Shalom Dear Ones,
We will try a little different type of blogging today that we hope will be better for everyone. We will begin with this post. You are invited to post a comment or ask a question about this weeks Limood, Bereisheit 16 anytime. G-d Willing the Rebbetzin and I will check for your comments and questions every few hours today, 01-11-09. Feel free to comment on others comments.
Our intent is to provide a format for learning for B'nai Noach in Ha Torah this week. Please discuss your interest. Please post your comments TODAY or through out this coming week. Let's learn together... It is not necessary to answer each question.
Bereisheit 16.1
Bereisheit 16 begins with a comment Avram's wife Sarai had not borne him children. The custom then was a wife was expected to bear children within 10 years. If not the husband could divorce his wife. The husband could take a second wife. This custom still exists today.
1. How do you feel about this custom?
Ha Torah Says, 'He {G-d} Will love you and will Bless you, and multiply you; And He Will bless the fruit of your womb...' Devarim Deuteronomy 7.13.
'You [B'nei Yisroel] will be blessed more than all the peoples; there will not be among you a sterile male or barren female...' Devarim 7.14
2. How do you feel about this custom in light of what Ha Torah Says?
Bereisheit 16.3
As a result Sarai took Hagar her handmaid and gave her to Avram her husband to be his wife.
3. How do you think Sarai felt about this custom?
4. What was Avram's obligation in all this?
Bereisheit 16.5
Sarai said to Avram, ''The insult against me is your fault...''
Bereisheit 16.6
There is friction between Sarai and Hagar. Hagar runs away.
5. What was Hagar's obligation?
Bereisheit 16.7
6. What does it mean 'An Angel of Hashem found her...? Was Hagar lost? Who was the angel that found her?
Bereisheit 16.8
7. What is the meaning of the Angel inquiring to Hagar, 'From where have you come and where are you going? Who was Hagar?
Bereisheit 16.9
Hagar was instructed, ' Return to your Mistress and submit yourself to her.'
8. How do you feel about this? How do you think Hagar felt about this?
Bereisheit 16.10 -12
Hashem Uses the Angel to deliver a special message to Hagar.
I Will multiply your descendants...
You will conceive...
You will give birth to a son...
You shall name him Yishmael...
Hashem Has heard your prayer...
There is much to consider here. Ha Torah mentions that Hagar prayed. The prayer is not recorded. The prayer was to Hashem.
9. What do you think Hagar said in her prayer?
10. What is the meaning of Yishmael? What is the Gematria of Yishmael? How does this figure?
Bereisheit 16.13,14
Hagar calls the well 'Be'er Lachai Ro'i'
11. Why? What is the meaning of this?
Bereisheit 16.15
Hagar has a son. Avram, names him Yishmael.
12. How did Avram know what to name his child?
Bereisheit 16.17.
13. Why does Ha Torah give Avram's age at Yishmael's birth?
I look forward to your thoughts, questions and comments. It is not necessary to answer or comment on each question. This is a Limood starter. Again, our intent is to provide a format for learning Ha Torah this week. Where is your interest in this week's Limood. Please discuss your interest. Please post your comments TODAY or through out this coming week.
Blessings and peace,
Dr. Akiva Gamliel
Bereisheit 16.5
Sarai said to Avram, ”The insult against me is your fault…”
Was Avram so focused on the Promise from HaShem that he lost sight of his need to pray not only that the Promise be fulfilled but to be more specific in his prayer that the fulfillment be with Sarai?
Bereisheit 16.3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her handmaid, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to Abram her husband to be his wife.
Why did they follow this custom of the land? They did not worship the gods of the land so why follow this custom?
We are commenting on:
In the previous Passuk, Bereisheit 15.2 we notice, Avram said, ”My Master [To Hashem] G-d, what will You give me since I continue to be childless…? …Behold, You have not given me children…”
Then we read that Hashem Said to Avram, ”Look towards the heavens and count the stars if you are able to count them” He then Said to him, ”So [numreous] will your descendants be.” Then Ha Torah Notes: ‘He [Avram] believed Hashem, and this He accounted to him for righteousness…’
Let’s focus on Sarai a little where. Avram prayed. Avram believed Hashem. Hagar prayed. Hagar believed. Where is Sarai in all this?
Our Sages Teach that B’nei Yisroel are suppose to follow the customs of the land. Our Sages use this Passuk as a reference. Ramban quotes Talmud Yevamot 64a ‘clearly applies this principle universally.’ [Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series - Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 541].
Yes I know that Ha Torah says Avram Believed G-d. So he acquiesced to Sarai then?
Missed that part about Sarai not praying. If she had prayed would things have been different? Maybe. Those missed opportunities for Prayer and Observance of HaTorah can never be reclaimed.
I am still concerned about……… Our Sages Teach that B’nei Yisroel are supposed to follow the customs of the land.
We would not follow a custom that went against Ha Torah would we?
Re: Sarah,
Tribbles wrote: Missed that part about Sarai not praying. If she had prayed would things have been different? Maybe. Those missed opportunities for Prayer and Observance of HaTorah can never be reclaimed…
The issue of Avram not having children with Sarai was and issue with Sarai. Avram was able to immediately have children with Hagar. The same was true for Rochel. The issue of Yaakov not having children with Rochel was and issue with Rochel. Yaakov had children through his other wives…
Re: Customs of the land Tribbles wrote: I am still concerned about……… Our Sages Teach that B’nei Yisroel are supposed to follow the customs of the land. We would not follow a custom that went against Ha Torah would we?
We do not follow customs that violate Ha Torah.
The custom in discussion was a universal custom according to the Talmud.
Bereisheit 16.7
The Torah which speaks in human terms, informs us that G-d Waited for the frightened, fleeing Hagar to rest at a spring before He Communicated with her. When G-d Considered the moment propitious, the angel found, in the sense of revealed himself to her at that moment, and not sooner. Artscroll Tanach Series, Vol. 1(a) Bereishis page 547
I haven’t been able to find who the angel was - it just says מַלְאַךְ - angel of
unless you mean … An Angel of Hashem
Re: What was the Angel’s Name? Actually what were their Namew would be more accurate.
The Midrash Says, ‘Four different angels appeared to Hagar.’ Rabbi Moshe Weissman, The Midrash Says, The Book of Beraishis (Brooklyn, New York: Benei Yakov Publications 1980), p. 151 MIdrash Rabbah Says, ‘How many angels visited her? R. Hama b. R. Hanina said: Five, for each time ‘speech’ is mentioned refers to an angel. The Rabbis said: Four, this being the number of times [the angel of Hashem] occurs. …Hagar, a bondmaid, sees five angels and is not afraid of them.’ Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, Midrash Rabba Genesis I (New York, NY: The Soncino Press 1983) - Midrash Rabbah writes, Tamar was the daughter of Shem. p 385
Rashi Says, ‘For every statement there was sent to her another angel. This is why [Ha Torah Says] ‘an angel [of Hashem] at each statement.’ Otherwise Ha Torah Would have said, ‘And he said…’ Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, The Sapirstein Edition Rashi Bereisheit / Genesis {Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. First Edition 10th impression 2007}, p 157
This is because Angels are sent on individual missions, not multiple missions.
Re: Sarai’s statement: Bereisheit 16.5 Sarai said to Avram, ‘The insult against me is your fault. I gave my maid to you and when she saw that she had conceived I became slighted in her eyes. Let Hashem Judge between me and you.’ Our Sages Teach this was a VERY SERIOUS comment by Sarai that shortened her life by 48 years. R. Tanhuma said in the name of R. Hiyya the Elder, and R. Berekiah said in R. Eleazar’s name: Whoever plunges eagerly into litigation does not escape from it unscathed. Sarah should have reached Abraham’s years, but because she said, THE [L-RD] JUDGE BETWEEN ME AND [YOU] her life was reduced by forty-eight years.’ Rabbi Dr. H. Freedman, Midrash Rabba Genesis I (New York, NY: The Soncino Press 1983) - Midrash Rabbah writes, Tamar was the daughter of Shem. p 384
Ha Torah also Teaches that Hagar miscarried then became pregnant with Yishmael. Bereisheit 16.4 is the first conception in which our Sages Teach Sarai cast an evil eye on. This conception ended in a miscarriage. The second conception is spoken of in Bereisheit 16.9 ‘Behold you will conceive…’