(29) וירץ AND HE RAN — Why did he run and what did he run for? (The next verse explains why). ויהי כראות הנזם AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN HE SAW THE RING —he said, “This must be a rich man״, and he had an eye to his money.
אכן הכוונה היא כי זה האיש לבן חרד לקראת האיש ביודעו מה שעבר בינו ובין רבקה מהדברים ומקרוב הדעת והוא איש נכרי הרי זה מגיד כי דברים בגו ולזה לבש קנאה ורץ לקראתו לפגוע בו בקנאתו את קנאת אחותו ולצד בחינת מעשה זה ייחס ה' אותו ייחוסין של צדיקים ואמר ושמו לבן כי מעשה צדיקים עשה בזה ואין הקב''ה מקפח שכר בריה. ואומרו ויהי כראות וגו' יגיד כי מה שקדם היה קודם כראות הצמידים וקודם שמעו דברי אחותו סדרן של מעשים חשדו לאליעזר בדבר מכוער אבל כראות הנזם וגו' וכשמעו וגו' ככה דבר אלי האיש שב אפו. ואף על פי כן מודיע הכתוב שיצא לקראת האיש לא להרע אלא אדרבה להאכסינו ולהחזיק לו טובה ובזה נתיישבו:
...And Rivkah had a brother and his name was Lavan, etc. According to the words of [our sages] of blessed memory [B-Midbar Rabba Ch. 10], they said that for the righteous, their title is written before [they are mentioned directly], as it is written: "And his name was Bo'az" [Ruth 2:1], "And the name of the man was Elimelech" [Ruth 1:2]. But for the wicked, they are mentioned directly before their title, as it is written: "And Naval was his name" [Shmu'el I 25:3]. If so, why did the text use the order of the righteous for Lavan the wicked? And to make sense of the matter, one should comment on the text where it says: And he ran, why did he run? And our rabbis of blessed memory said that it was because he saw the nose-ring etc., so he had his eyes on the money.
And still there is a question: if so, it should have put that first, saying: And it was when he saw [the jewellery], and he ran, etc. And even with this, there was no need to write twice about the man outside at the spring.
Therefore, what is meant is that this man Lavan was quaking before this man [Eli'ezer], now knowing what had passed between him and Rivkah in words and in assent, and he was an alien man. And see, [Lavan] said that there was something to it, and so he put on a jealous demeanour and ran to greet him, to impress upon him his jealousy for his sister. And considering the nature of this action, God associated him with the manners of the righteous, and said, And his name was Lavan, for this was an act of the righteous and the Holy One (blessed be He) robs no one of his due! And in saying that it was, when he saw, etc., it tells first that which came first--before seeing the bracelets and before hearing his sister's words about the order of events, he suspected Eliezer of something vile, but upon seeing the nose-ring, etc., and hearing, etc., that this was how the man spoke to me, his anger was turned back. And even so, the text acknowledges that he went out to greet the man not to deal ill with him but, contrariwise, to offer him shelter and to do him favour, and it was with this that they sat down together.
...And he ran, etc., and upon seeing, etc. And it should have been written in reverse - And upon seeing, etc., and he ran. But rather, even without seeing the nose-ring, he ran to greet one from the house of Avraham, to inquire with him for he had heard her tell that she had heard his blessing of "the house of my master's brother". But he didn't say, "Enter, blessed is God", for who knows if he was wealthy? And he also didn't say, "Why are you standing outside, etc?" for who knew if it was his intent to lodge in the city at all? But upon seeing the nose-ring, and once he also heard all that he said to Rivkah - i.e., that he asked if there was a place to lodge - therefore, Lavan came and said thus-and-so.
...And Lavan and Betuel answered. He was wicked for he took precedence in the matter before his father. And further his words bore witness to his evil tendency, for he gave precedence to evil over good, in that he said: "We cannot say anything to you, neither bad nor good."
(15) הלא נכריות נחשבנו לו ARE WE NOT THOUGHT ALIENS BY HIM? — Even at a time when it is customary for people to give a dowry to their daughters — at the time of their marriage — he treated us as strangers for he sold us to you for the value of the labour.
(מג) ולבנותי מה אעשה לאלה היום אמרו (הראב"ע והרד"ק) שהוא כמו ולבנותי מה אעשה להן היום והיא תוספת ביאור... ויותר נכון נראה שהוא דרך חמלה ולבנותי מה אעשה לאלה אשר לפני כי נכמרו רחמי עליהן או לבניהן הנולדים בביתי והם לי כבני וזה טעם אשר ילדו ואמר זה כמתנצל על דברי יעקב כי באתי אחריך לראות בנותי ומה אוכל לעשות להם טובה או לבניהם ועתה אטיב להן שתכרות לי ברית שלא תענה אותן ולא תקח עליהן נשים
...As for my daughters, what shall I do to these today? They said [Rabbi Avraham ibn 'Ezra and Rabbid David Kimchi] that this was an expression of accretion...And the better explanation seems to be that this was by way of pity. And for my daughters, what shall I do for these who are before me, for they have softened my mercy for them or for their children born in my house, and they are like sons to me. And this is the reason for [the phrase] that they have born. And he said this by way of explanation to Yaakov's words: for I came after you to see my daughters, and what favour can I do for them or their children? And now I will do good for them, by your establishing a covenant for me so that you will not humiliate them nor take other wives in addition to them.
(כ) על בלי הגיד לו ... הראה יעקב עצמו כאלו בלתי מרגיש באיבת לבן מלבד שלא הגיד לו שחפץ ללכת וכל זה עשה לא להעדר מוסר אלא כמוכרח וזה כי בורח הוא. מדאגה שיגזלהו לבן בעזרת אנשי עירו כמו שאמר בהתנצלותו ללבן אחר כן:
(20) על בלי הגיד לו, ...Yaakov showed himself as if he didn't sense Lavan’s hatred, besides not telling him that he wanted to go. He did all this not to escape morality but rather by sheer necessity, and this is "for he was fleeing".
כי בורח הוא; he fled for fear that Lavan would rob him with the aid of the people of his town. He said so in his explanation to Lavan later.
(5) ארמי אבד אבי A SYRIAN DESTROYED MY FATHER — He mentions the loving kindness of the Omnipresent saying, ארמי אבד אבי, an Aramaean destroyed my father, which means: “Laban sought to uproot the whole [nation]” when he pursued Jacob. Because he intended to do it the Omnipresent accounted it unto him as though he had actually done it (and therefore the expression אבד which refers to the past is used), for as far as the nations of the world are concerned the Holy One, blessed be He, accounts unto them intention as an actual deed (cf. Sifrei Devarim 301:3; Onkelos).