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messenger of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said, ‘What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; God has heard the voice of the youth, as he is there.’ Bereishit 21:17 60 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • ROSH HASHANA TO-GO • TISHREI 5771 יכ יארית לא רגה ךל המ הל רמאיו םימשה ןמ רגה : םש אוה רשאב רענה לוק לא םיקלא עמש זי: אכ תישארב The sages were troubled by the last few words of HaShem’s emissary; what is the meaning of, “as he is there?” Rabbi Yitzchak explained: A person is judged only based on his deeds of that moment, as it is written, ‘God has heard the voice of the youth, as he is there.’ Rosh Hashana 16b Another midrash amplified Rabbi Yitzchak’s account: The angels leapt to argue against his survival, saying, ‘Master of the Universe! You would provide a well for this man who is going to murder Your children with thirst?’ God replied: What is he now – righteous or wicked? They said: Righteous. He told them: I only judge a man based upon his moment. Rise, and take the youth… Bereishit Rabbah 53:14 וישעמ יפל אלא םדאה תא ןינד ןיא עמש יכ רמאנש העש התוא לש םש אוה רשאב רענה לוק לא םיקלא : זט הנשה שאר וינפל ורמא , וגרטקל תרשה יכאלמ וצפק תימהל דיתע אוהש םדא םימלועה ןובר רמא ? ראב ול הלעמ התא אמצב ךינב תא ? עשר וא קידצ , אוה המ וישכע : םהל תא ןד יניא : םהל רמא . קידצ : ול ורמא . רענה תא יאש ימוק ! ותעשב אלא םדאה די: גנ הבר תישארב This passage is remarkable not only as a lesson in Divine justice and omniscience, but also as a lesson regarding Yishmael himself. Just that morning, the teen had been evicted for idolatry, murder and sexual immorality 138 - and now he was righteous, deserving of Divine intervention? This is the first sign that the post-exile Yishmael executes an about-face, righting his wrongs. Further evidence of repentance comes from the Torah’s mention of two anonymous “youths” who accompanied Avraham and Yitzchak to the Akeidah. 139 A midrash unmasked these youths for us: 140 R’ Eivo said: The Torah teaches you proper conduct, that one should not travel with fewer than two escorts, lest he ultimately become his servant’s servant. Two people conducted themselves properly, Avraham and Shaul. Regarding Avraham it says, ‘And he woke early in the morning and took his two youths with him’ – Who were they? Yishmael and Eliezer. Regarding Shaul… Vayikra Rabbah 26:7 אהי אלש ץרא ךרד הרות ךתדמל , וביא ר" א אצי םאש םינשמ תוחפב ךרדל אצוי םדא ינב ינש וביא ר" אד , ודבעל דבע השענ ופוס . לואשו םהרבא , ץרא ךרדב וגהנ םדא רקבב םהרבא םכשיו ? רמוא והמ םהרבאב לאעמשי ? ויה ימו . ומע וירענ ינש תא חקיו ... רמוא והמ לואשב . רזעילאו ז: וכ הבר ארקיו How did Yishmael end up in this picture, accompanying his father and half-brother – and in the role of a servant no less - to the Akeidah? According to the traditional chronology, he had been 138 Bereishit Rabbah 56:11 139 Bereishit 22:3 140 Rashi to Bereishit 22:3 cites this as well. See also Kohelet Rabbah 9. Ritva to Kiddushin 68b is unique in rejecting this midrashic explanation, on the grounds that Yishmael is normally identified as Avraham’s ןב, rather than his רענ.
evicted some thirty-five years prior! Perhaps this may be taken as further evidence that Yishmael repented upon his eviction, and ultimately returned to his father’s home. Finally, the gemara saw evidence of Yishmael’s teshuvah in the biblical account of Avraham’s burial. After noting that the Torah uses specific language to describe the passing of the righteous, and that the Torah employs this language regarding Yishmael’s death, 141 Rava explained: Yishmael repented during his father’s lifetime, as it is written, ‘And Yitzchak and Yishmael, his sons, buried him.’ [Placing Yitzchak first indicates that Yishmael showed respect to his righteous younger brother.] But perhaps the Torah simply listed them based upon their wisdom [and, in fact, Yishmael showed no such respect to Yitzchak]? If that were true, then [at Yitzchak’s burial] why did the Torah say, ‘And Esav and Yaakov, his sons, buried him?’ Why did it not list them based upon their wisdom? Rather, from the fact that the text put Yitzchak first, Yishmael must have placed him first. We learn from here that he repented during his father’s lifetime. Bava Batra 16b 61 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • ROSH HASHANA TO-GO • TISHREI 5771 ייחב הבושת השע לאעמשי ותוא ורבקיו רמאנש , ויבא . וינב לאעמשיו קחצי אק ןתמכח ךרד אמלידו , התעמ אלא ? והל בישח בקעיו ושע ותוא ורבקיו בישח אל אמעט יאמ וינב אלא ? ןתמכח ךרד והל ירובדא הימדקאדמ עמש הירבדאדמו , הירבדא . וימיב דבע הבושת הנימ : זט ארתב אבב This combination of sources – HaShem’s declaration that Yishmael was righteous, Yishmael’s pre-Akeidah return and his display of respect for Yitzchak at Avraham’s funeral – presents a tantalizing idea: That Yishmael learned from his eviction. Perhaps, what seemed like a hardhearted case of justice was actually an example of successful tough love. 142 Or Perhaps Yishmael Did Not Repent? Admittedly, some sources indicate that Yishmael did not repent. In the context of a discussion about a list of historical figures who were excluded from olam haba, the gemara stated: A father cannot assign merit to his son, for it is written, ‘None can rescue from My hand.’ Avraham cannot rescue Yishmael and Yitzchak cannot rescue Esav. Sanhedrin 104a , ליצמ ידימ ןיאו ביתכד , ארב יכזמ אל אבא קחצי ןיא , לאעמשי תא ליצמ םהרבא ןיא . ושע תא ליצמ . דק ןירדהנס In itself, this talmudic passage need not be taken as evidence that Yishmael lived out his life in wickedness. Nonetheless, a Tosafist, Rabbeinu Elchanan, 143 understood it in this way. Rashi also saw evidence of Yishmael’s lifelong delinquency in the following passage of gemara: Why were the years of Yishmael’s life enumerated in the Torah? In order to calculate the years of Yaakov. Megilah 17a ןהב סחיל ידכ ? לאעמשי לש ויתונש ונמנ המל . בקעי לש ויתונש . זי הליגמ 141 Bereishit 25:17 142 I am indebted to Rabbi Meir Lipschitz for pointing out that Kli Yakar (Bereishit 25:1) identified the repentance of Hagar, and inter alia her son Yishmael, in her re-marriage to Avraham. 143 Tosafot Yeshanim, Yoma 38b גאודב השעמ
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1 YESHIVA UNIVERSITY • ROSH HASHA
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Table of Contents Rosh Hashana 2010
Page 5 and 6:
The Shofar: A Tool for Dialogue 5 Y
Page 7 and 8:
Then, we find the Ketuvim verses, i
Page 9 and 10: The Zebra Effect Perhaps we can enl
Page 11 and 12: to state that Hashem sees no errors
Page 13 and 14: Megadim 6 explains that the control
Page 15 and 16: to beg forgiveness; it is this act
Page 17 and 18: in the Pirkei D’Rav Eliezer (ch.
Page 19 and 20: does tend to arouse suspicion, and
Page 21 and 22: Repentance for Violation of Interpe
Page 23 and 24: to them: 'Fear not; for am I in the
Page 25 and 26: out), one should not approach the v
Page 27 and 28: According to R. Yehuda HaChasid, wh
Page 29 and 30: the second day. The harsh judgment
Page 31 and 32: The Cognitive, Emotional, and Senso
Page 33 and 34: individual recognizes that his very
Page 35 and 36: eing was created, a purpose which w
Page 37 and 38: fulfillment of the command. His phy
Page 39 and 40: Rendering the meaning of the Hebrew
Page 41 and 42: egarding certain aspects of this ha
Page 43 and 44: Tei’mah before Tekias Shofar Shou
Page 45 and 46: Kiddush and Kiddush B’Makom Seuda
Page 47 and 48: this, eating a piece of cake, a bow
Page 49 and 50: On Teshuvah and Complete Teshuvah R
Page 51 and 52: 31:18): For after my returning, I r
Page 53 and 54: How can such a sharp distinction, s
Page 55 and 56: The Sin and the Sinner Put in diffe
Page 57 and 58: Redirecting One’s Traits Finally,
Page 59: The Teshuvah of Yishmael And Avraha
Page 63 and 64: woman. 154 How, then, did Yishmael,
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