Chapter 16

אשׁפחה מצרית. בַּת פַּרְעֹה הָיְתָה, כְּשֶׁרָאָה נִסִּים שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לְשָׂרָה אָמַר: מוּטָב שֶׁתְּהֵא בִתִּי שִׁפְחָה בְּבַיִת זֶה וְלֹא גְבִירָה בְּבַיִת אַחֵר:

1שפחה מצרית A HANDMAID, AN EGYPTIAN — She was a daughter of Pharaoh; when he saw the miracles which had been performed for Sarah’s take he said, “It is better for my daughter to be a handmaid in this man’s house than be mistress in another man’s house” (Genesis Rabbah 45:1).

אאולי אבנה ממנה. לִמֵּד עַל מִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ בָּנִים שֶׁאֵינוֹ בָנוּי אֶלָּא הָרוּס:

1אולי אבנה ממנה IT MAY BE THAT I SHALL BE BUILDED UP THROUGH HER — This statement of Sarah teaches that a person who has no children is not firmly established (literally, built up: his name and future are not perpetuated) but is unstable (lit, demolished) (Genesis Rabbah 45:2).

באבנה ממנה. בִּזְכוּת שֶׁאַכְנִיס צָרָתִי לְתוֹךְ בֵּיתִי:

2אבנה ממנה I SHALL BE BUILDED UP THROUGH HER— through the merit that I admit her as a rival into my house.

גלקול שרי. לְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ שֶׁבָּהּ (בראשית רבה):

3לקול שרי TO THE VOICE OF SARAI— to the Holy (prophetic) Spirit that was in her (Genesis Rabbah 45:2).

אותקח שרי. לְקָחַתָּהּ בִּדְבָרִים, אַשְׁרַיִךְ שֶׁזָּכִית לִדָּבֵק בְּגוּף קָדוֹשׁ כָּזֶה (בראשית רבה):

1ותקח שרי AND (SARAI TOOK [HAGAR] — She took (won her over) by kindly speech saying, “Happy are you in that you will be privileged to consort with so holy a person as this” (Genesis Rabbah 45:3).

במקץ עשר שנים. מוֹעֵד הַקָּבוּעַ לְאִשָּׁה שֶׁשָּׁהֲתָה עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים וְלֹא יָלְדָה לְבַעֲלָהּ, חַיָּב לִשָֹּא אַחֶרֶת:

2מקץ עשר שנים AFTER [ABRAM HAD DWELT] TEN YEARS — the period appointed for a woman who has lived with her husband for ten years without having borne children to him when he is bound to take another.

גלשבת אברם וגו'. מַגִּיד שֶׁאֵין יְשִׁיבַת חוּצָה לָאָרֶץ עוֹלָה לוֹ מִן הַמִּנְיָן (יב' ס"ד), לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא נֶאֱמַר לוֹ וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, עַד שֶׁיָּבֹא לְאֶרֶץ יִשְֹרָאֵל:

3'לשבת אברם וגו [TEN YEARS] AFTER ABRAHAM HAD DWELT IN THE LAND OF CANAAN — As Abraham had been married to Sarah before he entered Canaan this statement virtually informs us that the period he dwelt outside the land was not to be included in the number of these ten years (Yevamot 64a), for the promise, “And I will make of thee a great nation” was made to him with the intention of being fulfilled only after he had come into the land of Israel.

אויבא אל הגר ותהר. מִבִּיאָה רִאשׁוֹנָה (בראשית רבה):

1ויבא אל הגר ותהר AND HE CAME UNTO HAGAR AND SHE CONCEIVED from the first union (Genesis Rabbah 45:4).

בותקל גברתה בעיניה. אָמְרָה שָׂרַי זוֹ אֵין סִתְרָהּ כִּגְלוּיָהּ מַרְאָה עַצְמָהּ כְּאִלּוּ הִיא צַדֶּקֶת וְאֵינָהּ צַדֶּקֶת, שֶׁלֹּא זָכְתָה לְהֵרָיוֹן כָּל הַשָּׁנִים הַלָּלוּ, וַאֲנִי נִתְעַבַּרְתִּי מִבִּיאָה רִאשׁוֹנָה (בראשית רבה):

2ותקל גברתה בעיניה HER MISTRESS WAS SLIGHTED IN HER EYES — She said, “As regards this woman Sarai, her conduct in private can certainly not be like that in public: she pretends to be a righteous woman, but she cannot really be righteous since all these years she has not been privileged to have children, whilst I have had that blessing from the first union” (Genesis Rabbah 45:4).

אחמסי עליך. חָמָס הֶעָשׂוּי לִי, עָלֶיךָ אֲנִי מֵטִיל הָעֹנֶשׁ; כְּשֶׁהִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ לְהַקָּבָּ"ה מַה תִּתֶּן לִי וְאָנֹכִי הוֹלֵךְ עֲרִירִי, לֹא הִתְפַּלַּלְתָּ אֶלָּא עָלֶיךָ, וְהָיָה לְךָ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל עַל שְׁנֵינוּ, וְהָיִיתִי אֲנִי נִפְקֶדֶת עִמְּךָ, וְעוֹד דְּבָרֶיךָ אַתָּה חוֹמֵס מִמֶּנִי, שֶׁאַתָּה שׁוֹמֵעַ בִּזְיוֹנִי וְשׁוֹתֵק (בראשית רבה):

1חמסי עליך MY WRONG BE UPON THEE — The wrong done to me (חמסי)— the punishment for it I call down on you (עליך). “When you prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, (15:2) ‘what wilt Thou give me, seeing that I go childless’, you prayed only on behalf of yourself whereas you should have prayed on behalf of both of us — then would I have been borne in mind (by God) together with you” (i.e. when you had the gift of a child it would have been “my” child also — not that of a strange woman). Besides this, you deprive me (חומס) of your protecting words since you hear how I am despised and yet you keep silent (Genesis Rabbah 45:5).

באנכי נתתי שפחתי וגו' ביני וביניך. כָּל בֵּינֶיךָ שֶׁבַּמִּקְרָא חָסֵר, וְזֶה מָלֵא, קְרִי בֵיהּ וּבָנַיִךְ, שֶׁהִכְנִיסָה עַיִן הָרָע בְּעִבּוּרָהּ שֶׁל הָגָר וְהִפִּילָה עֻבָּרָהּ; הוּא שֶׁהַמַּלְאָךְ אוֹמֵר לְהָגָר הִנָּךְ הָרָה, וְהֲלֹא כְבָר הָרְתָה, וְהוּא מְבַשֵּׁר לָהּ שֶׁתַּהַר? אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִפִּילָה הֵרָיוֹן הָרִאשׁוֹן:

2'אנכי נתתי שפחתי וגו ביני וביניך I HAVE GIVEN MY HANDMAID etc… [MAY THE LORD JUDGE] BETWEEN ME AND THEE — Wherever this word “between thee” (masc.) occurs in Scripture it is written defective (i.e. without the second yod) whilst here it is written plene, therefore read it as וּבֵינָיִךְ (the fem form that corresponds to ביניך in our text — as though Sarah turned to Hagar saying “May God judge between me and thee”). Thus she cast the evil eye on Hagar so that she miscarried on this occasion. This explains what the angel said to Hagar, (16:11) הנך הרה “behold, thou wilt conceive”; but had she not already conceived and yet he announces to her that she would conceive? This therefore informs us that she miscarried in this, her first conception (cf. verse 11) (Genesis Rabbah 45:5).

אותענה שׁרי. הָיְתָה מְשַׁעְבֶּדֶת בָּהּ בְּקֹשִׁי (בראשית רבה):

1ותענה שרי AND SARAI AFFLICTED HER — She compelled her to work hard (Genesis Rabbah 45:6).

אמזה באת. מֵהֵיכָן בָּאת? יוֹדֵע הָיָה, אֶלָּא לִתֵּן לָהּ פֶּתַח לִכָּנֵס עִמָּהּ בִּדְבָרִים. וּלְשׁוֹן אֵי מִזֶּה: אַיֵּה הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁתֹּאמַר עָלָיו מִזֶּה אֲנִי בָאָה?

1אי מזה באת WHENCE CAMEST THOU? — He knew it, but he asked this in order to give her a starting-point so that he might converse with her. The expression אי מזה is to be explained thus: Where is (אי) that place of which thou canst say, “From this (מזה) have I come”.

אויאמר לה מלאך וגו'. עַל כָּל אֲמִירָה הָיָה שָׁלוּחַ לָהּ מַלְאָךְ אַחֵר, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר מַלְאָךְ בְּכָל אֲמִירָה וַאֲמִירָה:

1'ויאמר לה מלאך ה' וגו AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SAID UNTO HER etc. (see also Genesis 16:10 & Genesis 16:11). For each statement (in these three verses) a different angel was sent to her, and this explains why in reference to each statement the phrase is used, “and an angel said to her” (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

אהנך הרה. כְּשֶׁתָּשׁוּבִי תַּהֲרִי, כְּמוֹ הִנָּךְ הָרָה דְאֵשֶׁת מָנוֹחַ:

1הנך הרה BEHOLD THOU WILT BE WITH CHILD — when you return you will conceive, just as the same phrase הנך הרה (Judges 13:7) spoken of the wife of Manoah (where it certainly appears to be thou wilt conceive in the future).

בוילדת בן. כְּמוֹ וְיוֹלֶדֶת, וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ יֹשַׁבְתְּ בַּלְּבָנוֹן מְקֻנַּנְתְּי בָּאֲרָזִים (ירמיה כ"ב):

2וְיֹלַדְתְּ בן AND THOU SHALT BEAR A SON — The word appears to be grammatically a combination of the perfect tense וְיָלַדְתְּ and the participle וְיֹלֶדֶת but it is similar in sense to וְיֹלֶדֶת (the participle); so, also, (Jeremiah 22:23) “O thou that dwellest יֹשַׁבְתְּ) in Lebanon, and art nestled (מְקֻנַּנְתְּ) in the cedars.”

גוקראת שמו. צִוּוּי הוּא, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאוֹמֵר לְזָכָר וְקָרָאתָ אֶת שְׁמוֹ יִצְחָק (בר' י"ז):

3וקראת שמו AND THOU SHALT CALL — This is a command, just as one would say to a man (וְקָרָאתָ), as (Genesis 17:19) “And thou shalt call his name Isaac”.

אפרא אדם. אוֹהֵב מִדְבָּרוֹת לָצוּד חַיּוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב וַיֵּשֶׁב בַּמִּדְבָּר וַיְהִי רֹבֶה קַשָּׁת (בראשית כ"א):

1פרא אדם A WILD MAN — One who loves the open spaces to hunt wild animals, as it is written of him (Genesis 21:20) “And he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.”

בידו בכל. לִסְטִים:

2ידו בכל HIS HAND SHALL BE AGAINST EVERY ONE — a highwayman.

גויד כל בו. הַכֹּל שׂוֹנְאִין אוֹתוֹ וּמִתְגָּרִין בּוֹ:

3ויד כל בו AND EVERYONE’S HAND AGAINST HIM — everyone will hate him and attack him.

דועל פני כל אחיו ישכון. שֶׁיִּהְיֶה זַרְעוֹ גָּדוֹל (בראשית רבה):

4ועל פני כל אחיו ישכון AND HE SHALL DWELL IN THE PRESENCE OF ALL HIS BRETHREN — his descendants will be numerous, (so that his territory must extend over that which his brethren have; cf. Genesis 25:18).

אאתה אל ראי. נָקוּד חֲטַף קָמָץ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהוּא שֵׁם דָּבָר, אֱלוֹהַּ הָרְאִיָּה, שֶׁרוֹאֶה בְעֶלְבּוֹן שֶׁל עֲלוּבִין:

1אתה אל ראי THOU ART A GOD OF SEEING — The word is punctuated with a Chataph Kametz because it is a noun, and the meaning is “a God of seeing” — One who sees the humiliation to which people are subjected by others (Genesis Rabbah 45:10)

בהגם הלם. לְשׁוֹן תֵּמַהּ; וְכִי סְבוּרָה הָיִיתִי שֶׁאַף הֲלוֹם בַּמִּדְבָּרוֹת רָאִיתִי שְׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אַחֲרֵי רֹאִי אוֹתָם בְּבֵיתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם שֶׁשָּׁם הָיִיתִי רְגִילָה לִרְאוֹת מַלְאָכִים? וְתֵדַע שֶׁהָיְתָה רְגִילָה לִרְאוֹתָם, שֶׁהֲרֵי מָנוֹחַ רָאָה אֶת הַמַּלְאָךְ פַּעַם אַחַת וְאָמַר מוֹת נָמוּת (שופ' י"ג), וְזוֹ רָאֲתָה ד' זֶה אַחַר זֶה וְלֹא חָרְדָה:

2הגם הלום HAVE I ALSO [SEEN] HERE — This is an exclamation of surprise: “could I have ever imagined that here also — in the wilderness — I would see the messengers of the Omnipresent after I have seen them in Abraham’s house, where I saw them regularly!” You may know that she used to see them there regularly from this: That Manoah saw the angel only once and exclaimed, (Judges 13:22) “We shall surely die”, and she saw angels four times, one after the other, and she showed no fear (Genesis Rabbah 45:7).

אבאר לחי. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ:

1באר לחי ראי As the Targum takes it: the well at which the living angel had appeared to her.

אויקרא אברם שם וגו'. אַעַ"פִּ שֶׁלֹּא שָׁמַע אַבְרָם דִּבְרֵי הַמַּלְאָךְ שֶׁאָמַר וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל, שָׁרְתָה רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ עָלָיו וּקְרָאוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל:

1'ויקרא אברם שם וגו AND ABRAM CALLED THE NAME [OF HIS SON] etc. — Although Abram had not heard the words of the angel when he said to Hagar “and thou shalt call his name Ishmael”, yet the Holy Spirit rested upon him and he called him Ishmael.

אואברם בן שמונים וגו'. לְשִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל יִשְׁמָעֵאל נִכְתַּב, לְהוֹדִיעַ שֶׁהָיָה בֶּן י"ג שָׁנָה כְּשֶׁנִּמּוֹל וְלֹא עִכֵּב:

1'ואברם בן שמנים שנה וגו AND ABRAM WAS FOURSCORE AND SIX YEARS OLD etc. — This is written to Ishmael’s credit, pointing out that he was thirteen years old when he was circumcised (see Genesis 17:25) and yet he raised no objection.

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org