“I will greatly increase your offspring,
And they shall be too many to count.” (11) The messenger of יהוה said to her further,
“Behold, you are pregnant
And shall bear a son;
You shall call him Ishmael,*Ishmael I.e., “God heeds.”
For יהוה has paid heed to your suffering.
(12) He shall be a wild ass of a person;*person Or perhaps “sire” (cf. Josh. 14.15, Gen. 2.22b–4.1, and Phoenician usage). Trad. “man.” See the Dictionary under ’adam.
His hand against everyone,
And everyone’s hand against him;
He shall dwell alongside of all his kin.” (13) And she called יהוה*יהוה The messenger who spoke is labeled with the principal’s name, to underscore that the message was delivered on the principal’s behalf. (A narrative convention in the Hebrew Bible.) who spoke to her, “You Are El-roi,”*El-roi Apparently “God of Seeing.” by which she meant, “Have I not gone on seeing after my being seen!”*Have I not gone on seeing after my being seen Meaning of Heb. uncertain. (14) Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi;*Beer-lahai-roi Apparently “the Well of the Living One who sees me.” it is between Kadesh and Bered.— (15) Hagar bore a son to Abram, and Abram gave the son that Hagar bore him the name Ishmael. (16) Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.
And why is his name called Ishmael? For God (El) will hear (Yishma) the groaning of the [Jewish] people from what the children of Ishmael will do to them at the end of the days” (Yalkut Shimoni 45).
אברהם הוליד את יצחק. עַל יְדֵי שֶׁכָּתַב הַכָּתוּב יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם הֻזְקַק לוֹמַר אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק; לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ לֵיצָנֵי הַדּוֹר אוֹמְרִים מֵאֲבִימֶלֶךְ נִתְעַבְּרָה שָׂרָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי כַּמָּה שָׁנִים שָׁהֲתָה עִם אַבְרָהָם וְלֹא נִתְעַבְּרָה הֵימֶנּוּ; מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּבָּ"ה? צָר קְלַסְתֵּר פָּנָיו שֶׁל יִצְחָק דּוֹמֶה לְאַבְרָהָם, וְהֵעִידוּ הַכֹּל אַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁכָּתוּב כָּאן יִצְחָק בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁהֲרֵי עֵדוּת יֵשׁ שֶׁאַבְרָהָם הוֹלִיד אֶת יִצְחָק:
אברהם הוליד את יצחק ABRAHAM BEGAT ISAAC — Just because Scripture wrote, “Isaac, son of Abraham” it felt compelled to say “Abraham begat Isaac”, because the cynics of that time said, “Sarah became with child of Abimelech. See how many years she lived with Abraham without becoming with child”. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He shaped Isaac’s facial features exactly similar to those of Abraham’s, so that everyone had to admit that Abraham begat Isaac. This is what is stated here: that Isaac was the son of Abraham, for there is evidence that Abraham begat Isaac (Midrash Tanchuma, Toldot 1).
When R’ Shmaya Dichovsky, z”l, author of Neos Deshe, was traveling to Eretz Yisroel in 5693, he stopped in Radin to meet with the Chafetz Chaim.
During their conversation, R’ Shmaya asked the Chafetz Chaim’s opinion about the debate taking place in America regarding its future relations with the Arab community in Eretz Yisroel. On one hand, there was a palpable fear following the massacre in Chevron, where the Arabs brutally and savagely attacked a yeshiva. On the other hand, there was an optimistic hope that the nations of the world would be able to educate and guide the Arab community towards more civil society.
The Chafetz Chaim responded and said: “The Torah describes Yishmael as (Bereishit 16:12), “And he will be a wild donkey of a man“. Our Torah is eternal and everlasting. If the Torah describes this way the family of Yishmael, then they are forever considered a wild donkey of a man. Even if every nation in the world combined their efforts to educate and civilize them, they would not succeed. Even if one of them becomes learned and becomes a lawyer, for example. Then he will be a lawyer that is the wild donkey of a man. If he becomes a professor at a prestigious university, he will remain a professor that is a wild donkey of a man. There is wildness within them. And, you will never be able to remove it.”
Then, the Chafetz Chaim sighed and said: “Oy! Who knows what kind of savagery this animal will inflict upon the Jews in the final days before Mashiach arrives.”
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer is traditionally ascribed to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (1st century) and Scholars indicate it was written in 8th or 9th cenury.
ועוד היה ר' ישמעאל אומר, שלשה מלחמות של מהומה עתידין בני ישמעאל לעשות בארץ באחרית הימים שנ' כי מפני חרבות נדדו ואין חרבות אלא מלחמות אחת ביער בערב מפני חרב נטושה ואחת בים מפני קשת דרוכה ואחת בכרך גדול שהוא כבד משניהם שנ' כי מפני כובד מלחמה ומשם בן דוד יצמח ויראה באבדן של אלו ואלו ומשם יבא לארץ ישראל שנ' מי זה בא מאדום חמוץ בגדים מבצרה זה הדור בלבושו צועה ברב כחו אני מדבר בצדק רב להושיע.
Rabbi Ishmael also said: Three wars of trouble will the sons of Ishmael in the future wage on the earth in the latter days, as it is said, "For they fled away from the swords" (Isa. 21:15). "Swords" signify only wars, one in the forest of Arabia, as it is said, "From the drawn sword" (ibid.); another on the sea, as it is said, "From the bent bow" (ibid.); and one in the great city (translators note: which is in Rome), which will be more grievous than the other two, as it is said, "And from the grievousness of the war" (ibid.). From there the Son of David shall flourish and see the destruction of these and these, and thence will He come to the land of Israel, as it is said, "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with crimsoned garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, marching in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save" (Isa. 63:1).
Translator interperts the big city to be Rome but Baal Hasulam/ Zohar indicates its Jerusalem
Zohar Vaera 32a below is Sulam
(א) ואברהם אמר וכו': ואברהם אמר, לו ישמעאל יחיה לפניך, ואע"פ שהקב"ה היה מבשר לו על יצחק, התדבק אברהם בישמעאל, עד שהקב"ה השיבו ולישמעאל שמעתיך וגו'. ואח"כ נימול, ונכנס בברית הקדוש, מטרם שיצא יצחק לעולם.
(א) ות"ח ארבע מאה וכו': ובוא וראה ארבע מאות שנים עמד הממונה של בני ישמעאל, ובקש לפני הקב"ה, אמר לו, מי שנימול יש לו חלק בשמך. אמר לו הקב"ה כן. אמר לו והרי ישמעאל שנימול, למה אין לו חלק בך כמו יצחק. אמר לו, זה נימול כראוי וכתיקוניו, וזה אינו כך. ולא עוד אלא שאלו מתדבקים בי כראוי לשמונה ימים. ואלו רחוקים ממני עד כמה ימים. אמר לו השר הממונה, ועם כל זה, כיון שנימול לא יהיה לו שכר טוב על זה.
(א) ווי על ההוא וכו': אוי לאותו זמן שנולד ישמעאל בעולם ונימול, מה עשה הקב"ה, כלפי טענת השר של ישמעאל, הרחיק את בני ישמעאל מדבקות העליון, ונתן להם חלק למטה בארץ הקדושה, בשביל המילה שבהם.
Chalcolithic Period (4500-3200 BCE)
- 3500 BCE - First Settlement of Jerusalem
Early Bronze Age (3200-2220 BCE)
- 2500 BCE - First Houses Built in Area
Middle Bronze Age (2220-1550 BCE)
- 1800 BCE - Construction of First City Wall
Late Bronze Age (1550-1200 BCE)
- 1400 BCE - First Mention of Jerusalem in Cuneiform Amarna Letters
Iron Age I (1200-1000 BCE)
- 1200 BCE - Jerusalem is conquered by Canaanites (Jebusites)
Iron Age II (1000-529 BCE)
- 1000 BCE - King David Conquers Jerusalem; Declares City Capital of Jewish Kingdom
- 960 BCE - David's Son, King Solomon, Builds First Jewish Temple
- 721 BCE - Assyrians Conquer Samaria; Refugees Flee to Jerusalem and City Expands onto Western Hill
- 701 BCE - Assyrian Ruler Sennacherib Lays Seige to Jerusalem
- 586 BCE - Babylonian Forces Destroy Jerusalem and Demolish First Temple
Persian Period (539-322 BCE)
- 539 BCE - Persian Ruler Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylonian Empire, Including Jerusalem
- 516 BCE - Cyrus Permits Jews in Babylonian Exile to Return to Jerusalem; Second Temple Built
- 445-425 BCE - Nehemiah the Prophet Rebuilds the Walls of Jerusalem; City Confined to Eastern Hill
Hellenistic Period (332-141 BCE)
- 332 BCE - Greek Leader Alexander the Great Conquers Judea and Jerusalem
- 332-141 BCE - Ptolemaic and Seleucid Rule in Jerusalem
Hasmonean Period (141-37 BCE)
- 141 BCE - Hasmonean Dynasty Begins; Jerusalem Again Expands Limits to Western Hill
- 63 BCE - Roman General Pompey captures Jerusalem
Herodian Period (37 BCE - 70 CE)
- 37 BCE - King Herod Restructures Second Temple, Adds Retaining Walls
- 30 CE - Jesus Crucified by Romans in Jerusalem
Roman Period (70 - 324 CE)
- 70 CE - Roman Forces Destroy Jerusalem and Demolish Second Temple
- 135 CE - Jerusalem Rebuilt as a Roman City
Byzantine Period (324-638 CE)
- 335 CE - Church of the Holy Sepulchre Built
- 614 CE - Persians Capture Jerusalem
- 629 CE - Byzantine Christians Recapture Jerusalem from Persians
First Muslim Period (638-1099 CE)
- 638 CE - Caliph Omar Enters Jerusalem
- 661-750 CE - Jerusalem Ruled Under Umayyad Dynasty
- 691 CE - Dome of the Rock Built on Site of Destroyed Jewish Temples
- 750-974 CE - Jerusalem Ruled Under Abassid Dynasty
Crusader Period (1099-1187 CE)
- 1099 CE - First Crusaders Capture Jerusalem
Ayyubid Period (1187-1259 CE)
- 1187 CE - Saladin Captures Jerusalem from Crusaders
- 1229-1244 CE - Crusaders Briefly Recapture Jerusalem Two Times
Mamluk Period (1250-1516)
- 1250 - Muslim Caliph Dismantles Walls of Jerusalem; Population Rapidly Declines
Ottoman Period (1516-1917)
- 1517 - Ottoman Empire Captures Jerusalem
- 1538-1541 - Suleiman the Magnificent Rebuilds the Walls of Jerusalem
British Mandate (1917-1948)
- 1917 - British Capture Jerusalem in World War I
Divided City (1948-1967)
- 1948 - State of Israel Established; Jerusalem Divided By Armistice Lines Between Israel & Jordan
Reunification (1967-Present)
- 1967 - Israel Captures Jerusalem's Old City and Eastern Half; Reunites City
Since first Crusaders period (~1100 CE), Christians/ British have only been in charge of Jerusalem for ~120 years (so less than 10% of time).
Review 204 and 205. Seems to connect yishmael with left (similar words without the "Ayin")
(9) His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre,
(1) יצחק וישמעאל ISAAC AND ISHMAEL — From this we gather that Ishmael repented of his evil ways (cf. Bava Batra 16b) and yielded the precedence to Isaac. This is what is meant by the “good old age” mentioned in connection with Abraham (Genesis Rabbah 38:12).
(1) A song of ascents. Of David. Were it not for the LORD, who was on our side, let Israel now declare, (2) were it not for the LORD, who was on our side when men assailed us, (3) they would have swallowed us alive in their burning rage against us; (4) the waters would have carried us off, the torrent would have swept over us; (5) over us would have swept the seething waters. (6) Blessed is the LORD, who did not let us be ripped apart by their teeth. (7) We are like a bird escaped from the fowler’s trap; the trap broke and we escaped. (8) Our help is the name of the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.
"Adam" from "Pereh Adam"
"You already know that the exiles are four: Babylonia, Persia, Greece, and Rome (translators note: which stretched out from the 2nd temple destruction and apparently ended with the Holocaust.) However, the Jewish people are destined further in the end of days to be in the exile of Yishmael, as mentioned in Pirkei D'Rebi Eliezer, and in the Midrashim of our Rabbis, and in the Zohar end of Parsha Lech Lecha.
Behold, while in the fourth exile, they will say (verse 1) "If it had not been for the L-RD who was for us', Israel will say;", which means now in these four exiles we would have been destroyed completely, as he says afterwards "Then they had swallowed us up alive" (verse 3). And expound the verse as if it says "Israel will say 'if it had not been for the L-ord'", which means, now during these four exiles. But there is an additional fifth and final exile for all of them and which is harder than all of them. And this is the exile of Yishmael, who is called "Pereh Adam" ("A wild donkey of a man"), and he is not compared to a beast (like the other 4 exiles).
Then Israel will call out in a different manner, which is (verse 2) 'If it had not been for the L-ORD who was for us, when a man (Adam) rose up over us'. (the "man" refers to Yishmael, who is the "Pereh Adam"), because being that he is a man due to being the son of Avraham, and therefore he has the merit of his forefather, as we find, (Avraham praying for Yishmael to G-d): "would that Yishmael live before You (Bereishis 17:18)", and he also has the merit of the Mila (circumcision). Due to this also, he is called "Adam", therefore his exile is harder than the other four kingdoms, as our Sages have said: "Because for this he is called Yishmael, that in the future Yisrael will scream out, tremendous screams in the days of his exile, and the 'Yishma' - 'El' (G-d will hear), and will answer them.
And since other nations always had some form of rulership on other (smaller nations), unlike Yishmael, who dwelled alone in the deserts, and who would not deal with other nations...And afterwards Yishmael will rise and become king over the entire world, and over Yisrael. And this is what is meant by "when a man rose up over us" (verse 2), similar to what is said in the Zohar on the verse "a new king rose up" (Shmos 1), because at first he was lower than all the nations and now he rose to Kingship...
And this is what Israel will say then "If it had not been for the L-ORD who was for us, when a man (Adam) rose up over us", which is Yishmael, "Then they had swallowed us up alive" (verse 3), which means then during the fifth exile it will be different than all that passed over us. Because they will want to swallow us alive , in the manner of "and the sheathes swallowed them", (Bereishis 41:24), "and it was not noticeable that they were inside them", because G-d forbid, when their wrath will be kindled against us, they will desire to erase the name Yisrael from under the heavens, like something which is swallowed, whose existence is no longer noticeable at all, and as if it never existed.
Unlike the other four exiles which are referred to "Then the waters had overwhelmed us" (verse 5), because their exiles are easier and we were compared to one who was overwhelmed by water but his body still exists, and was not swallowed up completely.....
...and he will cause suffering to Israel, great and terrible sufferings, such that none like these had ever been seen, and we will not know what to do. And we will have no other hope than to trust in His great Name to save us from his hand. And this is what is meant in verse 8, "Our help is in the name of the L-ORD, who made heaven and earth. Which means who made heaven and earth for the sake of the Torah and Yisrael who as in the verse "if not for my covenant day and night (study of torah), I would not have appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth (Yirmiyahu 33:25)". Therefore He is forced to help us from their hands, and redeem us a full future redemption, in order that there will be a purpose for the existence of heaven and earth."
Rav says: The son of David will not come until the evil Roman kingdom will disperse throughout Eretz Yisrael for nine months, as it is stated: “Therefore will He give them up, until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the remnant of his brethren shall return with the children of Israel” (Micah 5:2). Once a period equivalent to a term of pregnancy passes, the redemption will come.
Heard of an interpertation that this is Yishamel (Amnon Yitzchak). Traditionally would be Edom referred to as Malchut
Debate whether Persia or Rome wins
Ancient Persia was defeated by Alexander the Great in 334 BCE, presumably before this text was written. This gemera is similar to Sanhedrin except that this gemera specfically mentions Rome as the power for the 9 months.
א"ר יצחק שנה שמלך המשיח נגלה בו כל מלכי אומות העולם מתגרים זה בזה, מלך פרס מתגרה במלך ערבי והולך מלך ערבי לארם ליטול עצה מהם וחוזר מלך פרס ומחריב את כל העולם וכל אומות העולם מתרעשים ומתבהלים ונופלים על פניהם ויאחוז אותם צירים כצירי יולדה, וישראל מתרעשים ומתבהלים ואומר להיכן נבוא ונלך להיכן נבוא ונלך להיכן נבוא ונלך, ואומר להם בני אל תיראו כל מה שעשיתי לא עשיתי אלא בשבילכם מפני מה אתם מתיראים אל תיראו הגיע זמן גאולתכם, ולא כגאולה ראשונה גאולה אחרונה כי גאולה ראשונה היה לכם צער ושעבוד מלכיות אחריה אבל גאולה אחרונה אין לכם צער ושעבוד מלכיות אחריה:
Rebi Yitzchak said: the year that King Moshiach will be revealed, all the kings of the nations of the world will taunt each other. The king of Persia will taunt the King of Arabia. And the king of Arabia will go to Aram to get advice from them. And the king of Persia returns and destroys the entire world. And all the nations of the world trembles and is terrified and the fall upon their faces and gripped with agony, like the agony of childbirth. And Yisrael trembles and is terrified and says: to where will we come and go, and to where will we come and go? And He says to them: My children, do not be afraid! All that I have done, I have only done for your sake. why are you afraid? Do not be afraid, the time of your redemption has arrived. And the final redemption will not be like the first redemption. For the first redemption was painful for you and you were enslaved to other kingdoms after it. but the final redemption, there will be no pain and enslavement to other kingdoms after:
Look into:
Our mesorah (Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer chapters. 28, 32, 36:32; Eitz HaDaat Tov, ch. 124; Daniel 7:4, 25 and Malbim there; Zohar III 32a; Baal HaTurim, Genesis 25:18) teaches that in the Achris Hayomim a sect of fanatical Ishmaelites will arise, executing horrendous attacks around the world. They will first team up with Christian nations (which the Torah refers to as “Edom”) against the Jewish people (as documented in Eurabia:The Euro-Arab Axis (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2005), and later go to war against the Christians (Ibn Ezra, Genesis 27:40; Ezekiel 38:3, Malbim and Abarbanel ibid).