It’s early in the morning and a single parent leaves home with their son.
They carry provisions. They will be walking for days – it’s not exactly clear where their wanderings will take them.
Only the parent understands the true ramifications of this journey - leaving the comfort, the serene spirituality of a home - a tent - but a home - that is like no other place in the world, a place of purpose, a place of G-dliness - to head out into the wilderness.
The child, strangely, asks very few questions - at least in the text - as they follow their parents to an unknown future.
And the worst fears are realized. Maybe when they started out they had hoped things would go differently, but with every step it becomes clearer that the child would never be coming back to the home where they were nurtured.
The parent seems to have made peace with the terrible outcome. Their precious child, a child who no-one could have expected just years before their birth - was going to die.
And then, in a flash, everything changes. An angel steps forward and speaks - and at the very last second the child is saved. And not just saved - but blessed to be the father of a great people. The angel opens up the eyes of the parent to the answer – which was there all along.
Bereshit 22- Story of Avraham
and Yitzchak
(1) Some time afterward, God put Abraham to the test. He said to him, “Abraham,” and he answered, “Here I am.” (2) And He said, “Take your son, your favored one, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.” (3) So early next morning, Abraham saddled his donkey and took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and he set out for the place of which God had told him. (4) On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. (5) Then Abraham said to his servants, “You stay here with the donkey . The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you.” (6) Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and put it on his son Isaac. He himself took the firestone and the knife; and the two walked off together. (7) Then Isaac said to his father Abraham, “Father!” And he answered, “Yes, my son.” And he said, “Here are the firestone and the wood; but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” (8) And Abraham said, “God will see to the sheep for His burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together. (9) They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built an altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. (10) And Abraham picked up the knife to slay his son. (11) Then an angel of the LORD called to him from heaven: “Abraham! Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” (12) And he said, “Do not raise your hand against the boy, or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your favored one, from Me.” (13) When Abraham looked up, his eye fell upon a ram, caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son. (14) And Abraham named that site Adonai-yireh, whence the present saying, “On the mount of the LORD there is vision.” (15) The angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven, (16) and said, “By Myself I swear, the LORD declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your favored one, (17) I will bestow My blessing upon you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your descendants shall seize the gates of their foes. (18) All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your descendants, because you have obeyed My command.” (19) Abraham then returned to his servants, and they departed together for Beer-sheba; and Abraham stayed in Beer-sheba.
Bereshit 21- Story of Hagar and Yishmael
(9) Sarah saw the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham playing. (10) She said to Abraham, “Cast out that slave-woman and her son, for the son of that slave shall not share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” (11) The matter distressed Abraham greatly, for it concerned a son of his. (12) But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed over the boy or your slave; whatever Sarah tells you, do as she says, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be continued for you. (13) As for the son of the slave-woman, I will make a nation of him, too, for he is your seed.” (14) Early next morning Abraham took some bread and a skin of water, and gave them to Hagar. He placed them over her shoulder, together with the child, and sent her away. And she wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. (15) When the water was gone from the skin, she left the child under one of the bushes, (16) and went and sat down at a distance, a bowshot away; for she thought, “Let me not look on as the child dies.” And sitting thus afar, she burst into tears. (17) God heard the cry of the boy, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heeded the cry of the boy where he is. (18) Come, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” (19) Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and let the boy drink. (20) God was with the boy and he grew up; he dwelt in the wilderness and became a bowman. (21) He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
What Are The Similarities of the two stories?
1. A parent and child
2. A journey into the wilderness
3. A near-death experience
4. A last-minute heavenly reprieve
5. A parent whose eyes are opened
6. A Divine blessing of fantastic proportions
Question: Not why the stories are so similar, but why do they feel so different? And also, why do we read the story of Hagar/Yishmael on Rosh Hashanah?
What are the key differences?
Avraham, though uncertain about what will happen, knows and feels, that G-d is watching.
The Story of Hagar
Hagar too is on a Divine mission. The Torah is recording every step she takes. Though she was commanded to leave by Avraham and not G-d himself, she too becomes the lead actress in a divinely orchestrated play. The tragedy of Hagar’s story is that until the last moment - she is unaware. She imagines that the only things that matter to Avraham’s G-d are the things going on back at home. Avraham is home. Sarah is home. The Gedolei hador are carrying on their business at their tent - and yet the spotlight of the chumash is on none other than Hagar and Yishmael. Had they only known! Had Hagar only known! Would she have left Yishmael’s side? Would she have exclaimed “I can’t watch!” Or would she somehow have captured the moment like Avraham!
I’m not blaming Hagar. Sure - it was easy for Avraham to know that he was on a mission - G-d had spoken to him. G-d hadn’t spoken to Hagar and he doesn’t speak directly to most of us. Hagar is not a failure - but she’s a tragic figure. Because she was on a divine mission - she was living under the watchful eye of G-d - and she didn’t know it.
The Story of Avraham
You see Avraham, while he doesn’t know what will happen with his precious Yitzchak, knows and feels, that G-d is watching.
This giant of belief and master of kindness spent most of his life preaching from his tent. He, along with Sara, had hosted, according to Maimonides TENS of THOUSANDS of people at the rallies surrounding their famous tent. For twenty five years, crowds had come to HIM to hear his inspiring talks about a single Divine Being running the universe.
And suddenly he was asked to leave. “Lech lecha” - go - leave your home - go to the wilderness, to Har HaMoriah. But I will be with you. Though he must have wondered what G-d was planning, while he may have questioned (though not in the text) he never felt, for a second, that G-d had abandoned him. Never could he have imagined that the focus of G-d’s attention was back in the comfort of home while he walked increasingly further from the stage of G-d’s unfolding plans
(ו) וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גּשִׁי הֲלֹם (רות ב, יד)... אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר מַרְיוֹן בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִם אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה יַעֲשֶׂנָּה בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיָה רְאוּבֵן יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (בראשית לז, כא): וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן וַיַּצִּילֵהוּ מִיָּדָם, בִּכְתֵפוֹ הָיָה מוֹלִיכוֹ אֵצֶל אָבִיו. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ אַהֲרֹן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (שמות ד, יד): הִנֵּה הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחוֹלוֹת הָיָה יוֹצֵא לִקְרָאתוֹ. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בֹּעַז שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו: וַיִּצְבָּט לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר, עֲגָלוֹת מְפֻטָּמוֹת הָיָה מַאֲכִילָהּ. רַבִּי כֹּהֵן וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיָה אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה וְהַנָּבִיא כּוֹתְבָהּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה מִי כּוֹתְבָהּ, אֵלִיָּהוּ כּוֹתְבָהּ וּמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חוֹתֵם עַל יְדֵיהֶם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (מלאכי ג, טז): אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי ה' אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וגו'.
(6) "And Boaz said unto her at meal-time: 'Come hither, and eat of the bread, and dip your morsel in the vinegar.' And she sat beside the reapers; and they reached her parched corn, and she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof (Ruth 2:14)".
Rabbi Yitzchak the son of Maryon said: "the scripture came to teach us that if a man is going to do a mitzvah, let it be done with his whole heart.
Now if Reuben had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand (Genesis 37:21)" on his shoulder he would have brought him to his father.
And if Aaron had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And also, behold, he comes forth to meet you (Exodus 4:14)" with tambourines and dances he would have met him.
And if Boaz had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And they reached her parched corn, and she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof" he would have fed her with fattened calves".
Rabbi Kohen and Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: "Previously when a man performed a mitzvah, a prophets wrote about it. But now, when a man performs a mitzvah who writes about it? Elijah writes it and the Messiah and the Holy One, blessed be He, seal it with their hands.
The above highlights the Divine attentio we receive and cites the examples of what could have been would we have realized that God was therei, watching and writing our every move. How much more conscious and deliberate would we be if we saw ourselves as in God's Divine spotlight.
[Perhaps, our Father in Heaven and our Mother on Earth.]
(א) דין השכמת הבוקר ובו ט סעיפים:
יתגבר כארי לעמוד בבוקר לעבודת בוראו שיהא הוא מעורר השחר: הגה ועכ"פ לא יאחר זמן התפלה שהצבור מתפללין. (טור)
הגה שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד הוא כלל גדול בתורה ובמעלות הצדיקים אשר הולכים לפני האלקים כי אין ישיבת האדם ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לבדו בביתו כישיבתו ותנועותיו ועסקיו והוא לפני מלך גדול ולא דבורו והרחבת פיו כרצונו והוא עם אנשי ביתו וקרוביו כדבורו במושב המלך כ"ש כשישים האדם אל לבו שהמלך הגדול הקב"ה אשר מלא כל הארץ כבודו עומד עליו ורואה במעשיו כמו שנאמר אם יסתר איש במסתרים ואני לא אראנו נאום ה' מיד יגיע אליו הירא' וההכנעה בפחד הש"י ובושתו ממנו תמיד (מורה נבוכים ח"ג פ' כ"ב) ולא יתבייש מפני בני אדם המלעיגים עליו בעבודת הש"י גם בהצנע לכת ובשכבו על משכבו ידע לפני מי הוא שוכב ומיד כשיעור משנתו יקום בזריזות לעבודת בוראו יתברך ויתעלה (טור):
(1) One should strengthen himself like a lion to get up in the morning to serve his Creator, so that it is he who awakens the dawn. Rem"a: At least, one should not delay beyond the time when the congregation prays (Tur).
Rem"a: "I have set the Lord before me constantly" (Psalms 16:8); this is a major principle in the Torah and amongst the virtues of the righteous who walk before God. [note- Avraham was commanded to walk before God, Bereshit 17:1].
For a person's way of sitting, his movements and his dealings while he is alone in his house are not like his way of sitting, his movements and his dealings when he is before a great king; nor are his speech and free expression as much as he wants when he is with his household members and his relatives like his speech when in a royal audience. All the more so when one takes to heart that the Great King, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, Whose glory fills the earth, is standing over him and watching his actions, as it is stated: "'Will a man hide in concealment and I will not see him?' - the word of God" (Jeremiah 23:24), he immediately acquires fear and submission in dread of God, May He Be Blessed, and is ashamed of Him constantly (Guide for the Perplexed III 52). And one should not be ashamed because of people who mock him in his service of God, and should also go modestly. And when he lies on his bed he should know before Whom he lies, and as soon as he wakes up from sleep he should rise eagerly to the service of his Creator, May He Be Blessed and Exalted (Tur).