CHAYEI SARAH 23:1-25:18

  CHAYEI SARAH 23:1-25:18

 

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The Parsha opens up with the death of Sarah.  Many commentators juxtapose her passing with the conclusion of the previous Parsha where Abraham is commanded to sacrifice Isaac, Sarah’s only son.  In the nick of time the sacrifice is prevented; both father and son go their separate ways.

Yet, Sarah dies.  Is Sarah what some would call: collateral damage?

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The name of the Torah portion is Chayei Sarah, the Life of Sarah. It seems to me that Sarah’s life was filled with vicissitudes, ups and downs, many of which were unpleasant or uncertain and created feelings of anxiety:  She witnessed the destruction of Sodom.

Sarah was a pioneer: Striking out on her own along with her husband Abraham she ventured into Canaan, a foreign land.

Sarah and Abraham were a perfect match, sort of a yin and yang.  While Abraham reached out to everyone around, his tent was open on three sides, Sarah maintained a home for her family. Sarah was tough; she did what she had to do. It was Sarah who ordered Abraham to cast out Haggar and Ishmael, and she was backed up by Hashem

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Coins had not yet been invented. 

 Abraham had to weigh out the 400 shekel purchase price.

At 23:16, Abraham purchase a grave site for 400 shekels.

  וַיִּשְׁקֹ֤ל אַבְרָהָם֙ לְעֶפְרֹ֔ן אֶת־הַכֶּ֕סֶף אֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֖ר בְּאָזְנֵ֣י בְנֵי־חֵ֑ת אַרְבַּ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שֶׁ֣קֶל כֶּ֔סֶף

...Abraham weighed out to Ephron the silver that he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver...

In the land of Judah the system of measurement for weights was based on the Shekel. The shekel had many sub-units. This meant things could be weighed by half a shekel, or commonly in multiples of 2, 4, and 8 and deviations of Beqa, Pym, and Nesef. The system was centered on the shekel of c. 11.33g.

400 shekels X 11.4 grams/shekel = 4560 grams

4560 grams / 28.35 grams/ounce = 160.85 ounces

160.85 ounces X $23+/- /ounce = $3,670 ca.

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For 400 shekels at 23:20 Abraham purchased a burial plot from a Hittite.

וַיָּ֨קָם הַשָּׂדֶ֜ה וְהַמְּעָרָ֧ה אֲשֶׁר־בּ֛וֹ לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם לַֽאֲחֻזַּת־קָ֑בֶר מֵאֵ֖ת בְּנֵי־חֵֽת

“And the field and the cave within it were established to Abraham as burial property from the sons of Heth”.

Who were the sons of Heth, בְּנֵי־חֵֽת?

They are often called Hittites, but this is a misnomer.

They are Canaanites, and are descended from Canaan, a grandchild of Noah.

At 10:15 -

וּכְנַ֗עַן יָלַ֛ד אֶת־צִידֹ֥ן בְּכֹר֖וֹ וְאֶת־חֵֽת

“And Canaan’s offspring were Zidon his firstborn and Heth”.

צִידֹ֥ן  I guess is the city of Sidon to the north in today's Lebanon.

To be sure there was a Hittite empire, and these Canaanite Hittites may have been a Hittite outlier.

The חֵֽת are living in Hevron.  The root of Hevron is חבר, friend.

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At 24:22, Abraham's servant gives Rebecca some jewelry:

"When the camels had drunk their fill, the man took a gold nose-ring weighing a beka [half a shekel] and two gold bracelets weighing 10 gold shekels for her arms, and gave them to her.".

Commentators find symbolism in these gifts:

A BEKA = ½ SHEKEL, alludes to the 1/2 shekel donation when Moses took the census.

The word BRACELETS = צְמִידִים֙    or PAIR = צֶמֶד, symbolizing  the 2 TABLETS

10 GOLD SHEKELS = 10 COMMANDMENTS

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In a previous Parshah, Hashem says to Abraham, Go, for you, your family, your country, your father's house..." (Bereishis 12:1-3).

In this week's Parshah, we have Rebecca (Rivkah) at 24:58 making the same move.  In this matter her personality is similar to that of her trail blazing future father-in-law and deceased mother-in-law.

וַיִּקְרְא֤וּ לְרִבְקָה֙ וַיֹּֽאמְר֣וּ אֵלֶ֔יהָ הֲתֵֽלְכִ֖י עִם־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וַתֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלֵֽךְ

“And they called Rebecca, and they said to her, "Will you go with this man?" And she said, "I will go."

There is a commentary that interprets this as "I will go whether you allow me or not".

Isaac, by comparison is different.  Hashem does not permit him to leave the Land.  He has herds and flocks, but more importantly he is a successful farmer and grows crops. He is not a wanderer; he is a consolidator.

Isaac epitomizes the special nature of the Land.  One cannot completely be a Jew outside the land of Israel.

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At 24:60 as Rebecca is about to begin her journey, her brother and father bless her: 

וַיְבָרְכוּ אֶת-רִבְקָה, וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהּ--אֲחֹתֵנוּ, אַתְּ הֲיִי לְאַלְפֵי רְבָבָה; וְיִירַשׁ זַרְעֵךְ, אֵת שַׁעַר שֹׂנְאָיו.

"And they blessed Rebecca and said to her, "Our sister, may you become countless thousands, and may your seed inherit the gate of those who hate them." This blessing is similar to the blessings given to Abraham by God in Chapter 17, particularly in verse 8 where as part of the covenant Abraham's descendent are given the land of Canaan. And for me, living in this Land today, a land once occupied by my enemies, it is my inheritance. I belong here. ----------------------------------------------------- From the World of Rabbi Avraham Kook: “If we truly look at the good side of every individual, we will develop an inherent affection for them without having to lie to ourselves about their bad traits. This is because if we take an interest in the good in them that we encounter constantly, this will truly conceal from us all their bad traits...” (Erpalei Tohar 107) adapted from Machon Meir. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Haftorah portion for the parsha comes from 1Kings: 1-31. It is filled with drama and Halachic questions, and is well worth reading.  Some of the major themes are: 1. David is very old and a "bed-warmer" is selected for him. 2. Adonijah, one of David's sons, declares himself to be king. 3.  Bathsheba, supported by the Prophet Nathan, wants her son Solomon to be king. By way of example the commentators have a field day with the term "bed-warmer" and all its many ramifications.   So should you: Let’s explore a little deeper one of the issues:  David is cold. His servants decide that he needs a “warmer”. וּתְהִי־ל֖וֹ סֹכֶ֑נֶת 1:2,  and she shall be to him a warmer. There is controversy among the commentators as to what a סֹכֶ֑נֶת is.  Rashi says “warmer”; others translate it as “near” or “treasurer” or “helper”.  David seems to be passive in his acquiescence. Do we condone the immodest solution because it may be a medical proposal?  וְהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א יְדָעָֽהּ 1:4, And the king did not know her. They were not intimate…Why?  David was supposed to be robust in his manhood.  Was this then a self-imposed punishment or “And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years.”   Chronologically Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years old.   In this week’s Haftarah portion at 1Kings 1:1 it says:maybe he was doing teshuva for the sin with Bathsheba? David did not know her. Perhaps, instead if physical intimacy to know means cognitive ability. Could David been suffering from Alzheimer’s or some cognitive dysfunction? Lot’s of questions…many answers. ---------------------------------------------------------------- In this week’s Parsha at 24:1 it says:      וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים  One of the things we worked on with Rabbi Baruch at the היום shiur was how do you translate זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים? And what does זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים mean?  Rabbi Baruch brought out in this week’s Parsha at 24:1 it says: וְאַבְרָהָ֣ם זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים “And Abraham was old, advanced in years,” Chronologically he was 137 years old.   In last week’s Parsha at 18:11 it says:  וְאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה זְקֵנִים, בָּאִים בַּיָּמִים “And Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years.”  Chronologically Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years old. In this week’s Haftarah portion at 1Kings 1:1 it say:  וְהַמֶּ֚לֶךְ דָּוִד֙ זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים “And King David was old, advanced in years…” Chronologically King David was 70 years old.   Adding more fuel to the fire from the Book of Joshua at 23:1 and 2:  וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ זָקֵן, בָּא בַּיָּמִים. “…And Joshua was old, advanced in years.” אֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי, בָּאתִי בַּיָּמִים “I am old, advanced in years.”  Chronologically Joshua was 110 years old. Clearly, זָקֵ֔ן בָּ֖א בַּיָּמִ֑ים does not exclusively refer to one’s chronological age but something more. Rabbi Baruch referenced the Zohar where we are taught that there are no casual days. Each day has a revelation unique to a person. We learned, among other things, that even at an advanced age we have the capability to respond in new ways to new challenges in our life.   Looking at the verse, not out of context, I get another interpretation, albeit less spiritual. When you consider the text or event that follows the verse, it would seem that the verse acts as an attention getter because something very important is on the way. Check the text and you will see what I mean. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BENAYAHU SON OF YEHOYADA, יְהוֹיָדָ  בְנָיָהוּ בֶן Solomon’s Facilitator   In this week’s Chayei Sarah Haftarah portion at 1Kings 1:1-31 a successor to King David is to be chosen. There is a controversy between Adoniyahu and Solomon. Although David had promised Bathsheba that Solomon would succeed him, Adoniyahu jumps the gun and has himself declared King. At verse 26, a certain Benayahu son of Yehoyada appears. He seems  to be siding with the proponents of Solomon. Who is he? What do we know about him? He is a man who emerges from the shadows, making it possible for Solomon to reign in peace. A couple of weeks ago in our Berakhot Talmud class at 18a-b we learned something about Benayahu son of Yehoyada, יְהוֹיָדָ  בְנָיָהוּ בֶן Benayahu is the stuff of legends. He is praised for three mighty feats: striking down two lion-hearted warriors from Moab, killing a lion in a pit, and defeating an Egyptian giant (2Samuel 23:20-21). This is only a taste of just how savage he was in the face of his enemies.  Benayahu was a leader. David had 30 or more elite warriors that he trusted and relied on.  Benayahu was at the top of the list.  Benayahu was pivotal in transferring the kingdom from David to Solomon. Under Solomon’s reign, Benayahu gains prominence. In 1Kings 2” he becomes leader of the army after, on Solomon’s command, he kills Joab the former commander. Solomon entrusts him with the duty of cleaning house Benayahu is charged with the responsibility of executing more than a few key figures who had evaded punishment under David, and who now posed a threat to Solomon’s reign.  Solomon saw in Benayahu a capable and extremely loyal deputy, a man who emerged from the shadows and took care of business. It was clear sailing for Solomon once his house had been cleaned. Some would say that Benayahu was Solomon’s enforcer; I’d say that Benayahu was Solomon’s facilitator.  What do you think? ----------------------------------------------------- There are several verses in Psalm 45 that relate to Isaac and Rebecca. Check these out: 3 - You are more handsome than [other] men; charm is poured into your lips. Therefore, God blessed you forever 8 - You loved righteousness, and you hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with oil of joy from among your peers. 11 - Hearken, daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house. 12 - And the King shall desire your beauty, for He is your Lord, and prostrate yourself to Him. 15 - With embroidered garments, she will be brought to the King; and maidens in her train who are her companions will be brought to You. 17 - Instead of your forefathers will be your sons; you shall appoint them as princes throughout the land. 18 - I will mention Your name in every generation; therefore peoples shall thank You forever and ever. -------------------------------------------------------

VAYEIRA 18:1-22:24

 VAYEIRA 18:1-22:24

So you think that you've had a busy week. Listen to this:

.In this week's Parshah, Abraham is visited by three angels and is promised a son. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.  Sarah gives birth to Isaac at the age of 90, Hagar and Ishmael are banished.  G‑d orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.

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Seeing Is Believing

At a weekly shiur Reb Yitz remarked that the Parsha involves seeing, hearing and listening to Hashem.

For example at 18:1- וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה, בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא

 “The Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre,”

 Reb Yitz commented that by Hashem appearing to Abraham this implies that Abraham “saw” G-d.

Compare this to Exodus 33:20 where Hashem says to Moshe:

 וַיֹּאמֶר, לֹא תוּכַל לִרְאֹת אֶת-פָּנָי:  כִּי לֹא-יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם, וָחָי

 “And He said: 'Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live”.

One implication is that the holiness of Abraham was so great that he was able to see God.

Abraham is noted for doing chessed.  Perhaps doing chessed is “seeing God.

At 18:2 –  וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו, וַיַּרְא

“And he lifted his eyes and saw…”

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Abraham is Visited by Three Angels

What exactly are Angels?

At 18:2  Abraham senses that his visitors are special, and he runs to them.

וַיִּשָּׂ֤א עֵינָיו֙ וַיַּ֔רְא וְהִנֵּה֙ שְׁלשָׁ֣ה אֲנָשִׁ֔ים נִצָּבִ֖ים עָלָ֑יו וַיַּ֗רְא וַיָּ֤רָץ 

“And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them…” 

In this instance Abraham’s visitors are described as men, אֲנָשִׁ֔ים.

At 19:1, They are described as Angels or messengers, מַּלְאָכִים

וַיָּבֹאוּ שְׁנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים סְדֹמָה

“And the two angels came to Sodom…”

Of the three Angels or messengers from Hashem, one had the task of informing Abraham of the future birth of Isaac, and the remaining two had the task in assisting the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

 Much later on, at 28:12 Jacob has a vision of Angels going up and down on a ladder.  These are referred to as מַלְאֲכֵי. Likewise at  32:2 when Jacob enters Canaan he is greeted by מַלְאֲכֵי.

Still later on at 32:25, Jacob wrestles with a supernatural being, who is called a man, אִישׁ .

In the Chumash, Angels are nameless.  It is only in the Book of Daniel that some  Angels are named: Gabriel and Michael. 

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In our Talmud class, at Berakhot 18a, we read about the Angel Duma:

Perhaps the angel Duma, who oversees the dead, comes beforehand and announces…

This verse was referenced in Sanhedrin 94a:

Rabbi Yochanan says: That angel, who is appointed over the spirits, his name is Dumah. All the spirits assembled near Dumah.

The question was raised: What do we know about the angel Duma?

Turning to Wikipedia for an answer:

Dumah is the Aramaic word for silence.

Dumah is the angel of silence and of the stillness of death.

The Zohar speaks of him as having "tens of thousands of angels of destruction" under him, and as being "Chief of demons in Gehinnom  with 12,000 myriads of attendants, all charged with the punishment of the souls of sinners.

Dumah is the patron angel of Egypt.  He disregarded the command of Hashem to exercise judgment over the Egyptian deities. Because of this Hashem banishes him into Gehenna, where he becomes its ruler, and three angels of destruction are appointed to him. He and his fellow angels torment the sinners every day in the week except on Sabbath.

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The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed:

At 19: 24 and 25 we learn about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah:

וַֽיהֹוָ֗ה הִמְטִ֧יר עַל־סְדֹ֛ם וְעַל־עֲמֹרָ֖ה גָּפְרִ֣ית וָאֵ֑שׁ מֵאֵ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם

“And the Lord caused to rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord, from heaven”.

וַיַּֽהֲפֹךְ֙ אֶת־הֶֽעָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔ל וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַכִּכָּ֑ר וְאֵת֙ כָּל־יֽשְׁבֵ֣י הֶֽעָרִ֔ים וְצֶ֖מַח הָֽאֲדָמָֽה

“And He turned over these cities and the entire plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground”.

The destruction had two elements: The raining down of fiery sulfur and an earthquake that overturned the cities.  Where were these cities located? 

Sodom and Gomorrah were located in the Jordan Valley, a geologic rift zone characterized by earthquakes.  I would guess they were close to what is now the Dead Sea.  In the Dead Sea today there are seeps of natural asphalt or bitumen.

And we learned at 14:16  that in the battle of the fives kings and four kings there were pits of asphalt:

 וְעֵמֶק הַשִּׂדִּים, בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר

 “The valley of Demons was full of bitumen (asphalt) pits”

 It must have been a forbidding, foul-smelling place.  I’m guessing that anaerobic bacteria lived off of the sulfur contained in the asphalt, producing hydrogen sulfide that has a rotten egg smell and native sulfur.  This is the phenomenon that place in Louisiana and Texas where there are economic salt and sulfur deposits. 

With the raw materials on-hand plus an earthquake, you have the elements of destruction. Sulfur is easily ignited,, hydrogen sulfide is a deadly gas and for good measure sulfuric acid is able to be produced, culminating in an acid rain…what a catastrophe!

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 Lot and His Daughters (or Let's Hop on Pop):

 

                                                 Lucas Cranach the Elder, 1528

Lot was Abraham’s nephew, the son of Abraham’s deceased brother Haran.  Sara was his Aunt.  Terach was his grandfather.  Lot like the rest of the family was a Sumerian.  He chose to live in Sodom.  The question is why?

On its face, Sodom was not a place for any of Abraham’s family, who for want of a better term were straight-laced.  And Sodom at the very least was a city of questionable morality, I speculate that unlike the rest of the family, Lot belonged to that group of Sumerians who in matters of sexual intimacy were lax if not indulgent.

When Sodom’s townspeople wanted to have “their way” with Lot’s guests, he volunteered his daughters in their stead. At first I thought this repugnant,  but on refection I am of the opinion that the daughters were part of the scene and not horrified as to what might have happened.

Furthermore when the daughters are in the cave with their father, at  19:31, one says:

אָבִ֣ינוּ זָקֵ֑ן וְאִ֨ישׁ אֵ֤ין בָּאָ֨רֶץ֙ לָב֣וֹא עָלֵ֔ינוּ כְּדֶ֖רֶךְ כָּל־הָאָֽרֶץ

 "…Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to come onto us, as is the manner of all the earth”.

I think that the daughters were not concerned whether or not mankind had been destroyed, but were simply behaving in the manner of the erstwhile Sodom population.  And Lot went along with the program.

Five hundred years later we learn in Devarim 25:4-5 about the sweeping prohibition against marrying an Ammonite or Moabite, offspring from the incest between Lot and his daughters:

 “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted into the congregation of the Lord; none of their descendants, even in the tenth generation, shall ever be admitted into the congregation of the Lord.” 

Despite the prohibition, King David's ancestor is Ruth who is a Moabite and whose line will come the Messiah.

What do we learn from this?

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Hagar and Ishmael are banished:  

In the Parshah, 21:10,  at the behest of Sarah, Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away”

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ לְאַבְרָהָ֔ם גָּרֵ֛שׁ הָֽאָמָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את וְאֶת־בְּנָ֑הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִירַשׁ֙ בֶּן־הָֽאָמָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את עִם־בְּנִ֖י עִם־יִצְחָֽק

“And Sarah said to Abraham, Drive out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac."

This is tantamount to divorcing Hagar and disinheriting Ishmael who would have normally not only shared with Isaac, but perhaps would have taken a double share.

Question arise as to why Sarah did not want Ishmael to remain in her home?

And why should Ismael not share the inheritance with Isaac?

Are there racial, religious or ethnic  implications for Jews in Israel today?

Rabbi Riskin addresses these questions, firstly looking at why Sarah was so upset with Ishmael.  At 21:9 -

  וַתֵּרֶא שָׂרָה אֶת-בֶּן-הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית, אֲשֶׁר-יָלְדָה לְאַבְרָהָם—מְצַחֵק

“And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport.”

Rabbi Riskin sees מְצַחֵק as not just “amusing himself”, but probably Isaac being sodomized by Ishmael, the older brother overpowering the weaker brother.

And in the previous Parshah at 16:12 Rabbi Riskin translates – “…  יָדוֹ בַכֹּל, וְיַד כֹּל בּו…”

“…his hand grasps for everything…”

וְהוּא יִהְיֶה, פֶּרֶא אָדָם--יָדוֹ בַכֹּל, וְיַד כֹּל בּוֹ; וְעַל-פְּנֵי כָל-אֶחָיו, יִשְׁכֹּן.

 And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren.' 

Rabbi Riskin interprets this verse differently: “his hand is in everything and a hand in all.”

Ishmael is not a person who shares.  And given an opportunity he will overpower his brother.  He will take it all.  Ishmael is a person who can not be tamed.

Since 1947 we have always been willing to share, but Ishmael has always wanted it all.  If Rabbi Kahane had his way, Ishmael and his Egyptian mother will have been banished, sent away. 

I think that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are related to Ishmael.

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Hashem orders Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac:

Abraham came to Canaan when he was 75 years old.  He is now 137 years old when Hashem orders him to sacrifice Isaac.

For more than 60 years he has been gathering followers and bringing the concept of monotheism to the people of Canaan.  Isaac has been destined to carry on this work.

What is to be gained by testing Abraham’s loyalty so late in the game?  

Perhaps, it is Isaac and not Abraham who is being tested.

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Just prior to the beginning of the Binding of Isaac and after the incident at Beersheba, at 21:34 – “And Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines many days”.

Then at 22:2 Abraham is commanded to go to the Land of Moriah and on a mountain that God will show him he is to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice.  Notice that God tempers His command by saying, "please" , נָ֠א.

וַיֹּ֡אמֶר קַח־נָ֠א אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־יְחִֽידְךָ֤ אֲשֶׁר־אָהַ֨בְתָּ֙

"And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love"

A question is raised as to just where is the Land of Moriah?  All we know is that the party starts out by donkey, from the land of the Philistines and on the 3^rd day they see the place at a distance (22:4).   

My guess is that they started out from the coast plain, followed a corridor through the foothills, going eastward until they reached the Judean Mountains.  A donkey can average 3.5 miles per hour, so by the 3^rd day could have gone more than a 100 miles.  The mountain in the Land of Moriah could have been the Temple Mount as per 2 Chronicles 3:1 or not.

I would speculate that Moriah, מוֹרִיָּה means “God instructs” and could be the Temple Mount.

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The Akedah As Interpreted In The Muslim World

In Chapter 22 we have the Akedah, the Binding of Isaac. These passages are central to our belief system; we read them every morning.

However, there are approximately two billion Muslims in the world who hold differently. The vast majority of the Muslim world distort the Chumash and hold that it was Ishmael and not Isaac who was to be sacrificed.

Muslims erroneously believe that the episode begins prior to the birth of Isaac: Abraham tells Ishmael that he has had a vision regarding the sacrifice. Ishmael agrees to be sacrificed. No binding is necessary. As one of the rewards for his righteousness, Abraham is told that he will have another son, Isaac. Go figure.

 יִשְׁמָעֵאל means :God listened.

Whether you are a Jew or a Muslim or are a Christian it seems that a very important son is called upon to be sacrificed.

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According to Rav Kook, A careful reading of the Torah’s account clearly indicates that Lot did not deserve to be saved on his own merits alone.

At 19:29:

 וַיְהִי, בְּשַׁחֵת אֱלֹהִים אֶת-עָרֵי הַכִּכָּר, וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים, אֶת-אַבְרָהָם; וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת-לוֹט, מִתּוֹךְ הַהֲפֵכָה, בַּהֲפֹךְ אֶת-הֶעָרִים, אֲשֶׁר-יָשַׁב בָּהֵן לוֹט

“And it came to pass, when Hashem destroyed the cities of the Plain, that Hashem remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot dwelt.”

While it is true that Lot rejected the cruel nature of the people of Sodom, that was not enough. Unlike his uncle Abraham, Lot presented no alternative vision, and did not properly contest the Sodomite ideology of cruelty.

Likewise for Jews it is not enough to reject ideologies that contradict the Torah’s ethical ideals.  It is insufficient to only engage in negative criticism. Jews must present a positive outlook, based on a vision of chessed as did the Patriarch Abraham.

(adapted from “Gold from the Land of Israel” by Chanan Morrison 

, pp. 46-48. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 250)