Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Chayyei Sarah/0/he
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נושאים לשולחן שבת – פרשת חיי שרה
התפוח לא נופל רחוק מהעץ?
לעיתים קרובות, קוראים רואים באברהם דמות אקטיבית הסוללת את דרכו של העם היהודי לדורותיו, אך ביצחק הם רואים דמות פסיבית, כשתרומתו המרכזית היא בהיותו חלק משושלת האבות. האם תיאור זה נאמן לזה המקראי?
- מהם לדעתכם נקודות החוזקה והחולשה של כל אחת מן הדמויות?
- מהם קווי הדימיון המרכזיים ביניהם?
- למעשה, ישנם הקבלות רבות בין סיפוריהם של אברהם ושל יצחק. השוואה ביניהם תורמת להבלטת קווי הדימיון ביניהם, וכן ההבדלים שביניהם. ראו אברהם ויצחק להרחבה בנושא.
What to Look for in a Spouse
Much of Parashat Chayyei Sarah revolves around finding דרושה: אשה ליצחק.
- What were Avraham's main criteria when choosing Yitzchak's spouse? Was he looking for a woman who would share his belief system, or someone who was of noble character? Do you think it is more important that a spouse's religious observance and beliefs match your own, or that s/he have good moral qualities?
- If everyone was idolatrous at the time, why did Avraham have his servant travel all the way to Charan, rather than look for a wife closer to home? Was there something inherently troubling about the Canaanites, or was Avraham simply fearful that local in-laws would be more likely to have a negative influence on his son than those who lived far away? How much are you influenced by the values and actions of those around you?
A Portrait of Rivka
Bring several artistic renditions of רבקה אצל הבאר באמנות to your Shabbat table. Where does each artist stay true to the text and where do they veer from it? What ambiguities or unknowns in the original narrative might they be drawing upon?
- With which depiction of Rivka do you most identify and why?
- How old do you think Rivka was when she married Yitzchak?
- Do you think of Rivka as a kindly young maiden, or as a sophisticated, and perhaps even manipulative, adult? How does her character evolve over the Bereshit narratives?
Avraham and Keturah
בראשית כ"ה speaks of Avraham's marriage to Keturah and the sending away of the sons of his concubines:
- Who is Keturah? Many identify her with Hagar, and suggest that after Sarah's death, Avraham remarried this maidservant. What would prompt such an identification? Can you think of other cases where an anonymous character is identified with a more well known one? ראו נשי אברהם וזיהויים מדרשיים להרחבה ולדוגמאות.
- Why does Avraham send away his other sons? Is this significantly different than the גירוש הגר וישמעאל? How might each event shed light on the other? ר' מדן1 explains that by sending his other sons "eastward", Avraham was trying to ensure that the Land of Israel would be buffered by friendly neighbors. How do you think history would have differed had this worked as planned? For elaboration and other approaches to their expulsion, ראו נשי אברהם.
עוד...
לעוד נושאים בפרשה, ראו: רשימת נושאים – פרשת חיי שרה.
