Commento su Genesi 16:13

אתה אל ראי THOU ART A GOD OF SEEING — The word is punctuated with a Chataph Kametz because it is a noun, and the meaning is “a God of seeing” — One who sees the humiliation to which people are subjected by others (Genesis Rabbah 45:10)

ותקרא שם ה, the meaning of the words ותקרא שם ה', is prayer. It refers to the kind of prayer in which one praises the Lord, or thanks Him. This prayer may be offered silently, in one's mind or with words. The source for this definition is found in Berachot 32: "as a rule a person should first address G'd by praising Him, before beginning to pray." [to tell G'd of his requests from Hi. Ed.] This thought is reflected in the inscription in most synagogues on the Holy Ark שויתי ה' לנגדי תמיד, "I am ever mindful of the Lord's presence" (Psalms 16,8) The word קרא for prayer is also found in Lamentations 3,55 קראתי שמך ה', "I have prayed to You o Lord," as well as in Psalms 79,6 ושמואל בקוראי שמו, "as well as the prophet Samuel who would pray (successfully) to Him." Also the well-known line כי שם ה' אקרא, (Deut. 32,3) is best translated as "for I will pray to the Lord," rather than as "I will proclaim the name of the Lord." Hagar's new insight, expressed by her saying אתה א-ל ראי, meant that whereas up until now she had assumed that revelations from G'd are confined to the house of Avram, she had now learned that G'd may reveal Himself in any location. This is in line with Baba Metzia 59 כל השערים ננעלו חוץ משערי דמעות, that although the gates of prayer have largely remained shut since the destruction of the Temple, the prayer of people complaining (shedding tears) of being dealt with unfairly by their fellow human beings have not been closed.

ותקרא, the reason why Hagar called G'd א-ל ראי, was that she oly realized in retrospect that she had been addressed by an angel, i.e. by an angel who brought her G'd's message. She had not previously believed that a human being could behold an angel with her physical eyes, a lesson also learned by Manoach in Judges 13,22. As soon as she notice how this messenger who had appeared to her in human garb disappeared in less time than it takes to blink an eye, she knew that that being had been an angel and she called out "you are the angel who manifests G'd's presence." She meant that she had seen a Divine being that is capable of being perceived as such by man. The construction "ro-i" is similar to the construction "o-ni" in Lamentation 3.1 or in "do-mi" in Psalms 83,2, or in Genesis 43,11, "tzo-ri."