פירוש על בראשית 17:18

לו ישמעאל יחיה means O THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE: I am unworthy to receive such a reward!

‘LU’ (O) THAT ISHMAEL MIGHT LIVE BEFORE THEE. The meaning of this word lu everywhere is as the word im (if), and it is also found combined in the word lulei, which means “if not.” [The Hebrew word lulei, ordinarily written with a yud at the end] is sometimes written with an aleph at the end.⁴⁴⁹See Hebrew text of Scripture, ibid., 43:10. It is also combined into the form of ilu, as in the verses: ‘Ve’ilu’ (But if) we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen;⁴⁵⁰Esther 7:4. ‘Ve’ilu’ (And if) a thousand years twice told.⁴⁵¹Ecclesiastes 6:6. The purport of this word ilu is “even if,” and its meaning is as if it said, “if if,” the double use of the word being for the purpose of emphasis, as in the expressions: Is it only through Moses alone;⁴⁵²Numbers 12:2. The words “only” and “alone” (harak; ach) are redundant and used for emphasis. Was it because there were no graves;⁴⁵³Exodus 14:11. The Hebrew words hamibli ein are both negatives. Again the redundancy is for special emphasis. and other similar cases. Abraham thus said: “If Ishmael live before Thee, I will be pleased with this blessing with which Thou hast blessed me, namely, with seed from Sarah.” For since He promised him at first, One born of your own body is to be your heir,⁴⁵⁴Above, 15:4. and the heir was to be one person, he [Abraham] had thought that this referred to Ishmael. But now that he was told that he will beget a child from Sarah and he understood that this child was to be the heir, he feared lest Ishmael die. Therefore, he said this: [O that Ishmael might live before Thee].
Live before Thee. Rashi explained: “Live in reverence of Thee, similar in meaning to Walk before Me,⁴⁵⁵Verse 1 here. which Onkelos renders, ‘Worship Me.’” But this is not correct, since He said, And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee.⁴⁵⁶Verse 20 here. If the sense of Abraham’s prayer is, as Rashi explained, that Ishmael live in reverence of G-d, how could G-d assure him of that, since, as the Sages express it, “Everything is by hand of Heaven except the fear of Heaven,” (Berachoth 33 b) which is in the hands of man to be determined by his free choice. (Mizrachi.) Instead, its meaning is that he live and his seed will always exist.

ויאמר אברהם…לו ישמעאל יחיה לפניך. Abraham said…. "if only Ishmael will live (a righteous life) before You." Abraham prayed that Ishmael should enjoy divine assistance to live as a righteous person. The term "to live before You" is the source for the righteous being called "alive" in our rabbinic literature. Abraham "borrowed" a phrase from Deut. 4,11 where the Torah describes the fact that the Jewish people were "alive" at that time as due to their having cleaved to G'd. Abraham saw the need to pray for this as he had observed negative character tendencies in Ishmael (who was still a minor). Had Ishmael been truly wicked at that time, Abraham, though prejudiced as his father, would have been aware of such wickedness, just as any other righteous person could perceive such things. We have explained in connection with 15,2-3 that Abraham had worried about a son of his not being worthy because G'd described his seeds as comparable to dust. At this point Abraham prayed that Ishmael would turn out to be worthy.

ויאמר ... לו ישמעאל, he meant to say that he would be content if Ishmael whom G'd had granted him, a gift he considered an extremem act of loving kindness on the part of g'd, would live a meritorious life, abiding by G'd's wishes. יחיה, a life in the full sense of word, that he would have children, would multiply and generally be an asset and a credit to his father. If Ishmael were to develop in this manner, G'd could keep his promise to Avraham to give the land of Canaan to his descendants. (compare 12,7) That prophecy would then be fulfilled by means of Ishmael.

לו ישמעאל יחיה לפניך, “if only Ishmael would live in awe of You.” According to Nachmanides what Avraham meant was that if Ishmael would live and not die prematurely. He had been under the impression up until now that seeing G’d had promised him זרע, seed, in the singular, that he would only have one child. Now that G’d promised him a son by Sarah, he was afraid that this might imply that Ishmael would die. He therefore said to G’d that he wished to accept a blessing of a son by Sarah only if it did not mean that Ishmael would die. Rashi views the word לפניך as “in awe of G’d.” Avraham prayed that Ishmael would be a G’d-fearing individual. This interpretation is not tenable, as history shows that contrary to G’d’s promise “I have accepted your prayer concerning Ishmael,” the latter did not live the life of a G’d fearing individual. The meaning of Avraham’s prayer concerning Ishmael must therefore be that his future would be ongoing, that the nation he would found would not die out.

I am unworthy to receive such a reward. I.e., the verse does not mean that Avraham was displeased by the promise of Yitzchok’s birth.

Das erste Gefühl war ein heiteres, der zweite Gedanke ein schmerzlicher. Wie wenig muss doch das bereits vorhandene Kind tauglich sein, dass es zur Begründung der verheißenen Zukunft, die ja auch nur von einem Kinde getragen werden soll, einer solchen Überwältigung und Umwandlung der natürlichen Verhältnisse bedarf! Daher die Äußerung: לו ישמעאל יחיה לפניך, möchte doch Ismael vor deinem Angesichte leben können! Möchte er doch die Verheißung forttragen, deiner Anforderung, להתהלך לפניך, genügen, wenigstens zum Teil genügen, an der Verheißung Anteil haben, wenn auch nicht wandeln vor deinem Angesichte, doch wenigstens leben vor deinem Angesichte! — לו (von לוה, ientlehnen): Ausdruck für das Erbitten eines Gegenstandes, oder eines Zugeständnisses, eigentlich "Gewähre mir!" oder "Gib mir zu!" also entweder Wunsch wie hier, oder ein Heischesatz, so viel als: angenommen, dass —, einmal angenommen, es würde usw. wie לו ישטמנו יוסף u.f.

יחיה לפניך LIVE BEFORE THEE — live in reverence of thee; similar in sense is Genesis 17:1, התהלך לפני, which Onkelos renders by “worship Me”.

That he live in fear of You ... You might ask: How could Avraham pray for fear of Heaven? It is stated in Megillah 25a, “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for fear of Heaven”! The answer is: Avraham prayed only that Yishmael should live. Whereas “Before You” conveys that it is good for Yishmael to live in fear of You. [But Re’m explains that it is indeed] two requests: First, that Yishmael should live, and second, to have fear of Him. For otherwise, why does it say לפניך? But the Nachalas Yaakov says: It seems to me that “In fear of You” means: if Yishmael will be righteous [then I pray he should live]. But if he will be wicked, I do not intervene on behalf of the wicked, and have no request.