Difference between revisions of "A Portrait of Yishmael/2"
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<category name="">Neutral to Positive | <category name="">Neutral to Positive | ||
<p>Yishmael is a neutral character.  He does not actively sin nor behave negatively in any way, but neither does he do any exemplary deeds.</p> | <p>Yishmael is a neutral character.  He does not actively sin nor behave negatively in any way, but neither does he do any exemplary deeds.</p> | ||
| − | <mekorot><multilink><a href="Jubilees17-1-18" data-aht="source">Jubilees</a><a href="Jubilees17-1-18" data-aht="source">17:6-18</a><a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshit21-9" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit16-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16:12</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit21-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:9</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit21-911172021" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit16-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16:12</a><a href="RadakBereshit17-2025" data-aht="source">Bereshit 17:20,25</a><a href="RadakBereshit21-911172021" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:9,11,17,20,21</a><a href="RadakBereshit25-912" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:9, 12</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit21" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit16" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit17" data-aht="source">Bereshit 17</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink></mekorot> | + | <mekorot><multilink><a href="Jubilees17-1-18" data-aht="source">Jubilees</a><a href="Jubilees17-1-18" data-aht="source">17:6-18</a><a href="Jubilees" data-aht="parshan">About Jubilees</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="IbnEzraBereshit21-9" data-aht="source">Ibn Ezra</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit16-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16:12</a><a href="IbnEzraBereshit21-9" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:9</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham ibn Ezra</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RadakBereshit21-911172021" data-aht="source">Radak</a><a href="RadakBereshit16-12" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16:12</a><a href="RadakBereshit17-2025" data-aht="source">Bereshit 17:20,25</a><a href="RadakBereshit21-911172021" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21:9,11,17,20,21</a><a href="RadakBereshit25-912" data-aht="source">Bereshit 25:9, 12</a><a href="R. David Kimchi (Radak)" data-aht="parshan">About R. David Kimchi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelBereshit21" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit16" data-aht="source">Bereshit 16</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit17" data-aht="source">Bereshit 17</a><a href="AbarbanelBereshit21" data-aht="source">Bereshit 21</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink>, Tzeror HaMor</mekorot> |
| − | <point><b>Prophecy to Hagar</b></point> | + | <point><b>Prophecy to Hagar</b> – These commentators read in the prophecy either a positive or neutral characterization of the soon to be born Yishmael, but differ in the details.<br/> |
| − | <point><b>Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"</b></point> | + | <ul> |
| − | <point><b>"מְצַחֵק"</b></point> | + | <li><b>Not submissive</b> – According to Ibn Ezra, "פֶּרֶא אָדָם" is a metaphor for a free person who is not under the yoke of others. Yishmael will be a powerful individual, victorious over his neighbors ("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל"), but simultaneously inviting others to fight back ("יַד כֹּל בּוֹ").</li> |
| + | <li><b>Man of the desert</b> –Radak asserts that "פֶּרֶא אָדָם" refers to a man of the desert, who due to this nomadic lifestyle will constantly be battling his neighbors ("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל...").  However, he will not flee from them, but manage to dwell amongst them ("עַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן").</li> | ||
| + | <li><b>Man of civilization</b> – Abarbanel reads the opening words of the prophecy as a rhetorical question, "will your son be a man of the desert?"<fn>Abrbanel agrees with Radak's understanding of the phrase "פֶּרֶא אָדָם", but due to his new punctuation, comes to an opposite conclusion of what the prophecy says about Yishmael's abode.</fn>  The angel is informing Hagar that Yishmael will live amongst men ("עַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן"), intermingling and socializing with them ‎("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל")‎ and not alone in the wilderness.<fn>He points out that the context of the prophecy is an attempt to make Hagar return to Avraham. The angel thus tells her that her son's future lies in civilized land, amongst people and not in the desert where she presently finds herself.</fn></li> | ||
| + | </ul></point> | ||
| + | <point><b>Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"</b> – According to Abarbanel, Avraham is asking Hashem what will become of Yishmael once Yitzchak is born.  He worries about both Yishmael's physical and spiritual well being,<fn>Cf Rashi and Ramban who each pick up on one  of these two possibilities.</fn> and questions whether Yishmael will die young (being replaced by Yitzchak)<fn>See Ramban who has Avraham wonder if the reason Yitzchak is to inherit is because Yishmael is to die before Avraham.</fn>  and whether, Yishmael, too, will be part of Hashem's covenant.  The question assumes that, in Avraham's eyes, there was no intrinsic disqualification which would automatically cause Yishmael to be rejected.</point> | ||
| + | <point><b>"מְצַחֵק"</b> – Most of these commentators suggest that Yishmael was happily dancing, playing or laughing and that the word holds no derogatory connotation at all.<fn>Radak is the one exception who suggests that Yishmael was laughing at Yitzchak, having been born to such old parents.  This, though, can be viewed within the parameters of normal youthful banter and Radak apparently does not consider it prticulalry negatibve as he says of Yishmael immediately afterwards, "ובדרך טובה היה מהלך".</fn></point> | ||
<point><b>Why did Sarah want Yishmael expelled?</b></point> | <point><b>Why did Sarah want Yishmael expelled?</b></point> | ||
<point><b>Why did Hashem reject Yishmael?</b></point> | <point><b>Why did Hashem reject Yishmael?</b></point> | ||
<point><b>Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?</b></point> | <point><b>Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?</b></point> | ||
| + | <point><b>בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם</b></point> | ||
<point><b>Polemical Motivations?</b></point> | <point><b>Polemical Motivations?</b></point> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
| Line 28: | Line 34: | ||
<category name="">Extremely Negative | <category name="">Extremely Negative | ||
<p>The character of Yishmael is evil, and he commits the most heinous of crimes, including the threesome of idolatry, murder and illicit relations.</p> | <p>The character of Yishmael is evil, and he commits the most heinous of crimes, including the threesome of idolatry, murder and illicit relations.</p> | ||
| − | |||
<point><b>Prophecy to Hagar</b></point> | <point><b>Prophecy to Hagar</b></point> | ||
<point><b>Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"</b></point> | <point><b>Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"</b></point> | ||
Version as of 08:49, 13 November 2014
Yishmael – Overview
Exegetical Approaches
Neutral to Positive
Yishmael is a neutral character. He does not actively sin nor behave negatively in any way, but neither does he do any exemplary deeds.
Prophecy to Hagar – These commentators read in the prophecy either a positive or neutral characterization of the soon to be born Yishmael, but differ in the details.
- Not submissive – According to Ibn Ezra, "פֶּרֶא אָדָם" is a metaphor for a free person who is not under the yoke of others. Yishmael will be a powerful individual, victorious over his neighbors ("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל"), but simultaneously inviting others to fight back ("יַד כֹּל בּוֹ").
- Man of the desert –Radak asserts that "פֶּרֶא אָדָם" refers to a man of the desert, who due to this nomadic lifestyle will constantly be battling his neighbors ("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל..."). However, he will not flee from them, but manage to dwell amongst them ("עַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן").
- Man of civilization – Abarbanel reads the opening words of the prophecy as a rhetorical question, "will your son be a man of the desert?"1 The angel is informing Hagar that Yishmael will live amongst men ("עַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן"), intermingling and socializing with them ("יָדוֹ בַכֹּל") and not alone in the wilderness.2
Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ" – According to Abarbanel, Avraham is asking Hashem what will become of Yishmael once Yitzchak is born. He worries about both Yishmael's physical and spiritual well being,3 and questions whether Yishmael will die young (being replaced by Yitzchak)4 and whether, Yishmael, too, will be part of Hashem's covenant. The question assumes that, in Avraham's eyes, there was no intrinsic disqualification which would automatically cause Yishmael to be rejected.
"מְצַחֵק" – Most of these commentators suggest that Yishmael was happily dancing, playing or laughing and that the word holds no derogatory connotation at all.5
Why did Sarah want Yishmael expelled?
Why did Hashem reject Yishmael?
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?
בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם
Polemical Motivations?
Mildly Negative
Yishmael has several negative traits, but he is not completely wicked.
Prophecy to Hagar
Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"
"מְצַחֵק"
Why did Sarah want Yishmael expelled?
Why did Hashem reject Yishmael?
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?
Polemical Motivations?
Extremely Negative
The character of Yishmael is evil, and he commits the most heinous of crimes, including the threesome of idolatry, murder and illicit relations.
Prophecy to Hagar
Avraham's plea: "לוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל יִחְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ"
"מְצַחֵק"
Why did Sarah want Yishmael expelled?
Why did Hashem reject Yishmael?
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?
Polemical Motivations?
