Genesis · Chapter 16

Now Sarai, the wife of Abram, had borne him no children; and she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar.

שפחה מצרית A HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN — She was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had been performed for Sarah’s take he said, “It is better for my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than be mistress in another man’s house” (Genesis Rabbah 45:1).

ושרי אשת אברם לא ילדה, “meanwhile, Sarai, Avram’s wife had failed to give birth;” this verse is intended to inform us that the covenant just concluded between G-d and Avram preceded the time when Avram was blessed with biological offspring. We should not assume that here too the principle that the Torah need not report events in their chronological sequence could be applied. As a reminder of this, the Torah reports that up until now Sarai had not conceived or given birth. “ולה שפחה מצרית,” and she had an Egyptian maidservant; she was a usufruct maidservant which he was obligated to provide her sustenance and could not sell her. ושמה הגר, “whose name was Hagar;” when Pharaoh handed over his daughter to Sarai (when the latter was a captive in his Palace) he had said to her: “my daughter is your compensation for my having wronged you. ”Here is your reward.” (Based on Matnot kehunah in Br’eshit Rabbah) As a result she was renamed: Hagar.

ולה שפחת מצרית, “and she had an Egyptian slave-woman.” The Torah emphasizes that this woman belonged to Sarai personally, not to Avram; hence the word לה “to her, or hers.” Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 45,1 describe her as part of Sarai’s נכסי מלוג, property the wife brings with her at marriage over which the husband has only limited control,” i.e. he cannot sell it. ושמה הגר, “and her name was Hagar.” She had been given to Sarai when she was a prisoner in Pharaoh’s palace. As a reminder of that experience she was called “Hagar.” The word means “reward for your chasteness.” (based on the name being an acrostic i.e. הא אגריך “this is your reward”).

And Sarai said to Abram: "Behold, Hashem has now withheld me from bearing. Come now to my maidservant; perhaps I may be built up through her." And Abram hearkened to the word of Sarai.

אולי אבנה ממנה IT MAY BE THAT I SHALL BE BUILDED UP THROUGH HER — This statement of Sarah teaches that a person who has no children is not firmly established (literally, built up: his name and future are not perpetuated) but is unstable (lit, demolished) (Genesis Rabbah 45:2). אבנה ממנה I SHALL BE BUILDED UP THROUGH HER— through the merit that I admit her as a rival into my house. לקול שרי TO THE VOICE OF SARAI— to the Holy (prophetic) Spirit that was in her (Genesis Rabbah 45:2).

AND ABRAM HEARKENED TO THE VOICE OF SARAI. Scripture does not state, “And he did so.” Rather it says that he hearkened to the voice of Sarai, thus indicating that even though Abram was very desirous of having children, he did not do so without permission of Sarai. Even now it was not his intention to build up a family from Hagar, and that his children be from her. His intent was merely to do Sarai’s will so that she may build a family from Hagar for she will find satisfaction in her handmaid’s children, or that by the merit of this act she will become worthy to have children, as our Rabbis have said. Scripture further says, And Sarai took, here. to inform us that Abram did not hurry the matter until Sarai took Hagar and gave her to him. Again, Scripture mentions Sarai Abram’s wife… to Abram her husband, here. to allude that Sarah did not despair of Abraham and that she did not render herself distant from him as she was his wife and he her husband, but she wanted that Hagar also be his wife. This is why the verse states, And she gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife, here. meaning that she was not to be as a concubine but as a woman married to him. All this reflects the ethical conduct of Sarah and her respect towards her husband.

"Perhaps I shall be built up" — derived from the root בן ("son"). One may further suggest that a son is likened to a building and the father to its foundation. The word בן lacks the ה. Likewise, every instance of חי ("living") functions either as an adjective or as a past-tense verb. "And Abram listened" — he said to her, "So be it."

הנה עצרני ה' מלדת, "even though G'd has promised to grant you offspring to whom I will give this land, (Genesis 12,7) He has not said that the mother of Avram's offspring would be I." אולי אבנה ממנה, Sarah hoped that the jealousy which would develop within her when she saw that Hagar gave birth to a child for Avram would stimulate her own biological and sexual urges so that in due course she too would become pregnant by her husband. (based on Megillah 13) שרי לקול, the Torah wants to make plain that Avram was not motivated by sexual lust to sleep with Hagar, but had only fallen in with Sarai's reasoning, hoping to assuage her feelings in the matter.

וישמע אברהם לקול שרי, “Avraham agreed with Sarai’s suggestion.” The Torah does not simply write ויעש כן that Avraham acted in consonance with Sarai’s request, but is writes that Avraham, although very desirous of siring children, would not marry another woman unless Sarai had first approved it, or, as in this case, even suggested it. Even now, in fulfilling Sarai’s suggestion, he did not do so primarily to satisfy his own yearning, but to afford Sarai the satisfaction of being able to raise a child vicariously even though it had been born by her maidservant. It also possible, as our sages have remarked, that due to Sarai’s generosity in worrying that her husband should father a child, although not hers, she herself would be granted the satisfaction to have a child of her own. Sarai used the term לאישה, “as a wife,” to describe the union between Hagar and Avraham, in order to indicate that she did not want to raise a child who was the issue of a concubine. The Torah describes all these details to show the concern of Sarai for Avraham’s social standing.

So Sarai, the wife of Abram, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maidservant, at the end of ten years of Abram's dwelling in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

ותקח שרי AND (SARAI TOOK [HAGAR] — She took (won her over) by kindly speech saying, “Happy are you in that you will be privileged to consort with so holy a person as this” (Genesis Rabbah 45:3). מקץ עשר שנים AFTER [ABRAM HAD DWELT] TEN YEARS — the period appointed for a woman who has lived with her husband for ten years without having borne children to him when he is bound to take another. 'לשבת אברם וגו [TEN YEARS] AFTER ABRAHAM HAD DWELT IN THE LAND OF CANAAN — As Abraham had been married to Sarah before he entered Canaan this statement virtually informs us that the period he dwelt outside the land was not to be included in the number of these ten years (Yevamot 64a), for the promise, “And I will make of thee a great nation” was made to him with the intention of being fulfilled only after he had come into the land of Israel.

AT THE END OF TEN YEARS. This is the established period for a woman who has lived with her husband for ten years without having given birth to children, after which he is bound to take another. AFTER ABRAM DWELLED IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. This tells us that the period he dwelled outside of the Land is not to be included in the count of those ten years since he was not told And I will make of thee a great nation until after he had come to the land of Israel. Thus the language of Rashi. This reason is not proper since it is a clear-cut halachic decision that the time spent living outside the Land is not to be included in the ten year period for any person in the world. The Mishnah The Mishnah is the collection of teachings by the Tannaim, compiled by Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi. containing this principle applies to all men. And if it were as Rashi stated it, i.e., on account of this promise made to Abram, then for other people [the years they dwelled outside the land of Israel] should be included in the ten years period! The years that husband and wife have lived together outside the Land of Israel are not included in the ten years total for anyone, and they begin to count the years after they arrive in the Land. Some Talmudic commentators 12, in the name of “some scholars who wish to say.” Rabbeinu Asher also refutes their opinion. have already made another mistake concerning this rule, stating that the law does not require a person who dwells outside the Land to divorce a woman with whom he has lived for ten years without her giving birth, nor does the law require him to marry another woman. Therefore he need not divorce her. This opinion, however, is refuted, for the law applies everywhere. Only in a case where, after having lived together outside the Land of Israel, husband and wife then move to the Land, the years they lived outside the Land are not included in the ten year period. But the matter is not so. Rather, the intent [of the law which excludes the period one dwells outside the land of Israel from the ten year total] is that if a man lived with his wife for five or ten years outside the Land and then they came to the land of Israel, we give them a period of ten years from the time they came to the Land, for perhaps due to the merit of the Land they will build up a family. And thus did Abraham and Sarah our mother do from the time they came there.

"After ten years" — our early sages, of blessed memory (Yevamot 64a), transmitted that a man may not remain with his wife more than ten years if she has not borne children. This verse serves as a kind of Scriptural support (asmakhta) for that ruling, and it is well.

מקץ עשר שנים לשבת אברם בארץ כנען, “at the end of 10 years since Avraham had taken up residence in the land of Canaan.” Rashi writes that this teaches us that the years that Avraham and Sarai lived outside the land of Canaan are not relevant to the rule that when a woman fails to conceive after 10 years of marriage, her husband may or should divorce her and marry someone else. The reason that those years did not count was that while in Charan, G’d had not yet promised Avraham that He would make him into a great nation. Nachmanides writes that only in the case of Avraham did those years that he was in Charan or even before not count. For ordinary individuals the rule to divorce a wife after 10 years of marriage without children does apply in the Diaspora also. He continues that the commentators have made additional errors in writing on this subject when they said that the whole halachah requiring a husband to divorce a wife who fails to bear children for ten years does not apply outside the Holy Land. The correct interpretation of what is written on the subject is that if a childless married couple have moved to Israel they are given another ten years before the rule that the husband in order to fulfill the commandment to be fruitful has to either divorce his barren wife or marry another wife in addition. It is hoped that the merit of living in the Holy Land will result in the couple being blessed with children.

And he came to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became light in her eyes.

ויבא אל הגר ותהר AND HE CAME UNTO HAGAR AND SHE CONCEIVED from the first union (Genesis Rabbah 45:4). ותקל גברתה בעיניה HER MISTRESS WAS SLIGHTED IN HER EYES — She said, “As regards this woman Sarai, her conduct in private can certainly not be like that in public: she pretends to be a righteous woman, but she cannot really be righteous since all these years she has not been privileged to have children, whilst I have had that blessing from the first union” (Genesis Rabbah 45:4).

"And she was diminished" (וַתֵּקַל) — the hidden quiescent letter that lies between the servile letter and the root letter is elided, in place of the dagesh that absorbs the doubled letter; this form is from the nif'al conjugation.

And Sarai said to Abram: "The wrong done to me is upon you. I gave my maidservant to you, and when she saw that she had conceived, I became light in her eyes. May Hashem judge between me and you."

חמסי עליך MY WRONG BE UPON THEE — The wrong done to me (חמסי)— the punishment for it I call down on you (עליך). “When you prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, (15:2) ‘what wilt Thou give me, seeing that I go childless’, you prayed only on behalf of yourself whereas you should have prayed on behalf of both of us — then would I have been borne in mind (by God) together with you” (i.e. when you had the gift of a child it would have been “my” child also — not that of a strange woman). Besides this, you deprive me (חומס) of your protecting words since you hear how I am despised and yet you keep silent (Genesis Rabbah 45:5). 'אנכי נתתי שפחתי וגו ביני וביניך I HAVE GIVEN MY HANDMAID etc… [MAY THE LORD JUDGE] BETWEEN ME AND THEE — Wherever this word “between thee” (masc.) occurs in Scripture it is written defective (i.e. without the second yod) whilst here it is written plene, therefore read it as וּבֵינָיִךְ (the fem form that corresponds to ביניך in our text — as though Sarah turned to Hagar saying “May God judge between me and thee”). Thus she cast the evil eye on Hagar so that she miscarried on this occasion. This explains what the angel said to Hagar, (16:11) הנך הרה “behold, thou wilt conceive”; but had she not already conceived and yet he announces to her that she would conceive? This therefore informs us that she miscarried in this, her first conception (cf. verse 11) (Genesis Rabbah 45:5).

חמסי עליך, "you should have rebuked her for her conduct vis-à-vis me, seeing that she has become your wife [and you are now her boss instead of me. Ed.] She treats me as inconsequential after she has become pregnant from you."

ותאמר שדי אל אברם חמסי עליך. Sarai said to Abram: "The wrong done me boomerangs on you." Why does the Torah present Sarah's complaint as if it were directed at Abraham when clearly she was angry at Hagar as she spelled out when she said that she had been downgraded in Hagar's eyes? If, on the other hand, she really targeted Hagar with her complaint, she did not seem to address the right target. After all, it was Sarah who had been slighted, her honour had been impugned not Avraham's. Furthermore, we must understand Avraham's reply. He appeared to have accepted Sarah's complaint when he said: "do what you will with Hagar!" If Avraham had not felt that he had a share of guilt in what happened he should have denied wrongdoing and not simply told Sarah what she could do. In order to understand what transpired we must refer to Bereshit Rabbah 45,1 where it is explained that the status of the servant Hagar was one which obligated Avraham to look after her economic needs, whereas he was not entitled to sell her. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish explains there that in return for supplying Hagar's needs, Avraham was entitled to consume (use, or own) the produce of her hands. This meant that wile Hagar was a bodily slave of Sarah, the proceeds of her labour belonged to Avraham. There is an argument in Ketuvot 79 whether the children born by women of such status belong to the mistress or to the husband. Those who hold that the infant belongs to the mistress base themselves on the principle that only one generation of "labour" belongs to the husband; when such "labours" have produced dividends in the form of children or animals, they certainly do not belong to the husband of the woman owning the slave. We have also learned in the name of Rav Ashi in Gittin 39 that when a male slave has married a free woman in the presence of his master, the master must free him. The Talmud explains that this is so when the master has arranged the marriage. The commentators there are at pains to explain that the master had presumably freed the male salve in question first, as it is unlikely that he would use force to marry somebody forbidden to him in Jewish law. The same ruling applies when the woman was the slave and the husband was a free man. In that case the master has to free the woman (first). Concerning this ruling the Maharik writes in Yoreh Deah item 246 in laws dealing with slaves, that if a master engages in sexual intercourse with his slave intending to marry her, this is equivalent to setting her free. If his intention was purely; carnal, however, this has no legal consequences, i.e. she is not freed. There is a disagreement between Rav Alfassi and Maimonides concerning the result of a master sleeping with his slave without declaring any intention either way. According to Rav Alfassi on Yevamot 82. such an encounter also brings in its wake the freeing of the slave, whereas Maimonides disagrees in chapter 9 of the laws about slaves. After having explained all this, we can now return to the issue at hand. When Sarah noticed that Hagar exploited her pregnancy to belittle her she became angry at the very idea that a slave should belittle her mistress. There is every reason to believe that Abraham could not have been unaware of Hagar's conduct. Our verse need not be understood as if Sarah had only now brought this to her husband's attention. Our verse reflects Sarah's anger that her husband had not reacted sooner to the slights she experienced at the hands of Hagar. When Abraham slept with Hagar in order to establish a man-wife relationship, Hagar in effect had become a free woman legally, as we have demonstrated from the rulings quoted. When Hagar assumed haughty airs it was because she no longer viewed herself as a slave. Sarah blamed her husband for enabling Hagar to have attained the status of a free person. She did not express anger at Hagar, seeing that Hagar was correct in no longer viewing herself as subservient to Sarah. Sarah now challenged Hagar's new found legal status. She did this by emphasising that it was she who had initiated the union between Hagar and Abraham, not Abraham. She had given Hagar to Abraham inasmuch as she could dispose of the activities of her slave Hagar. Why would the Torah repeat ("I have given my slave to your bosom") something we knew already, except to stress the conditions under which Hagar had been given to Abraham? According to what we have explained earlier Abraham had no claim to the fruit of Hagar's womb. Any child of Hagar's would belong to Sarah, her mistress. Hagar had never been Abraham's slave so that he could have freed her. Hagar could only have been freed if her mistress had not given her to Abraham as a slave, or even specifically as a wife and we would fall back on the argument that Abraham would not consort with a harlot and that therefore even if he had not promised freedom to Hagar it was implied by his sleeping with her. All of this would apply only if Hagar had at that time been Abraham's slave, not when she was Sarah's slave. Sarah claimed that she had been very careful at the time she suggested that Abraham sleep with Hagar. She said (verse 2): "please sleep with my slave." She had given Abraham notice that Hagar would remain her slave also after he had slept with her. Had Sarah not had such an intention, she would simply have said to Abraham: "sleep with Hagar!" I have found an explanation of the words: "she (Sarah) gave her to her husband to become his wife." Bereshit Rabbah 45,3 states that the words "to Abraham as a wife" were meant as "to him exclusively, not to anyone else." Our sages also deal with the extraneous word אישה, "her husband," in verse three. Did we not know that Abraham was Sarah's husband? They say the word is an exclusion, i.e. Sarah insisted that in spite of Hagar sleeping with Abraham, he would remain a husband only to her! These words make excellent sense in the context of our approach to the whole episode. The Torah had to add this word so that we would understand that Hagar's status as a slave did not change as a result of her sleeping with Abraham. Abraham could neither release Hagar to someone else nor even free her. Hearing Sarah's words, Abraham concurred with her. This can be understood on two levels. 1) Abraham had never intended that Hagar's status should change as a result of the new arrangements; nonetheless he did not consider himself as a קדש, male prostitute, when he slept with her. 2) Originally, Abraham thought that Hagar became free as a result of his sleeping with her as a legal arrangement. He had not paid attention to the finer nuances of Sarah's words when she offered, or pressed, Hagar on him as a sleeping partner. Had he understood Sarah correctly he might not have agreed to sleep with Hagar at all, worrying that his sleeping with her would stamp him as a קדש, male prostitute. This may well be the reason why during the fourteen years that elapsed between the birth of Ishmael and that of Isaac we never hear that Abraham slept with Hagar again. The simplest approach to the whole problem is, of course, that as the Torah had not been given as yet, the various halachic wrinkles we have discussed did not enter the picture. The fact that Abraham and Sarah already observed the Torah's commandments of their own free will did not mean that on occasion, and in order to help fulfil some prophecy, they would not transgress laws temporarily. [Did not Jacob marry two sisters during their lifetime? Ed.] Maimonides already stated in chapter nine of Yesodey Torah in Sefer Hamada that when a properly accredited prophet asks the Jews to violate one of the 613 commandments on a temporary basis that one should obey him. He cites the example of the prophet Elijah who rebuilt a private altar at a time when such altars were prohibited (Kings 1 18). Seeing that Sarah was a greater prophetess than he (Shemot Rabbah 1, based on Genesis 21,12), Abraham complied with her suggestion. It was necessary for matters to develop in this manner so that the residue of the original serpent's poison, some of which was still lodged within Abraham, could be expelled with the sperm which impregnated Hagar. When Abraham would eventually father Isaac, this would be from sperm that was no longer contaminated by the זוהמה, spiritual poison, of the original serpent. Had Hagar become a free woman, not only would she not have absorbed the entire spiritual contamination that was still lodged within Abraham, but the fact that Isaac would have been born with some of it could have caused untold harm to the future of the Jewish people. Sarah insisted that Hagar remain a slave because of such considerations. How else could we explain that Sarah would allow Abraham to make a קדש, male prostitute, of himself by sleeping with her slave? The reason she invited G'd to judge between them was because only G'd knew her true motives. As soon as Sarah heard that Abraham did not doubt her pure motives and that he did not say anything when she not only treated Hagar as a slave, but more demonstratively than previously, Hagar took the hint and fled that household. Hagar did not accept the decision that reduced her again to the status of a slave. She had never heard the condition Sarah made at the time she gave her to Abraham to cohabit with. When the angel called to Hagar (16,8), he addressed her as שפחת שרה, "the slave-woman of Sarah," to make it clear that she had not been entitled to leave Sarah and Abraham's household in what she thought of as her new status as a free woman. Hagar immediately accepted the angel's rebuke by saying "I flee from my mistress Sarah." We must explore the legal status of Hagar's son Ishmael. Is he (and his offspring) subservient to us inasmuch as he was the son of a Jewish owned slave? There is a Beraitha in Torat Kohanim 87 on פרשת בהר on the subject: Whence do we know that if a Jewish male fathered a son with a Gentile slave that this son is a slave of his? The words אשר יהיו לך מאת הגוים אשר סביבותיכם in Leviticus 25,44 are considered as the source of this ruling. This verse only ruled out slaves who lived in the land of Canaan at the time the Jewish people conquered that land. The words "who will be yours" were quite unnecessary. Normally, the Torah would have used an expression such as "whom you will purchase," or something similar. For this reason the author of the Beraitha understands the words as referring to as yet unborn children of a Gentile slave sired by a Jewish male. The law that remaining Canaanites had to be killed applied only to those who were already alive and in the land of Canaan at the time the Torah was given (Deut. 20,17). As a result of this ruling it emerges that Ishmael and all his offspring are truly slaves of the Jewsih people (legally speaking). There is no need to enter into the discussion we have described on page 149. Regardless of whether we view ourselves as Sarah's or as Abraham's heirs, Ishmael and offspring are included in our inheritance. Abraham inherited Sarah upon her death. He made Isaac his sole heir. G'd renewed the covenant with us the Jewish people to give us the lands He promised to Abraham. That land includes all the parts inhabited by Edom as well as the part of Esau shared with Ishmael's offspring. The most convincing proof that we are correct is found in Genesis 21,13 where G'd promises that the son of the slave-woman (Hagar) will develop into a nation. It is important to note that the Torah does not refer to Ishmael as Abraham's son but as Hagar's son. Thus the Torah emphasises that Ishmael remains a slave, seeing that he is the son of a slave. If you wanted to see further proof of this look at the way the Torah describes the sons of Zilpah i.e. Leah's slave-woman, and the sons of Bilhah, i.e. Rachel's slave-woman. You will observe that when the Torah described those women giving birth (Genesis 30,5) that the sons are attributed to Jacob, not to their respective mothers. This means that because Jacob slept with them in order to establish a legal bond they became free women. In the reports of the births of all the four sons of Zilpah and Bilhah the Torah was careful to emphasise this point, (compare 30,7; 30,10; 30,12) In our case the Torah empahasises the difference in status between Ishmael and Isaac once more when we read: "for through Isaac your seed will be known" (Genesis 21,12) i.e. not through Ishmael. There was no need to promise to give us the lands of Ishmael since a slave does not own land and whatever land he lived on belonged to the Jewish people, his owner.

חמסי, “look at what reward I get that my own maidservant refuses to obey my commands, and acts rebelliously. עליך, “this is all on your account;” if you had protested her disrespecting me it would not have happened. I do not feel like punishing her as she has becoming your concubine. ישפוט ה' ביני וביניך, “may the Lord judge which one of us is right.” I am concerned with your dignity, whereas you have not respected my dignity. וביניך, Rashi claims there is an extra “dot” on this word. What he means is that everywhere else the word ביניך is spelled with only one letter י, whereas here it is also spelled with a י before the last letter. It therefore ought to be read as ובניך. The Talmud reports that words which have dots placed there by Ezra who after the return of the exiled Jews had to decide from differing Torah scrolls which had the correct spelling, used these dots to remind readers that some doubt had existed concerning this spelling. (Avot וביניך, Rashi de Rabbi Nathan, chapter 34.) If he had found such dots in some scrolls he did not want to take the responsibility for removing them, (according to a Tossaphot in Rosh Hashanah 15.) At any rate, we have a rule that if someone calls upon G-d to determine if concerning an accusation leveled against a fellow human being he or she had been correct, the first thing the heavenly tribunal does is to examine if the accuser has led a blameless life himself or herself. If faults are found in the accuser’s life, he is judged, i.e. punished first, before the accusation is examined in greater detail. In the event, Avraham had to bury Sarah, i.e. on the one hand she died earlier than he, though younger than he, and on the other hand he lost her. According to Rashi, the substance of Sarai’s complaint was that if Avram had prayed not only to have children himself but had included her in his prayer, the whole subject of offering Hagar to him as a concubine would never have arisen. Her accusation is considered as “an evil eye” (Compare Mizrachi, super commentary on Rashi) concerning the fetus in Hagar’s womb.)

ישפוט ה' ביני וביניך, “may the Lord judge between me and you.” Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 45,5 state that if one invokes the attribute of Justice against a fellow human being one will not emerge from such a confrontation completely unharmed. But for the fact that Sarai invoked the attribute of Justice she would have lived to the same age as Avraham. Because she appealed to the attribute Justice in her quarrel with Avram she lost 48 years of her life. Rabbi Aushiyah added that seeing that at the time when Sarai said: “let the Lord judge between me and you,” Hagar was already pregnant with child seeing the Torah said ויבא אל הגר ותהר, what was the point of the angel announcing to Hagar (verse 11) “here you are pregnant and you will give birth to a son?” He should only have told her hat she would bear a son. We learn from this line that Sarai had looked at Hagar with the evil eye and she had aborted her fetus.” Rabbi Chanina added that if the prophet Elisha had made such a statement under the influence of the Holy Spirit that would have been sufficient [a reference to Kings II 4,17 where he predicted that the Shunamite woman would embrace a son a year from the time of the prophecy. On that occasion the Shunamite woman suspected the prophet of raising her hopes in vein. Ed.] Thus far the comment of Bereshit Rabbah. Seeing that the word ביניך has been spelled “full,” i.e. with two letters י, we are entitled to derive from this that Sarai turned her face towards Hagar while speaking, and the words: “may the Lord judge between me and you” refer to between her and the fetus inside Hagar’s womb. This is what was meant by her turning her “evil eye on her, “ i.e. on what was inside Hagar’s womb.

And Abram said to Sarai: "Behold, your maidservant is in your hand; do with her as is right in your eyes." And Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from before her.

ותענה שרי AND SARAI AFFLICTED HER — She compelled her to work hard (Genesis Rabbah 45:6).

AND SARAI DEALT HARSHLY WITH HER, AND SHE FLED FROM BEFORE HER FACE. Our mother did transgress by this affliction, and Abraham also by his permitting her to do so. And so, G-d heard her [Hagar’s] affliction and gave her a son who would be a wild-ass of a man, here. to afflict the seed of Abraham and Sarah with all kinds of affliction.

שפחתך בידך, for she has not been given her freedom by you who are her mistress. ותענה שרי, Sarai's objective in maltreating Hagar was to remind her of the fact that she remained her slave. She was not to insult her mistress any more. She meant to make clear that any gentile who insults Israelites will experience similar harsh treatment. Compare Isaiah 60,14 והשתחוו על כפות רגליך כל מנאציך, "all those who reviled you shall prostrate themselves at your (Israel) feet."

ותענה שרי, “Sarai made life miserable for her.” Both our matriarch Sarah and her husband were guilty of a sin here. Avraham’s sin was that he did not interfere on behalf of Hagar. As a result, G’d listened to her complaints and granted her a son, whose descendants in turn would oppress the descendants of Avraham and Sarah to this day.

And the angel of Hashem found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the road to Hagra.

"And he found her" (וַיִּמְצָאֶהָ) — this is an unusual form, for the regular pattern would be like "and he hated her" (וַיִּשְׂנָאֶהָ) (Deuteronomy 22:16).

וימצאה מלאך ה, the angel found her in a state of readiness to receive a Divine vision. As a result, he appeared o her. [after all it is not likely that an angel roamed the earth looking for Hagar. Ed.] על עין המים, she was engaged in prayer. Compare Pessachim 11 where the words of the angel in verse 11 כי שמע ה' אל עניך "for the Lord has heard your affliction" are understood as referring to Hagar's prayer prior to her receiving this vision. על העין, at a junction of the roads. Whenever there is a juncture of two roads this is described as עינים. The place where these two roads commence is called פתח עינים. In Rabbinic parlance this is known as פרשת דרכים, "a parting of the ways." (Ketuvot 17) בדרך שור, this is a place known as חגר, as interpreted by Onkelos. This is a town on the order of the land of Israel, or just beyond the border as mentioned in Gittin 2. The Torah informs us by mentioning this detail that it had been Hagar's intention to emigrate from the land of Israel (Canaan).

במדבר, על העין בדרך שור, “in the desert, by a well, on the way to Shur.” This location is one that the Israelites traversed as mentioned in Exodus 15,22.

And he said: "Hagar, maidservant of Sarai, from where have you come, and where are you going?" And she said: "I am fleeing from before Sarai my mistress."

אי מזה באת WHENCE CAMEST THOU? — He knew it, but he asked this in order to give her a starting-point so that he might converse with her. The expression אי מזה is to be explained thus: Where is (אי) that place of which thou canst say, “From this (מזה) have I come”.

"From where" (אֵי מִזֶּה) — equivalent to אַיֵּה ("where"), as in "where is Abel?" (Genesis 4:9). The sense of מִזֶּה is place, as if to say: from which place have you come? "Fleeing" (בּוֹרַחַת) — the resh takes a patah on account of the guttural letter that follows it. So too: "the whole city flees" (Jeremiah 4:29); "and it was as though it blossomed" (Genesis 40:10); "with winnowing-fork and pitchfork" (Isaiah 30:24); and likewise "having known a man" (Numbers 31:17), on account of the guttural letters alef, he, het, and ayin — this is the regular rule of the language, and there is nothing unusual about it.

?אי מזה באת ואנה תלכי, the angel wanted Hagar to realise what kind of an unprofitable exchange she was about to make if she left the house of a man such as Avram and traded that holy environment in the land of Canaan, preferring the spiritually contaminated regions outside the Holy Land and the evil people residing there. אנכי בורחת, "I am not going to a place I have chosen myself; I am simply escaping intolerable conditions."

הגר שפחת שרי, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant maid!” The angel reminds her that her status as Sarai’s servant maid had not changed. She acknowledged this when she replied that she was fleeing from her mistress Sarai.

הגר שפחת שרי, “Hagar Sarai’s maidservant.” We already know that Hagar was Sarai’s maid servant from verse 1; why did the Torah have to repeat this? It is possible that the angel had two reasons why he thought it pertinent to mention Hagar’s personal status. 1) He wanted her to know that if she now experienced a divine vision this was not in her capacity as an Egyptian woman but was only due to her being part of Sarai’s household. It was due to Sarai’s merit. The second consideration of the angel was to stress that her original status as a slave was one that would never be changed. She would remain Sarai’s slave for as long as she lived. The angel confirmed this later when he said to Hagar שובי אל גברתך והתעני תחת ידיה, “return to your mistress and submit to her.”

And the angel of Hashem said to her: "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand."

'ויאמר לה מלאך ה' וגו AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO HER etc. (see also Genesis 16:10 & Genesis 16:11). For each statement (in these three verses) a different angel was sent to her, and this explains why in reference to each statement the phrase is used, “and an angel said to her” (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

RETURN TO THY MISTRESS, AND SUBMIT THYSELF UNDER HER HANDS. The angel commanded her to return and accept upon herself the authority of her mistress. This implies that she will not go out free from her, as Sarah’s children will ever rule over her children.

והתעני, the additional comment after telling Hagar to return to her mistress, was an allusion to the future; it would be Hagar's destiny, as well as that of her offspring to submit to the authority of the Jewish people. Kings II 13,17 where the prophet Elisha instructs the king to shoot arrows [which are ostensibly not intended to hit anyone. Ed.] is similarly an allusion to the future, foreshadowing events yet to occur. The words כן כן יסד המלך in Esther 1,8 are also to be understood in a similar fashion. The king's decree to let everyone enjoy the feast according to the laws of his own religion was a cornerstone of the policy which enabled Achashverosh to rule over so many diverse cultures as existed in the 127 provinces of his empire.

שובי אל גברתך והתענו תחת ידיה, “go back to your mistress and submit to her oppression” The angel hinted to her that she would not regain her status as a free woman, and that the descendants of Sarai would rule over her descendants into the distant future.

And the angel of Hashem said to her: "I will greatly multiply your descendants, so that they shall not be numbered for multitude."

And the angel of Hashem said to her: "Behold, you are with child and shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, for Hashem has heard your prayer."

הנך הרה BEHOLD THOU WILT BE WITH CHILD — when you return you will conceive, just as the same phrase הנך הרה (Judges 13:7) spoken of the wife of Manoah (where it certainly appears to be thou wilt conceive in the future). וְיֹלַדְתְּ בן AND THOU SHALT BEAR A SON — The word appears to be grammatically a combination of the perfect tense וְיָלַדְתְּ and the participle וְיֹלֶדֶת but it is similar in sense to וְיֹלֶדֶת (the participle); so, also, (Jeremiah 22:23) “O thou that dwellest יֹשַׁבְתְּ) in Lebanon, and art nestled (מְקֻנַּנְתְּ) in the cedars.” וקראת שמו AND THOU SHALT CALL — This is a command, just as one would say to a man (וְקָרָאתָ), as (Genesis 17:19) “And thou shalt call his name Isaac”.

AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME ISHMAEL. The angel informed Hagar that his name will be Ishmael — just as in the verse, Behold, a son shall be born unto the house of David Josiah by name — and he told her that she should so call him, and thus remember that G-d heard her affliction. ” (Verse 11.) Now Abraham either called him by this name on his own,: And Abraham called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. with the intent that G-d hear him and answer him, or the Holy Spirit rested upon him, as Rashi has it, and he called him Ishmael because G-d had heard his mother’s affliction, as the angel had said. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the angel commanded Hagar that she call him so, but she, being a concubine, above is no proof to the contrary, as it may express only Sarai’s desire. was afraid to give a name to her master’s son, so she revealed the matter to him, and Abram fulfilled the word of G-d. Scripture, however, did not need to delve at length into this matter.

"Behold you" (הִנָּךְ) — the feminine form, since הֵן is a word of circumstance like עִם ("with"), and its pattern is like עִמָּךְ. "Ishmael" — the alef is elided for ease of pronunciation.

וקראת שמו ישמעאל, “you are to call him Yishmael.” Avraham had not heard of this revelation of an angel to Hagar, but he still named him thus (on his own).” Nachmanides explains that the angel commanded Hagar to call the boy Yishmael. Hagar, however, was afraid to arrogate to herself the right to name the son of her master, so that she revealed to him that she had been given such instructions from the angel.

And he will be a rebellious man among men; he will need all, and also all people will need him; and he shall dwell before all his brothers.

פרא אדם A WILD MAN — One who loves the open spaces to hunt wild animals, as it is written of him (Genesis 21:20) “And he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.” ידו בכל HIS HAND SHALL BE AGAINST EVERY ONE — a highwayman. ויד כל בו AND EVERYONE’S HAND AGAINST HIM — everyone will hate him and attack him. ועל פני כל אחיו ישכון AND HE SHALL DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS BRETHREN — his descendants will be numerous, (so that his territory must extend over that which his brethren have; cf. Genesis 25:18).

‘PERE ADAM.’ Rashi comments: “One who loves the deserts Pere adam is thus: “a man who loves the desert.” (Mizrachi.) [and] to hunt wild animals, as it is written, And he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. His hand shall be against every man. This means that he will be a highway man. And every man’s hand against him. Everyone will hate him and attack him.”The correct interpretation is that pere adam is a construct form, meaning that he will be a wild-ass man accustomed to the wilderness, going forth to his work, seeking for food, devouring all and being devoured by all. The subject pertains to his children who will increase, and they will have wars with all the nations. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said: “His hand shall be against every man in that he will be victorious at first over all nations, and afterwards, every man’s hand shall be against him, meaning that he will be vanquished in the end. And in the face of all his brethren, who are the sons of Keturah, he should dwell, meaning that Ishmael’s children will outnumber those of Keturah.”

"A wild-ass of a man" — free among men, in the sense of "who set the wild ass free?" (Job 39:5). The meaning is that no outsider from his own clan will rule over him. Some say the phrase is "a wild ass and a man" (פֶּרֶא וְאָדָם), as in "sun and moon stood in their lofty abode" (Habakkuk 3:11) — because he is a wild ass, his hand is against all, and because he is a man, every man's hand is against him. In my view the correct reading is that he will be among men like a wild ass, prevailing over all by his strength, and then every man's hand will be against him. This is also explicit in Daniel, that it refers to the fourth beast. "Over against all his brothers" — these are the sons of Keturah. So too it is written: "over against all his brothers he fell" (Genesis 25:18). The Midianites too are from the sons of Keturah, yet they are called "Ishmaelites" in the Torah and in the book of Judges.

פרא אדם. The word פרא describes a wild donkey, an animal that has not been domesticated. The angel told Hagar that the son she would bear would be genetically very similar in his character to a wild donkey. This would be due to his having part of the genes of his Egyptian mother. The prophet Ezekiel already described the Egyptians as being physically not much different from wild donkeys (Ezekiel 23,20) These characteristics would manifest themselves in the fact that he would make his home in the desert, a region not imposing restrictions on him. The Torah testifies to this in Genesis 21,20. The reason that the word אדם is added by the angel in describing Ishmael, was that he would inherit any human traits from his father Avram. The fact that he did possess such traits is confirmed by the Midrash which claims that he became a penitent before his father Avraham's death. (Baba Batra 16).

פרא אדם, an anonymous trader who travels to distant places where he is not known; compare Genesis 37,25 where the Torah describes such a caravan of Ishmael’s descendants to whom Joseph was sold. The word פרא also occurs as the definition of a person in Job 11,12. ועיר פרא יולד, i.e. an infant born and not yet named is a פרא. A person who lacks the intelligence and senses of ordinary people is called there: עיר פרא, “a wild ass;”[I am not sure about the difference between פרא אדם and אדם פרא. What seems clear is that the adjective פרא appears to diminish the degree of צלם אלוקים, Divine image that ordinary people have been equipped with from birth. It may be noteworthy that both Kayin and Hevel when born, the first human beings to have been born by woman, were not described as possessing this Divine image as opposed to Sheth, Chavah’s third son. This may explain a great deal about both of these sons experiencing either premature death, or ongoing tragedy in their lives. Ed.] ידו בכל, “involved in all manner of wheeling and dealing;” ויד כל בו, “through interacting socially and commercially with all kinds of people;” ועל פני כל אחיו ישכון, “and his wealth will extend so far that he will be in contact with all kinds of people. A totally different exegesis: the expression פרא אדם describes an uncouth person, someone devoid of culture and what we call: דרך ארץ; initially, as a result of this, he will be victorious in all his violent encounters, ידו בכל, whereas eventually, when groups of people will make common cause against him, ויד כל בו, “he will be subdued and killed.”

פרא אדם, “a man of the wild.” According to Rashi Yishmael would love the desert to hunt in. ידו בכול, “his hand will be against everyone;” a robber, a highwayman. ויד כל בו, “and everyone’s hand will be against him.” They would hate him and provoke strife with him. Nachmanides writes that in the expression פרא אדם the word פרא is in the construct mode to the word אדם, meaning that he will be more like a mule than a human being in character. He will constantly look for someone or something to attack and destroy, whereas people, as a result, would constantly be looking for him to neutralize him. The prediction of the angel was to characterize not so much Yishmael himself but the descendants, the Muslim nations and their method of spreading their religion with the fire and the sword. Ibn Ezra understands the word פרא as an alternate for the word חפשי, “free,” in the sense of “unable to submit to anyone’s authority.” The words ועל פני כל אחיו ישכון, Ibn Ezra understands to mean that Yishmael will dwell wherever his brothers, the sons of Keturah will dwell. Some commentators understand the term פרא אדם to mean that Yishamel will be a merchant forever in search of merchandise to buy or sell. Indeed we find that most of the Ishmaelites during the period of Yaakov already engaged in long distance trade, traveling in caravans with camels etc. (compare Genesis 37,25-27).

And she prayed in the name of Hashem who had spoken with her, saying: "You are the God who sees all" — for she said: "Have I indeed remained seeing here after He was revealed to me?"

אתה אל ראי THOU ART A GOD OF SEEING — The word is punctuated with a Chataph Kametz because it is a noun, and the meaning is “a God of seeing” — One who sees the humiliation to which people are subjected by others (Genesis Rabbah 45:10) הגם הלום HAVE I ALSO [SEEN] HERE — This is an exclamation of surprise: “could I have ever imagined that here also — in the wilderness — I would see the messengers of the Omnipresent after I have seen them in Abraham’s house, where I saw them regularly!” You may know that she used to see them there regularly from this: That Manoah saw the angel only once and exclaimed, (Judges 13:22) “We shall surely die”, and she saw angels four times, one after the other, and she showed no fear (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

"El Ro'i" — on the vowel-pattern of עֳנִי in "he has seen affliction" (Lamentations 3:1), meaning "God of vision." "Have I also here" (הֲגַם הֲלֹם) — equivalent to "now." The correct interpretation is that הֲלֹם means "here," as in "has the man come here yet?" (1 Samuel 10:22). The meaning is: have I also here seen the angel of Hashem after Hashem saw me in my affliction? — for He is ever watching.

ותקרא שם ה, the meaning of the words ותקרא שם ה', is prayer. It refers to the kind of prayer in which one praises the Lord, or thanks Him. This prayer may be offered silently, in one's mind or with words. The source for this definition is found in Berachot 32: "as a rule a person should first address G'd by praising Him, before beginning to pray." [to tell G'd of his requests from Hi. Ed.] This thought is reflected in the inscription in most synagogues on the Holy Ark שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, "I am ever mindful of the Lord's presence" (Psalms 16,8) The word קרא for prayer is also found in Lamentations 3,55 קראתי שמך ה', "I have prayed to You o Lord," as well as in Psalms 79,6 ושמואל בקוראי שמו, "as well as the prophet Samuel who would pray (successfully) to Him." Also the well-known line כי שם ה' אקרא, (Deut. 32,3) is best translated as "for I will pray to the Lord," rather than as "I will proclaim the name of the Lord." Hagar's new insight, expressed by her saying אתה א-ל ראי, meant that whereas up until now she had assumed that revelations from G'd are confined to the house of Avram, she had now learned that G'd may reveal Himself in any location. This is in line with Baba Metzia 59 כל השערים ננעלו חוץ משערי דמעות, that although the gates of prayer have largely remained shut since the destruction of the Temple, the prayer of people complaining (shedding tears) of being dealt with unfairly by their fellow human beings have not been closed.

אתה אל ראי, “You are a G-d who sees.” Rabbi Avraham Ibn Ezra explained these words as meaning: “You are a G-d who reveals Himself by means of visions (to his creatures).” The word ראי is a noun. הגם הלם ראיתי, “for even here I have seen,” i.e. “an angel of the Lord after G-d had seen my affliction.”

הגם הלום ראיתי, “even here I have seen (a divine vision)“ Rabbi Joseph Kimchi explains this verse as meaning that “He who sees me is the One Who has appeared to me,” for she was unaware that it was an angel. When the angel took leave of her she did no longer see him, as people who look at departing human beings until they are out of sight normally do. In commenting on this strange phenomenon she said “the one who sees me,” meaning “although I cannot see him.” She did not realize that this was a divine apparition, and that is why she said: “I have even seen him here.”

Therefore the well was called the Well of the Angel of the Living One who appeared above her; behold, it is between Rekem and Hagra.

באר לחי ראי As the Targum takes it: the well at which the living angel had appeared to her.

"Beer-lahai" — for him who will be alive in the following year, in the sense of "to life" (לֶחַי) (1 Samuel 25:6); for each year the Ishmaelites used to make pilgrimage to this well. Even today it is called Be'er Zamzam.

על כן קרא לבאר באר לחי ראי, therefore the well was called “The Well of the Living One.”

And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

'ויקרא אברם שם וגו AND ABRAM CALLED THE NAME [OF HIS SON] etc. — Although Abram had not heard the words of the angel when he said to Hagar “and thou shalt call his name Ishmael”, yet the Holy Spirit rested upon him and he called him Ishmael.

שם בנו אשר ילדה הגר ישמעאל, he was aptly called by that name both from Avram's point of view and from Hagar's point of view. Avraham prayed on behalf of his son Yishmael in 17,20, whereas Hagar's prayer had been heard as confirmed to her by the angel.

And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

'ואברם בן שמנים שנה וגו AND ABRAM WAS FOURSCORE AND SIX YEARS OLD etc. — This is written to Ishmael’s credit, pointing out that he was thirteen years old when he was circumcised (see Genesis 17:25) and yet he raised no objection.