| 5Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. |
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הוְאַבְרָהָ֖ם בֶּן־מְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה בְּהִוָּ֣לֶד ל֔וֹ אֵ֖ת יִצְחָ֥ק בְּנֽוֹ: |
| 6Sarah said, “God has brought me happiness; whoever hears will be happy for me and happy with me.” |
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ווַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה צְחֹ֕ק עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֱלֹהִ֑ים כָּל־הַשֹּׁמֵ֖עַ יִֽצֲחַק־לִֽי: |
| יִֽצֲחַק־לִי - means here “will rejoice regarding me.” And the aggadic explanation is: Many barren women were remembered together with her, many sick were cured on that day, and many prayers were answered together with hers, and thus there was much rejoicing in the world. |
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יִֽצֲחַק־לִי.
יִשְׂמַח עָלַי. וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה הַרְבֵּה עֲקָרוֹת נִפְקְדוּ עִמָּהּ, הַרְבֵּה חוֹלִים נִתְרַפְּאוּ בוֹ בַיּוֹם, הַרְבֵּה תְפִלּוֹת נַעֲנוּ עִמָּהּ, וְרֹב שְׂחוֹק הָיָה בָעוֹלָם:
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| 7She said, “Who is He who said to Abraham, ‘Sarah will nurse children’? For I have given birth to a son in his old age!” |
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זוַתֹּ֗אמֶר מִ֤י מִלֵּל֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם הֵינִ֥יקָה בָנִ֖ים שָׂרָ֑ה כִּֽי־יָלַ֥דְתִּי בֵ֖ן לִזְקֻנָֽיו: |
| מִי מִלֵּל לְאַבְרָהָם - Who is He who said to Abraham. מִי is an expression of praise and distinction, as in “Who performed and did all this!” “Who created these!” Look who this is, and to what extent He keeps His promise! The Holy One, blessed be He, both makes promises and fulfills them! |
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מִי מִלֵּל לְאַבְרָהָם.
לְשׁוֹן שֶׁבַח וַחֲשִׁיבוּת, רְאוּ, מִי הוּא וְכַמָּה הוּא שׁוֹמֵר הַבְטָחָתוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַבְטִיחַ וְעוֹשֶׂה.
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| מִלֵּל - Said. The verse changes its expression and does not say the more usual word דִּבֶּר, because the numerical value of מִלֵּל is 100, thus signifying: at the end of Abraham’s 100th year…. |
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מִלֵּל.
שִׁנָּה הַכָּתוּב וְלֹא אָמַר דִּבֵּר – גִּימַטְרִיָּא שֶׁלּוֹ ק', כְּלוֹמַר לְסוֹף מֵאָה לְאַבְרָהָם:
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| הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה - Sarah will nurse children. What does “children” in the plural form refer to? On the day of the feast the noblewomen brought their children with them and she nursed them, for they had been saying: “Sarah did not give birth, but brought in a foundling from the street.” |
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הֵינִיקָה בָנִים שָׂרָה.
וּמַהוּ בָנִים לְשׁוֹן רַבִּים? בְּיוֹם הַמִּשְׁתֶּה הֵבִיאוּ הַשָּׂרוֹת בְּנֵיהֶן עִמָּהֶן וְהֵנִיקָה אוֹתָם, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרוֹת לֹא יָלְדָה שָׂרָה, אֶלָֹּא אֲסוּפִי הֵבִיאָה מִן הַשּׁוּק:
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| 8The child grew up and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. |
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חוַיִּגְדַּ֥ל הַיֶּ֖לֶד וַיִּגָּמַ֑ל וַיַּ֤עַשׂ אַבְרָהָם֙ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה גָד֔וֹל בְּי֖וֹם הִגָּמֵ֥ל אֶת־יִצְחָֽק: |
| וַיִּגָּמַל - And was weaned - at the end of 24 months. |
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וַיִּגָּמַל.
לְסוֹף כ"ד חֹדֶשׁ (גיטין ע"ה):
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| מִשְׁתֶּה גָדוֹל - A great feast. It was so called because the great men of the generation were present: Shem, Ever, and Avimelech. |
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מִשְׁתֶּה גָדוֹל.
שֶׁהָיוּ שָׁם גְּדוֹלֵי הַדּוֹר שֵׁם וָעֵבֶר וַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ (בראשית רבה):
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| 9Sarah saw that Ishmael, the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, had fallen into degenerate behavior, including idol worship, illicit carnal relations, and even murder. |
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טוַתֵּ֨רֶא שָׂרָ֜ה אֶת־בֶּן־הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית אֲשֶׁר־יָֽלְדָ֥ה לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם מְצַחֵֽק: |
| מְצַחֵֽק - (lit.) Making sport. This word connotes idol-worship, as it says in reference to the Golden Calf: “they got up to revel (לְצַחֵק).” Another explanation: It connotes immorality, as it is said in Potiphar’s wife’s accusation of Joseph: “to mock (לְצַחֵק) me.” Yet another explanation: It connotes murder, as in: “Let the young men get up and play (וִישַׂחֲקוּ) before us…,” where they fought and killed each other. |
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מְצַחֵֽק.
לְשׁוֹן עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וַיָּקֻמוּ לְצַחֵק (שמות ל"ב), דָּבָר אַחֵר לְשׁוֹן גִּלּוּי עֲרָיוֹת, כְּמָה דְּתֵימָא לְצַחֶק בִּי (בראשית ל"ט), דָּבָר אַחֵר לְשׁוֹן רְצִיחָה, כְּמוֹ יָקוּמוּ נָא הַנְּעָרִים וִישַׂחֲקוּ לְפָנֵינוּ וְגוֹ' (שמואל ב ב'):
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| 10She said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman will not inherit together with my son, Isaac!” |
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יוַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָֽאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙ בֶּן־הָֽאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־בְּנִ֖י עִם־יִצְחָֽק: |
| עִם־בְּנִי וגו' - With my son. From Sarah’s reply to Abraham: “for the son of this bondwoman will not inherit together with my son,” you can infer that Ishmael was arguing with Isaac over the inheritance, saying, “I am the firstborn and should receive a double portion.” They would go out into the field and Ishmael would take his bow and shoot arrows at Isaac, just as the verse says: “Like one wearing himself out throwing firebrands…who says, ‘Am I not only playing (מְשַׂחֵק)?’” |
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עִם־בְּנִי וגו'. שֶׁהָיָה מֵרִיב עִם יִצְחָק עַל הַיְרֻשָּׁה וְאוֹמֵר אֲנִי בְּכוֹר וְנוֹטֵל פִּי שְׁנַיִם, וְיוֹצְאִים בַּשָּׂדֶה וְנוֹטֵל קַשְׁתּוֹ וְיוֹרֶה בוֹ חִצִּים, כְּמָה דְּתֵימָא כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ הַיֹּרֶה זִקִּים וְגוֹ' וְאָמַר הֲלֹא מְשַׂחֵק אָנִי (משלי כ"ו):
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| עִם־בְּנִי עִם־יִצְחָֽק - (lit.) With my son, with Isaac. The repetition of עִם signifies: Since he is my son, even if he were not worthy like Isaac, or one as worthy as Isaac even if he were not my son – this one (Ishmael) is not fit to inherit along with him. All the more so is he not fit to inherit “with my son, with Isaac” who has both qualities. |
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עִם־בְּנִי עִם־יִצְחָֽק.
מִכֵּיוָן שֶׁהוּא בְנִי אֲפִלּוּ אִם אֵינוֹ הָגוּן כְּיִצְחָק, אוֹ הָגוּן כְּיִצְחָק אֲפִלּוּ אֵינוֹ בְנִי, אֵין זֶה כְדַאי לִירַשׁ עִמּוֹ, קַל וָחֹמֶר עִם בְּנִי עִם יִצְחָק, שֶׁשְּׁתֵיהֶן בּוֹ (בראשית רבה):
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| 11The matter of Ishmael’s wicked behavior greatly distressed Abraham. He was grieved over the idea of sending his son away. |
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יאוַיֵּ֧רַע הַדָּבָ֛ר מְאֹ֖ד בְּעֵינֵ֣י אַבְרָהָ֑ם עַ֖ל אוֹדֹ֥ת בְּנֽוֹ: |
| עַל אודות בְּנֽוֹ - On account of his son - because he had heard that he had adopted evil ways. But the straightforward meaning is: because Sarah was telling him to send him away. |
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עַל אודות בְּנֽוֹ.
שֶׁשָּׁמַע שֶׁיָּצָא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה (בראשית רבה), וּפְשׁוּטוֹ עַל שֶׁאָמְרָה לוֹ לְשַׁלְּחוֹ:
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| 12God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah tells you, heed her voice. She has foreseen correctly, for it is through Isaac that you will have descendants who will be considered yours with respect to receiving the blessings I have promised you. |
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יבוַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־אַבְרָהָ֗ם אַל־יֵרַ֤ע בְּעֵינֶ֨יךָ֙ עַל־הַנַּ֣עַר וְעַל־אֲמָתֶ֔ךָ כֹּל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תֹּאמַ֥ר אֵלֶ֛יךָ שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלָ֑הּ כִּ֣י בְיִצְחָ֔ק יִקָּרֵ֥א לְךָ֖ זָֽרַע: |
| שְׁמַע בקולה - Heed her voice. I.e., to the Holy Spirit of prophecy within her. From here we learn that Abraham’s prophetic insight was lower than Sarah’s. |
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שְׁמַע בקולה.
לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהָיָה אַבְרָהָם טָפֵל לְשָׂרָה בִּנְבִיאוּת:
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