From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 25, 1997 12:07 AM
To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Parashat Chayei Sarah 5758 - "Yishmael's Prayer"
From: Mordecai Kornfeld <kornfeld@netvision.net.il>
To: Intriguing glimpses into the weekly Torah reading and Jewish holidays <parasha-page@virtual.co.il>
Subject: Parashat Chayei Sarah 5758 - "Yishmael's Prayer"
X-To: parasha-page@virtual.co.il, shushi@jen.co.il, ALTMANB@anz.com,
MMeyer@SANWA.com.au, avisfeld@netvision.net.il,
jmfreizl@netvision.net.il
The Weekly Internet
P * A * R * A * S * H * A - P * A * G * E
--- ---
by Mordecai Kornfeld
of Har Nof, Jerusalem
(kornfeld@virtual.co.il)
============================================================
Dedicated by Yehuda and Reizl Fink of Har Nof, Jerusalem, in honor of the
marriage of their daughter Shaina Leah to Yisroel Settenbrino. May they
merit to build a Bayis Ne'eman b'Yisroel -- a true Jewish home!
*** To dedicate a Parasha-Page, please send mail to kornfeld@virtual.co.il.
Spread Torah through the farthest reaching medium in all of history! ***
TO RECEIVE THIS FREE EMAIL/FAX WEEKLY, FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AT END OF ISSUE.
============================================================
PARASHAT CHAYEI SARAH 5758
YISHMAEL'S PRAYER
Yitzchak was returning from the well of Lachai Ro'i; he had been
living in the Negev area. Yitzchak went to pray in the field towards
evening....
(Bereishit 24:62-63)
Yitzchak is first introduced to his wife-to-be, Rivkah, while
praying out in the open fields. The Talmud (Berachot 26b) explains that
Yitzchak was accustomed to praying an afternoon prayer every day and it is
to this prayer that the verse is referring (see Parasha-Page, Parashat
Vayera 5758).
The well of Lachai Ro'i was where Avraham's maid-servant, Hagar,
found respite after fleeing Avraham's home due to the oppression of his
wife Sarah (Bereishit 16:14). It was there that an angel informed Hagar
that she would bear a son to Avraham and should name him Yishmael. Why does
the Torah find it necessary to preface Yitzchak's prayer with the statement
that he was "returning from the well of Lachai Ro'i?" Rashi (ad loc.)
offers one explanation, but there are many aspects to the Torah. The
following is based on the work "Mima'amakim" on Bereishit compiled by Rav
Alexander Mandelbaum, Jerusalem 1997, pps. 103-119, with some minor
additions of my own.
II
Bil'am said: Of all the 70 nations that Hashem created, He did not
associate His Holy Name (E-l) with any other than Yisra-el. Since Hashem
equated the name of Yishma-el to the name of Yisrael in this respect, woe
to the person who lives when Yishmael rises to power -- as the verse says
(Bamidbar 24:23), "Woe to he who lives, because Hashem has placed his name
E-l (in Yishmael)."
(Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer, end of ch. 30)
What is the significance of Hashem's "associating His Name" with
the nation of Yishmael? In order to answer this question, let us first
examine the character of Avraham's son Yishmael, the patron of the nation
of Yishmael.
A heavenly angel informed Hagar that she should give the name
"Yishmael" to the son she would bear to Avraham, since "Hashem has *heard*
('Shama') your plight." That is, Hagar prayed to Hashem to save her from
her oppression, and Hashem answered her prayers. It was through the power
of prayer that she was blessed with a son, and it was this power that she
imbued in her son. The literal meaning of Yishmael's name is "Hashem will
hear [his prayers]." Indeed, when Yishmael was near death and prayed to
Hashem for salvation Hashem "heard the voice of the lad" and saved his life
in a miraculous fashion (Bereishit 21:17). Until today, his descendants are
outstanding in their devotion to a rigorous prayer schedule of five daily
prayers.
III
Aside from being a form of communion with Hashem, prayer is
indicative of an even more desirable quality. Praying to Hashem
demonstrates that a person puts his trust and faith in Hashem. As Rabbeinu
Yonah (Berachos 4b) puts it, "One who does not trust in Hashem will not
request anything of Him." The very fact that a person addresses his prayers
to Hashem is a sign of his belief that Hashem can, and will, answer his
prayers. This is what the Midrash mean by asserting that Hashem "associates
His Name with Yishmael." Just as the Jewish People, with their strong faith
in Hashem, make His Name known to the world, so too the nation of Yishmael
feels the desire to introduce the world to the faith of the One G-d.
But why should that be a reason for those who live under the hand
of Yishmael to suffer more those who live under any of the other nations?
Because theirs is a faith gone awry. Yishmael is not ready to subjugate his
will to that of a Higher Authority. He is a "Pereh Adam" (Bereishit 16:12),
a man who knows no bounds; a person who wants to be free from all
constraints. "His hand will be in [the pockets of] all" (ibid., according
to Rashi).
According to "Nifl'at mi'Toratecha," by Rav Mordechai Aran,
Jerusalem 1997, there are three times in the Torah that the letters of the
name Yishmael appear in their proper order but are grouped into different
words: Devarim 21:19; 17:12; and 18:19. It is interesting to note that in
these three instances, respectively, the Torah is referring to a person who
refuses to obey the bidding of his parents, of the court, and of a prophet.
Yishmael believes in Hashem, but is not ready to subjugate
his will to that of Hashem. What does he do? He does what he pleases, and claims
that this is G-d's will! This is what the Midrash means by pitying those
who live under Yishmael because Hashem's name is associated with Yishmael.
Yishmael's faith in G-d ("Hashem's name is associated with Yishmael") takes
the form of making his every corrupt trait into a holy mission!
While other nations have caused us suffering, they did so within
limits. Since their aim was to satisfy their physical desires, they had no
interest in, for instance, giving up their lives in order to torment us.
Yishmael is different. Since he is "fighting a holy war," his oppression is
entirely without limits. His "faith" brings him to kill and plunder, even
at the expense of his own life, those whom he does not accept. Even his
prayer is aimed at achieving a particular objective. "Hashem has heard
*your oppression*" is the theme line of Yishmael. When oppressed, Yishmael
calls out to Hashem for help -- his is not a prayer for the sake of prayer.
Prayer is another means of attaining his goals.
IV
How are we to escape Yishmael's oppression? We must arouse our love
of Hashem through prayer, accepting through prayer to subordinate ourselves
to the will of Hashem. "Subject your will to Hashem's will, that he may
subject the will of others to your will" (Avot 2:4). Such a level of prayer
transcends the realm of Yishmael and puts us out of his grasp.
"[This week's Parasha ends with the statement that] 'Yishmael's lot
*fell* among that of his brethren,' which is followed by, "These are the
offspring of Yitzchak." This is to show that when Yishmael will 'fall'
(i.e., lose power) in the end of days, that is when Mashiach, who is from
the descendants of Yitzchak, will arrive" (Ba'al ha'Turim, end of Chayei
Sarah). May Hashem grant that the day of the final redemption soon arrive.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
To subscribe to the weekly Parasha-Page or cancel a subscription, write to:
listproc@virtual.co.il
and put in as your message body the following line *only*:
sub parasha-page Your Name
or: signoff parasha-page
To receive the fax edition, *worldwide*, fax/call me at 972 2 6522-633.
Parasha-Page Homepage: http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/parsha/kornfeld
Automated monthly archives can also be found at http://www.reference.com
/cgi-bin/pn/go.py?choice=authorprofile&email=kornfeld@netmedia.net.il
(Yes, that's all one long URL!)
DAFYOMI LEARNERS! SEE RABBI KORNFELD'S *D*AFYOMI *A*DVANCEMENT *F*ORUM
HOMEPAGE - http://www.shemayisrael.co.il/dafyomi2/
----------------------------------------------
Mordecai Kornfeld |Email: kornfeld@virtual.co.il| Tl/Fx(02)6522633
6/12 Katzenelbogen St. | kornfeld@netvision.net.il| US:(718)520-0210
Har Nof, Jerusalem,ISRAEL| kornfeld@shemayisrael.co.il| POB:43087, Jrslm
**********************************************************************
To educate, train and equip for study both the Jew and Non-Jew
in the Rich Hebraic Heritage of our Faith.
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l