REVISITING ISHMAEL THROUGH THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS

 

REVISITING ISHMAEL THROUGH THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS

Ishmael the Archer

On September 15, 2020 Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed a Peace Treaty called the Abraham Accords. This name hearkens back to Abraham, the father of Ishmael and Isaac, two brothers who are the progenitors of Islam and Judaism, the Muslim nations and the State of Israel.

The two brothers have been viewed as part of a dysfunctional family, but on close examination of the Biblical text, this is not so. Before we are introduced to Ishmael  as he appeared in the Torah reading for the 1^st day of Rosh Hashanah let’s look at some background:

Background

Abraham's Children

In the 15^th chapter of the Book of Genesis at verse 5, Hashem promises the 85 or so year old childless Abraham that he will have many children:

וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֨אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֔יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִֽהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ:

“And He took him outside, and He said, "Please look heavenward and count the stars, if you are able to count them." And He said to him, "So will be your seed".

However, the problem is that Abraham’s wife Sarah is not able to become pregnant, and she gives her servant Haggar to Abraham as sought of a surrogate alternative. Trouble arises between Sarah and Haggar.  Sarah mistreats Haggar who then runs away. An Angel gives incentive to Haggar to return to Sarah and to continue to bear the mistreatment.

At 16:10 the Angel tells Haggar that He greatly multiply her seed:

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה הַרְבָּ֥ה אַרְבֶּ֖ה אֶת־זַרְעֵ֑ךְ

“And the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your seed,…”

At 16:11 the Angel promises Haggar that she will have a son:

יֹּ֤אמֶר לָהּ֙ מַלְאַ֣ךְ יְהֹוָ֔ה הִנָּ֥ךְ הָרָ֖ה וְיֹלַ֣דְתְּ בֵּ֑ן וְקָרָ֤את שְׁמוֹ֙ יִשְׁמָעֵ֔אל כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֥ע יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־עָנְיֵֽךְ

“And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, you will conceive and bear a son, and you shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your affliction”.  

At 16:15, Haggar becomes pregnant, and at the age of 86 Abraham becomes a father, and we are introduced to his son Ishmael.

וַתֵּ֧לֶד הָגָ֛ר לְאַבְרָ֖ם בֵּ֑ן וַיִּקְרָ֨א אַבְרָ֧ם שֶׁם־בְּנ֛וֹ אֲשֶׁר־יָֽלְדָ֥ה הָגָ֖ר יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל

“And Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael”.

Although Haggar was commanded to name her son, it is in fact Abraham who carries out the commandment. The implication being that Abraham listened to Haggar, and as we shall see, at Hashem’s insistence he also listened to Sarah.

FOUR THINGS THAT WE KNOW ABOUT ISHMAEL

1. The name יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל Yishmaʿel means 'God will listen', suggesting that God  fulfills His promises.

Ishmael was about 14 years old when Isaac was born.  Some few years later, Sarah becomes upset with Ishmael, perhaps because he teased Isaac.  She did not want Ishmael to inherit from Abraham.  I assume the inheritance would be a double portion, Ishmael being the first born.

To Abraham’s discomfort, Sarah wants Abraham to turn Ishmael and his Mother out. At Hashem‘s insistence, Abraham acquiesces, listens to his wife and turns Ishmael and his Mother out into the desert.

Haggar and Ishmael

Ishmael is close to dying of thirst when an Angel rescues him. The Angel tells Haggar (16:12) that her son:

וְה֤וּא יִֽהְיֶה֙ פֶּ֣רֶא אָדָ֔ם יָד֣וֹ בַכֹּ֔ל וְיַ֥ד כֹּ֖ל בּ֑וֹ וְעַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־אֶחָ֖יו יִשְׁכֹּֽן

“And he will be a wild donkey of a man,”

2. He will love the wilderness and to hunt. (As interpreted by Rashi) 

“his hand will be upon all, and every hand upon him, and in the face of all his brothers he will dwell."

I take this to mean: 3. Ishmael will not be domesticated.  He will contend with his brethren.

Perhaps this means that amongst the descendants of Ishmael there will never be harmony, either religious or political; there will always be contention.

We learn more about Ishmael  at 21:18:

וַיִּגְדָּ֑ל וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיְהִ֖י רֹבֶ֥ה קַשָּֽׁת

4. “…he dwelt in the wilderness, and he became an archer”.

 

Let’s digress for a moment and look at the impact that Ishmael’s character traits (as shown in the Torah) had on his half- brother Isaac. Ishmael may be described as follows:

1. The name יִשְׁמָעֵֽאל Yishmaʿel means 'God will listen', suggesting that God  fulfills His promises.

2.  he will love the wilderness and to hunt.

3. Ishmael will not be domesticated.  He will contend with his brethren.

4. “…he dwelt in the wilderness, and he became an archer”.

Isaac, in contrast to his Father and to Ishmael, was a passive individual. In Hebrew his name is Yitzchak, יִצְחָק means “he will laugh”.  I think he was a pleasant person; perhaps he had a benevolent smile.  When he meets his future wife, he loves her.

Isaac was content to be a stay-at -home farmer, and a good one at that. However, when confronted by the Philistines he did not contend with them, but picked up stakes and moved away.  Unlike his father or like Jacob his son, Hashem did not change Isaac's name.  Similarly in contrast to the other Patriarchs, Isaac never leaves Canaan.

Isaac’s feeling for Ishmael is reflected in his relationship to Jacob and Esau.  Isaac clearly favored the rough and tumble Esau over Jacob, the man of the tent.  Esau the hunter, the bowman, the outdoors man, very much like Ishmael, was the kind of man that Isaac admired. 

Returning to the narrative:

Ishmael’s story does not end here: Isaac and Ishmael continued to have a positive family relationship:  We marry within the family. When Isaac’s son Esau looked for a wife, he married Ishmael’s daughter and not one his Mother’s kinsman.  At 28:9  –

וַיֵּלֶךְ עֵשָׂו, אֶל-יִשְׁמָעֵאל; וַיִּקַּח אֶת-מָחֲלַת בַּת-יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן-אַבְרָהָם

“So Esau went unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives that he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son,” 

Do not lose sight that even at this late date in the narrative, Ishmael is called "Abraham's son".

When Abraham passed away both brothers cooperated in a spirit of peace, shared interest and respect.  At 25:9 -

וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֹתוֹ יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל, בָּנָיו, אֶל-מְעָרַת, הַמַּכְפֵּלָה

“And Isaac and Ishmael his [Abraham's] sons buried him [Abraham] in the cave of Machpelah,”

As promised by the Angel to Haggar (21:18) : Ishmael will father many children/  Ishmael had 12 sons, each a tribal leader. I take this as meaning that Ishmael will be the Father of the Arab people, much in the way that Jacob is the Father of the Jewish people.  They each had 12 Tribes.

 I think that when Ishmael spent his formative years under Abraham’s roof that he learned and accepted the concept of one God, the Creator.  His children learned from him just as did the children of Jacob.  I think Ishmael’s influence paved the way for Mohammed and for Muslims everywhere.

Jews and Muslims, if not exactly brothers, are surely cousins. The Abraham Accords brings about a time in which Jews and Muslims can live together in the spirit of peace.  We have shared interests and a shared heritage.  It leads to healing and makes for a better future.

Amen.