14 Nov BIRTH OF ISHMAEL: UNRAVELING THE ENIGMA SURROUNDING AVRAHAM’S OFFSPRING.

In this article, we
will address the
intriguing question
of how two
children—Yitzchak
and Ishmael—both
born to the same father, Avraham,
manifested as polar opposites: one
embodying the epitome of goodness
and purity, while the other represented
the pinnacle of malevolence and
savagery.
Parashat Toldot begins with the verse
stating that Avraham gave birth to
Yitzchak. The apparent question arises:
it is not Avraham who gives birth, but
Sarah. What message, then, is the Torah
trying to convey? (Refer to Rashi for
one perspective; however, let’s explore
alternative interpretations). To further
understand this, one must also answer a
rather unsettling question: How is it
possible that such a great Tzaddik like
Avraham had a child like Ishmael (just
as one may ask regarding how Yitzchak

can have a son like Esav)? Additionally,
why did Sarah give Hagar to Avraham—
which woman would give another
woman as a wife to her husband,
especially someone as lowly as Hagar?
One of the greatest early mekubalim,
שערי אורה שער)Gikatila Yosef Rabbi
on light sheds ,) חמישי ד״ה דע כי כשחטא
this matter and provides a comprehensive
understanding of what transpired. He
begins with an introduction, explaining
that when Adam Harishon sinned, a
poison entered his soul—a poison
identical to the one the serpent
introduced to Chava. This poison was a
dense and significant impurity, and it
was transmitted to his children and all
subsequent generations.
To eliminate this impurity, there was a
necessity to separate the undesirable
from the virtuous. Each righteous
person in every generation contributed
to this process of distinguishing between
the negative and positive elements. The

conclusive stages of this
purification occurred through
the actions of the Avot. Avraham
gave birth to Ishmael, thereby
releasing a significant portion of
the negative influence to
Ishmael. Yitzchak similarly did
so with Esav. Following these
separations, Yaakov emerged
completely free of any impurity.
(פני דוד לך לך טו)Chida The
explains that this was the reason
Sarah did not conceive until after Hagar.
She, with her divine insight, perceived
that her husband needed to be cleansed
of the poison descended from Adam.
Therefore, she gave Hagar to him for
this purpose. Only after Ishmael was
born did she see that Avraham was
ready to bring forth a pure soul.
According to Midrash Raba(ד,מה (,
Hagar’s immediate ability to give birth
was likened to the ease and quick
attainment of worthless things, akin to
thorns in a field that grow abundantly,
in contrast to the difficulty of growing
שער הפסוקים למהרח״ו)Arizal The .grain
comparing ,elaborates further) לך לך, טז
Sarah and Hagar to fruits and peels.
Just as the peel grows first and paves
the way for the fruit, Hagar had to give
birth first before Sarah could conceive.
emphasizes) וירא ח״א קיח) Zohar The
that once Yitzchak was born, Ishmael
is never mentioned in the Torah by
name. The Zohar suggests that this
omission is deliberate, as one does not
mention the inferior (trash) in the
presence of the superior (gold),
symbolizing Yitzchak’s elevated
status. Furthermore, Sarah explicitly
told Avraham that Ishmael was not his
son but Hagar’s. While initially
treating Ishmael as his own, Avraham
received divine confirmation that
Sarah was correct – Ishmael is not his
explained As .)אור החיים כא,יא) son
earlier, since Ishmael was born to
expel negative forces from Avraham,
he is considered Hagar’s son and not
Avraham’s.
Due to this reason, the Ohr HaChayim
(תולדות תחילת (explains that Yitzchak
occupied a higher spiritual level than
Avraham. While Avraham still bore
the negativities inherited from his

father, he was cleared of them by
releasing them through Ishmael. In
contrast, Yitzchak had already been
purified from such negative forces.
The Arizal and the Chida offer an
alternative explanation. When Hagar
initially conceived, her embryo was
expected to be exceptionally malevolent
as it solely carried Hagar’s lineage,
potentially more sinister than Ishmael.
To counteract this, Sarah employed the
“ayin hara” (evil eye), resulting in
Hagar experiencing a miscarriage. As
previously explained, Esav also bore
the remaining negative impurity within
Yitzchak. Thus, the combination of the
two potentially evil forces—Ishmael
and Esav—could have been formidable.
In a symbolic alignment, towards the
end of the parasha, Esav marries the
daughter of Ishmael, accentuating the
connection between these two
influences.
Now we can comprehend that Avraham,
carrying the negative energies from
Adam Harishon, sought purification. He
transferred the negative aspects to
Ishmael while endowing Yitzchak with
the positive nature. The residual
negativity left by Yitzchak was entrusted
to Esav, leaving him pure and holy for
Yaakov. Rabbi Yosef Gikatila elaborates
that Yaakov, uncertain of his complete
purification, approached his twelve
children on his deathbed. He inquired if
any negativity lingered, and they
reassured him, collectively affirming
their purity with the recitation of Shema
Yisrael. This perspective also elucidates
the brothers’ reaction to Yosef; they
mistakenly believed he absorbed
Yaakov’s remaining negative powers,
prompting their attempt to eliminate
him, unaware that Yaakov was already
purified.