‘Parsha Growth Spurts’
Rabbi Dani Staum
Parshas Vayera 5774
“She went and she wandered in the desert of Be’er Sheva” (Bereishis 21:14)
Rashi explains that when the pasuk says she wandered it means that Hagar returned to the idolatrous beliefs she had learned in the home of her father (Pharaoh).
How did Chazal know that she returned to idolatry, and that the pasuk is not stating that she simply lost her way?
Rav Shalom Schwadron zt’l (Lev Shalom) related that one Friday Rav Mottel Pogemanski zt’l was traveling on a train along with another Jew who was a mohel and a shochet. They became involved in a detailed discussion and without realizing it they missed their stop.
After some time the mohel peered out the window and realized what happened. There was no train heading in the other direction that day, and there was no way for them to get to their intended destination before Shabbos. The mohel began to voice his concerns to Rav Mottel. Where would they sleep? How would they spend Shabbos?
Rav Mottel calmed him and replied that a Jew is never lost! Wherever he finds himself is exactly where Hashem wants him to be. They would get off the train at the next station and look for the Jewish community.
When they got off however, they were informed that there were no Jews in that community. But Rav Mottel was persistent and kept inquiring of people until he was informed that there was one Jew living at the edge of town.
When the homeowner opened the door to his home and saw two Jews standing there he burst into tears. He explained that eight days earlier his wife and he were blessed with the birth of a son. That whole day he had been davening and crying to Hashem that he would somehow be able to find someone to give his son a b’ris milah. He told the duo that when he opened the door and saw them standing there he was sure they were Avrohom Avinu and Eliyahu Hanavi.
The mohel performed the b’ris milah and Rav Mottel was the sandek to the great joy of the homeowner and his wife. They remained there over Shabbos. After they left Rav Mottel turned to the Mohel and exclaimed “You see, a Jew is never lost!”
Rav Shalom Schwadron explained that if the pasuk says Hagar was lost it could only mean that she was spiritually lost because she had returned to the ideology of her father, for a believer understands that he is never truly lost!
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“She went and set herself down opposite him, at a distance of the shot of a bow…” (Bereishis 21:16)
Why does the pasuk use ‘a distance of the shot of a bow’ to describe how far away Hagar was from Yishmael? The Torah never uses such a measure in any other place?
Hagar may have been a great woman but she was still the daughter of Pharaoh and had grown up in Egypt. It was engrained in her from her youth to think about distance by estimating how many bow-shots away something is.
That could be contrasted with two elderly Jewish women who were speaking about how far away a certain town was from their home. One of them told her friend that the town was two Tehillims away (i.e. the time it takes to recite all of Sefer Tehillim twice).
It is no wonder that a few pesukim later the Torah relates that Yishamel became an accomplished archer (21:20). The things we value – even subtlety – are noticed by one’s children, and has a profound effect.
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“Please take your son… to the land of Moriah; bring him up there as an offering…” (Bereishis 22:2)
Rav Chaim Sanzer zy’a noted that the Torah speaks about two mountains: Har HaMoriah upon which the akeidah was performed, and Har Sinai upon which the Torah was given.
It would seem more appropriate that the Bais Hamikdash should be built upon the mountain where the Torah was given. However, the Sanzer Rav explained, the Bais Hamikdash was built upon Har Hamoriah to demonstrate how precious mesiras nefesh is to Hashem.
Whenever a Jew gives up for the honor of Hashem is immeasurably precious!
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Sources: Hagar and Yishmael – heard from Rebbitzin Busel a’h from a taped lecture
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