Genesis 24:14

Let the damsel to whom I say, Reach me now thy pitcher, that I may drink, and she say, Drink, and I will also make my camels drink, be she whom thou hast provided to go to thy servant Izhak; and herein shall I know that Thou hast dealt graciously with my master.

HER THOU HAST APPOINTED FOR THY SERVANT, EVEN FOR ISAAC. Rashi comments: “She is fit for him since she is charitable and worthy of admission into the house of Abraham. And thereby shall I know — this is a petition: ‘Let me know through her that Thou hast shown kindness unto my master.’” If so, Eliezer is saying, “I know for certain that You have appointed her for Your servant Isaac.” But in that case [his petition, which still indicates a doubt as to whether she was the appointed one,] does not connect well.
Its interpretation however is as follows: “Make it happen to me this day that the girl to whom I will speak be the one that You have appointed for Your servant Isaac, and with this, show kindness to my master Abraham for with this I will know that You have shown kindness to him if she be of his family and of good mind and of beautiful appearance.” And so he said [when recounting the events of the day]: And let it come to pass, that the maiden, etc., let the same be the woman whom the Eternal hath appointed.

אותה הוכחת, she is the one whom You have appointed to be Yitzchok’s wife. The word אותה excludes the possibility of any other girl being the proper wife for Yitzchok.

והיה הנערה אשר אמר אליה, this was not a statement but a prayer that things should develop in this fashion. He did not rely on any magic, i.e. that the signs he stipulated would determine his actions. We find a similar occurrence with Yonathan son of King Sha-ul in Samuel I 14,10, where he does not rely on the אות which he had stipulated, but where he asked G’d in prayer for help, saying that if certain things were to happen he would regard this as a sign that his prayer had been answered favourably (compare Ibn Ezra there) When the Talmud Chulin 95 כל נחש שאינו כאליעזר עבד אברהם ויהונתן בן שאול אינו נחש, the meaning is that “any divination which is not like that of Eliezer or that of Yonatan ben Sha-ul is not a divination,” i.e. is not permissible, but is akin to relying on witchcraft [Unless the person requesting a sign does so as a prayer directed to G’d it is forbidden. Ed.].

וגם גמליך אשקה, it is good manners for someone requesting something to ask for a minimum rather than a maximum in order not to impose an unnecessary burden on the giver. At the same time, it is incumbent on the giver to give the maximum he is able to spare so that the recipient will have what he needs and not only a portion of it.

אותה הוכחת, You have taught her virtues in such a way that she has become a fit mate for Your servant Yitzchok.

והיה הנערה, seeing that the subject matter had already been introduced, the definitive article ה is in place, as opposed to Deuteronomy 22,23 כי יהיה נערה, where the subject had not been referred to previously.

אשר אמר אליה, by this qualification Eliezer freed himself from the obligation to address a blind or lame girl. However, he still did not free himself from the obligation of speaking to a slave-girl. or someone born from an incestuous relationship, etc., seeing that such girls have no exterior marks by which one can immediately identify their status. Seeing that this was so, he prayed that G’d would do a kindness to his master and arrange that the girl whom he would approach to offer water would be a girl suitable as a potential wife for Yitzchok.

אותה הוכחת, after passing this test, I will know that she is the one which You, G’d, have selected for Yitzchok, and I will take her as a wife for him.

ובה אדע, if she will be good, and the daughter of good people I will know that You have indeed performed a kindness for my master.

ובה אדע, “and through her (conduct) I will know, etc.” according to Rashi, this wording is a kind of plea by Eliezer. This presents an apparent conflict with a statement by Rabbi Sh’muel son of Nachmeni in the Talmud, tractate Taanit, folio 4, according to which the Bible names three people whose requests from G–d were considered as inappropriate, Eliezer’s request here being one of the three. When we examine Eliezer’s request, if a blind girl had performed the tasks he had requested as proof of her worthiness to become the wife of Yitzchok, he would have had to choose her. According to Rashi’s interpretation, there was nothing inappropriate in Eliezer’s request.