And he gave to Hagar [the bread and bottle of water]… and the child, for he gave her the child also to go with her wherever she will go.

ותתע במדבר באר שבע, that is why she ran out of water, a supply of which she had carried with her. Avraham had given her a big enough supply if she would have taken the direct route to Beer Sheva.

שם על שכמה, the hose containing the water; this was in order to show that she was a slave woman. A reminder of the angel at the time having told her that she was to submit to her mistress Sarah (16,9) A righteous person of the caliber of Avraham would certainly not send away a woman and her son without provisions adequate to ensure that she can reach the next location where new provisions can be obtained. [I wonder why Hagar was not given an animal to ride on? Clearly, Avraham was intent that she should be known to be a slave by the fact that she had to travel on foot. Ed.] Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 53,15 understand the words ויהי אלוקים את הנער in verse 20, to mean that she had both donkeys and camels at her disposal as well as her son’s servants. If we accept that line in the Midrash at face value, the crisis which overtook Hagar and Ishmael was only that they ran out of water due to having lost their way in the desert. As soon as they found a source of water they had all the means to establish themselves economically, even in the midst of the desert. It was natural for Ishmael to settle in the desert as his mother had been told already while she was pregnant that here son would be a פרא אדם, someone preferring to live in the wilderness, not in civilised society.

ואת הילד, he also gave her the child;

וישלחה, he first accompanied her some distance out of his loving concern for them. (compare 18,16).

וישכם, to carry out G’d’s instruction.

ויקח לחם וחמת מים, he gave her enough food to last for a day or two. She was unable to carry more than that. He also gave her a plentiful supply of water as the distance to Egypt was considerable. On the other hand, she might have had relatives much closer than in Egypt. He gave her also silver and gold so that she could replenish her supplies, although the Torah did not make a specific mention of this.

ואת הילד, he placed the bread and the water on her shoulder, and arranged for Ishmael to walk ahead of her. He was approximately 15 and the time, and if he would tire, Hagar would have to carry him for a while either on her shoulder or in her lap.

וישלחה, either from his house, or he accompanied her some distance until outside the town limits.

ותלך ותתע, she did not know the route once she had entered the desert.