NOTES for Gen 24:32-67
Abraham's servant does not drag the matter out; on the contrary, he tries to settle everything as quickly as possible. For the East, such an approach is more the exception: here every transaction and every agreement is reached and concluded without haste, and it certainly must be, as people in Russia say, "celebrated with drinks." And if in Russia deals are usually celebrated with drinks over one or two days, in the East it can sometimes take no less than a week. Indeed, a person has come from far away and will again go far away; the road is not short, so this person must be given a chance both to rest and to talk with people - in the steppe or the desert, what conversation is there...
In short, a guest was usually not allowed to leave earlier than after a week, whatever reason he had come for. All the more so here, where the reason is unusual: a wedding is involved. Not the wedding itself yet, of course, but the betrothal; still, this is an event that cannot simply be skipped. Meanwhile, Abraham's servant sets out already the next day. And Rebekah is ready to go with him.
Why is that? Was life bad in her parental home? It is hard to say. There is also another reason, a purely spiritual one. It comes down to a simple rule: when you leave, leave. Long farewells mean extra tears. This is not a question of sentimentality or harshness; it is a question of resolve. Often a person consciously or unconsciously very much wants to linger, slow down, postpone a decision that has already supposedly been made. In practice, however, this means that he is wavering, that the decision has been made and yet not quite made; and if, for example, something were now to prevent its fulfillment, deep down the person would even be glad, although he would most likely never say so out loud and would not even admit that gladness to himself. Readiness to act at once, as soon as a decision has been made, is resolve - one of the most valuable and necessary qualities of spiritual life. By leaving on the morning after the betrothal, Abraham's servant tests Rebekah for resolve - and she passes the test.