Shabbat Forshpeis
A Taste of Torah in Honor of Shabbat
PARSHAT VA-YEIRAH
THE TRUE COVENANTAL HEIR OF AVRAHAM
OCTOBER 25-26, 2002 / 20 HESHVAN 5763
After Yishmael is born to Avraham (Abraham) and Hagar,
God tells Avraham that he would have another child - this time with Sarah. (Genesis 17:16)
Avraham responds, "Oh, that Yishmael might live before You," (Genesis 17:18) which Rashi understands to mean, I am not worthy of so great a reward and would be satisfied if only Yishmael lived before You. This may indicate that, at that point, Avraham favored Yishmael as his potential heir-after all he was Avraham's eldest. No wonder God's strong response: "But Sarah, your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yitzchak (Isaac) and I will establish my covenant with him." (Genesis 17:19) Here, God declares with clarity that Yitzchak will be the covenental heir.
Note what unfolds in our portion. After the angels tell Avraham a child would be born to Sarah, Sarah laughs. God then asks Avraham why Sarah was skeptical. (Genesis 18:13) Most commentators understand this as God's criticism of Sarah-she seems to doubt the power of God to help her conceive and give birth. My colleague and dear friend, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, suggests, however, that God is critical of Avraham, not Sarah. After all if Sarah is laughing, it means she has been taken by surprise. Avraham never told Sarah of God's promise that she'd bear a child-perhaps because Avraham, was satisfied with Yishmael.
Our portion continues with the narrative of Avraham telling Avimelech, King of the Philistines that Sarah is his sister. When Avimelech accuses Avraham of lying, Avraham offers a complicated answer to explain why Sarah is his sister. (Genesis 20:12) Ramban points out, however, that even if Avraham was right, even if Sarah was his sister, she was also his wife. Unless it can be suggested that while Avraham loved Sarah as his wife, still he believes that Hagar is his covenantal wife and Yishmael his covenantal son.
Avraham's love for Yishmael is clearly enunciated as he objects to Sarah's plan to evict Yishmael after Yitzchak was born. Interestingly enough, when Avraham hears of Sarah's plan, the text states that the matter "Was evil in the eyes of Avraham concerning his son (beno)." (Genesis 21:11) As Rabbi David Silber points out, while Sarah refers to Yishmael as the "son of the handmade (ben haamah)," Avraham refers to him as "his son." (Genesis 21:10)
Matters come to a crescendo when God tells Avraham to take his son to Moriah. (Genesis 22:2) According to the midrashic commentary: God says, "take now thy son," to which the Midrash has Avraham respond, but I have two sons. God then states, "Your only son," to which Avraham according to the Midrash replies, but each is the only son of his mother. God continues, "Whom you love," to which the Midrash has Avraham say, but I love both. In other words, at this late moment Avraham expresses equal love for Yishmael. Finally, God says "Yitzchak" an unequivocal declaration that the covenantal continuity is through Isaac.
Indeed, the first conversation between Yitzchak and his father Avraham occurs as they are walking to Moriah. Yitzchak turns to his father and says one word "my father, (ahvi)." For the first time, Avraham turns to his son and declares "Here I am, my son (heneini beni)." (Genesis 22:7)Here, Avraham has come full circle. The Avraham who had referred to Yishmael as his son, now understands clearly that his covenantal son is not Yishmael-but Yitzchak.
Hence the next portion of Hayei Sarah tells the story of Avraham finding a burial plot for Sarah and of Avraham carefully choosing a wife for Yitzchak, as Avraham has come to understand that his seed would be continued through Yitzchak-Sarahs son- and not Yishmael.
It must be recalled that Yitzchak loved Esav (Esau) more than Ya'akov. As Yitzchak initially favored the wrong son, so did Avraham. And as Rivkah (Yitzchak's wife) correctly favored Ya'akov, so too does Sarah correctly favor Yitzchak. In time of course, both Avraham and Yitzchak come to recognize who their true heirs will be.
Rabbi Avi Weiss
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