וַיַּ֨עַשׂ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ מִשְׁתֶּ֣ה גָד֗וֹל לְכָל־שָׂרָיו֙ וַעֲבָדָ֔יו אֵ֖ת מִשְׁתֵּ֣ה אֶסְתֵּ֑ר וַהֲנָחָ֤ה לַמְּדִינוֹת֙ עָשָׂ֔ה וַיִּתֵּ֥ן מַשְׂאֵ֖ת כְּיַ֥ד הַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
왕이 크게 잔치를 베푸니 이는 에스더를 위한 잔치라 모든 방백과 신복을 향응하고 또 각 도의 세금을 면제하고 왕의 풍부함을 따라 크게 상 주니라
Bereshit Rabbah
“Sarah said: God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh for me” (Genesis 21:6).
“Sarah said: God has made laughter for me” – Rabbi Berekhya ben Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shmuel ben Rabbi Yitzḥak: When Reuben is rejoicing, why should Simeon care? So, Sarah was remembered, why should others care? The explanation is that when Sarah was remembered [by conceiving], many [other] barren women were remembered [they conceived] with her, many deaf people gained their hearing, many blind people had their eyes opened, many imbeciles gained intelligence. ‘Making’ is written here24“God has made laughter for me.” and ‘making’ is written elsewhere: “He made abatement for the provinces” (Esther 2:18). Just as with the ‘making’ stated there, gifts were given to the world, so, too, the ‘making’ stated here was a gift to the world. Rabbi Levi said: An addition was made to the [heavenly] lights.25The sun shone especially brightly on that day, as a sign of the birth of the great saint. ‘Making’ is stated here: “Has made…for me,” and elsewhere it is stated: “The Lord made the two lights” (Genesis 1:16).
“Sarah said: God has made laughter for me” – Rabbi Berekhya ben Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shmuel ben Rabbi Yitzḥak: When Reuben is rejoicing, why should Simeon care? So, Sarah was remembered, why should others care? The explanation is that when Sarah was remembered [by conceiving], many [other] barren women were remembered [they conceived] with her, many deaf people gained their hearing, many blind people had their eyes opened, many imbeciles gained intelligence. ‘Making’ is written here24“God has made laughter for me.” and ‘making’ is written elsewhere: “He made abatement for the provinces” (Esther 2:18). Just as with the ‘making’ stated there, gifts were given to the world, so, too, the ‘making’ stated here was a gift to the world. Rabbi Levi said: An addition was made to the [heavenly] lights.25The sun shone especially brightly on that day, as a sign of the birth of the great saint. ‘Making’ is stated here: “Has made…for me,” and elsewhere it is stated: “The Lord made the two lights” (Genesis 1:16).
Bereshit Rabbah
“The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned” (Genesis 21:8).
“The child grew and was weaned” – Rabbi Hoshaya the Great said: He was weaned from the evil inclination. The Rabbis say: He was weaned from his milk.
“Abraham made a great feast” – Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [This means that] the Great One of all worlds was present there. Rabbi Yudan bar Masparta said: “The king made a great feast” (Esther 2:18) – the great leaders of the world were there. That is what is written: “As the Lord will return to rejoice over you for good” (Deuteronomy 30:9) – in the days of Mordekhai and Esther, “as He rejoiced over your fathers” (Deuteronomy 30:9) – in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: “A great feast” – a feast of all the great people; Og and all the great men were there. They said to Og: ‘Did you not used to say: Abraham is a like barren mule and cannot beget a child?’ He said to them: ‘Now, what is his gift [Isaac], is it not puny? If I place my finger on him I could crush him.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Why are you disparaging his gift? By your life, you will [live to] see thousands upon thousands and myriads upon myriads emerging from his grandchildren, but that man [you, Og] will meet his end only by his hand,’ as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand…” (Numbers 21:34). It is as Rabbi Levi said: A cradle was rocked first only in the house of Abraham our patriarch.29Babies used to be born strong enough not to require a cradle. Isaac was the first child who required a cradle. That is why Og mocked his puniness.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Menaḥama said: Those sixty-two kings that Joshua killed, all of them were at the feast of Abraham our patriarch. But were they not thirty-one?30See Joshua 12:24. It is, rather, like what Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Parnakh said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: “The king of Jericho, one, [the king of Ai one, etc.]” (Joshua 12:9) — Why does the verse state: “One” [after each of the kings]? The explanation is that it refers to him and his viceroy.
“The child grew and was weaned” – Rabbi Hoshaya the Great said: He was weaned from the evil inclination. The Rabbis say: He was weaned from his milk.
“Abraham made a great feast” – Rabbi Yuda ben Rabbi Simon said: [This means that] the Great One of all worlds was present there. Rabbi Yudan bar Masparta said: “The king made a great feast” (Esther 2:18) – the great leaders of the world were there. That is what is written: “As the Lord will return to rejoice over you for good” (Deuteronomy 30:9) – in the days of Mordekhai and Esther, “as He rejoiced over your fathers” (Deuteronomy 30:9) – in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: “A great feast” – a feast of all the great people; Og and all the great men were there. They said to Og: ‘Did you not used to say: Abraham is a like barren mule and cannot beget a child?’ He said to them: ‘Now, what is his gift [Isaac], is it not puny? If I place my finger on him I could crush him.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Why are you disparaging his gift? By your life, you will [live to] see thousands upon thousands and myriads upon myriads emerging from his grandchildren, but that man [you, Og] will meet his end only by his hand,’ as it is stated: “The Lord said to Moses: Do not fear him, for I have delivered him into your hand…” (Numbers 21:34). It is as Rabbi Levi said: A cradle was rocked first only in the house of Abraham our patriarch.29Babies used to be born strong enough not to require a cradle. Isaac was the first child who required a cradle. That is why Og mocked his puniness.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Menaḥama said: Those sixty-two kings that Joshua killed, all of them were at the feast of Abraham our patriarch. But were they not thirty-one?30See Joshua 12:24. It is, rather, like what Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Ḥelbo, and Rabbi Parnakh said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: “The king of Jericho, one, [the king of Ai one, etc.]” (Joshua 12:9) — Why does the verse state: “One” [after each of the kings]? The explanation is that it refers to him and his viceroy.
Bereshit Rabbah
“Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she bore to Abraham, playing” (Genesis 21:9).
“She said to Abraham: Banish this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Isaac” (Genesis 21:10).
“Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian” – Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: Rabbi Akiva used to say something derogatory regarding this, but I say something complimentary regarding it. Rabbi Akiva expounded: “Sarah saw [the son of Hagar…playing [metzaḥek]]” – metzaḥek is nothing other than sexual immorality, just as it says: “The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us came to me to play with [letzaḥek] me” (Genesis 39:17). It teaches that our matriarch Sarah would see Ishmael force himself on women, trap married women, and violate them.
It is taught: Rabbi Yishmael says: This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than idol worship, as it is stated: “The people sat to eat and drink and they rose to revel [letzaḥek]” (Exodus 32:6). It teaches that our matriarch Sarah would see Ishmael building altars, trapping grasshoppers, and sacrificing [them] upon them.
Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than an expression of bloodshed, as it says: “Let the lads rise now and play [visaḥaku] before us” (II Samuel 2:14). Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Ishmael said to Isaac: ‘Let us go and see our portion in the field.’ Ishmael would then take a bow and arrows and shoot toward Isaac, conducting himself as though he was [just] playing. That is what is written: “Like the prankster who shoots firebrands, [arrows, and death], so is a man who deceives his friend, and says: Am I not joking?” (Proverbs 26:18–19).
But I [Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai] say something complimentary regarding it. This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than an expression of inheritance. When our patriarch Isaac was born, everyone was rejoicing. Ishmael said to them: ‘You are fools. I am the firstborn and I will inherit twice as much.’ From Sarah’s response to Abraham: “For the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Isaac,” you may learn this.31Sarah said that the reason she wanted Yishmael banished was connected to the issue of inheritance.
“For…will not inherit with my son” – even if he were not Isaac, and “he will not inherit…with Isaac” – even if he were not my son; all the more so “with my son, with Isaac.”
“She said to Abraham: Banish this maidservant and her son, for the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Isaac” (Genesis 21:10).
“Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian” – Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: Rabbi Akiva used to say something derogatory regarding this, but I say something complimentary regarding it. Rabbi Akiva expounded: “Sarah saw [the son of Hagar…playing [metzaḥek]]” – metzaḥek is nothing other than sexual immorality, just as it says: “The Hebrew slave whom you brought to us came to me to play with [letzaḥek] me” (Genesis 39:17). It teaches that our matriarch Sarah would see Ishmael force himself on women, trap married women, and violate them.
It is taught: Rabbi Yishmael says: This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than idol worship, as it is stated: “The people sat to eat and drink and they rose to revel [letzaḥek]” (Exodus 32:6). It teaches that our matriarch Sarah would see Ishmael building altars, trapping grasshoppers, and sacrificing [them] upon them.
Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than an expression of bloodshed, as it says: “Let the lads rise now and play [visaḥaku] before us” (II Samuel 2:14). Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Ishmael said to Isaac: ‘Let us go and see our portion in the field.’ Ishmael would then take a bow and arrows and shoot toward Isaac, conducting himself as though he was [just] playing. That is what is written: “Like the prankster who shoots firebrands, [arrows, and death], so is a man who deceives his friend, and says: Am I not joking?” (Proverbs 26:18–19).
But I [Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai] say something complimentary regarding it. This expression of tzeḥok is nothing other than an expression of inheritance. When our patriarch Isaac was born, everyone was rejoicing. Ishmael said to them: ‘You are fools. I am the firstborn and I will inherit twice as much.’ From Sarah’s response to Abraham: “For the son of this maidservant will not inherit with my son, with Isaac,” you may learn this.31Sarah said that the reason she wanted Yishmael banished was connected to the issue of inheritance.
“For…will not inherit with my son” – even if he were not Isaac, and “he will not inherit…with Isaac” – even if he were not my son; all the more so “with my son, with Isaac.”