Midrash su Genesi 21:8

(Ib. b) R. Avira expounded sometimes in the name of R. Ami, and at other times, in the name of R. Assi: "What is the meaning of the passage (Gen. 21, 8) And the child grew and was weaned; i.e., in the future, the Holy One, praised be He! will make a banquet for the righteous on the day He will show kindness unto the children of Isaac. After they will have eaten and partaken of drink, a cup of wine will be given to Abraham on which to recite the Grace, and they will say to him: 'Say the Grace.' Abraham's reply will be, 'I shall not recite the Grace, because Ishmael went forth from me.' They will give it [the honor of reciting grace] to Isaac, and he will say, 'I am not tit to recite the Grace, because Esau went forth from me.' They will then give it to Jacob, who will refuse, saying, 'I am not fit to recite the Grace, because I married two sisters at one time, and this the Torah was destined to prohibit.' They will then apply to Moses, saying, 'You take it and recite the Grace,' but Moses will say, 'I shall not recite the Grace because I did not merit to enter the land of Israel neither alive nor dead.' They will then say to Joshua, 'You take it and recite the Grace,' but he also will refuse, saying to them, 'I shall not recite the Grace, because I did not merit to have a son,' as it is written (I Chr. 7, 27) Nun, his son, and Joshua, his son. So they will turn unto David and say to him, 'You take it and recite the Grace.' Whereupon he will say, 'Yea, I shall recite the Grace and it befits me so to do,' as it is said (Ps. 11, 13) The cup of salvation will I lift up and on the name of the Lord will I call.'"

Trials. Abraham said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, if You had made the generation of the flood feel secure, they would not have angered You or rebelled against You by saying: Depart from us (Job 21:14). Thereupon, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I shall begin with you (to try men). And He tried him through his son (who was to be offered as a sacrifice), as it is written: And the child grew, and was weaned, etc. (Gen. 21:8).

Abraham was first with aging,⁶⁶BM 87a; Gen. R. 65:9; 97 (Vatican MS) on Gen. 48:1 (= pp. 1241—1243 in the Theodor-Albeck edition); Tanh., Gen. 5:1; PRE 52. See also above, 5:5. with trials, with an inn,⁶⁷Gk.: pandokeion. and with a legatum.⁶⁸The Latin word means “bequest.”
• With aging: When the father and the son would enter a city, no one knew whom to honor. The Holy One said: By your life, I am beginning < the aging process > with you, as stated (in Gen. 24:1): NOW ABRAHAM WAS AGED.⁶⁹Heb.: zaqen. In Scripture (Gen. 18:11) Abraham and Sarah are the first persons to whom this word is applied.
• With trials: Where is it shown? Abraham said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, if you had not given contentment to the generation of the flood, they would not have provoked you to anger. But, if you had brought trials upon them, they would not have rebelled against you. The Holy One said to him: With you I am beginning to have one suffer trials through his child. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 21:8.): SO THE CHILD (Isaac) GREW AND WAS WEANED.⁷⁰The passage goes on to show how the weaning led in vs. 11 to Abraham being distressed. {R. Joshua} [R. Osha'ya] and R. Abbin differed.⁷¹Gen. R. 53:10. The one said that he was weaned from trials. The other said that he was weaned from the evil drive to the good drive.
• With an inn, according to what is written (in Gen. 21:33): AND AT BEER-SHEBA HE PLANTED AN ESHEL, i.e., an inn.⁷²Eshel, which is commonly translated here as “tamarisk tree,” can also mean “inn.” Gen. R. 54:6; Sot. 10a.
• With a legatum {i.e., a gift}: Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 25:6): BUT TO ABRAHAM'S SONS BY CONCUBINES ABRAHAM GAVE GIFTS.

(Gen. 35:9:) NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN…. This text is related (to Eccl. 7:2): IT IS BETTER TO GO UNTO A HOUSE OF MOURNING < THAN UNTO A HOUSE OF FEASTING >…. R. Simeon bar Abba said: There are two ways to be charitable, to be charitable with a bride and with the dead. If both of these < opportunities > should present themselves to you, you would not know which of them to seize first. Solomon came and explained (in Eccl. 7:2): IT IS BETTER TO GO INTO THE HOUSE OF MOURNING < THAN UNTO A HOUSE OF FEASTING >…. We have found that, when people have gone to the house of feasting, their names were not specified; but, when people have gone to the house of mourning, they have been excluded from Gehinnom, their names have been specified, and they have prophesied through the Holy Spirit.⁷⁵Eccl.R. 7:2:4. So who were those who entered the house of feasting? It is written (in Gen. 21:8): SO THE CHILD (Isaac) GREW AND WAS WEANED, AND ABRAHAM MADE A GREAT FEAST. What is the meaning of GREAT? It teaches that Shem, Eber, and Abimelech were there; but their names were not specified.⁷⁶Cf. Gen. R. 53:10. However, the names of those who went to the house of mourning {Job and his friends} were excluded from Gehinnom and the Holy Spirit rested upon them, i.e., upon Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. And the Holy Spirit rested upon them, in that it is stated (in Job 4:1): THEN ANSWERED ELIPHAZ THE TEMANITE. Now he would only have answered in the language of prophecy. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 19:19): MOSES SPOKE, AND GOD ANSWERED HIM IN THUNDER.⁷⁷See also ySot. 7:2 (21c). Ergo: IT IS BETTER TO GO INTO THE HOUSE OF MOURNING < THAN INTO A HOUSE OF FEASTING >…. And who was the first to show his face [as a mourner]. See, the Holy One says < when >. When? When Deborah died, as stated (in Gen. 35:8): THEN < REBEKAH'S NURSE > DEBORAH DIED < AND WAS BURIED UNDER THE OAK BELOW BETHEL; AND ITS NAME WAS CALLED WEEPING OAK >. And it is written (in vs. 9): NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN … < AND BLESSED HIM >.⁷⁸According to below, 8:26; Eccl. 7:2:3, the Holy One blessed him with a benediction for mourners.

Rabbi said: Abraham did not delay aught with reference to all (things) which He commanded him, as it is said, "And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised" (Gen. 17:12); and when Isaac was born, (and when) he was eight days old (Abraham) brought him to be circumcised, as it is said, "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old" (Gen. 21:4). Hence thou mayest learn that everyone who brings his son for circumcision is as though (he were) a high priest bringing his meal offering and his drink offering upon the top of the altar. Hence the sages said: A man is bound to make festivities and a banquet on that day when he has the merit of having his son circumcised, like Abraham our father, who circumcised his son, as it is said, "And Abraham circumcised || his son Isaac" (ibid.).

AND SARAH SAW THE SON OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN etc - Rabbi Shimeon bar Yohai said: Rabbi Akiva used to interpret this to his [Ishmael’s] shame, Rabbi Akiba lectured: AND SARAH SAW [THE SON OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN, WHOM SHE HAD BORNE TO AVRAHAM, MAKING SPORT.] Now 'making sport' refers to nothing else but sexual immorality, as in the verse, "The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to make sport of me. (Gen. 39:17). This teaches that Sarah saw Ishmael ravish maidens, seduced married women and dishonored them. R. Ishmael taught: This term 'making sport' refers to idolatry, as in the verse, "And the people sat to eat and drink and got up to make sport' (Exodus 32:6). This teaches that Sarah saw Ishmael build altars, catch locusts, and sacrifice them. R. Eleazar said: The term 'making sport' refers to bloodshed, as in the verse, "Let the young men, please, arise and make sport before us" (II Sam. 2:14) Rabbi Azariah said in Rabbi Levi’s name: Ishmael said to Isaac: 'Let us go and see our pieces in the field' and he would pick up the bow and shoot arrows, aiming in Itzchak's direction, while pretending to be playing (making sport), as it is written: "as a madman who casts fire-brands, arrows, and death; so is the man that deceives his neighbor, and said: 'I am just joking (making sport)'. And I [Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai] say that this is to be interpreted to the praise [of Ishmael]. This expression of making sport is only used as 'inheritance'. In the moment that Itzchak our father was born all were happy. Ishmael said to them: are you dumb? I am the first-born, I am going to receive double portion [of the inheritance], that from the answer of Sarah our mother to Avraham 'because the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Itzchak' you learn that he would not inherit 'with my son' - even if he wasn't Itzchak - and 'with Itzchak' - even if he wasn't my son. All the more so [this is true] 'with my son, with Itzchak'.