TheSong of the Dove

 

The Birth of Ishmael

This portion of the Song of the Dove web site is about Ishmael, the forefather of the Arab nations and the ancestor of Islam. He is an active blend of competing qualities, the product of the pure self-sacrificing union between one of the greatest and most beloved spiritual figures in history, the Patriarch Abraham, and a slave woman, Hagar, whom tradition places as the daughter of the King of Egypt, Pharaoh.⁸

Ishmael is rebellious, but in the end he recognizes the spiritual authority of his younger half-brother Isaac.

Ishmael's qualities have left a permanent mark on his spiritual and national descendants. Arab and Islamic history abound the sporadic and fierce use of violence, both in relation to other nations and faiths, and within the community of Muslim believers itself. At the same time, the concept of honor for older members of society, along with a legislated policy of mercy, and a profoundly developed sense of hospitality for strangers and guests, are admirable qualities that are universal in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

In the narrative of the birth of Ishmael, Abraham's first son, we see the roots of the contradictions that make up Ishmael and his descendants:

And Sarai the wife of Abram had not given birth for him; and she had an Egyptian slave whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, "Here, please - the Lord has stopped me from having children - please, take my slave. Perhaps I will be built up through her.

So Sarai the wife of Abram took her slave, Hagar the Egyptian, at the end of ten years that Abraham lived in the Land of Canaan, and she gave her to Abram her husband for a wife. And Abram had relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant; and when she saw that she was pregnant, her owner lost importance in her eyes.

So Sarai said to Abram, "my disgrace is your fault! I placed my slave in your care - and she saw that she became pregnant, and I became cheap in her eyes. Let the Lord judge between me and you!"

Abram said to Sarai, "here, your slave is in your hands; do with her as you see fit." So Sarai made her life difficult, and she ran away from her. And an angel of the Lord found her near a spring in the desert, near the spring on the road to Shur.

And an angel of the Lord said to her, "return to your owner, and submit to her rule." And an angel of the Lord said to her, "I will vastly increase your descendants, and they will be numerous beyond number."

And an angel of the Lord said to her, "Here, you are pregnant, and you will give birth to a son; and you will call his name Ishma-el, because the Lord (El) has heard (Shama) your suffering. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be in everything, and everyone's hand against him. And he will settle on top of all his brothers."

And Hagar gave birth to a son for Abram; and Abram called his son, that Hagar had given birth to, Ishmael. (Genesis 16:1-12)

Here we see clearly that Ishmael is a divinely designated player in the convoluted story of "chosenness" that begins, for all practical intents and purposes, with Abraham. Clearly, Ishmael is also "chosen" for a particular role in history.

A significant part of the solution to the enormous, millennia-old conflicts among the various nations in the Middle East lies in a proper appreciation of the nature of Ishmael's chosenness. We must look carefully for the answer to the following questions: How has Ishmael's chosenness been historically understood by his descendants? What is the future role of that chosenness in today's world? What is Ishmael's relationship between other players in the drama of inheriting the spiritual legacy of Abraham, and how can a proper understanding of that relationship shape relations among Abraham's descendants?

Ishmael Undergoes Circumcision

Here, there can be no denial of the importance of Ishmael in the Lord's divine plan for our planet. Sealed in the skin of Ishmael and his myriad of descendants, a silent testimony to his connection to his father Abraham, is the mark that the Lord commanded Abraham to place on his descendants forever as a sign of His agreement and plan for humankind.

And Abraham was 99 years old when he circumcised the flesh of his own foreskin. And Ishmael his son was 13 years old when the flesh of his foreskin was circumcised. (Genesis 17:24-25)

It has been customary for Muslim males throughout the ages to be circumcised at the age of 13. Note however, that there is a contradiction here. The Biblical narrative states that the Lord commanded Abraham and his descendants to circumcise their male offspring when the child is eight days old! The fact that Ishmael was circumcised at a later age makes the sign of his chosenness, and the essence of that chosenness, different from what the Lord has commanded for Abraham's other descendants.

There is tradition, first written down some 1700 years ago, that in return for Ishmael's bravery at undergoing circumcision at the age of 13, the Lord promised that there would be an epoch where the descendants of Ishmael would hold dominion over the land that the Lord gave to Abraham: one hundred years for each year of Ishmael's thirteen years, for a total of 1,300 years, upon which time the ownership of the land will return to the descendants of Jacob.⁹

The Moslem forces under Mohammed conquered the Land of Israel from the Mameluks in the early seventh century. Therefore, some predicted that Ishmael's 1300 year control over the land would come to an end sometime in the 20th century. There are those who say that with the miraculous independence of the State of Israel in 1948, the Land of Israel passed from the descendants of Ishmael into the hands of the descendants of Jacob, in accordance with the Divine Plan.

Ishmael Learns His Father's Ways

It is important to recognize that Abraham certainly did not overlook the training of his eldest son in the pathways towards living a worthy life before the Lord. Here, we see how Abraham bends over backwards to be gracious to complete strangers, travelers in the desert who encounter Abraham's tent on a hot day:

And he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and there were three men standing over him; and he saw, and ran to meet them at the entrance to the tent, and he bowed towards the ground. And he said, "My lord, if I have found mercy in your eyes, please don't pass your servant by."

And Abraham ran over to the flocks, and he took a soft and good steer, and gave it to the youth, and he rushed to prepare it. (Genesis 18:2, 3, 7)

Who is "the youth" that is Abraham's accomplice here, who in preparing the meal, picks up the pace that Abraham has set? Tradition states that it is none other than Ishmael.¹⁰

If we understand that Abraham's original descendants develop qualities that are passed down, as if through their very genes, to the nations of word that descend from them, then we can see clearly the source of the Middle Eastern, Arab/Muslim tradition of hospitality to strangers.

Tradition relates that Abraham's tent was open to passersby, and strategically located on travel routes, so that a maximum amount of weary travelers would pass his tent and would be able to come in and wash, eat, and sleep without charge.¹¹

Such was Abraham's understanding of his role as a person. And here we see that he was sure to involve the members of his family in his occupation with kindness to strangers.

Announcing The Birth of Isaac

So far, the direction of the story of the succession of Abraham seems clear. Although it isn't exactly how Abraham might have thought that his legacy would be perpetuated, still, Ishmael is his son, he bears the mark of the pact, and it looks like he will be the official channel for the blessings that the Lord has taken the trouble to bestow upon Abraham many times. But the Lord has His own understanding of how things will work out:

And Abraham said to the Lord, "If only Ishmael would live before You!" And the Lord said, "But still, Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you will call his name Isaac, and I will establish My Pact with him as a Pact forever, for his descendants after him."

"And as for Ishmael, I have heard you; here, I have blessed him, and I will make him fertile, and will make him very, very numerous; he will father twelve princes, and I will give him to be a great nation."

"But My Pact I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear you, at this season next year."

And the Lord gave special attention to Sarah, as He had said; and he did for Sarah as he spoke. She became pregnant, and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age, at the time that the Lord had spoken about.

And Abraham called the name of his son that had been born to him, whom Sarah had given birth to, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son when he was eight days old, as the Lord had commanded him. Abraham was 100 years old when his son Isaac was born to him. (Genesis 17:18-21; 21:1-5)

What on earth does the Lord want from Abraham now? Though we have seen that the Lord has chosen Ishmael for a distinct purpose in history, the Biblical narrative is making clear here that the core succession of Abraham in the world is to come from a different source: from Isaac, the son of Abraham and his original wife Sarah. But how will it happen, and what are the implications of this directive for Abraham, Ishmael, and the as yet unborn son Isaac?

Abraham Sends Ishmael Away

Here, we see a drastic step. Abraham chooses to heed the words of his wife, Sarah, as confirmed by the Lord Himself, and, going against his own preference and his very nature, sends his eldest son away from his household:

And Sarah saw the son that the Egyptian, Hagar, had born to Abraham, exhibiting cruel behavior. And she said to Abraham, "Send away this slave and her son. This son of a slave will not inherit along with my son, with Isaac!" And the thing was very bad in Abraham's eyes, because he was his son.

And the Lord said to Abraham, "Don't let it be bad in your eyes, concerning the child and your slave. Everything that Sarah says to you - listen to her voice, because through Isaac will be called your descendants.

And also, this son of a slave - I will place him as a nation; after all, he is your son."

And Abraham got up early in the morning, and he took bread and a container of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulder along with the boy and sent her away; and she wandered in the Beer Sheba desert.

The water from the container was finished. She left the boy under one of the shrubs. She went and sat herself down opposite, at distance of about a bow shot, because she said "I can't bear to see the death of the child." And she sat down opposite and lifted up her voice and cried.

The Lord heard the voice of the child. An angel of the Lord called to Hagar from the sky and said to her, "What's the matter, Hagar? Don't be afraid! The Lord has listened to the voice of the child, from where he is. Get up, pick up the child and hold him tight, because I will place him as a great nation."

And the Lord was with the child, and he grew. He settled in the desert and became an archer. He settled in the Paran desert, and his mother found him a wife from the Land of Egypt. (Genesis 21:9-18, 20, 21)

Here, we see for the first time that the Lord differentiates between types of chosenness. Here, the path of the future of Ishmael's descendants diverges with that of the descendants of Isaac. Furthermore, the Lord states clearly that, although the nation of Ishmael is blessed, it is through Isaac, and not Ishmael, that Abraham will have a successor.

Clearly, the Lord has designated Ishmael and his descendants for a special, even unique future in human history. He has blessed Ishmael with wide-ranging blessings - but the Lord makes clear that the real successor of Abraham is to come through his second son, Isaac, born in a miraculous way of parents who had given up hope of ever having children together.

Jerusalem: Ishmael and the Near Sacrifice of Isaac

Through this next episode, surely one of the most well-known and suspenseful stories of the Bible, we are given a humbling lesson in at least three things:

The readiness of the Creator to test those He believes in the most;
The profound resoluteness of Abraham's belief in his Maker;
The centrality of Abraham and his descendants' to human history.
 

And it was after these things that the Lord tested Abraham. And He said, "Abraham, Abraham," and Abraham said, "Here I am." And He said, "Take, please, your son, your one and only, whom you loved - Isaac; and walk yourself to the Land of Moriah, and offer him up there as a burnt offering, on one of the mountains that I will say to you."

And Abraham said to his attendants, "Sit yourselves down here with the donkey, and I and the boy will walk over to there where we will worship, and then we will return to you."

And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My Father!"

He answered, "I am here, my son."

"Here are the fire and the kindling wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" he asked.

"The Lord Himself will reveal the lamb for the burnt offering, my son," he said. And the two walked on together.

They came to the place that the Lord had said to him, and Abraham built the altar there, and he laid out the wood, and he tied up Isaac his son and he placed him onto the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham reached with his hand and took hold of the knife to slaughter his son.

An angel of the Lord called to Abraham from the sky, and said, "Abraham. Abraham!"

"I am here!" he said.

"Don't lift your hand to slaughter the boy! Don't even cause him a scratch! Now I know that you are Lord-fearing. You have not held back your son, your only one, from Me!"

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw that here was a ram, that had become caught in the woods by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham called that place "The-Lord-will-reveal," as is said today, 'on the mountain the Lord will be revealed.'

And an angel of the Lord called out to Abraham a second time from the sky, saying, "I have sworn by My own Being, says the Lord, that since you did this thing, and you didn't hold back your son, your one and only: then I will bless you very much, and I will reproduce your descendants like the stars in the skies, and like the sand that is on the shore of the sea; and your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies." (Genesis 22:1-17)

In this dramatic moment, human history is changed forever. The merit of Abraham's absolute faith, and the profound change that took place in Abraham's son as he became a living sacrifice, whose life was spared at the last second - bring concrete qualities to the nature of Abraham's succession, and his successor.

Biblical tradition, along with the testimony of the narrative itself, identifies Moriah, the spot of this gripping drama, with the place that was later to be called Jerusalem.¹²

And no wonder: Jerusalem is close to the center of what is recognized as the Holy Land, and tradition identifies this same mountain, Mount Moriah, as the point where the Lord began the process of creating His Universe.¹³

The very same spot is also the traditional location of the place where Adam and Eve were created and where in recognition of that event, Adam, after being expelled from the Garden of Eden, built the first altar and offered animal offerings of appeasement to the Lord.¹⁴

Here at this spot, Cain and Abel the sons of Adam offered their own offerings to the Lord.¹⁵

Furthermore, when Noah came out onto dry land after the waters of the Great Flood had receded, he repaired the altar that had been destroyed in the Flood and he too offered offerings to the Lord.¹⁶

From the perspective of these traditions, we see that Abraham was returning to an already holy place, where he rebuilt an altar on the original site of the altar built by the first humans.

From the narrative of the Hebrew Bible, it is absolutely clear that Abraham's "one and only son" here refers to Isaac, the one and only son of Abraham with his original wife and partner. Isaac was a son born of miraculous circumstances, and here, the miracles happen for him.

Tradition views Isaac as if he had actually been sacrificed.¹⁷

The merit of Isaac's role as a completely burnt sacrifice to the Lord is considered to be instrumental in protecting his descendants until the end of time. In fact, in one instructive narrative, Isaac is shown as the only Patriarch willing to speak up before the Lord in defense of his descendants, when they stray from the path set out by their forefathers.¹⁸

Finally, it is significant to note that the Quran, the central scriptures of the Islamic faith as written down in the seventh century of the common era by the followers of Muhammad, the founder of modern Islam, has a different twist to this story. In the Islamic version, the child of Abraham who is saved from sacrifice at the last minute is none other than - Ishmael. This difference of opinion is perhaps the most basic fodder powering the centuries-old rivalry between the descendants of Jacob (the Jews) and those of Ishmael (Moslems and Arabs).

But the question remains: how does Islam deal with the glaring contradiction between the two sources? Both the Bible and the Quran, as we have said, are revered in Islam. For the Jewish People, of course, there is no contradiction, because the Quran was written thousands of years after the Bible, by people who had a demonstrated interest in portraying the facts in a particular way. Time will tell how the Muslims of the world will come to grips with this issue.

Hebron: Abraham is Laid to Rest by Isaac and Ishmael

After the death of Sarah, his first wife, Abraham continues to have children. In this brief passage, we see that the Bible draws distinctions between the children of Abraham. Abraham's children that are born after the death of Sarah have a different role from Ishmael; while Isaac's position as an the successor and inheritor of Abraham is unique among Abraham's descendants:

Abraham took a wife again, whose name was Ketura. And she bore him Zimran, Yakshan, M'dan, Midian, Yishbak and Shuach.

Abraham gave everything that was his to Isaac; but to the sons of Abraham's other wives, he gave gifts. While he was still living, he sent them away from his son Isaac - eastward, to the Land of Kedem.

And Abraham drew his last breath and died, in ripe old age, old and contented; and he was gathered to his people. And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the Machpelah cave, in the field of Efron the son of Tsohar the Hittite, that faces Mamre. (Genesis 25:1, 5-6, 8-9)

Tradition has different explanations for the precise nature of the gifts that Abraham gives to Isaac's various half-brothers; but the account again makes clear that Isaac is the principle inheritor of Abraham.¹⁹

What about Ishmael? Here, the Bible provides us with concrete testimony that, though Ishmael was sent away from Abraham's place of residence, Abraham maintains contact with him. We see here that as adults, the half-brothers Isaac and Ishmael not only know each other - they are on good enough terms to participate together in the burial of their revered father and teacher, Abraham. Note that the account attributes Abraham's burial to Isaac and Ishmael alone of Abraham's sons. Though Ishmael was sent away like the other children of Abraham's other wives, he alone is mentioned as being present with Isaac for the burial of their father Abraham.

How do the brothers themselves deal with the differences in their roles? How did they handle the apparent fact that, though Ishmael and his descendants were specially blessed with a unique role in playing out the Lord's plan in the world, it was through Isaac that the authority handed to Abraham as the first practicing believer in the Lord was to find continuity?

Clearly Isaac's role and status are set apart, through divine determination, from that of Ishmael. Tradition states that because of the fact that the brothers are not mentioned here in the order of their birth, but rather in order of inheritance as dictated to Abraham by the Lord, we learn that Ishmael accepted upon himself the authority of his younger brother Isaac as the principle inheritor and continuation of Abraham's ideas and dreams.²⁰

Grar: The Lord Blesses Isaac as Abraham's Successor

Here, we see for the first time that the Lord Himself reveals the next phase of the divine plan for history directly to Isaac, the son of Abraham:

There was a famine in the land, in addition to the first famine that was in Abraham's time; and Isaac went to Avimelech, king of the Philistines, in Grar.

And the Lord appeared to him and said, "Don't go down to Egypt; settle in the land that I will say to you.

Live in this land, and I will be with you, and I will bless you; because to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands. And I will fulfill the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. I will increase your descendants like the stars of the sky, and I will give your descendants all these lands.

All the nations of the earth will be blessed through your descendants, since Abraham listened to My voice and kept My laws, My commandments, My decrees and My teachings."

So Isaac settled in Grar. (Genesis 26:1-6)

We have seen how Isaac emerges as the chosen successor to Abraham. From here on, it is Isaac who personifies the driving force behind the historical process that the Lord is unfolding.

A new question now arises: who is going to succeed Isaac as the prime proponent of the idea of one Lord in the world? The answer can be found in later parts of the narrative of this of this web site.

The Descendants of Ishmael

As the account of Ishmael's life draws to a close, the Bible provides us with a summary of the descendants of Ishmael:

And these are the generations of Ishmael the son of Abraham, whom Hagar the Egyptian, slave of Sarah, bore for Abraham. And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, according to their names in the order of their birth: the first born of Ishmael - Nevayot; Keidar, Adb'el, Mivsam, Mishma, Dooma, Masah, Hadad, Teima, Y'tor, Nafish and Keidma.

These are the sons of Ishmael, in their courtyard homes and their fortified dwellings - 12 princes for their nations. And they lived from Havilah until Shur, which faces Egypt, up to Assyria; and he settled on top of all his brothers. (Genesis 25:12-18)

We have seen that the Lord has made the following promises concerning Ishmael:

1. "He will father twelve princes."

2. "I will make him fertile, and will make him very, very numerous."

3. "I will place him as a nation."

4. "He will settle on top of all his brothers."

5. "I have blessed him."

We in our time can certainly look back towards the past and see how each one of these Biblical promises regarding Ishmael has come to fruition:

1. The twelve princes that became actual nations that Ishmael fathered are listed above.

2. There are well over one billion Muslims in our world today.

3. Ishmael is universally known as the father of the Arab nation.

4. The Arab armies of Muhammad swept through the Middle East, Southern Europe and North Africa some 13 centuries ago, conquering huge territories in the name of Islam.

5. Through his descendants, Ishmael's name has been blessed and magnified, just as the Lord said it would.

But the fruition of the Lord's promises are one thing, and the identity of the true successor to Abraham is another. The biblical narrative continues with a further series of clarifications as to who inherits the mantle of spiritual authority from Abraham and Isaac.

Ishmael's Spiritual Return

As this web site attempts to illustrate, Ishmael was born into a righteous home, of righteous parents. Surely these qualities are buried deep in the collective soul of his descendants, waiting until the time is right for them to come to the fore and drive the policy decisions of those who profess faith in Allah (the Arabic term for "the Lord")! Now that we have seen who Ishmael is, and how the spiritual qualities of the father of the Ishmaelite nation have dictated the course of the history of nations and a world religion, we can see more clearly the direction that the descendants of Ishmael must strive for in order to contribute to the overall Repair of the world.

We have seen that the deciding quality that caused Ishmael to be driven from Abraham's house in the first place was his improper influence on Abraham's other son, Isaac. Additionally, tradition has singled out a propensity for theft, that is, the willful violation of respect for other's property, as a powerfully negative character trait that lies deep in the personality of Ishmael.²¹

Islam, in an attempt to address this issue, has traditionally meted out harsh punishment for theft of the property of others. Even today, in countries that are under the rule of Shari'a, or Islamic holy law, an Islamic court will sometimes implement a tangible symbol of the seriousness of theft in Islam: convicted thieves will have their hands cut off, their crime visible for the rest of their lives to all who see them.

Ishmael was born into the righteous house of his father Abraham; therefore he was no stranger to acts of honesty and uprightness in his dealings with others. It may be that he just wasn't ready to listen.

Islamic suicide bomber #1: "Are you ready???"
Islamic suicide bomber #2: "Ready... See you in paradise!"

But it is never too late to pursue true Return to the Lord. Ishmael, like all of us, has his own path of Return to the Creator. He has a role to play in the fundamental repair of our world.

It would seem logical that if Ishmael's descendants wanted to return to their Maker with all their hearts and all their souls, then they could begin by working on that very issue by which they are defined in the eyes of the world.The solution is not necessarily easy: in place of theft and deception, the descendants of Ishmael could pursue righteousness in their dealings with each other and the other nations of the world.

FOOTNOTES:

8 The Genesis Exegesis (Breishit Rabah), 45, 1:

Said Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai, "Hagar was the daughter of Pharaoh, and since Pharaoh saw the deeds that Sarah did in his house, he took his daughter and gave her to him [Abraham]. He [Pharaoh] said, 'better that my daughter be a slave in that house then the matron in another.'"

9 Rabbi Shimon (Simon) the son of Yohai, The Book of Radiance (Zohar), Section V'Eirah, Paragraph 203:

And in the future, the Children of Ishmael are to rule in the Holy Land for a long time, when it is completely empty, ... and they will delay the Children of Israel from returning to their place, until that merit of the Children of Ishmael is finished.

10 The Genesis Exegesis (Breishit Rabah), 48, 14:

"And he [Abraham] gave it to the youth" (Genesis 18:7) - this is Ishmael, in order that he would motivate him in [performing] the commandments".

11 The Genesis Exegesis (Breishit Rabah), 48, 9:

Said Rabbi Abahu: "The layout of Abraham our Forefather's tent was open one end to the other."

12 Chronicles II, 3:1:

"And Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, on Mount Moriah, that had been shown to David his father, in the place that David had prepared, at the threshing floor of Arnan the Jebusite."

13 The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Yoma, 53, b - 54, b:

There was a stone there (in the center of the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple on Mount Moriah), from the days of the Early Prophets; and it was called "Shti'ya" - because the Universe was spread out (hu-shtat) from it, as it is taught: "... the Sages say that the Universe was created from Zion."

see also:

The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli), Additional Materials (Tosefta), Tractate Yoma, Chapter 3; The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer (Pirkei d'Rebbe Eliezer) 35 (82, b); The Jerusalem Talmud (Talmud Yerushalmi), Tractate Nazir, 7, 2.

14 The Translation of Rabbi Yonatan (Jonathan) the son of Uziel (Targum Yonatan ben Uziel), Genesis 2:7, 15; 8:20:

And the Lord God created Man, with two inclinations, and He took dust from the site of the Temple, and [wind] from the four directions of the world, and He mixed in from all the waters of the world, and created him, red and white. He [then] blew into his nostrils a soul of life, and the soul in the body of Man (Adam) became a speaking spirit, for seeing with eyes and hearing with ears.

And the Lord God took Adam from the Mountain of Worship [Mount Moriah], the place from which he was created, and placed him in the Garden of Eden, to toil in the Teaching and to guard the Commandment.

And Noah built an altar before the Lord. It was the altar that Adam built at the time when he was expelled from Gan Eden, and upon which he had offered sacrifices.

The Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Shabbat, 28, b:

... Said Rabbi Yehudah (Judah), "The bullock that Adam the First [Man] sacrificed had a single horn in the middle of its forehead."

See also The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli), Additional Materials (Tosefta) Chulin 3, 7.

15 The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer (Pirkei d'Rebbe Eliezer) 21:

... The evening before the holiday of Passover arrived, and Adam said to his sons, "On this night, in the future, Israel will offer the Passover offerings. You also shall sacrifice before your Creator."

16 The Chapters of Rabbi Eliezer (Pirkei d'Rebbe Eliezer) 23:

Noah sat and pondered in his heart, and said, "The Holy One, may He Be Blessed, saved me from the waters of the Flood, and took me out from that confinement [in the ark]; shouldn't I be obligated to offer before Him offerings and sacrifices?" Immediately, Noah took from the pure kinds of animals, a bullock, a sheep, and a ram, and from the pure kinds of birds, turtledoves and young doves, and he rebuilt the first altar upon which Cain and Abel had sacrificed offerings; and he offered four sacrifices.

17 The Great Exegesis (Midrash HaGadol), 22, 12:

Rabbi Eliezer says, "When the sword touched Isaac's neck, his soul separated from his body and left. When the Lord caused His voice to be heard from between the two cherubs and said, 'Don't lift your hand! Don't even cause him a scratch!'(Genesis 22:12), his soul returned to his body. He [Abraham] untied him, and he stood on his feet, and he knew that in this manner the dead in the future will come to life. And he said, 'Blessed is He who revives the dead!'"

18 The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli), Tractate Pesachim, 89, b:

Said Rabbi Shmuel (Samuel) the son of Nachmani in the name of Rabbi Yonatan (Jonathan): "What is the meaning of the verse, 'For you are our father; Because Abraham didn't know us, and Israel didn't recognize us. You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer - Your Name is Forever!' (Isaiah 63:16)? In the distant future, the Holy One, may He Be Blessed, will say to Abraham, 'Your children have sinned against me.' He [Abraham] will respond before Him, 'Master of the Universe - let them be obliterated, on account of the Holiness of Your Name!'

Said the Lord, 'I'll say this to Jacob. Since he experienced the anguish of raising multiple sons - Perhaps he will ask for mercy for them.' So he said to Jacob, 'Your children have sinned!' He [Jacob] responded before Him, 'Master of the Universe - let them be obliterated, on account of the Holiness of Your Name!'

Said the Lord, 'there is no reasoning in the elders, and no guidance from the youngsters.' So He said to Isaac, 'Your children have sinned against me!'

Said Isaac before Him, 'Master of the Universe - my children and not Your children? At that moment when they placed "we will do" before "we will hear", You called them "My son, My first born" - now You're calling them my children, and not YOUR children?!

And furthermore, how much did they sin? How many years does a person live - seventy? Subtract twenty, those for which they aren't yet culpable: that's fifty. Take away twenty-five, for night-time: twenty-five remain. Take away twelve and a half, for prayer time and eating, and time in the bathroom - twelve and a half are left. If You are willing to take upon yourself the burden of all [twelve and half that remain], shein [fine]; if not, half on me and half on You; and if You're going to say, "All of them on you," - so be it! [because] I SACRIFICED MY SOUL [for them] BEFORE YOU!'

They [The Children of Israel] opened up their mouths and said, 'You are our father!' Isaac said to them, 'If you're going to praise me, you might as well praise the Holy One, May He Be Blessed!'

Immediately, they lift up their eyes on High and say, 'You, Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer - Your Name is Forever.'"

19 The Babylonian Talmud (Talmud Bavli), Tractate Sanhedrin, 91, a:

What are "gifts" (Genesis 25:6)? Said Rabbi Yirmiyah (Jeremy) the son of Abba, "this teaches that he [Abraham] gave over to them [the sons of his wives after Sarah] names of impurity."

Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, Solomon the son of Isaac), Commentary on the Babylonian Talmud, there:

Names of impurity - magic and occult practices.

20 The Genesis Exegesis (Breishit Rabah), 62, 3:

Here the son of the maidservant [Hagar] bestowed honor on the son of the matron [Sarah].

21 The Book of Exegetics (Sifrei), Section V'Zot HaBracha

"And he [Moses] said: The Lord came from Sinai ... " (Deuteronomy 33:2) - When the Omnipresent appeared before Israel to give the Law, not to Israel alone did He appear, but to all the Nations. ... He went to the Children of Ishmael, and said to them: "Will you accept the Law?" They replied, "What is written in it?" He said to them, "'Do not steal.'" They said in front of Him, "Master of the World, the very essence of our people lives solely from theft and from robbery, [as it is written:] ' ... a wild man; his hand will be in everything, and everyone's hand against him.' (Genesis 16:12) - we are not able to accept the Law."

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