(יג) אתה אל ראי נָקוּד חֲטַף קָמֵץ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא שֵׁם דָּבָר, אֱלוֹהַּ הָרְאִיָּה, שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְעֶלְבּוֹן שֶׁל עֲלוּבִין:
(13) 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)
(יג) הגם הלם לְשׁוֹן תֵּימָה; וְכִי סְבוּרָה הָיִיתִי, שֶׁאַף הֲלוֹם בַּמִּדְבָּרוֹת רָאִיתִי שְׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אַחֲרֵי רוֹאִי אוֹתָם בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם! שֶׁשָּׁם הָיִיתִי רְגִילָה לִרְאות מַלְאָכִים וְתֵדַע שֶׁהָיְתָה רְגִילָה לִרְאוֹתָם, שֶׁהֲרֵי מָנוֹחַ רָאָה אֶת הַמַּלְאָךְ פַּעַם אַחַת, וְאָמַר מוֹת נָמוּת (שופ’ י"ג), וְזוֹ רָאֲתָה ד’ זֶה אַחַר זֶה, וְלֹא חָרָדָה:
(13) 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.
(יד) ... ויצחק בא מבוא
אתא ממיתא. ולהיכן הלך? באר לחי רואי, הלך להביא את הגר, אותה שישבה על הבאר ואמרה: לחי העולמים, ראה בעלבוני...
(Breishit Rabba is a collection of Midrashim for Genesis. It is traditionally assigned to the Amora Hoshaiah; 3rd century in Palestine.)
...And Yitzchak had just come from
[Sarah's] death [and mourning]. And where did he go? To the Well of Lachai-ro'i, he went to bring Hagar, the same one who sat by the well and said: "O G-d - see me in my shame"...
(ד) ושמה קטורה - רב אמר: זו הגר... אמר לו: והכתיב: ושמה קטורה?! אמר לו: שמקוטרת מצות ומעשים טובים...
...And her name was Keturah
Rav said: This is Hagar... He said to him: But doesn't it say [in the Scriptures] And her name was Keturah?! He [Rav] said to him: because "her acts gave forth fragrance like incense (ketoret) "...
(5) The covenant of the pieces, whereby the fortunes of his descendants were revealed to Abraham, was made at a time when he was still childless. As long as Abraham and Sarah dwelt outside of the Holy Land, they looked upon their childlessness as a punishment for not abiding within it. But when a ten years' sojourn in Palestine found her barren as before, Sarah perceived that the fault lay with her. Without a trace of jealousy she was ready to give her slave Hagar to Abraham as wife, first making her a freed woman. For Hagar was Sarah's property, not her husband's. She had received her from Pharaoh, the father of Hagar. Taught and bred by Sarah, she walked in the same path of righteousness as her mistress, and thus was a suitable companion for Abraham, and, instructed by the holy spirit, he acceded to Sarah's proposal.
(5) No sooner had Hagar's union with Abraham been consummated, and she felt that she was with child, than she began to treat her former mistress contemptuously, though Sarah was particularly tender toward her in the state in which she was. When noble matrons came to see Sarah, she was in the habit of urging them to pay a visit to "poor Hagar," too. The dames would comply with her suggestion, but Hagar would use the opportunity to disparage Sarah. "My lady Sarah," she would say, "is not inwardly what she appears to be outwardly. She makes the impression of a righteous, pious woman, but she is not, for if she were, how could her childlessness be explained after so many years of marriage, while I became pregnant at once?"
(5) Sarah scorned to bicker with her slave, yet the rage she felt found vent in these words to Abraham: "It is thou who art doing me wrong. Thou hearest the words of Hagar, and thou sayest naught to oppose them, and I hoped that thou wouldst take my part. For thy sake did I leave my native land and the house of my father, and I followed thee into a strange land with trust in God. In Egypt I pretended to be thy sister, that no harm might befall thee. When I saw that I should bear no children, I took the Egyptian woman, my slave Hagar, and gave her unto thee for wife, contenting myself with the thought that I would rear the children she would bear. Now she treats me disdainfully in thy presence. O that God might look upon the injustice which hath been done unto me, to judge between thee and me, and have mercy upon us, restore peace to our home, and grant us offspring, that we have no need of children from Hagar, the Egyptian bondwoman of the generation of the heathen that cast thee in the fiery furnace!"
(5) Abraham, modest and unassuming as he was, was ready to do justice to Sarah, and he conferred full power upon her to dispose of Hagar according to her pleasure. He added but one caution, "Having once made her a mistress, we cannot again reduce her to the state of a bondwoman." Unmindful of this warning, Sarah exacted the services of a slave from Hagar. Not alone this, she tormented her, and finally she cast an evil eye upon her, so that the unborn child dropped from her, and she ran away. On her flight she was met by several angels, and they bade her return, at the same time making known to her that she would bear a son who should be called Ishmael--one of the six men who have been given a name by God before their birth, the others being Isaac, Moses, Solomon, Josiah, and the Messiah.
(5) That Abraham and Sarah were blessed with offspring only after they had attained so great an age, had an important reason. It was necessary that Abraham should bear the sign of the covenant upon his body before he begot the son who was appointed to be the father of Israel. And as Isaac was the first child born to Abraham after he was marked with the sign, he did not fail to celebrate his circumcision with much pomp and ceremony on the eighth day. Shem, Eber, Abimelech king of the Philistines, and his whole retinue, Phicol the captain of his host in it--they all were present, and also Terah and his son Nahor, in a word, all the great ones round about. On this occasion Abraham could at last put a stop to the talk of the people, who said, "Look at this old couple! They picked up a foundling on the highway, and they pretend he is their own son, and to make their statement seem credible, they arrange a feast in his honor." Abraham had invited not only men to the celebration, but also the wives of the magnates with their infants, and God permitted a miracle to be done. Sarah had enough milk in her breasts to suckle all the babes there, and they who drew from her breasts had much to thank her for. Those whose mothers had harbored only pious thoughts in their minds when they let them drink the milk that flowed from the breasts of the pious Sarah, they became proselytes when they grew up; and those whose mothers let Sarah nurse them only in order to test her, they grew up to be powerful rulers, losing their dominion only at the revelation on Mount Sinai, because they would not accept the Torah. All proselytes and pious heathen are the descendants of these infants.
(5) Abraham departed with Isaac amid great weeping, while Sarah and the servants returned to the tent. He took two of his young men with him, Ishmael and Eliezer, and while they were walking in the road, the young men spoke these words to each other. Said Ishmael to Eliezer: "Now my father Abraham is going with Isaac to bring him up for a burnt offering to the Lord, and when he returneth, he will give unto me all that he possesses, to inherit after him, for I am his first-born." Eliezer answered: "Surely, Abraham did cast thee off with thy mother, and swear that thou shouldst not inherit anything of all he possesses. And to whom will he give all that he has, all his precious things, but unto his servant, who has been faithful in his house, to me, who have served him night and day, and have done all that he desired me?" The holy spirit answered, "Neither this one nor that one will inherit Abraham."
(5) Satan then appeared unto Sarah in the figure of an old man, and said unto her, "Where did thine husband go?" She said, "To his work." "And where did thy son Isaac go?" he inquired further, and she answered, "He went with his father to a place of study of the Torah." Satan said: "O thou poor old woman, thy teeth will be set on edge on account of thy son, as thou knowest not that Abraham took his son with him on the road to sacrifice him." In this hour Sarah's loins trembled, and all her limbs shook. She was no more of this world. Nevertheless she aroused herself, and said, "All that God hath told Abraham, may he do it unto life and unto peace."
(5) While Abraham was engaged in the sacrifice, Satan went to Sarah, and appeared to her in the figure of an old man, very humble and meek, and said to her: "Dost thou not know all that Abraham has done unto thine only son this day? He took Isaac, and built an altar, slaughtered him, and brought him up as a sacrifice. Isaac cried and wept before his father, but he looked not at him, neither did he have compassion upon him." After saying these words to Sarah, Satan went away from her, and she thought him to be an old man from amongst the sons of men who had been with her son. Sarah lifted up her voice, and cried bitterly, saying: "O my son, Isaac, my son, O that I had this day died instead of thee I It grieves me for thee! After that I have reared thee and have brought thee up, my joy is turned into mourning over thee. In my longing for a child, I cried and prayed, till I bore thee at ninety. Now hast thou served this day for the knife and the fire. But I console myself, it being the word of God, and thou didst perform the command of thy God, for who can transgress the word of our God, in whose hands is the soul of every living creature? Thou art just, O Lord our God, for all Thy works are good and righteous, for I also rejoice with the word which Thou didst command, and while mine eye weepeth bitterly, my heart rejoiceth." And Sarah laid her head upon the bosom of one of her handmaids, and she became as still as a stone.
(5) She rose up afterward and went about making inquiries concerning her son, till she came to Hebron, and no one could tell her what had happened to her son. Her servants went to seek him in the house of Shem and Eber, and they could not find him, and they sought throughout the land, and he was not there. And, behold, Satan came to Sarah in the shape of an old man, and said unto her, "I spoke falsely unto thee, for Abraham did not kill his son, and he is not dead," and when she heard the word, her joy was so exceedingly violent that her soul went out through joy.
(5) When Abraham with Isaac returned to Beer-sheba, they sought for Sarah and could not find her, and when they made inquiries concerning her, they were told that she had gone as far as Hebron to seek them. Abraham and Isaac went to her to Hebron, and when they found that she was dead, they cried bitterly over her, and Isaac said: "O my mother, my mother, how hast thou left me, and whither hast thou gone? O whither hast thou gone, and how hast thou left me?" And Abraham and all his servants wept and mourned over her a great and heavy mourning," even that Abraham did not pray, but spent his time in mourning and weeping over Sarah. And, indeed, he had great reason to mourn his loss, for even in her old age Sarah had retained the beauty of her youth and the innocence of her childhood.
(5) The blessing of God did not forsake Abraham in old age, either. That it might not be said it had been granted to him only for the sake of Sarah, God prospered him after her death, too. Hagar bore him a daughter, and Ishmael repented of his evil ways and subordinated himself to Isaac. And as Abraham enjoyed undisturbed happiness in his family, so also outside, in the world. The kings of the east and the west eagerly besieged the door of his house in order to derive benefit from his wisdom. From his neck a precious stone was suspended, which possessed the power of healing the sick who looked upon it. On the death of Abraham, God attached it to the wheel of the sun. The greatest blessing enjoyed by him, and by none beside except his son Isaac and Jacob the son of Isaac, was that the evil inclination had no power over him, so that in this life he had a foretaste of the future world.
שבע נביאות מאן נינהו שרה מרים דבורה חנה אביגיל חולדה ואסתר שרה דכתיב (בראשית יא, כט) אבי מלכה ואבי יסכה ואמר ר' יצחק יסכה זו שרה ולמה נקרא שמה יסכה שסכתה ברוח הקדש שנאמר (בראשית כא, יב) כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה שמע בקולה
Sarah”, as it is written, “The father of Milkah and the father of Yiscah” (Genesis 11:29) and R. Isaac said [on this]. Yiscah is Sarah; and why was she called Yiscah? Because she saw visions [sakhtah] by means of the holy spirit, as it is said, “In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice” (Genesis 21:12).
“Seven prophetesses”. Who were these? — Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Hulda and Esther.
() או יבואר, אל הארץ אשר אראך, הכלל כאשר האדם מסופק אם לעשות או לא אזי ישכיל בשכלו אם יש לו איזה בהירות השכל אזי יעשה, וזו אשר אראך לשון בהירות השכל:
(undefined) An alternate approach to the words: אל הארץ אשר אראך, “to the land that I will show you.” It is a general rule in life that when in doubt about a course of action that one should pursue, one must rely on one’s G’d given power of reason. G’d indicated to Avraham by giving him these vaguely worded instructions that he was free to follow what his reason dictated to him.
() או יאמר, לך לך, הכלל כאשר האדם בורח מן השונא אז הוא בורח אל מקום אשר ימצא להמלט את נפשו אפילו להיות נע ונד בארץ אחרת בכדי להמלט את נפשו מן שונאיו וכאן שהיה אברהם נרדף מן נמרוד הרשע כמבואר בחז"ל ושמא חס ושלום תאמר שהיה אברהם נע ונד בארץ אחרת, לזה אמר לו השם יתברך לך לך כלומר לך אל מקומך:
(undefined) Yet another possible meaning of these instructions: It is a general rule that when a person flees from persecution in one location that he turns to a place where he feels that he will be more secure, even if it means that he will have to keep on moving instead of establishing a permanent home. Since Avram had fled from Nimrod as we know from Bereshit Rabbah 38,13, G’d’s instructions to Avram to proceed to a land that He would show him, was meant to reassure him that he would no longer have to live the life of a fugitive as had been the case as long as he was in Mesopotamia, a land under Nimrod’s rule.
() בפסוק ואעשך לגוי גדול ואברכך ואגדלה שמך (בראשית יב, ב). ואמרינן בגמרא (פסחים קיז:) ואעשך לגוי גדול זה שאומרים אלהי אברהם ואברכך זה שאומרים אלהי יצחק ואגדלה שמך זה שאומרים אלהי יעקב, יכול יהו חותמין בכולם תלמוד לומר והיה ברכה בך חותמין ולא בהם. כי הנה יש שלשה מדות אשר הבורא ברוך הוא מתנהג בהם כל העולמות והם מדת אהבה ומדת הגבורה ומדת התפארת והנה כשהקדוש ברוך הוא מתנהג בברואיו במדת אהבה אז כל העולמות הם מלאים כל טוב וכשהבורא ברוך הוא מתנהג בברואיו במדת הגבורה אז חס וחלילה לפעמים הוא להיפך וכשהבורא ברוך הוא מתנהג בברואיו במדת התפארת אז גם כן הם מלאים כל טוב כי באמת תכלית מדת התפארת הוא אהבה כי מדת התפארת הוא מה שהבורא יתברך מתפאר עצמו כביכול בברואיו על ידי זה יתעורר מדת אהבה להשפיע להם כל טוב והנה מדת הגבורה אף על פי שהוא נראה שהוא להיפך ממדת אהבה, כי חס וחלילה לפעמים הוא עושה דין בעולם אף על פי כן תכליתה הוא אהבה כמו שאמרו חברי איוב לאיוב והיה ראשיתך מצער ואחריתך ישגה מאוד (איוב ח, ז) כי עיקר מדת הגבורה לעשות לפעמים חס וחלילה דין בעולם כדי שאחר כך יושפע כל טוב וכמו שנחום איש גם זו אמר על כל מקרה אשר הקרה לו גם זו לטובה, אף על פי שהקרה לו איזה מקרה אשר בתחילה נראה לא טובה אף על פי כן סופה היא טובה ואשר בתחילה נראה לא טובה היא רק כדי שיהיה אחר כך טובה. ולפי דברינו אלה אפילו מדת הגבורה תכליתה היא אהבה. והנה ידוע שאברהם רומז על מידת אהבה ויצחק על מידת הגבורה ויעקב על מידת התפארת וזהו שאמר יכול יהו חותמין בכולן, כלומר שיהא מדת הגבורה והתפארת תכלית גם כן גבורה לזה אמר בך חותמין, כלומר תכלית תפארת והגבורה הוא רק שיתעורר מדת אהבה כי חותם הוא תכלית הדבר ואלו שלשה הבחינות היה בי"ב שבטי י"ה:
(undefined) Genesis 12,2. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your reputation great.” The Talmud (Pessachim 117) comments on this verse that “making Avraham great,” meant that when referring to G’d the Creator, people would describe G’d as “the G’d of Avraham.” The word ואברכך is a promise that the Israelites when praying will refer to G’d as “the G’d of Yitzchok,” whereas the words: ואגדלה שמך, “I will make your name great,” refer to the Israelites referring to G’d as the “G’d of Yaakov” in their prayers. I might have thought that when concluding the benediction they would also mention the names of all the patriarchs; in order to signal that this is not so, the Torah continues with והיה ברכה, “be a blessing!” (sing) i.e. that the signature of the benediction contains only the name of Avraham, i.e. מגן אברהם, “(Gd) the shield of Avraham.”
There are three attributes that G’d employs in His continuous relations with the creatures in His universe; they are אהבה, “love,” גבורה, “power,” and תפארת, “harmony, splendour.” When G’d relates to His creatures with the attribute of אהבה, “love,” all parts of the universe are filled with all manner of “good” (welcome) phenomena. When He has recourse to the attribute of גבורה, “power,” the result is that the creatures affected will feel the opposite of comfortable. When G’d employs the attribute of תפארת in relation to His creatures, the world will also feel an abundance of goodness, as it is G’d’s purpose and desire to be able to glorify in His choicest creation, man. When G’d is able to do this, He inundates the universe with love. We must not misunderstand the attribute of גבורה by regarding it as something negative. While the attribute of גבורה, when active, may appear to the people affected by it as something negative, unwelcome in the extreme, it is designed to enable G’d to again relate to all His creatures with love, once that attribute has accomplished its purpose.
This is what we are told in Job 8,7 (by Bildad) והיה ראשיתך מצער ואחריתך ישגה מאד, “though your beginning may be small (painful), in the end you will grow very great.” The overriding function of the attribute of גבורה is to carry out retribution in the world so that G’d will afterwards be able to pour out all His goodness on His creatures. Historically, the person who had realized this better than anyone else, was Nachum, nick-named, איש גם זו, who whenever something happened to him that was unpleasant, painful, etc., immediately reacted by saying: גם זו לטובה, “this too will eventually be revealed as having been a positive, constructive event.” (Taanit 21).).
It is generally known that Avraham symbolizes the attribute of love, whereas Yitzchok symbolizes the attribute of power, and Yaakov symbolizes a merging of these two attributes, resulting in what we call תפארת, harmony. When the Talmud in Pessachim 117 first thought that it would be appropriate to sign the first benediction of the amidah prayer by referring to G’d as the G’d of Avraham, Yitzchok, and Yaakov, it concluded that the reason the sages who formulated this prayer did not do so, was because they wanted to stress that ultimately, what G’d is all about is the attribute of love, the attribute personified best in the personality of Avraham. [The Maharshah on that section of the Talmud points out that the letters in the word והיה are the same as the letters in the tetragram, i.e. the name of G’d symbolizing the attribute of Mercy. Ed.] The other two attributes’ function is auxiliary, i.e. to help G’d be able to fully display His attribute of love.
() ויסע אברם הלוך ונסוע הנגבה (בראשית יב, ט). ביאורו כך, לשון נגבה הוא מלשון (יהושע טו, יט) כי ארץ הנגב נתתני דעכסה שפירושו מנוגב. ובאמת הנגבה הוא דרום מורה על מדת חסד, אך כי גם במים יש מדת קר ולח דהיינו הרכבה שלו וקר יורה על הצמצום ולח מורה על התפשטות ולפי זה מלת נגבה רומז על אלו שתי הדרכים שאמרו דהיינו קר ולח. והענין שאברהם אבינו עבד את הבורא ברוך הוא במדת אהבה אך האהבה האמיתית הוא שצריך להתפשט מכל המדות שלו ולעבוד את השם יתברך בכל אבריו ותנועותיו ולא ישאיר לעצמו כלום. והנה זהו עצם הצמצום שמתפשט מעצמותו ונכנס באהבת הבורא יתברך. וזהו עצם ההרכבה כנ"ל. וזהו כונת הכתוב ויסע אברם הלוך ונסוע, דהיינו שנסע ויצא מעצמותו ונתפשט והלך לאהבת הבורא והיינו הנגבה ודו"ק היטב:
(undefined) Genesis 12,9. “Avram journeyed ‘southward’ in stages.” In order to understand the significance of this verse we must remember that the meaning of the word נגב, becomes clear from Joshua 15,19, where Calev is reported as giving his daughter Achsah to whom he had given some land in the southern district of Yehudah, an additional source of irrigation in response to her plea; the negev was known already then as a semi arid region. The expression: מנוגב, taken from the word נגב, means “dried out, lacking in moisture.” In fact, נגב is identical with דרום, an allusion to G’d’s attribute of חסד, loving kindness. When the word נגבה is used in our verse instead of the word דרומה, which in common parlance means the same thing, the reason is that the Torah wished to draw the reader’s attention to the blessing inherent in the word נגב. Water, though generally perceived as a blessing, a necessity, also has a down side, as we are all aware of. When the word נגב is used for “south,” this implies that water flowing there is an unmitigated blessing. The moisture mixed with the natural characteristic of נגב results in a perfect blend of two elements. The Torah reports here that Avraham understood how to blend service of the Lord with being of service to the people among whom he lived. He knew how to “get out of his skin,” and to spread the generous nature of which he was possessed far and wide. In doing so, he served his Creator with his entire personality. [Some of these words are my own. Ed.]
() ידו בכל ויד כל בו (בראשית טז, יב). הכלל בעונותינו הרבים גדולת ישמעאל מחמת המילה וכן מבואר בזוהר הקדוש והנה ברית נקרא כל כמבואר בשערי אורה. וזהו ידו, לשון ממשלה בכל. ויד כל בו, כי באמת הישמעאלים הם בלא פריעה אבל אנו זרע ישראל במילה ופריעה. והנה במילה יש שני ענינים החתוך בכלי ופריעה ביד. וזהו הרמז ויד כל בו, הם זרע ישראל שהם בפריעה ביד וזהו יד כל הרומז על הברית כנ"ל בו ימשול בישמעאל:
(undefined) Genesis 16,12,” “his hand raised against all, and everyone’s hand raised against him;” (normal translation)
Our author, basing himself on Zohar II 32, understands the word כל in this verse as ברית, covenant. This has been expounded upon in שערי אורה, [a book authored by Rabbi Joseph ben Avraham G’iktiliyah, a disciple of the famed Rabbi Avraham Abulafia. Ed.] The word ידו refers to the power and authority enjoyed by Ishmael. To the question why Ishmael had been endowed by G’d with such greatness, the answer is that this was the reward for his agreeing to have himself circumcised at an age when this is extremely painful. There is, however, a minor difference between the type of circumcision performed on Ishmaelites and that performed on Jews, i.e. an extra thin membrane around the glans being removed in a halachic circumcision. This is hinted at in the word יד. The last word כל, hints that the other nation with whom G’d has a covenant based on circumcision, Israel, will eventually overcome Ishmael.
() בפסוק וירא וירץ לקראתם (בראשית יח, ב). כי אברהם אשר היה לו הכאב מן המילה ועל החולה יש מדת רחמנות עליו ואברהם התחזק בכאן לרוץ לקראתם עשה כאן מדת גבורה וזכה לנשמה של יצחק שהוא מדה זו נמצא יש כאן מדת אברהם ויצחק וכל מקום שיש אברהם ויצחק שם יש יעקב. וזהו וירא והנה שלשה אנשים , אברהם יצחק ויעקב:
(undefined) Genesis 18,2. “when he saw, he ran towards them;” Avraham had still been suffering from the pains of his circumcision. A sick or ailing person is usually the recipient of the loving concern of the attribute of Mercy; Avraham, instead of indulging himself was overcome with the attribute of גבורה, overpowering courageous energy, so that he was able to run to meet these men. He was suddenly possessed of the characteristic (the author has “soul,”) that would distinguish his not yet conceived son, Yitzchok. We explained in the previous paragraph that this resulted in his also being endowed with the attribute תפארת, harmony, so that he combined all the three characteristics that distinguished the three patriarchs.
() צחוק עשה לי אלהים כו' (בראשית כא, י). הנה שכוונת השם יתברך במה שפקדם לעת זקנותם ולא כדרך כל הארץ בשני נעורים כדי שתצטער על זה ואחר כך כשיפקוד אותה יהיה שמחה גדולה, כי הדבר שבא בנקל בלי שום צער אין בה שמחה. וזהו פירוש צחוק עשה לי אלהים, פירוש אלהים בחינת דין שמנע ממני פרי בטני עד עתה זמן רב עשה לי צחוק ושמחה. וזהו רמז בפסוק (תהלים קיח, כא) אודך כי עניתני ועל ידי כן ותהי לי לישועה (שם) כוונת הענין הוא בשביל הישועה וזהו גם כן כוונת הפסוק (שם קיח, כב) אבן מאסו הבונים ואחר כך היתה לראש פינה ואמר (שם קיח, כג) מאת ה' היתה זאת, כלומר בזה שעניתני בתחילה ואחר כך בא הישועה בזה אני מבין כי מאת ה' היתה זאת ולא כן כשהשם יתברך נותן לאדם הטוב מנעוריו אינו מבחין שהוא מהשם יתברך ואומר מקרה הוא אבל כשיש לו רע בתחלה ואחר כך משמח אותו הבורא ברוך הוא בישועתו ופודה אותו מצרה וצוקה אז מבחין שבהשגחת השם יתברך כל העולם תלוין ומאתו היתה לו זה וזה היא נפלאת בעינינו (שם) ואמר זה היום עשה ה', כדי שעל ידי כן נגילה ונשמחה בו. והענין שבהשפעות השם יתברך יש בבחינת המקבלים ב' כיתות יש כת אחד שהם משמחים עצמם בהשפע עצמו ויש כת ב' שהם חכמים ומשכילים האמת לאשורו ושמחתם שעל ידי השפע הזאת רואה איך שהשם יתברך משגיח בעינא פקיחא ומראה חבתו היש שמחה גדולה מזה שידע האדם שמלך אדיר גדול ונורא משגיח עליו. וזהו שאמר דוד זה היום, דהיינו האור והטוב שהשם יתברך משפיע. עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, בהשם יתברך עצמו:
(undefined) Genesis 21,6. “G’d has made laughter for me.” Sarah realized that if G’d had granted her children in her old age instead of during her child-bearing years, He had multiplied the joy she experienced by this birth. Had she given birth in her younger years the pregnancy and subsequent birth would have been periods of discomfort and pain for her. Now, that she had not become pregnant until she was close to 90 years old, every day of that pregnancy had been filled with joyful expectation, and even the birth itself was not felt by her as an excruciatingly painful experience. Instead of thanking G’d in His capacity as Hashem, as we might have expected, she thanked Him in His capacity as אלוקים, the attribute of Justice, realizing that during all the years she had felt deprived of the joys of motherhood, the attribute of Justice seemingly being applied to her, had enabled her to exult in joy at this time.
This feeling of Sarah is reflected in psalms 118,21:אודך כי עניתני ותהי לי לישועה, “I wish to thank You, for You have afflicted me/answered me. For through my affliction my salvation has come.” The same thought is repeated in a different nuance, when David continues (verse 22) אבן מאסו הבונים היתה לראש פנה, “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” David adds, that it has become clear to him that all of this had been planned by G’d in advance, i.e. (verse 23) מאת ה' היתה זאת היא נפלאת בעינינו, “this is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” David too, is aware that it is far more rewarding to experience these blessings from G’d in one’s mature years than in one’s early youth. When a youth experiences all these blessings, he does not even recognize them as blessing bestowed by G’d, but credits them to chance or other circumstances. Having experienced G’d’s salvation at a relatively late stage in one’s life makes one doubly grateful to Hashem, i.e. זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made, let us exult and rejoice on it.”
When examining the manner in which G’d shares out His largesse, we must distinguish between two categories of recipients. One category enjoys the material benefits provided by Hashem for what they are worth, i.e. they consider the material part as the essential part, not considering them as a means to an end. The second category of recipients are the sages and the pious people who perceive these “gifts” as proof of the caring supervision exercised by G’d over all of His creatures, and they see in it an encouragement to never forget that there is a benevolent King Who rules over us. This is what David referred to when he said in the above-quoted hymn:זה היום עשה ה' נגילה ונשמחה בו, “this is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be happy in Him.” They see in the word בו at the end of this verse a reference to G’d, not to the day.
() וזהו הענין וזרח משעיר למו הופיע וכו' (דברים לג, ב), הנה לכל מבין יקשה הלא כבר חלקו עשו עם יעקב קודם הלידה עם ב' עולמות זה נטל חלקו בעולם הזה וזה נטל חלקו בעולם הבא, אם כן מהיכן אנו מקבלים שפע עולם הזה. ואם תאמר שכר מצוה, הא שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא כנודע. אלא הענין, שכל אדם מישראל צריך לעבוד הבורא בדביקות והתלהבות הנפש מאוד בכל עת ורגע כמו שהשם יתברך משגיח עליו בכל עת ורגע ואינו מניח אותו חלילה בלי השגחה אפילו רגע אחד וזהו רחמנות השם יתברך שמראה לו לפעמים לאדם שמשגיח בנתנו שפע רב ואין זו שכר מצוה רק הכונה לעבדו על להבא ואז אפילו על פי פשוט יכול להבין שהשם יתברך משגיח עליו ואינו מניחו רגע בלי השגחה וזהו כוונת וזרח משעיר למו, מחלק השייך לשעיר. וכן הופיע וכו', היינו קושיא הנ"ל. והתירוץ מימינו אש דת למו (שם) רצה לומר מה שנותן להם חלק משעיר הוא מימינו, מחמת אהבת השם יתברך המכונה בשם ימינו. וזהו אש דת למו, היינו שיתלהב לבם על מה שנתן למו. ולזה הטעם קרא אברהם שם בנו יצחק, כי בא מחמת שהיה שמח בביאתו לכן היה יצחק בבחינת יראה, כי בא בעבור שמחה ושמחה שורשה אש ואש היא יראה. והנה בחינת שמחה אינה תמידיות כי הוא בבחינת מקבל מזה שגרם השמחה והחכמה שלה היא תמידית, וזהו החכמה תחיה בעליה (קהלת ז, יב) והנה מחשבה אותיות בשמחה ומחשבה היא ראשונה ותמידיות וכשאדם בא לאין ומדבק עצמו במקור החיים ואז שופע עליו חיות ואז בא לעולם התמורה ומעלה אותו לאדון הכל להיות הכל דבוק בהשם יתברך חי וקיים לעד וזהו סוד והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קודש (ויקרא כז, י) וזהו שאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (ירושלמי ברכות ב, ד) בט' באב נולד משיח, כי אז הוא עולם התמורה ואז יכול להיות הגאולה:
(undefined) When Moses, in Deuteronomy 32,2 describes G’d as וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן, “the Lord shone upon them from Seir, He appeared from Mount Paran,” every intelligent person must ask that Esau and Yaakov had been separated already prior to their respective births, and that the two represented two totally opposite perceptions of what life and the world is all about, one deciding in favour of worldly goods, whereas Yaakov decided in favour of spiritual values, so what point was there in G’d offering the Torah to the descendants of Esau? At the same time, since when do we the descendants of Yaakov, expect to have a share in G’d’s largesse on this earth? Does the Talmud Kidushin: 39 not teach us not to expect a reward for serving the Lord while we walk on this earth?
The answer to this question is this: Every Israelite is obligated by being part of the covenant between Israel and G’d, to serve the Lord enthusiastically and meticulously with all his soul at all times. Just as G’d supervises his well being every minute of every hour, so, in turn he is obliged to serve the Lord. When G’d on occasion supplies a Jew with material benefits, these are not to be understood as part of the reward for his mitzvah performance. It may be understood as an encouragement to the person concerned, to serve the Lord with even greater devotion and intensity. When Moses speaks of מימינו אש דת למו, “from His right side the fire had turned into law,” he meant that if G’d decided to give the Jewish people, or some of the Jewish people, part of the material comforts that had originally been allocated to Seir, i.e. Esau, He referred to G’d’s “right side”, the side exuding love. G’d intended that by doing so even the ordinary Jew who is not steeped in Torah learning will respond to G’d’s Torah with more enthusiasm when he feels that G’d had singled him out for loving care.
This is one of the reasons why Avraham called his son Yitzchok, the name reflecting the joy he felt at being granted this son by Sarah. If Yitzchok developed into a personality symbolizing יראה, awe, this was because he was rooted in שמחה, joy, and joy‘s root in turn is fire. [If I understand the author correctly, the joy described as “fire” is the enthusiasm, almost ecstasy, with which such a person serves his G’d. Ed]. The characteristic יראה is not one that is manifest in the person who possesses it all the time, as it is in the nature of being a response to certain stimuli, in this instance the external “cause” is G’d Himself. This characteristic becomes manifest in response to external stimulants. This is what Solomon had in mind when he said in Kohelet 7,12 ויתרון דעת חכמה תחיה בעליה, ”and the advantage of knowledge is that it adds an additional dimension to the life of him who possesses it..”
It is significant that the letters in the word מחשבה, “thought,” are the same as in the word בשמחה,”with joy.”מחשבה is an attribute that is both primary and constant. If a person reduces himself to the אין, negating all interest in the physical part of the world, having done this he is able to attach himself to the source of all “Life.” When this has occurred, a new “LIFE” is bestowed on him, a life in a different world, one in which he is elevated to be close to Eternal G’d. This concept is portrayed in the Torah in Leviticus 27,10 where the subject is the person who donates to הקדש, G’d’s representative on earth, his “net worth,” as defined according to his age. Having done so, the Torah there describes him as והיה הוא ותמורתו יהיה קודש, “then both he and his substitute will be holy.” Concerning this procedure the sages in the Jerusalem Talmud B’rachot 2,4 said: the messiah was born on the 9th day of Av, he being the exchange for the Jewish world which had been destroyed on that day (when the Temple was burned). We find an allusion to this negating the physical world and being “reincarnated,” when Avraham before proceeding to offer his son Yitzchok as a total burnt offering, tells the servants attending them, that “we will go, and prostrate ourselves and return to you.” (Genesis 22,5)
() ויהיו חיי שרה מאה וכו' שני חיי שרה (בראשית כג, א). נראה לי בסייעתא דשמיא על פי דאמרו חכמינו ז"ל (נדרים סד:) ומובא ברש"י פרשת ויצא בפסוק (בראשית ל, א) ואם אין מתה אנכי, דכל אשה שאין לה בנים קרויה מתה רק כשיש לה בנים היא חיה. וידוע מאמר חכמינו ז"ל (שבת קנו.) שהשם אמר לאברהם אבינו עליו השלום צא מאיצטגנינות שלך כי שרי לא תלד שרה תלד. הרי שנבראת במזל שלא תלד רק על ידי מעשים טובים זכתה שישתנה מזלה כמאמר חכמינו ז"ל (שיר השירים רבה ב) מפני מה היו אמהותינו עקרות מפני שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתאוה לתפילתן של צדיקים. הרי מחמת תפילת ומעשים טובים של שרה זכתה לבן שבזה נקראת חי ולא מת. וזהו שאמר הכתוב שני חיי שרה, פירוש ששרה גרמה חיים לשנים שלה על ידי מעשים טובים ותפילתה גרמה שיהיה חיים לה, דהיינו שזכתה לבן על ידי מעשים טובים שעל ידי זה לא נקראת מת רק חי. וזה שני חיי שרה, ששרה גרמה חיים לשנים שלה כו' והבן:
(undefined) Genesis 23,1. “The years of Sarah’s life were one hundred years, etc.;” I believe, G’d willing, that I have understood the reason why Sarah is the only woman in the Bible of whose age at the time of her death we have been told. The Talmud Nedarim 64, in referring to Rachel’s outburst (Genesis 30,1) that unless her husband Yaakov would give her children she considered herself as “dead,” is quoted by Rashi on that verse saying that seeing that a woman’s primary task in life is to mother children, any woman who has not given birth to a live child is considered as dead. We also know from Shabbat 156, that when G’d took Avraham outside (Genesis 15,5) that He showed him that according to the constellation of the stars, Sarai was not slated to give birth to children. This מזל, astrological prognosis of her life, could be changed only due to merits she would acquire during the years to come. She did indeed acquire such merits, as our sages conclude from a comment they made in Shir Hashirim Rabbah, 2,32 where the phenomenon of all the matriarchs originally being barren is discussed. Among a variety of answers offered there, one is that G’d was desirous of listening to their praying to Him to be granted children, just as He is desirous of listening to the prayers of the righteous, generally. In other words, Sarah, (after a name change) both due to her merits and her supplications, was “lifted” out of the limitations predicted for her by a zodiac sign she had been born under, so that she could conceive. When the Torah refers to her “life” as being 127 years long, this means nothing less than that she had spent all these years accumulating merits for the good deeds she performed. Expressed somewhat differently, the Torah states that it was Sarah, who with her good deeds gave “life” to her years.
(יג) הגם הלם לְשׁוֹן תֵּימָה; וְכִי סְבוּרָה הָיִיתִי, שֶׁאַף הֲלוֹם בַּמִּדְבָּרוֹת רָאִיתִי שְׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אַחֲרֵי רוֹאִי אוֹתָם בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם! שֶׁשָּׁם הָיִיתִי רְגִילָה לִרְאות מַלְאָכִים וְתֵדַע שֶׁהָיְתָה רְגִילָה לִרְאוֹתָם, שֶׁהֲרֵי מָנוֹחַ רָאָה אֶת הַמַּלְאָךְ פַּעַם אַחַת, וְאָמַר מוֹת נָמוּת (שופ’ י"ג), וְזוֹ רָאֲתָה ד’ זֶה אַחַר זֶה, וְלֹא חָרָדָה:
(13) 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.
(טז) וברכתיה בַּהֲנָקַת שָׁדַיִם; כְשֶׁנִּצְרְכָה לְכַךְ בְּיוֹם מִשְׁתֶּה שֶׁל יִצְחָק, שֶׁהָיוּ מְרַנְנִין עַלֵיהֶם, שֶׁהֵבִיאוּ אֲסוּפִי מִן הַשּׁוּק, וְאוֹמְרִים בְּנֵנוּ הוּא, וְהֵבִיאָה כָל אַחַת בְּנָה עִמָּהּ וּמֵנִקְתָּהּ לֹא הֵבִיאָה, וְהִיא הֵנִיקָה אֶת כֻּלָּם; הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה בְּ"ר רְמָזוֹ בְּמִקְצָת:
(16) וברכתיה AND I WILL BLESS HER with teeming breasts. And this happened when she really needed this on the day of Isaac’s feast. For people were speaking spitefully about them, that they had adopted a foundling from the street saying, “This is our son.” Every one, therefore, brought her child with her, but did not bring the wet-nurse and she (Sarah) suckled all of them. To this refers that which is said (Genesis 21:7) “Sarah has given suck to children”. In Genesis Rabbah this is alluded to in part.
(יב) בקרבה מִסְתַּכֶּלֶת בְּמֵעֶיהָ וְאָמְרָה אֶפְשַׁר הַקְּרָבַיִם הֲלָלוּ טְעוּנִין וְלַד? הַשָׁדַיִם הֲלָלוּ שֶׁצָּמְקוּ, מוֹשְׁכִין חָלָב? תַּנְחוּמָא:
(12) בקרבה [SARAH LAUGHED] WITHIN HERSELF (or, REGARDING HER INSIDE) — She reflected on her physical condition, saying, “Is it possible that this womb shall bear a child, that these dried-up breasts shall give forth milk” (Tanchuma Schoftim).
(ו) יצחק לי יִשְׂמַח עָלַי וּמִ"אַ הַרְבֵּה עֲקָרוֹת נִפְקְדוּ עִמָּהּ, הַרְבֵּה חוֹלִים נִתְרַפְּאוּ בוֹ בַיּוֹם, הַרְבֵּה תְפִלּוֹת נַעֲנוּ עִמָהּ, וְרַב שְׂחוֹק הָיָה בָעוֹלָם:
(6) יצחק לי means will rejoice on my account. The Midrashic statement is (Genesis Rabbah 53): Many barren women were remembered together with her, many sick were healed in that day, many prayers were answered with hers and there was great rejoicing in the world.
(ז) היניקה בנים שרה וּמַהוּ בָנִים לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים? בְּיוֹם הַמִּשְׁתֶּה הַבִיאוּ הַשָׂרוֹת בְּנֵיהֶן עִמָהֶן וְהַנִיקָה אוֹתָם, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת לֹא יָלְדָה שָׂרָה, אֶלָֹּא אֲסוּפִי הֵבִיאָה מִן הַשּׁוּק:
(7) הניקה בנים שרה THAT SARAH WILL HAVE SUCKLED CHILDREN (Genesis Rabbah 53). What is the force of the word “children”, in the plural? On the feast-day princesses brought their children with them and she (Sarah) gave them suck, for these women said, “Sarah has not given birth to a son; she has brought into her house a foundling from the street” (Bava Metzia 87a).
(ט) מצחק לְשׁוֹן עֲ"זָ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶאֱמַר וַיָקוּמוּ לְצַחֵק (שמות ל"ב) דָּ"אַ לְשׁוֹן גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא לְצַחֶק בִּי (בראשית ל"ב) דָּ"אַ לְשׁוֹן רְצִיחָה, כְּמוֹ יָקוּמוּ נָא הַנְּעָרִים וְיִשַׂחַקוּ לְפָנֵינוּ וְגוֹ' (שמואל ב ב'), שֶׁהָיָה מֵרִיב עִם יִצְחָק עַל הַיְּרוּשָׁה וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי בְּכוֹר וְנוֹטֵל פִּי שְׁנַיִם, וְיוֹצְאִים בַשָׂדֶה וְנוֹטֵל קַשְׁתּוֹ וְיוֹרֶה בוֹ חִצִּים, כְּמָה דְתֵימָא כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ הַיוֹרֶה זִקִּים וְגוֹ' וְאָמַר הֲלֹא מְשַׂחֵק אָנִי (משלי כ"ו):
(9) מצחק MAKING SPORT — This means worshipping idols, as it is said in reference of the Golden Calf, (Exodus 32:6) “And they rose up to make merry (לצחק).” Another explanation is that it refers to immoral conduct, just as you say in reference to Potiphar’s wife, (Genesis 39:17) “To mock (לצחק) at me.” Another explanation is that it refers to murder, as (2 Samuel 2:14) “Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and make sport (וישחקו) before us” (where they fought with and killed one another) (Genesis Rabbah 53). From Sarah’s reply — “for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son״ — you may infer that he (Ishmael) was quarrelling with Isaac about the inheritance, saying, “I am the first-born and will, therefore, take a double portion”. They went into the field and he (Ishmael) took his bow and shot arrows at him (Isaac), just as you say (Proverbs 26:18-19) “As a madman who casteth firebrands, [arrows and death] and says: I am only מצחק mocking” (Proverbs 26:18).
(יב) שמע בקולה לָמַדְנוּ, שֶׁהָיָה אַבְרָהָם טָפַל לְשָׂרָה בִּנְבִיאוּת:
(12) שמע בקולה HEARKEN UNTO HER VOICE — we may infer that Abraham was inferior to Sarah in respect of prophecy (Tanchuma Shemoth).
(יד) ואת הילד אַף הַיֶלֶד שָׂם עַל שִׁכְמָהּ, שֶׁהִכְנִיסָה בוֹ שָׂרָה עַיִן רָעָה וְאֲחָזַתּוֹ חַמָּה וְלֹא יָכוֹל לֵילֵךְ בְּרֵגְלָיו (בראשית רבה):
(14) ואת הילד AND THE CHILD — the child, too, he placed on her shoulder, for Sarah had cast an evil eye upon him, so that a fever seized him and he could not walk (Genesis Rabbah 53).
(כ) קשת עַל שֵׁם הָאוּמָנוּת כְּמוֹ חַמָּר, גַּמָּל, צַיָּד לְפִיכָך הַשִּׁי"ן מוּדְגֶשֶׁת הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב בַּמִדְבָּר וּמְלַסְטֵם אֶת הָעוֹבְרִים, הוּא שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר יָדוֹ בַכֹּל וְגוֹמֵר:
(20) (This is the explanation of רבה קַשָּׁת he is so designated after his occupation, that of a bow-man — just as חַמָּר denotes one who is an ass driver, גַּמָּל a camel driver, צַיָּד a huntsman; consequently the ש has a Dagesh (which distinguishes all these forms). — He used to live in the wilderness and rob travelers. It is to this the statement refers, (15:12) ידו בכל “his hand shall be against everyone, etc.”