We have met Ishmael before, but only as an attachment to Hagar. Now let us examine what was his life like with his father, Abraham, and others around him, and how does the Torah view him.
The Name
As we have seen in Midrash Shem, the name a person bears may reflect both the past and the future. A great example is the name Yoseph – Joseph. Rachel explains that she names her son so because “God has gathered (asaph אסף) my shame” and with the hope that “God will add (yoseph יוסף) another child to me.”
How does Ishmael’s name reflect his early (possibly prenatal) history? (Consider chapter 16)
How does the name come to play out later in his life? (Consider chapter 21)
Who gave Ishmael his name?
In Abraham’s family that is a loaded question. Even those that started with humanly given names seem to get them changed to a God given one. What is the significance of giving a name? In addition, Hagar was informed by the angel that this will be the child’s name. It is not clear if it was an instruction or perhaps a form of prophecy. If she felt instructed – did she share this with Abraham (who finally gives the name)? If it was a prophecy, did it strengthen her faith in the rest of the Angel’s words now that this came true?
The Circumcision – Brit Milah (chapter 17:23-27)
The first 13 years of Ishmael’s life are left to our imagination. (I invite you to share your thoughts on this topic on the forum.) It is at the age of 13 that Abraham takes him, along with the rest of the household, to be circumcised as ordered by God. In the verses leading up to the performance of the Brit Milah (covenant of circumcision) that God promises Abraham that Sarah will give birth to a child who will be named Yitzchak, Isaac.
Please read 17:15-22.
What is Abraham’s reaction to the news of a future son by Sarah?
What does it tell us about his view of Ishmael?
We will save the discussion about the laughter for the session about Isaac. Pay attention to his concern for Ishmael.
Now read the description of the participants in the circumcision covenant.
Whom does Abraham include in the covenant? Who is at the top of the list? How is Ishmael referred to?
In chapter 16 we paid attention to the titles (“wife of” “maid of” etc,) it is worth while doing the same here. The Torah, which is so sparing with words, clues us in to the manner in which a person is viewed (or views others) by the titles attached to him. Notice how Abraham thinks of Ishmael. What might Abraham have been thinking when he pushed his 13 year old to be one of those at the center of the ceremony?
“The son of the handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac!”
The passage in which Sarah demands that Ishmael leave the house cannot be read without being drawn into the great emotional turmoil going on in Abraham’s household.
After reading Bereshit 21:9-13, consider the following questions:
How did Sarah come to have such strong negative feelings towards the child whose birth she orchestrated with the hope of having a child? Might her feelings ever have been different?
Read this section carefully, paying very close attention to how each person is described – telling us what role they play in the story.
Could Sarah’s demand be based on more than pure emotion? If so, what might it be?
All this naturally leads us to the adult life of Ishmael:
His Marriage
Why did his mother choose an Egyptian wife for him?
What might be the ramifications of this choice?
Why is Abraham not involved in finding a wife for this son?
(Here we are working on the assumption that there was still contact with Ishmael at least until Abraham’s death, perhaps later. We will get to this soon.)
The issue of the national identity of the wife is highlighted with Isaac’s marriage, and especially in Abraham’s instructions on this issue. Let’s keep our thoughts here in mind when we discuss Abraham’s servant later.
Burying Abraham:
For the end of Abraham’s life, read 25:1-10. Pay special attention to v.9.
Who buries Abraham?
Notice that he has many children by the end of his life, but only 2 that seem to be active in his life.
How did Ishmael find out about the death in time to attend to the details of the burial?
There were no refrigerated conditions to leave a body unburied for any long period of time. Ishmael’s involvement here should tell us something about how close and involved he was in his father’s life at the end of it.
Ishmael Part II – Some Other Views:
View a summary of the previous material and an introduction to the following sources below:
The Name:
Midrash Genesis Rabbah 45
בראשית רבה (וילנא) פרשה מה
ויאמר לה מלאך ה‘ הנך הרה וגו’, א”ר יצחק: שלשה הן שנקראו בשמם לפני הקב”ה עד שלא נוצרו, ואלו הן: יצחק (בר’ יז) ושלמה (דה”א כב) ויאשיהו (מל”א יג)… ויש אומרים אף ישמעאל באומות: “הנך הרה וילדת בן וקראת את שמו ישמעאל”.
And the angel of the Lord said to her “behold, you will be pregnant…[and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Ishmael…] Said R. Yitzchak: Three are those that were called by their names before the Holy One Blessed be He before they were even created. And these are the ones: Isaac (Gen. 17:19) and Solomon (I Chronicles 22:9) and Josiah (I Kings 13:2)… And some says also Ishmael among the nations: “You will be pregnant and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Ishmael.”
What might be the significance of being called by your name before God even before your creation?
How does this Midrash view Ishmael? (If “the company he keeps” tells anything about him.)
The Circumcision – Brit Milah:
Rashi Genesis 16:16
(א) ואברם בן שמונים וגו’ לְשִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׁמָעֵאל נִכְתַּב, לְהוֹדִיעַ, שֶׁהָיָה בֶּן י"ג שָׁנָה כְּשֶׁנִּמּוֹל וְלֹא עִכֵּב:
(1) '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.
What pushed Rashi to comment on this piece of information?
Rashi will frequently comment when he feels that a word (or an entire sentence) is superfluous. His assumption is that there are no wasted words in the Torah, and so if it is there, it is for an important reason. What seems superfluous here and what is the reason for including it?
And here is the Midrash that Rashi was aware of, but appears in connection to the stories in chapters 21-22, specifically on 22:1 “after these words”:
בראשית רבה (תיאודור–אלבק) פרשה נה ד“ה אחר הדברים האלה
יצחק וישמעאל היו מדיינין זה עם זה. זה אמר: ‘אני חביב ממך, שמלתי לי”ג שנה!’ וזה אמר: ‘אני חביב ממך שמלתי לח’ ימים!’ אמר לו ישמעאל: ‘אני חביב, שהייתי יכול למחות – ולא מחיתי.’ באותה שעה אמר יצחק: ‘הלווי יגלה עלי הקב”ה ויאמר לי שנחתיך אחד מאיבריי – ולא אעכב!’
Isaac and Ishmael were arguing with each other. This one said ‘I am more beloved than you since I [was] circumcised at 13 years old!’ and this one said ‘I am more beloved than you since I [was] circumcised at 8 days!’ Said Ishmael to him I am beloved for I could have protested but I did not protest. At that time Isaac said: ‘Would it only be that the Holy One Blessed be He would reveal himself to me and tell me that one of my limbs would be cut – and I would not hinder it!’
A sibling rivalry as could only take place in Abraham’s household…but in style not much different than what happens everywhere.
Why does Isaac consider being circumcised at 8 days a greater sign of being beloved?
It is not difficult to understand Ishmael’s arguments, but how did Isaac understand his standing?
What is it in Ishmael’s argument that Isaac, at the opening of chapter 22, does not yet have a counter-claim to?
What is this midrash a prelude to?!
Upbringing:
Midrash Genesis Rabbah 48
בראשית רבה (תיאודור–אלבק) פרשה מח
ויתן אל הנער זה ישמעאל, בשביל לזרזו במצות.
And he gave it to the lad – that was Ishmael, to train him to hurry in doing mitzvot (commandments.)
This midrash is based on the verse in Bereshit 18:7 (and the story around it.)
What in the verse pushed the midrash to give an identity to the anonymous lad?
On a deeper level, the midrash is wondering about the education that Abraham gave Ishmael, his heir-apparent. (Isaac was not around yet.) What kind of upbringing do you think that Abraham gave Ishmael?
A Broader View:
Rashi Genesis 21:17
(ב) באשר הוא שם לְפִי מַעֲשִׂים שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה עַכְשָׁיו הוּא נִדוֹן, וְלֹא לְפִי מַה שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת (ראש השנה ט"ז) לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת מְקַטְרְגִים וְאוֹמְרִים רִבּוֹנו שֶׁל עוֹלָם, מִי שֶׁעָתִיד זַרְעוֹ לְהָמִית בָּנֶיךָ בַּצָּמָא, אַתָּה מַעֲלָה לוֹ בְּאֵר! וְהוּא מְשִׁיבֵם עַכְשָׁיו מַה הוּא, צַּדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע? אָמְרוּ לוֹ צַדִּיק אָמַר לָהֶם לְפִי מַעֲשָׂיו שֶׁל עַכְשָׁיו אֲנִי דָנוֹ, וְזֶהוּ בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם וְהֵיכָן הֵמִית אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּצָּמָא? כְּשֶׁהֶגְלָם נְבוּכַדְנֶצַר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, מַשָּׂא בַּעֲרָב וְגוֹ' לִקְרַאת צְמַא הַתָיוּ מָיִם וְגוֹ' (ישעיהו כ"א), כְּשֶׁהָיוּ מוֹלִיכִין אוֹתָם אֵצֶל עַרְבִיִים, הָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹמְרִים לְשׁוֹבֵיהֶם בְּבַקָּשָׁה מִכֶּם הוֹלִיכוּנוּ אֵצֶל בְּנֵי דוֹדֵנוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל וִירַחֲמוּ עָלֵינוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֹרְחוֹת דְדָנִים (שם) - אַל תִּקְרִי דְּדָנִים אֶלָּא דּוֹדִים - וְאֵלּוּ יוֹצְאִים לִקְרָאתָם וּמְבִיאִין לָהֶם בָּשָׂר וְדָג מָלוּחַ וְנוֹדוֹת נְפוּחִים כִּסְבוּרִים יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁהֵם מְלֵאִים מַיִם, וּכְשֶׁמַּכְנִיסוֹ לְתוֹךְ פִּיו וּפוֹתְחוֹ, הָרוּחַ נִכְנֶסֶת בְּגוּפוֹ וּמֵת:
(2) באשר הוא שם WHERE HE IS — According to the actions he is now doing shall he be judged and not according to what he may do in future. Because the ministering angels laid information against him, saying, “Master of the Universe, for him whose descendants will at one time kill your children with thirst will You provide a well?” He asked them, “What is he now, righteous or wicked?” They replied to him, “Righteous.” He said to them, “According to his present deeds will I judge him.” This is the meaning of what is written: “[For God hath heard the voice of the lad ] באשר הוא שם in that condition in which he now is” (Genesis Rabbah 53:14). Where did he (Ishmael) kill Israel with thirst? When Nebuchadnezzar carried them into exile — as it is said, (Isaiah 21:13, 14) “The burden upon Arabia … O ye caravans of Dedanites, unto him that is thirsty bring ye water! etc.” When they were bringing them near the Arabians the Israelites said to their captors, “We beg of you bring us to the children of our uncle, Ishmael, who will certainly show pity to us”, as it is said, “O ye caravans of the Dedanites (דדנים)”; read not דדנים but דודים, kinsmen. — These indeed came to them bringing them salted meat and fish and water-skins inflated with air. The Israelites believed that these were full of water and when they placed them in their mouths, after having opened them, the air entered their bodies and they died (Eichah Rabbah 2:4).
*The exegetical method of אל תקרי (do not read _____ but rather _____) is not a text emendation but rather a way of suggesting a different, less straight-forward, meaning of the text.
Our commentators sometimes view the book of Bereshit as being a foreshadow of events that will happen to the people of Israel in future generations. They call it מעשה אבות סימן לבנים the deeds of the fathers is a sign for the children.
What in this verse seemed unclear or superfluous to Rashi?
How does he explain the word ‘שם – there’?
We usually assume that it is a referral to a space description. That is not the case here. How does he read it?
Rashi is bringing up a question that often bothers us when looking at history. How would you formulate his question?