Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael/2
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
This topic has not yet undergone editorial review
Banishment of Hagar and Yishmael
Exegetical Approaches
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:Tosefta, R. Akiva, R. Elazar b. R. Yosi HaGelili, R. Yishmael, and R. Levi 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 Hoffmann
"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.4
- 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. In contrast, R. Avraham b. HaRambam maintains that Yishmael was more generally fooling around and speaking with a foul mouth.5
- Gambling – Ibn Kaspi also raises the possibility that Yishmael was gambling (משחק בקוביא).
Banishment – According to this approach, the decision to banish Yishmael stemmed directly from his behavior and "צחוק":6
- Spiritual protection – According to many of these sources,7 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
- Monetary inheritance – According to most of these commentators Yishmael's deeds made him unworthy of benefiting from Avraham's wealth. Alternatively, the disinheritance might 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 inheritance8 but to a spiritual one. He asserts that Sarah's words "לֹא יִירַשׁ" are equivalent to the term "גָּרֵשׁ", and simply mean 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 to join in such an upbringing.
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"? These commentators disagree on this point:9
- Yishmael's behavior – Shemot Rabbah and Targum Pseudo-Jonathan10 suggest that Avraham was upset that Yishmael had veered from the right 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.11 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.12 R. Avraham b. HaRambam instead claims that Avraham was unaware of Yishmael's true nature,13 while R. D"Z Hoffmann presents Avraham as hoping to educate Yishmael to become worthy of Hashem's promises.
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.
Why does Hashem side with Sarah? For most of these commentators, who claim that Yishmael was guilty of heinous crimes, Hashem's words are not surprising. The others14 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 still maintain that the lack 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 expected.
- Yishmael/Hagar punished – According to Targum Pseudo-Jonathan and Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer, too, the water supply should have been sufficient15 but as soon as Hagar entered the wilderness, she strayed after idolatry16 and was punished.17
- 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 did not send Yishmael away with sufficient 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 for – In contrast to the above, 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 refer to leaving Yishmael empty-handed.18
Why does Hashem save Yishmael? Targum Pseudo-Jonathan emphasizes that Hashem saved Yishmael only for the sake of Avraham and his merits.19
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.
- 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, they too are worthy of mercy.
Yishmael after the expulsion
- R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that Yishmael's becoming an archer, or a man of war, 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 wanted to ensure that Yitzchak rather than Yishmael inherited.
Sources:Rashbi's opinion in Tosefta, Sifre Devarim, and Bereshit Rabbah, 22 Radak, Ralbag, Abarbanel, Seforno, Shadal,
"מְצַחֵק" – All of these commentators relate Yishmael's "צחוק" to his desire or likelihood to inherit, but differ in their interpretations of the word "מְצַחֵק" and the specifics of the incident:
- Mockery – R. Shimon b. Yochai,23 Radak,24 Ralbag and Shadal25 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.26
- 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 him as equal in status to Yitzchak, and equally qualified to inherit.27 In contrast to the above sources, 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 heir,28 since he was born to the full wife, while Yishmael was the son of a maidservant.29 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 the true heir was.30
- Measure for measure punishment – According to Seforno, Sarah might be reacting to Yishmael's deeds measure for measure. 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 contest after death.31
- 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 "released her".32 He does not explain if this was also Sarah's intention when saying "גָּרֵשׁ הָאָמָה הַזֹּאת וְאֶת בְּנָהּ",33 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 Yishamel 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 Yitzchak34 and it is possible that in both stories, Avraham is simply acting to confirm Yitzchak's status as sole heir.
Ancient Near Eastern parallels – Several Ancient Near Eastern laws might 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.35
- 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.36
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,37 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).38
Why is Hagar also expelled?
- For the good of Hagar – Radak asserts that Sarah only asked that Hagar be expelled since 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.39
- 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 Yishamel 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 to the Divine command, Avraham did not give them any money, thinking that would constitute part of an inheritance.40
Why does Hashem save Yishmael? According to this position, Yishmael did nothing terrible enough to deserve death.41
Prophecy to Hagar – Abarbanel claims that Hashem saw that Hagar had been ready to despair of her son, leave him, and maybe 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
Jealousy or Perceived Insult
Sarah's attitude towards Yishmael stemmed either from jealousy or a perceived personal affront.
Sources:
"מְצַחֵק" – According to all these opinions the word "מְצַחֵק" has no negative connotations and the verse is simply saying that Yishmael was happily playing and/or laughing.
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.42 These feelings led to her request that Yishmael be expelled.
Why is Avraham "upset about his son"? As Yishmael had done no wrong according to these commentators, Avraham was understandably upset about disinheriting and banishing his son.
Why is Hagar also expelled? These commentators do not address the issue but 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 viewed Sarah's treatment of him and Hagar as sinful.43 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.44
"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.45 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 never have borne a nation who was to oppress the Israelites. Due to Sarah's actions, though, he was saved so that he could later punish the nation.
