The Torah passages and Israel's holidays are full of important messages that are relevant and empower our day-today lives. Rabbi Shai Tahan, head of the Sha'arei Ezra community and head of the Arzi HaLebanon teaching house, opens the gates for us to understand these messages, from their source, in a clear way. This week – Birth of Ishmael: Unraveling the Enigma Surrounding Avraham's Offspring.
In this article, we will address the intriguing question of how two children—Yitzchak and Ishmael—both born to the same father, Avraham, manifested as polar opposites: one embodying the epitome of goodness and purity, while the other represented the pinnacle of malevolence and savagery.
Parashat Toldot begins with the verse stating that Avraham gave birth to Yitzchak. The apparent question arises: it is not Avraham who gives birth, but Sarah. What message, then, is the Torah trying to convey? (Refer to Rashi for one perspective; however, let's explore alternative interpretations). To further understand this, one must also answer a rather unsettling question: How is it possible that such a great Tzaddik like Avraham had a child like Ishmael (just as one may ask regarding how Yitzchak can have a son like Esav)? Additionally, why did Sarah give Hagar to Avraham—which woman would give another woman as a wife to her husband, especially someone as lowly as Hagar?
One of the greatest early mekubalim, Rabbi Yosef Gikatila(שערי אורה שער חמישי ד״ה דע כי כשחטא) , sheds light on this matter and provides a comprehensive understanding of what transpired. He begins with an introduction, explaining that when Adam Harishon sinned, a poison entered his soul—a poison identical to the one the serpent introduced to Chava. This poison was a dense and significant impurity, and it was transmitted to his children and all subsequent generations.
To eliminate this impurity, there was a necessity to separate the undesirable from the virtuous. Each righteous person in every generation contributed to this process of distinguishing between the negative and positive elements. The conclusive stages of this purification occurred through the actions of the Avot. Avraham gave birth to Ishmael, thereby releasing a significant portion of the negative influence to Ishmael. Yitzchak similarly did so with Esav. Following these separations, Yaakov emerged completely free of any impurity.
The Chida(פני דוד לך לך טו) explains that this was the reason Sarah did not conceive until after Hagar. She, with her divine insight, perceived that her husband needed to be cleansed of the poison descended from Adam. Therefore, she gave Hagar to him for this purpose. Only after Ishmael was born did she see that Avraham was ready to bring forth a pure soul.
According to Midrash Raba(מה,ד) , Hagar's immediate ability to give birth was likened to the ease and quick attainment of worthless things, akin to thorns in a field that grow abundantly, in contrast to the difficulty of growing grain. The Arizal(שער הפסוקים למהרח״ו לך לך, טז) further elaborates, comparing Sarah and Hagar to fruits and peels. Just as the peel grows first and paves the way for the fruit, Hagar had to give birth first before Sarah could conceive.
The Zohar (וירא ח״א קיח) emphasizes that once Yitzchak was born, Ishmael is never mentioned in the Torah by name. The Zohar suggests that this omission is deliberate, as one does not mention the inferior (trash) in the presence of the superior (gold), symbolizing Yitzchak's elevated status. Furthermore, Sarah explicitly told Avraham that Ishmael was not his son but Hagar's. While initially treating Ishmael as his own, Avraham received divine confirmation that Sarah was correct – Ishmael is not his son (אור החיים כא,יא). As explained earlier, since Ishmael was born to expel negative forces from Avraham, he is considered Hagar's son and not Avraham's.
Due to this reason, the Ohr HaChayim (תחילת תולדות) explains that Yitzchak occupied a higher spiritual level than Avraham. While Avraham still bore the negativities inherited from his father, he was cleared of them by releasing them through Ishmael. In contrast, Yitzchak had already been purified from such negative forces.
The Arizal and the Chida offer an alternative explanation. When Hagar initially conceived, her embryo was expected to be exceptionally malevolent as it solely carried Hagar's lineage, potentially more sinister than Ishmael. To counteract this, Sarah employed the "ayin hara" (evil eye), resulting in Hagar experiencing a miscarriage. As previously explained, Esav also bore the remaining negative impurity within Yitzchak. Thus, the combination of the two potentially evil forces—Ishmael and Esav—could have been formidable. In a symbolic alignment, towards the end of the parasha, Esav marries the daughter of Ishmael, accentuating the connection between these two influences.
Now we can comprehend that Avraham, carrying the negative energies from Adam Harishon, sought purification. He transferred the negative aspects to Ishmael while endowing Yitzchak with the positive nature. The residual negativity left by Yitzchak was entrusted to Esav, leaving him pure and holy for Yaakov. Rabbi Yosef Gikatila elaborates that Yaakov, uncertain of his complete purification, approached his twelve children on his deathbed. He inquired if any negativity lingered, and they reassured him, collectively affirming their purity with the recitation of Shema Yisrael. This perspective also elucidates the brothers' reaction to Yosef; they mistakenly believed he absorbed Yaakov's remaining negative powers, prompting their attempt to eliminate him, unaware that Yaakov was already purified.
This article was written in cooperation with Shuva Israel