פירוש על בראשית 21:12

שמע בקולה HEARKEN UNTO HER VOICE — we may infer that Abraham was inferior to Sarah in respect of prophecy (Exodus Rabbah 1:1).

יקרא לך זרע, a reference to the covenant between G’d and Avraham, which included that Avraham’s seed would remain strangers in a land not theirs before they would inherit the land of Canaan (15,13). G’d reminded him that his promise referred to Yitzchok and not to Ishmael.

אל ירע בעיניך על הנער ועל אמתך. כל אשר תאמר אליך שרה, do not be angry regarding anything that Sarah says to you concerning the lad and the maid, i.e. to expel them while they wear proof that they are slaves. Avraham’s having placed Ishmael’s on Hagar’s shoulder was a clear sign that Hagar was a slave woman who was charged with carrying Ishmael (verse 14)

ויאמר...על הנער ועל אמתך, G’d knew that Avraham was not only displeased about Sarah’s request to expel Ishmael, but he was also chagrined at being asked to expel Hagar, his maid-servant. [described here as his servant rather than as Sarah’s servant. Ed.] Even though the Torah had only spelled out that Avraham had felt aggrieved on account of his son (verse 11), the reason why our text had mentioned only his son was that he was his principal concern. He was prepared to quarrel with Sarah about the future of his son, whereas he was not prepared to make the continued presence of Hagar an issue between them. G’d, however, knew how he really felt concerning Hagar.

Concerning the youth and concerning your maidservant: The Holy One, blessed be He, did not say, "concerning the maidservant and concerning her son" - as he is certainly his son. But the verdict was nevertheless with Sarah.

And he said: Based on this, God said to him, "Do not let it be bad in your eyes concerning the youth and concerning your maidservant." Since the main thing that was bad in your eyes was concerning the youth - and due to him, it was also bad in your eyes concerning your maidservant, as she is the mother of the youth - from this, it is understood that you consider him to be like your son. Therefore "listen to the voice (bekol) of Sarah" (it has been explained with me that listening bekol is to do like her words) - that if you think that he is your son who will inherit you like Yitzchak, it is a mistake. For it is only "through (lit., in) Yitzchak that your seed will be called" - as the heart and the treasure is only in Yitzchak, meaning in Yaakov who will be born from him. And the Sages, may their memory be blessed, said (Nedarim 31a), "'In Yitzchak,' and not all of Yitzchak." And they said that one who makes a vow [not to benefit] from the seed of Avraham is permitted [to benefit from] the seed of Yishmael and Esav, since they are not called by the name of Avraham but rather by the name of Yishmael and Esav. And if you are concerned about sending him away from you, lest he die of hunger or that which is similar, I promise you - even though he is the son of the maidservant and is not related to you but only to her, nevertheless - "I will make him into a nation," from the perspective "that he is your seed."

To the voice of prophecy that was within her. [Note: although this phrase is absent from our version of Rashi here, it parallels an extant comment of Rashi on 16:2.] Rashi deduced this because it could have said, “Listen to her words,” as it said before, “Regarding all that Sarah tells you.” Or [it could have said] שמע אליה, as in (Devarim 11:13): והיה אם שמוע תשמעו אל מצותי. Furthermore, a voice without words is just a meaningless sound. How could Avraham be told to obey a mere sound? Thus Rashi explains that it means the voice of prophecy. I.e., she did not say it on her own; it was the voice of prophecy. The expression יצאה בת קול is somewhat similar to this. And for this reason, כי שמעת לקול אשתך (3:17), written concerning Adam HaRishon, is interpreted in Bereishis Rabba 19:5 to mean that she was wailing over him with her voice. (R. Meir Stern)

שמע בקול, das wirkliche, reine Gehorchen wird durch שמוע בקול, nicht שמוע בדבר ausgedrückt: auf die Stimme eines andern hören, nicht bloß auf sein Wort; ihm gehorchen, weil er es gesagt, gleichgültig, was er gesagt. Höre auf Saras Stimme, folge ihr, wenn dir auch der Inhalt ihrer Worte nicht zusagt; verlasse dich auf ihr Urteil; sie fühlt es tiefer heraus, wie denn ja überhaupt Frauen einen tieferen Blick in die Charakterrichtung haben. — In Jizchak יקרא לך wird dir Samen genannt werden, Ismael (Raw Hirsch on Genesis 21: 13). זרעך הוא ist dein Same. Ismael stammt von dir, mag auch daher viel Materielles und manches Geistige von dir haben. Allein dein Sohn ge- nannt zu werden, ist er nicht würdig, dein geistiger Erbe kann er nicht sein. —

For it is through Yitzchak that your seed will be called: Your main seed is Yitzchak; that seed about which He said, "to you and to your seed will I give this land" (Genesis 13:15).

Listen to (be, literally, in) her voice: And He did not say, "listen to (le) her voice" - the implication of which [would be] that he should do like she said, like the language of Scripture above (Genesis 16:2), "And [Avram] listened to the voice of Sarai, his wife." But the implication of, "in her voice," is that he be precise and contemplate her words. And see what I have written on the Book of Deuteronomy 30:2, proving this intention.

כל אשר תאמר, this was not a carte blanche for Sarah except in the matter of Ishmael and Hagar. The point was that Ishmael was not to share in Avraham’ s heritage. כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, the promise I had given to you in 17,8 applies only to Yitzchok as he is the seed specifically yours.

ביצחק, nicht כי יצחק, wie die Weisen bemerken: nicht Jizchak, sondern in Jizchak wird dir Samen reifen. Lass es dir nicht allzuschwer und hart fallen, einen Sohn auszuscheiden; auch von Jizchak werden nicht alle deinem geistigen Erbe verbleiben, an dem besten Baume reifen nicht alle Früchte, und um für das Gottesvolk den rechten Samen rein zu gewinnen, wird noch mancher als untauglich ausscheiden müssen.

כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע, for your descendants will be known through Yitzchok, and Ishmael and his sons will be slaves to him. Ishmael will not be known historically for his being a son of Avraham.

For it is through Yitzchak that your seed will be called: Relative to Yitzchak, he is certainly not considered a son, as only he will be called your seed.