"Now Isaac was coming from the approach to Be’er-lachai-ro’i" (Genesis 24:62).
In Torah studies we are taught to be alert to deeper meanings whenever the sacred text mentions a particular geographical place. With the help of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks[1], let’s explore the mention of Be’er-lachai-ro’i here in the scene where Isaac sets eyes on his wife Rebecca for the first time.
What does Be’er-lachai-ro’i mean, and where have we encountered it before?
"Well of the Living One of my seeing" is one translation. [2] It draws from the words of Hagar, the Egyptian slave-servant who, in an earlier story (Genesis 16), runs away from home, pregnant with Abraham’s first son. She is fleeing mistreatment at the hand of Abraham’s wife, Sarah (called Sarai at that time), and it is in the wilderness that Hagar encounters a divine messenger, the angel of the LORD.
In Genesis 16:13-14, we learn that the place of this encounter is named after Hagar’s words to the angel of the LORD, ‘You are El Ro’i (‘the One who looks upon me’). The angel has just declared that Hagar’s child will be called Ishmael and Hagar will have descendants “too numerous to count” (16.10). Note the similar wording to God’s promise made to Abraham. Hagar then returns home, only to be expelled again by Sarah, this time in a permanent exile with her son Ishmael, or so it seems. (You can read these stories about Hagar in chapters 16 and 21 of Genesis).
But, back to our original question: why would Be’er-lachai-ro’i be mentioned in Genesis 24:62, years later, as the adult Isaac comes to greet his wife, Rebecca? The Torah doesn’t tell us, but in the Midrash (the creative storytelling traditions of Judaism) the sages say that Isaac has come from Be’er-lachai-ro’i having been on a quest to track down Hagar so that she may become the wife of Abraham, now that Sarah has died (23:2).
Thus, while Abraham was directing a matchmaking effort on his son’s Isaac’s behalf, it seems that Isaac was doing some matchmaking for his father! Were Isaac’s efforts successful? The Torah tells us that the name of Abraham’s second wife was Keturah; however, it is not uncommon for biblical characters to have more than one name. Also, we find out later (25:9) that both sons, Isaac and Ishmael, were involved in burying their father Abraham. Ishmael’s sudden appearance at Abraham’s grave is surprising. Unless… What if Abraham’s second wife was actually Hagar? Hence the sages’ interpretation in support of this scenario. Observes Rabbi Sacks, “This indeed integrates Abraham’s second marriage as an essential component of the narrative. Hagar did not end her days as an outcast. She returned, at Isaac’s prompting and with Abraham’s consent, to be the wife of her former master.”[3]
This is indeed, a humanly poignant and ethically powerful interpretation, especially in light of the earlier domestic tensions, where Sarah declares: “The son of this slave girl is not going to share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!” (Genesis 21:10). Now, within this rabbinic perspective, we see the adult Isaac expressing, not antagonism towards Hagar, mother of Ishmael, but rather a desire to bring her back into the family fold. Despite being banished by Sarah, it seems that Hagar and Ishmael were always important to Abraham (cf. 21:11) and held a place in his heart. Isaac is the son through which God's promise to Abraham continues; however the 'outsider', Ishmael, is also valued and blessed; and ultimately the two sons are reunited.
This interpretation holds out profound hope for the possibility of reconciliation in situations which were, or are, filled with conflict and division. Recall that all three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, look to Abraham as a foundational figure, albeit through differing interpretative lenses. Pondering the subtleties and ‘hidden meanings’ in the story of Abraham, can we find hope for all our complex relations: within homes, nations and the wider human family?
Delve into these fascinating biblical stories and continue the Torah conversation.
Notes:
[1] Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation (Maggid Books and The Orthodox Union, 2009), 141-144.
[2] See translation by Chaim Stern in Eskenazi and Weiss, eds., The Torah. A Women’s Commentary (New York: URJ Press and WRJ, 2008), 74.
[3] Sacks, Covenant & Conversation, 143.
Bibliography: Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation (Maggid Books and The Orthodox Union, 2009): Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Andrea L. Weiss, eds., The Torah. A Women’s Commentary (New York: URJ Press and WRJ, 2008); Scripture: translation by Rabbi Chaim Stern in Eskenazi and Weiss, eds., The Torah: A Women’s Commentary (2008).
© Teresa Pirola, 2024. lightoftorah.net. Reproduction for non-commercial use permitted with acknowledgement of website.
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