Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 25

1Abraham married Hagar again after Sarah died, as a free woman. Hagar’s nickname now was Keturah.   אוַיֹּ֧סֶף אַבְרָהָ֛ם וַיִּקַּ֥ח אִשָּׁ֖ה וּשְׁמָ֥הּ קְטוּרָֽה:
קְטוּרָֽה - Keturah. This was Hagar, but she was called Keturah (קְטוּרָה) because her deeds were as sweet as the incense (קְטֹרֶת) offered in the Holy Temple; and also because she tied up her “entrance” (reproductive organs) so that she not have relations with anyone else from the time she separated from Abraham.   קְטוּרָֽה.  זוֹ הָגָר, וְנִקְרֵאת קְטוּרָה עַל שֶׁנָּאִים מַעֲשֶׁיהָ כִּקְטֹרֶת (בראשית רבה), וְשֶׁקָּשְׁרָה פִּתְחָהּ, שֶֶׁלֹא נִזְדַּוְּגָה לְאָדָם מִיּוֹם שֶׁפֵּרְשָׁה מֵאַבְרָהָם:
2She bore him Zimran, Yokshan, Medan, Midian, Yishbak, and Shu’ach.   בוַתֵּ֣לֶד ל֗וֹ אֶת־זִמְרָן֙ וְאֶת־יָקְשָׁ֔ן וְאֶת־מְדָ֖ן וְאֶת־מִדְיָ֑ן וְאֶת־יִשְׁבָּ֖ק וְאֶת־שֽׁוּחַ:
3Yokshan was the father of Sheva and Dedan. The sons of Dedan became the leaders of the Ashurim, the Letushim, and the Leumim.   גוְיָקְשָׁ֣ן יָלַ֔ד אֶת־שְׁבָ֖א וְאֶת־דְּדָ֑ן וּבְנֵ֣י דְדָ֗ן הָי֛וּ אַשּׁוּרִ֥ם וּלְטוּשִׁ֖ם וּלְאֻמִּֽים:
אַשּׁוּרִם וּלְטוּשִׁם - Ashurim, Letushim. These are the names of the heads of nations. Onkelos’ translation of these words, however, I am unable to reconcile with the words of the verse. He explains אַשּׁוּרִם as לְמַשִּׁרְיָן meaning “traveling camps.” And if you ask that this cannot be, because of the א of אַשּׁוּרִם which is not part of the root of the word מַשִׁרְיָן, I reply that we do find words which do not have an א at the beginning as part of their root, yet an א is added as a prefix, as in: חוֹמַת אֲנָךְ “a wall of ruin,” 1 which is of the same root as “crippled (נְכֵה) legs”; 2 and as in: “a anointing jug (אָסוּךְ) of oil,” 3 which is of the same root as “wash and anoint yourself (וָסַכְתְּ).” 4.   אַשּׁוּרִם וּלְטוּשִׁם.  שֵׁם רָאשֵׁי אֻמּוֹת (בראשית רבה), וְתַרְגּוּם שֶׁל אֻנְקְלוֹס אֵין לִי לְיַשְּׁבוֹ עַל לְשׁוֹן הַמִּקְרָא שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ לְמַשִּׁירְיָן, לְשׁוֹן מַחֲנֶה, וְאִם תֹּאמַר שֶׁאֵינוֹ כֵן מִפְּנֵי הָאָלֶ"ף שֶׁאֵינָהּ יְסוֹדִית, הֲרֵי לָנוּ תֵּבוֹת שֶׁאֵין בְּרֹאשָׁם אָלֶ"ף וְנִתּוֹסְפָה אָלֶ"ף בְּרֹאשָׁם, כְּמוֹ חוֹמַת אֲנָךְ (עמוס ז) שֶׁהוּא מִן נְכֵה רַגְלַיִם, וּכְמוֹ אָסוּךְ שָׁמֶן (מ"ב ד), שֶׁהוּא מִן וְרָחַצְתְּ וָסַכְתְּ:
וּלְטוּשִׁם - Letushim Onkelos understands these to be tent dwellers who spread out in all directions, each traveling with their own tents and quarters. Similarly it says: “and they are spread (נְטֻשִׁים) over the entire land,” 5 for ל and נ are often interchangeable.   וּלְטוּשִׁם.  הֵם בַּעֲלֵי אֹהָלִים הַמִּתְפַּזְרִים אָנֶה וָאָנָה וְנוֹסְעִים אִיש בְּאָהֳלֵי אַפַּדְנוֹ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר וְהִנָּם נְטֻשִׁים עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ (שמואל א ל') שֶׁכֵּן לָמֶ"ד וְנוּ"ן מִתְחַלְּפוֹת זוֹ בְּזוֹ):
4The sons of Midian were Eifah, Efer, Chanoch, Avida, and Elda’ah. All these were Keturah’s descendants.   דוּבְנֵ֣י מִדְיָ֗ן עֵיפָ֤ה וָעֵ֨פֶר֙ וַֽחֲנֹ֔ךְ וַֽאֲבִידָ֖ע וְאֶלְדָּעָ֑ה כָּל־אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵ֥י קְטוּרָֽה:
5Abraham gave all that he owned to Isaac.   הוַיִּתֵּ֧ן אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ לְיִצְחָֽק:
וַיִּתֵּן אַבְרָהָם וגו' - Abraham gave… Rabbi Nechemyah said: He gave the blessings as a legacy to him, for the Holy One, blessed be He, had said to Abraham, “and you will become a source of blessing” 6 – i.e., the blessings are entrusted to you, to bless whomever you wish, and Abraham now gave them over to Isaac.   וַיִּתֵּן אַבְרָהָם וגו'.  אָמַר רַ' נְחֶמְיָה בְּרָכָה דִּיאַתִּיקֵי, שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה, הַבְּרָכוֹת מְסוּרוֹת בְּיָדְךָ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת מִי שֶׁתִּרְצֶה, וְאַבְרָהָם מְסָרָן לְיִצְחָק (בראשית רבה):
6Abraham gave to the sons of Hagar, the concubine whom Abraham had taken, all the material gifts he had received from others. During his lifetime, he sent these sons eastward, to the eastern lands, away from his son Isaac.   ווְלִבְנֵ֤י הַפִּֽילַגְשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם נָתַ֥ן אַבְרָהָ֖ם מַתָּנֹ֑ת וַיְשַׁלְּחֵ֞ם מֵעַ֨ל יִצְחָ֤ק בְּנוֹ֙ בְּעוֹדֶ֣נּוּ חַ֔י קֵ֖דְמָה אֶל־אֶ֥רֶץ קֶֽדֶם:
הַפִּֽילַגְשִׁים - (lit.) Concubines. This word is written without a י before the ם because there was only one concubine who was married twice: once when she was named Hagar, and a second time when she was named Keturah. Although Keturah no longer had the status of a bondwoman, she is referred to as a concubine because wives are those who are married with a ketubah (marriage contract), whereas concubines are those married without a ketubah, as it says in Sanhedrin 7 concerning the wives and concubines of King David.   הַפִּֽילַגְשִׁים.  חָסֵר כְּתִיב, שֶׁלֹּא הָיְתָה אֶלָּא פִּלֶגֶשׁ אַחַת, הִיא הָגָר, הִיא קְטוּרָה (בראשית רבה). נָשִׁים בִּכְתֻבָּה, פִּילַגְשִׁים בְּלֹא כְּתֻבָּה, כִּדְאָמְרִינַן בְּסַנְהֶדְרִין, בְּנָשִׁים וּפִילַגְשִׁים דְּדָוִד:
נָתַן אַבְרָהָם מתנות - Abraham gave gifts. Our rabbis explained that this means that he transmitted to them how to protect themselves from the forces of impurity. Another explanation: That which had been given to him on account of Sarah and other gifts which were given to him – everything he gave to them because he did not want to benefit from these gifts.   נָתַן אַבְרָהָם מתנות.  פֵּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֵׁם טֻמְאָה מָסַר לָהֶם (סנהדרין צ"א). דָּבָר אַחֵר מַה שֶּׁנִּתַּן לוֹ עַל אוֹדוֹת שָׂרָה וּשְׁאָר מַתָּנוֹת שֶׁנִתְּנוּ לוֹ, הַכֹּל נָתַן לָהֶם, שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה לֵהָנוֹת מֵהֶם:
7These are the days of the years of Abraham’s lifetime. He lived 175 years.   זוְאֵ֗לֶּה יְמֵ֛י שְׁנֵֽי־חַיֵּ֥י אַבְרָהָ֖ם אֲשֶׁר־חָ֑י מְאַ֥ת שָׁנָ֛ה וְשִׁבְעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה וְחָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִֽים:
מְאַת שָׁנָה וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִֽים - (lit.) One hundred years, seventy years and five years. Each unit of his life span is written separately to indicate that when he was 100 years old he retained his youthful virility like a man of 70 (the age of begetting children in his generation), and at 70 he was like a five-year-old – without sin.   מְאַת שָׁנָה וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִֽים.  בֶּן ק' כְּבֶן ע' וּבֶן ע' כְּבֶן ה' בְּלֹא חֵטְא:
8Abraham expired and died in good old age, mellow and content, and he was gathered to his people in the afterlife.   חוַיִּגְוַ֨ע וַיָּ֧מָת אַבְרָהָ֛ם בְּשֵׂיבָ֥ה טוֹבָ֖ה זָקֵ֣ן וְשָׂבֵ֑עַ וַיֵּאָ֖סֶף אֶל־עַמָּֽיו:
9His sons—Isaac and Ishmael—buried him in the Cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Tzochar the Hittite, facing the plains of Mamre.   טוַיִּקְבְּר֨וּ אֹת֜וֹ יִצְחָ֤ק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל֙ בָּנָ֔יו אֶל־מְעָרַ֖ת הַמַּכְפֵּלָ֑ה אֶל־שְׂדֵ֞ה עֶפְרֹ֤ן בֶּן־צֹ֨חַר֙ הַֽחִתִּ֔י אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י מַמְרֵֽא:
יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל - Isaac and Ishmael. From here we learn that Ishmael repented, and he therefore allowed Isaac to lead the burial procession before him. This is what is meant by “a good old age” 8 mentioned in connection with Abraham.   יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל.  מִכָּאן שֶׁעָשָׂה יִשְׁמָעֵאל תְּשׁוּבָה וְהוֹלִיךְ אֶת יִצְחָק לְפָנָיו, וְהִיא שֵׂיבָה טוֹבָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בְּאַבְרָהָם (בראשית רבה):
10The field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites is thus where Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried.   יהַשָּׂדֶ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־קָנָ֥ה אַבְרָהָ֖ם מֵאֵ֣ת בְּנֵי־חֵ֑ת שָׁ֛מָּה קֻבַּ֥ר אַבְרָהָ֖ם וְשָׂרָ֥ה אִשְׁתּֽוֹ:
11After Abraham died, God blessed Isaac, his son. Isaac lived in the vicinity of Be’er LaChai Ro’i.   יאוַיְהִ֗י אַֽחֲרֵי֙ מ֣וֹת אַבְרָהָ֔ם וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־יִצְחָ֣ק בְּנ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב יִצְחָ֔ק עִם־בְּאֵ֥ר לַחַ֖י רֹאִֽי:
וַיְהִי אַֽחֲרֵי מוֹת אַבְרָהָם וַיְבָרֶךְ וגו' - After Abraham died, [God] blessed… He comforted him with the blessing of consolation given to mourners. Another explanation of the nature of the blessing: Although the Holy One, blessed be He, had entrusted the blessings to Abraham, Abraham was afraid to bless Isaac because he foresaw that Esau would come forth from him. He therefore said: “Let the Master of blessings come and bless whomever He sees fit,” and the Holy One, blessed be He, came and blessed Isaac.   וַיְהִי אַֽחֲרֵי מוֹת אַבְרָהָם וַיְבָרֶךְ וגו'.  נִחֲמוֹ תַּנְחוּמֵי אֲבֵלִים. דָּבָר אַחֵר אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמָּסַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַבְּרָכוֹת לְאַבְרָהָם, נִתְיָרֵא לְבָרֵךְ אֶת יִצְחָק מִפְּנֵי שֶׁצָּפָה אֶת עֵשָׂו יוֹצֵא מִמֶּנוּ, אָמַר יָבֹא בַּעַל הַבְּרָכוֹת וִיבָרֵךְ אֵת אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב בְּעֵינָיו, וּבָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבֵרְכוֹ (סוטה י"ד):