הרב דר צבי אבינר
Topics in Genesis-4/
Who protects Hagar and Ishmael
The Torah dedicates two stories about Hagar and Ishmael, telling us that the subject is very important
Story One – Chapter 16:1-14
Story Two – Chapter 21:5-21
The first story describes Hagar’s suffering when she ran away from Sarah
The second story describes her deportation from the house of Abraham and the suffering of Ishmael who nearly died of thirst
Ostensibly a moving story about women’s jealousy that could be good material for a Hollywood movie.
But these stories also served as material for Christianity and Islam.
According to Paul, the slave woman is Judaism from Sinai, while the free woman, that is, Sarah, is a symbol of Christianity – which is absurd regardless of the story
According to Haslam, Hagar is Haslam, whom Abraham loved, not Sarah. The story took place in Mecca, and to this day the Khaz immigrants walk seven times between two hills close to Black Rock, because that’s where Hagar went wrong. The Jews, of course, distorted the story in their favor
How do we learn this important passage?
First, let’s remember that all the stories about Abraham revolve around THEFT, Noah’s fourth commandment. We painted them in one color — green, for example — to show that they are related to the theme of Abraham’s faith
What is special about Abraham’s faith?
1 Recognize that Jehovah buys heaven and earth, that everything is his.
2 Therefore, usurpation is a crime in the Creator’s mastery and ownership of the world
3 He called the name al-Dani, to whom I belonged, to whom I was a slave
4 Hence the word which is the seal of the Lord in our flesh.
5 Corrected blessings to God who buys everything, for we must give birth to God who has permitted us
Use the things that belong to him . A hundred blessings every day. And was a blessing
6 Believe in grace that the world was created by Jehovah’s grace in order to have a good effect on creatures. Grace is Jehovah’s measure before sin in heaven. After sin, it first appears as a measure of forgiveness for those who repent
6 From this he did acts of kindness without limit and without commanding it.
It is important to remember all this in order to understand these stories correctly
The First Story
We will remember that Hagar and Ishmael are private figures and not necessarily historical symbols. Ishmael was the son of Abraham, and not necessarily the father of the Arabs. The recognition of Ishmael as the father of the Arabs appeared historically in the time of Muhammad, in the seventh century CE. Before that, for thousands of years, the inhabitants of Arabia did not think of themselves as descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham. They were idolatry tribes whose black rock in Mecca was the place of the fertility idol. The name Arabia was determined by Rome, which called the whole region Arabia, regardless of Ishmael.
However, since this has become so ingrained in today’s humanity, the Arabs can be regarded as descendants of Ishmael, since he was the father of twelve presidents and his seed mingled with the inhabitants of Arabia
The first story fills us with questions.
Who is Hagar? According to Rashi, she was the daughter of Pharaoh or the daughter of the prince of Egypt
Why did Sarah get angry with Abraham and say Hamsi on you? Hams – anger. Or usurpation. Hagar stole from Sarah her special status.
Why did Abraham give Hagar to Sarah to do what she saw best?
Why did Sarah torture and justify Hagar?
According to the Ramban, Sarah did indeed sin in her attitude toward Hagar, which Islam does not agree because it is impossible for a prophet or prophet to sin. Therefore, according to them, the story we have is not true. Hazel says that there is no righteous person who will not sin
On the other hand, we marvel at the fact that Hagar has been revealed to God several times. She is the only woman in the entire Torah who has received such a rich revelation
What does the name of the well-cheek roi mean?
What is special about the name of Ishmael?
. The second story is more problematic
It occurred thirteen years later, after the birth of Isaac and Abraham’s circumcision of 13-year-old Ishmael and Isaac, who was eight days old
After the celebration of the covenant, it is written that Sarah saw Ishmael laughing. Laughing in the Torah is aimed at something bad. Hazel is said to have transgressed the first three commandments of Noah — idolatry, incest, and bloodshed. According to this, it was not suitable to succeed Abraham even though he was circumcised
Sarah demands that Abraham expel Hagar – the Egyptian mother – and her son because he did not inherit Abraham even on Isaac’s side
Abraham is sorry for his son, but God tells him to listen to the voice of Sarah. She is a greater prophet than him. He promises Abraham that his two sons will grow up to be nations.
Abraham gets up in the morning and sends Hagar and his son because he fought and bagpiped water. She makes a mistake on the way and goes to the desert
All the commentators wonder how Abraham sent them with so little water and bread?
There are a lot of answers Ibn Ezra says that the road to Beersheba was supposed to be short and she was wrong. And who says that Abraham did not give her gifts of gold and silver? But it is clear that, according to the simplicity, this was not the case.
When the water runs out and the boy faints from thirst, Hagar throws the boy away because she did not want to see him die. The description is touching and there is no one in the world who would not identify with the stranger and the child
And here again she receives the revelation of the Almighty telling her that God heard the voice of the boy, and there is a well of water. This time she does not return to Abraham, but later midrashim say that she did return and her name is Ketura from now on.
How do we relate to stories?
And Sarai Abram’s wife had born him no son
And Sari said to Abram see now (1) YHVH has restrained me
I became lowered in her eyes, let (2) YHVH judge between you
The Angle of (3) YHVH found her
And the Angle of (4) YHVH said to her return to your mistress
And the Angle of (5) YHVH said to her I will greatly increase
And the Angle of (6) YHVH said behold, you’ll conceive
And you shall call him Ishmael for (7) YHVH has heard
And she called the name of (8) YHVH who spoke to her
And Sarai said (1) ELKM has made laughter of me
And (2) ELKM said to Abram be not disturbed
And (3) ELKM heard the voice of the cry of the youth
And the Angle of (4) ELKM called Hagar from Heavens
For (5) ELKM has heard the cry of the youth wherever he is
And (6) ELKM opened her eyes and she perceived a well
And (7) ELKM was with the youth
The first story was written under the name Jehovah the measure of mercy. God takes pity on Hagar who suffers and weeps. The name of Jehovah appears 8 times to remind us that it is a great privilege because Abraham received eight commandments – one above the seven of the children of Noah. And it is the word that is done on the eighth day. God’s name is missing here
And in the second story, God appears seven times, without the name of Jehovah, the story centers on Ishmael, who is on trial. Will he get a miracle? The number seven indicates that he was judged according to the seven Noahide commandments and not according to Abraham’s eight.
And here there is a tremendous innovation in the Torah. Rabbi Yad Soloveitzik Zetzel says that here for the first time the measure of judgment hears the voice of the boy. Until now it has been the function of the measure of mercy, not the measure of judgment that works accurately-for-tat without mercy. But here, for the first time in the Torah, it is the measure of judgment that hears the boy’s sorrow. It becomes mercy
For God heard the voice of the boy wherever he was — as he suffers now, regardless of the past or the future.
Before us is a court of virtue in a new appearance.
Therefore, says Rabbi Soloveitzik Zatzel, we read the portion on Yom Kippur to show that even the measure of judgment hears our prayer – to the voice of the boy wherever he may be.
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Similarly, on Yom Kippur, we also read the Book of Jonah, where it is written that the inhabitants of Nineveh repented and wore sackcloth and ashes and prayed for three days. And God heard their prayer and did not transform Nineveh as Jonah had prophesied before
The rabbi explains: One of thirteen. Virtue of mercy is truth. (Rav Chesed and Truth). And it is a wonder that truth is the measure of a God whose father-in-law is truth. What does she do in the Thirteenth Dimensions of Mercy? But this is the measure that appeared here in Ishmael.
Indeed, the name Ishmael is interpreted as God hears. The angel hinted that the boy would grow up and God would listen to his voice. Which is a huge innovation in the Torah
And from now on the measure of judgment hears the voice of those who suffer. As in the Egyptians who wrote and God will hear their cry
The conclusion: One should not pray only for the degree of mercy that will affect. One must pray to God that they are one.
Another innovation can be seen here.
Let’s look at the structure of the whole section
YHVH– Birth of Isaac-Circumcision-Overthrow of Sodom- ELKM
Hagar Ishmael
There is a clear hint here that Ishmael and his sons
go with ELKM and forget YHVH
In order for the rule of the Supreme Court to protect Ishmael,
He must connect Jehovah with God, as the Shema says, our G-d is one
And for this purpose
He must go with Isaac, and against Sodom, which is the opposite of grace. Like the Nazis. .
YHVH —-ISAAC—CIRCUMCISION – SODOM —-ELKM
Ishmael