Painting a portrait of Yishmael is a complex challenge, in large part because of the paucity of Biblical source material. Yishmael himself appears by name in five chapters in the Torah: Bereshit 16 tells of his birth and the events leading up to it, Bereshit 17 recounts Avraham's concern for his (Yishmael's) future and his circumcision, Bereshit 25 notes his role in burying Avraham and records his death and descendants,1 and Bereshit 28 and 36 mention that his daughter2 married Esav. However, none of these narratives reveal much about the nature of Yishmael's character.
The main story which could potentially shed light on Yishmael is the account of his expulsion together with his mother Hagar in Bereshit 21. Fascinatingly, though, he is not mentioned by name even once in this entire chapter.3 Moreover, for much of this story he is a passive character acted upon by others,4 and never once do we hear him speak.5
