Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael/2

Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael

Exegetical Approaches

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Yishmael's Negative Behavior

Sarah's actions were motivated by the problematic behavior of Yishmael and the desire to protect Yitzchak from his repugnant deeds and influence.

Sources:ToseftaSotah 5:7About the Tosefta, R. Akiva, R. Elazar b. R. Yosi HaGelili, R. Yishmael, and R. Levi in ToseftaSotah 6:3About the Tosefta, Sifre Devarim6:4About Sifre Devarim, and Bereshit Rabbah53:11About Bereshit Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah1:1About Shemot Rabbah, TanchumaShemot 1About the Tanchuma, Targum Pseudo-JonathanBereshit 21:9-17About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer30About Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, RashiBereshit 21:9-11,14-15,17About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Avraham b. HaRambamBereshit 21:9-12Bereshit 21:14Bereshit 21:20About R. Avraham Maimonides, RambanBereshit 21:9-11Bereshit 21:15About R. Moshe b. Nachman, R. Yosef ibn KaspiTirat Kesef pp. 98-99Bereshit 21:9About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi,

"מְצַחֵק" – Though all these sources assume that Yishmael's behavior was reprehensible, they disagree regarding what action is referred to by the term "מְצַחֵק":

• Cardinal sins – According to most of these commentators, the word refers either to idolatry,¹ murder,² or illicit relations,³ the three cardinal sins in Judaism.
• Sin of speech – Ramban asserts that Yishmael was mocking Yitzchak and the party, while Ibn Kaspi posits that he was poking fun at Sarah.  In contrast, R. Avraham b. HaRambam maintains that Yishmael was more generally fooling around and speaking with a foul mouth.
• Gambling – Ibn Kaspi also raises the possibility that Yishmael was gambling (משחק בקוביא)‎.

Banishment – According to this approach, the decision to banish Yishmael stemmed from his behavior and "‎צחוק":‎⁴ 

• Spiritual protection – According to many of these sources,⁵ Sarah believed that Yishmael needed to be expelled to ensure that Yitzchak did not learn from his negative ways.  R. Avraham b. HaRambam adds that Sarah feared that she and Avraham might die while Yitzchak was still young, leaving him to grow up under the sole influence of Yishmael, with no counter role models.
• Physical protection – R. Levi, Rashi, and Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer all maintain that Yishmael had attempted to kill Yitzchak.  As such, Yishmael's banishment was also necessary to physically protect Yitzchak.
• Punishment – In contrast to the above, Ramban views the banishment as a punishment to Yishmael.  He maintains that Sarah viewed Yishmael's actions as a forgetting of his rightful place as servant. Though this normally would deserve death or corporal punishment, Sarah decided instead to expel him.

Disinheritance

• Most of these commentators would likely suggest that the disinheritance was simply a by-product of Yishmael's expulsion.
• R. Avraham b. HaRambam, in contrast, equates the banishment and disinheritance.  He maintains that Sarah was not referring to a monetary inheritance but to a spiritual one.  While Yitzchak was to be educated to religious perfection, Yishmael was not to join in such an upbringing.  Thus, Sarah's words "לֹא יִירַשׁ" are another way of saying that Yishmael should not to live with and be raised by the family, and is equivalent to the term "גָּרֵשׁ".

Why is Avraham "upset about his son"?

• Yishmael's behavior – Shemot Rabbah and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan⁶ suggest that Avraham was upset that Yishmael had veered from the right path. 
• Yishmael's banishment – Rashi, R. Avraham b. HaRambam, and Ramban, in contrast, maintain that Avraham was upset about the expulsion. Ramban suggests that Avraham's natural love for his son made it painful for him to banish him. Although Yishmael's actions were wrong, and Avraham might have even understood Sarah's desire for the expulsion, they were not so terrible to prevent his anguish.⁷ R. Avraham b. HaRambam instead claims that Avraham was unaware of Yishmael's true nature.⁸

Why is Hagar also expelled? Ramban asserts that Hagar was sent away due to no fault of her own but out of mercy to Yishmael who would not survive without his mother.

"לֶחֶם וְחֵמַת מַיִם" – were there sufficient provisions?

• According to Shemot Rababah and Rashi, Avraham intentionally sent Yishmael away without any gold or silver since he was upset at his sinful ways.  Rashi claims that, nonetheless, he had provided Hagar with ample food and drink.  The water ran out only because Yishmael got sick and drank more than expected.
• According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, too, the water supply should have been sufficient⁹ but as soon as Hagar entered the wilderness, she strayed after idolatry¹⁰ and was punished.¹¹

Why does Hashem save Yishmael?

Hagar's status

When does the story take place?

Gifts to sons of concubines

Ensuring Yitzchak's Inheritance

Sources:Rashbi's opinion in ToseftaSotah 6:3About the Tosefta, Sifre Devarim6:4About Sifre Devarim, and Bereshit Rabbah53:11About Bereshit Rabbah, R. Saadia GaonTafsir Bereshit 21:9Tafsir Bereshit 21:14Commentary Bereshit 21:9About R. Saadia Gaon RadakBereshit 21:9-11,14About R. David Kimchi, RalbagBereshit Beur HaParashah 21:8-16About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelBereshit 21About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel, SefornoBereshit 21:9-10Bereshit 21:14About R. Ovadyah Seforno, ShadalBereshit 21:9About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto,

Sending away sons of concubines

"גָּרֵשׁ" versus "וַיְשַׁלְּחֶהָ"

Jealousy

Sources:

Jubilees17:6-18About Jubilees, Ibn EzraBereshit 21:9Bereshit 21:14About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, ChizkuniBereshit 21:9-14About R. Chizkiyah b. Manoach, R. Avraham SabaTzeror HaMor Bereshit 21:9,11About R. Avraham Saba (Tzeror HaMor)

¹ See R. Akiva, the anonymous opinion in Tosefta, Tanchuma, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, and Rashi. As evidence that the root "צחק" can be understood in this manner, R. Akiva points to Shemot 32:6, where the nation is "מצחק" before the Golden Calf.

² See R. Yishmael and Rashi. R. Levi in Bereshit Rabbah and Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer speak not just in general of spilling blood, but have Yishmael attempting to kill Yitzchak himself. Support for this meaning is brought from the deadly "משחק" set up between the soldiers of Yoav and Avner in Shemuel II 2:14.

³ See R. Eliezer the son of R. Yose HaGelili who points to the story of Mrs. Potiphar in Bereshit 39:17, where the root "צחק" suggests sexual behavior.

⁴ Most of the sources would probably suggest that though the Torah does not say so explicitly, Sarah shared with Avraham that it was Yishamel's behavior which motivated her to expel him.  It is possible that the Torah only omits her words because it assumes that the reader is aware of her motivation from the preceding verse.

⁵ See Tosefta Sota, Shemot Rabbah, R. Avraham b. HaRambam, and Ibn Kaspi.

⁶ See also the first opinion brought by Rashi.

⁷ While the midrashic sources, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Rashi posits that Yishmael committed cardinal sins, Ramban maintains that he simply mocked Sarah.  As such, the varying interpretations of this verse are consistent with the exegetes' overall approaches.

⁸ Sarah had not wanted to hurt him by revealing it.

⁹ According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a mere flask of water would have sufficed due to Avraham's merits.

¹⁰ They renders the phrase "וַתֵּתַע בְּמִדְבַּר" metaphorically to mean that Hagar wandered after idolatry.

¹¹ Targum Pseudo-Jonathan relates how both Hagar and Yishmael worshiped idols on their trek in the wilderness.  It appears from the Targum that, as a punishment for this action, Yishmael came down with a fever which depleted their water supply.  Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, in contrast, presents only Hagar as worshiping idolatry (and this is what causes their water to run out), while Yishmael himself prays to Hashem, the God of his father Avraham (again in contrast to Targum Pseudo Jonathan which has Hagar praying to the idolatrous god of her father). Numerous scholars have noted that this likely reflects Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer's identification of Yishmael as the father of Islam, which he viewed as a monotheistic religion.