Chayei Sarah 5781

Question: Why does עבד אברהם take 10 camels on his journey? Specifically compare to Avraham when journeying to the עקידה (an unknown destination) taking a single donkey only.

Approach: the simplest explanation would seem to relate to the different purposes of the two journeys. Avraham was journeying on his own, and since he knew the ultimate purpose ahead of time, he would have thought that the journey would not be a long one. עבד אברהם though had a significantly longer journey ahead, as well as having to take enough wealth to tempt the girl and her family (as seems to happen in the end). Perhaps there was even an exaggeration in order to encourage the family to understand the extent of wealth that their daughter would be marrying into, and hence convince them that she would be alright at such a distance from her nuclear family.