What precisely did the servant mean when he speaks of God leading him "along a true path" ("be-derekh emet")?
We read in Parashat Chayei-Sara of the "test" conducted by Avraham's servant as he sets out to find the girl destined to marry Yitzchak. When he arrives at the well outside the city of Aram Naharayim, he prays that God should see to it that the first girl to offer water to both him and his camels should be the suitable match for Yitzchak. Sure enough, it is Rivka, the daughter of Avraham's cousin and a worthy marriage partner for Yitzchak, who immediately appears and offers water to the servant and his camels.
When the servant relates this incident to Rivka's family, he recalls as well his feelings of gratitude to the Almighty for answering his prayers: "I kneeled and bowed to the Lord, and I blessed the Lord, the God my master Avraham, who led me along a true path – to bring the daughter of my master's kinsman for his son" (24:48).
What precisely did the servant mean when he speaks of God leading him "along a true path" ("be-derekh emet")?
Instinctively, perhaps, we would interpret the word emet in this context to mean "proper" or "correct," rather than "true." The servant expresses his gratitude to God for leading him along the proper route, the route that led to the successful fulfillment of Avraham's command.
The Rashbam explains differently: "'Along a true path' – for the Almighty's promise to perform kindness to Avraham and his son was confirmed." The servant speaks of his route as a derekh emet because his success confirmed the fulfillment of God's promise to deal kindly with Avraham and Yitzchak.
An insightful homiletic interpretation of this expression was suggested by Rav Yitzchak Kunstadt of Pressburg, in his work Luach Erez (published in Vienna, 1915). Avraham's servant felt grateful for the ability to complete his mission be-derekh emet, through honest means, for not having to resort to wily, underhanded tactics to win the consent of the suitable girl. Rivka's family agreed to the match because "this matter has come forth from the Lord" (24:50), God Himself dictated that Rivka should marry Yitzchak. This overt divine intervention thus spared the servant the temptation to enlist dishonesty and deception in his effort to complete his assigned mission. He therefore gives thanks to the Almighty not only for ensuring his success – but also for allowing him to succeed by following "the true path," the path of pristine truth, honesty and integrity.