Difference between revisions of "Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael/2"
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<li><b>Yishmael/Hagar punished</b> – According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, too, the water supply would have been sufficient,<fn>According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a mere flask of water would have sufficed due to Avraham's merits.</fn> but as soon as Hagar entered the wilderness, she strayed after idolatry<fn>They render the phrase "וַתֵּתַע בְּמִדְבַּר" metaphorically as meaning that Hagar wandered after idolatry.</fn> and was therefore punished.<fn>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.</fn></li> | <li><b>Yishmael/Hagar punished</b> – According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, too, the water supply would have been sufficient,<fn>According to Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, a mere flask of water would have sufficed due to Avraham's merits.</fn> but as soon as Hagar entered the wilderness, she strayed after idolatry<fn>They render the phrase "וַתֵּתַע בְּמִדְבַּר" metaphorically as meaning that Hagar wandered after idolatry.</fn> and was therefore punished.<fn>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.</fn></li> | ||
<li><b>Avraham obeyed Hashem</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Avraham's apparent stinginess should not be viewed as such but rather as obedience to the Divine command to listen to his wife.  Moreover, Avraham trusted in Hashem's promise that he would not forsake Yishmael.</li> | <li><b>Avraham obeyed Hashem</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Avraham's apparent stinginess should not be viewed as such but rather as obedience to the Divine command to listen to his wife.  Moreover, Avraham trusted in Hashem's promise that he would not forsake Yishmael.</li> | ||
| − | <li><b>Lessons from need</b> – R. D"Z Hoffmann uniquely suggests that Avraham intentionally | + | <li><b>Lessons from need</b> – R. D"Z Hoffmann uniquely suggests that Avraham intentionally sent Yishmael away with insufficient water.  He recognized that Yishmael needed to learn through trials to look up to Hashem. Perhaps the lack in the desert could teach him the lessons that he was unable to learn in the wealthy home of Avraham.</li> |
</ul> | </ul> | ||
<li><b>Properly provided</b> – In contrast to the other exegetes, Ibn Kaspi maintains that Avraham gave Hagar and Yishmael not only food, but also gold and silver.  He disagrees that Hashem's directive to heed Sarah's words need entail leaving Yishmael empty-handed.<fn>He points out that had Sarah told Avraham to jump into a fiery furnace, obviously he would not be obligated to do so.  The Divine directive referred only to Sarah's request of banishment; when Hashem said "<b>כֹּל</b> אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵלֶיךָ שָׂרָה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלָהּ" He had not meant to listen to literally "all" of her requests.</fn></li> | <li><b>Properly provided</b> – In contrast to the other exegetes, Ibn Kaspi maintains that Avraham gave Hagar and Yishmael not only food, but also gold and silver.  He disagrees that Hashem's directive to heed Sarah's words need entail leaving Yishmael empty-handed.<fn>He points out that had Sarah told Avraham to jump into a fiery furnace, obviously he would not be obligated to do so.  The Divine directive referred only to Sarah's request of banishment; when Hashem said "<b>כֹּל</b> אֲשֶׁר תֹּאמַר אֵלֶיךָ שָׂרָה שְׁמַע בְּקֹלָהּ" He had not meant to listen to literally "all" of her requests.</fn></li> | ||
Version as of 02:25, 22 September 2016
Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael
Exegetical Approaches
Overview
Sarah's harsh treatment of Yishmael has been understood in varying ways by exegetes. In light of Hashem's approval of the expulsion, most attempt to justify her deeds. Thus, Rashi, following many Midrashic sources, paints Yishmael as a wicked child, thereby necessitating his banishment to protect Yitzchak from his harmful influence. Abarbanel, in contrast, asserts that Sarah's actions related to the need to protect Yitzchak's inheritance. As he was the Divinely chosen heir, it was necessary to banish Yishmael so as to prevent any contesting of Yitzchak's rightful place. Finally, R. Avraham Saba is unique in condemning Sarah for her actions, presenting her as wanting to expel Yishmael over an imagined insult.Yishmael's Evil Conduct
Sarah's actions were motivated by the wickedness of Yishmael and a desire to protect Yitzchak from his bad influence.
Sources:Various Tannaim in Tosefta, Sifre Devarim, and Bereshit Rabbah, Shemot Rabbah, Tanchuma, Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, Rashi, R. Avraham b. HaRambam, Ramban, R. Yosef ibn Kaspi, R. D"Z Hoffmann1
"מְצַחֵק" – Although all these sources assume that Yishmael's behavior was reprehensible, they disagree regarding what action is referred to by the term "מְצַחֵק":2
- Cardinal sins – According to most of these commentators, the word refers to one or more of the three cardinal sins3: idolatry,4 murder,5 and illicit relations.6
- Sin of speech – Ramban and R. D"Z Hoffmann assert that Yishmael was mocking Yitzchak and the party, while Ibn Kaspi posits that he was poking fun at Sarah.7 In contrast, R. Avraham b. HaRambam maintains that Yishmael was more generally fooling around and speaking with a foul mouth.8
Banishment – According to this approach, the decision to banish Yishmael stemmed directly from his behavior and "צחוק":9
- Spiritual protection – According to most of these sources,10 Sarah believed that Yishmael needed to be expelled to ensure that Yitzchak did not learn from his negative ways. R. Avraham b. HaRambam explains 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 contrasting role models.
- Physical protection – R. Levi, Rashi, and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer all maintain that Yishmael had actually attempted to kill Yitzchak. As such, Yishmael's banishment was also necessary to physically protect Yitzchak.
- Punishment – In contrast, 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 be deserving of death or corporal punishment, Sarah instead decided to expel him.
Disinheritance
- Monetary inheritance – According to most of these commentators, Yishmael's deeds made him unworthy of benefiting from Avraham's wealth. Alternatively, the disinheritance may have simply been a by-product of the expulsion.
- Spiritual inheritance – R. Avraham b. HaRambam, in contrast, maintains that Sarah was not referring to a monetary inheritance11 but to a spiritual one. He asserts that Sarah's words "לֹא יִירַשׁ" are equivalent to the term "גָּרֵשׁ", and simply meant that Yishmael should not live with and be raised by the family. While Yitzchak was to be educated to religious perfection, Yishmael was to leave and not join in such an upbringing.
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"? These commentators disagree on this point:12
- Yishmael's behavior – Shemot Rabbah and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan13 suggest that Avraham was upset that Yishmael had veered from the proper path.
- Yishmael's banishment – Rashi, R. Avraham b. HaRambam, Ramban,and R. D"Z Hoffmann, in contrast, maintain that Avraham was upset about the expulsion and fate of his son.14 Ramban suggests that Avraham's natural love for his son made it painful for him to banish him. Although Yishmael's actions were wrong, they were not so terrible to prevent his anguish.15 Alternatively, R. Avraham b. HaRambam claims that Avraham was unaware of Yishmael's true nature,16 while R. D"Z Hoffmann presents Avraham as hoping to educate Yishmael to become worthy of Hashem's promises.17
Why is also Hagar expelled? Ramban asserts that Hagar was sent away due to no fault of her own, but rather out of mercy toward Yishmael who could not have survived without his mother.
Why does Hashem side with Sarah? For the commentators who maintain that Yishmael was guilty of heinous crimes, Hashem's words are not surprising. Others18 would likely posit, as does R. Avraham b. HaRambam, that Hashem agreed with Sarah that Yishmael would be a negative influence on Yitzchak.
"לֶחֶם וְחֵמַת מַיִם" – were there sufficient provisions?
- Meager Provisions – Many of these commentators assume that Avraham only scantily provided for Yishmael, but they still maintain that the shortage of water was not his fault:
- Yishmael got sick – According to Shemot Rabbah 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 anticipated.
- Yishmael/Hagar punished – According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, too, the water supply would have been sufficient,19 but as soon as Hagar entered the wilderness, she strayed after idolatry20 and was therefore punished.21
- Avraham obeyed Hashem – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Avraham's apparent stinginess should not be viewed as such but rather as obedience to the Divine command to listen to his wife. Moreover, Avraham trusted in Hashem's promise that he would not forsake Yishmael.
- Lessons from need – R. D"Z Hoffmann uniquely suggests that Avraham intentionally sent Yishmael away with insufficient water. He recognized that Yishmael needed to learn through trials to look up to Hashem. Perhaps the lack in the desert could teach him the lessons that he was unable to learn in the wealthy home of Avraham.
- Properly provided – In contrast to the other exegetes, Ibn Kaspi maintains that Avraham gave Hagar and Yishmael not only food, but also gold and silver. He disagrees that Hashem's directive to heed Sarah's words need entail leaving Yishmael empty-handed.22
Why does Hashem save Yishmael? Targum Pseudo-Jonathan emphasizes that Hashem saved Yishmael only for the sake of Avraham and his merits.23
Was Sarah justified?
- Many of these sources justify Sarah's decision by painting a much blacker picture of Yishmael than a simple reading of the text would imply. Others do so by highlighting the threat he presented to Yitzchak's upbringing.24
- R D"Z Hoffmann suggests that Sarah's actions were necessary, but nonetheless caused others pain. The Torah paints a very sympathetic portrait of Hagar and Yishmael to teach that despite the correctness of Sarah's actions, the banished pair are also worthy of mercy.
Yishmael after the expulsion
- R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Yishmael's becoming an archer confirmed Sarah's evaluation of his negative character and her worries over how this might affect Yitzchak.
- Rashi and others present Yishmael as repenting at the end of his life.
Ensuring Yitzchak's Inheritance
Sarah acted to ensure that Yitzchak, rather than Yishmael, inherited Avraham's mantle and worldly possessions.
Sources:Rashbi's opinion in the Tosefta, Sifre Devarim, and Bereshit Rabbah,27 Radak, Ralbag, Abarbanel, Seforno, Shadal
"מְצַחֵק" – All of these commentators relate Sarah's concern over Yishmael's "צחוק" to the possibility of his inheriting, but they differ in their interpretations of the word "מְצַחֵק" and the specifics of the incident:
- Mockery – R. Shimon b. Yochai,28 Radak,29 Ralbag, and Shadal30 all portray Yishmael as scorning the concept that Yitzchak alone was to inherit. Seforno further depicts Yishmael as laughing and spreading rumors that Yitzchak was born of Avimelekh which would thereby disqualify him from inheriting.31
- Playing – Abarbanel, in contrast, understands "מְצַחֵק" to mean play (משחק) and presents Yishmael as happily playing, while those around him try to please and serve him. This made Sarah realize that others treated Yishmael as equal in status to Yitzchak, and equally qualified to inherit.32 In contrast to the above sources, though, Abarbanel does not present Yishmael himself as making any such claims.
Disinheritance
- Legal right – According to this approach, Sarah had every right to claim Yitzchak as the sole heir33 since he was born to the full wife, while Yishmael was the son of a maidservant.34 Moreover, Hashem had told Avraham, "וְאֶת בְּרִיתִי אָקִים אֶת יִצְחָק אֲשֶׁר תֵּלֵד לְךָ שָׂרָה", marking Yitzchak as the chosen son. Thus, Sarah was not punishing Yishmael in stating that he would not inherit, but rather clarifying, while she was still alive, who was the true heir.
- Measure for measure punishment – According to Seforno, Sarah might be reacting to Yishmael's deeds in a measure for measure manner. Yishmael libeled Yitzchak in an attempt to inherit everything, so Sarah ensured that he himself did not inherit at all.
Banishment – It is not clear why the disinheritance needed to be accompanied by banishment:
- Necessary clarification – Most of these sources might suggest that this was simply the clearest way of ensuring that there be no competition after Avraham's death.35
- Freedom not expulsion – It is also possible that Avraham did not actually expel Hagar and Yishmael, but simply released them from servitude. See R. Saadia who translates "וַיְשַׁלְּחֶהָ"' as "freed her".36 He does not explain if this was also Sarah's intention when saying "גָּרֵשׁ הָאָמָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת בְּנָהּ",37 or if Avraham freed the two on his own, thus abiding by Sarah's wish that they leave, but without the harshness of banishment.
Biblical parallels – The disinheritance and expulsion of Yishmael and Hagar can be viewed as parallel to Avraham's later sending away of the sons of his concubines in Bereshit 25. There, too, the context relates to the inheritance of Yitzchak,38 and it is possible that in both stories, Avraham is simply acting to confirm Yitzchak's status as his sole heir.39
Ancient Near Eastern parallels – Several Ancient Near Eastern laws may shed light on our story:
- The Code of Hammurabi states that if a father refers to the child of a maidservant as his own, that child has equal rights to the inheritance. If not, the child does not inherit, but upon the death of his father, he and his mother are released from servitude. It is possible that Sarah's actions are to be understood in light of these Ancient Near Eastern norms. Sarah asked Avraham to clarify, through Yishmael's expulsion, that he did not view him as a son, and thus that he had no rights to inherit.40
- According to the Laws of Lipit Ishtar, if a man has children from a maidservant and he grants them freedom, they thereby forego any rights to the inheritance. In light of this, one might suggest that Sarah was asking Avraham to free (not banish) Hagar to thereby ensure that Yitzchak alone inherited.41
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"? According to this approach, Avraham was upset about banishing a beloved son. Since Yishmael's actions were not particularly wicked,42 although Avraham might have understood Sarah's desire that Yitzchak inherit, he still felt sorrow over Yishmael's fate. Radak even suggests that he would have rebuked Sarah had it not been for his desire to uphold household peace (שלום בית).43
Why is also Hagar expelled?
- For Hagar's benefit – Radak asserts that Sarah asked that also Hagar be expelled only because she knew that a mother would never want to be separated from her son.
- To ensure inheritance – According to Abarbanel, Hagar needed to be banished from the home so that she would not be viewed as having equal wife status to Sarah. If she was considered a full wife, even if Yishmael was expelled, he would still inherit.44
- Punishment – Seforno, in contrast, maintains that Yishmael had only libeled Yitzchak upon the advice of his mother, and so she was even more culpable than he.
Why does Hashem side with Sarah? Radak and Abarbanel explain that Hashem wanted the chosen line to emerge from Avraham and Sarah, as He explains to Avraham, "כִּי בְיִצְחָק יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע". He thus agreed that expulsion was necessary to prevent any contesting of the inheritance. Ralbag, though, posits that Hashem orchestrated the event to make sure that Yishmael could not negatively influence Yitzchak and thereby diminish his perfection.
"לֶחֶם וְחֵמַת מַיִם" – were there sufficient provisions? Radak, Ralbag, and Seforno all assert that Avraham supplied Hagar and Yishmael with gold and silver in addition to the food and water. It was only because they got lost in the desert that the water supply ran out. Abarbanel, in contrast, maintains that, in obedience of the Divine command, Avraham did not give them any money, thinking that this would constitute part of an inheritance.45
Why does Hashem save Yishmael? According to this position, Yishmael did nothing terrible enough to deserve death.46
Prophecy to Hagar – Abarbanel claims that Hashem saw that Hagar had been ready to despair of her son, leave him, and perhaps even remarry. In such a case, Yishmael would return to his father, or Avraham would seek to protect him. Either way, Yitzchak's inheritance would once again be endangered. To prevent this, Hashem granted prophecy to Hagar to reassure her and endear Yishmael to her.
Aftermath – Abarbanel points to the burial of Avraham by both Yitzchak and Yishmael as evidence that at the end of Avraham's life, Yishmael did not harbor any enmity to his brother.
Jealousy or Perceived Insult
Sarah's attitude towards Yishmael stemmed either from personal jealousy or a mistaken impression that Yishmael had bad intentions.
"מְצַחֵק" – According to all of these opinions, the word "מְצַחֵק" has no negative connotations and the verse is simply saying that Yishmael was happily playing and/or laughing.47
Disinheritance and banishment – According to Jubilees, Ibn Ezra, and Chizkuni, seeing Yishmael play and be the center of attention while Yitzchak was still too young to do the same made Sarah jealous. According to the Tzeror HaMor, in contrast, Sarah was insulted as she mistakenly thought that Yishmael's laughter was aimed at her.48 These feelings led to her request that Yishmael be expelled.
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"? According to these commentators, Yishmael had done no wrong and Avraham was understandably upset about disinheriting and banishing his son.
Why is also Hagar expelled? These commentators do not address the issue, but they might suggest that Sarah's jealousy extended to the rival wife. Alternatively, Sarah recognized that it would be cruel to separate mother and son.
Why does Hashem side with Sarah? According to the Tzeror HaMor, Hashem did not agree that Yishmael's behavior at the party warranted expulsion, and He viewed Sarah's treatment of him and Hagar as sinful.49 It is unclear, then, why Hashem would tell Avraham to heed Sarah's words. According to the Tzeror HaMor, this might have been the first step in Sarah's punishment; expelling Yishmael paved the way for his descendants to become an enemy nation.50
"לֶחֶם וְחֵמַת מַיִם" – were there sufficient provisions? The Tzeror HaMor asserts that Sarah's descendants were punished when Yishmael's progeny refused water to the Children of Israel.51 Though he does not say so, R. Saba might view this as a measure for measure punishment for not providing Yishmael with enough water when sending him away.
Why does Hashem save Yishmael? According to the Tzeror HaMor, this was a punishment for Sarah. He suggests that it would have been better had Yishmael died from the lack of water, since then he would not have had descendants who would later oppress the Israelites. Due to Sarah's actions, though, he was saved so that he could later punish the nation.
