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.