Komentarz do Rodzaju 25:17

ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל וגו AND THESE ARE THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF ISHMAEL etc. —R. Chija the son of Abba asked: Why are the years of Ishmael enumerated? In order to trace through them the years of Jacob (i. e. the years in which the various incidents of his life happened). Calculating from the age of Ishmael (when he died) we may learn that Jacob attended at the School of Eber for fourteen years after he left his father and before he arrived at Laban’s house, for just when Jacob left his father Ishmael died, for it is said, (28:9) ‘‘So Esau went to Ishmael etc.”, as is explained in the Chapter Megilla Nikraath (Megillah 17a) (cf. Rashi on Genesis 28:9).

AND THESE ARE THE YEARS OF THE LIFE OF ISHMAEL. It appears plausible in line with the simple explanation that Scripture relates, in the case of the sons of the righteous, their generations and the number of their years in order to inform us that the seed of the righteous shall be blessed.¹⁸²See Psalms 112:2. However, it did not relate the number of Esau’s years for he outlived Jacob,¹⁸³See my Hebrew commentary, p. 42, Note 90. and the narrative was concluded with the death of Jacob. Hence, Scripture did not want to return to the life of Esau since it had already mentioned his generations in their appropriate place.¹⁸⁴Further, Chapter 36.
In the Midrash of our Rabbis¹⁸⁵Megillah 17 a; Bereshith Rabbah 62:8. there are many reasons for the Scriptural account of Ishmael’s years. The correct one among them is that he was righteous, a man of repentance, and Scripture tells of him as it does with all righteous people.

ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל, our sages, both in Megillah 17 and Yevamot 64 deal with the reason why the Torah thought it necessary to inform us of Ishmael’s age at his death. According to the plain meaning of the text, the Torah wrote this out of respect for Avraham. Seeing that the Torah had told us of Avraham’s age being 86 when he fathered Ishmael, and it also told us of Ishmael being 13 years of age when he underwent circumcision, it now concludes by telling us Ishmael’s age at his death.

ואלה, The Torah mentions Ishmael’s age at death also as a form of tribute to his father Avraham as we have already mentioned (verse 12). According to our sages in Megillah 17 this information also serves us to calculate how old Yaakov was during certain episodes which occurred during his life.

ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל, “these are the years that Ishmael lived, etc.” According to Nachmanides our sages offer a variety of reasons why the Torah bothered to go into such detail about the years of Ishmael, as well as his offspring. According to the plain meaning of the text the Torah details much about the lives of the righteous, their offspring, etc.; whereas it is sparse with information about the wicked, so that he have no data about how old Esau was when he died, although it is clear that he survived his twin Yaakov. The story of the patriarchs is considered closed with the death of Yaakov, so that no further reference is made to his brother.

Why are the years of Yishmael enumerated... Rashi is saying that שנה is written after each set [i.e., after hundreds, tens and ones] that it be expounded: “...To trace the years of Yaakov,” but not because all his years were equal in goodness [as it is expounded for Sarah and Avraham]. (Maharshal)

ויגוע AND HE EXPIRED — This expression — expiring — associated with a word denoting dying is only mentioned in the case of righteous people (Bava Batra 16b).

ויגוע, “he died.” Our sages have said that the formula combining ויגוע ויאסף is used only in connection with the righteous. When the term ויגוע is used without the word ויאסף אל עמיו following, this is an indication that the person concerned did not die as a righteous person. Nachmanides writes that the reason why the word גויעה means “death” is that it describes death not preceded b terminal sickness. When the word is accompanied further by the word וימת or ויאסף, it means that the individual thus described was a righteous person and that he died suddenly. When death is described as גויעה alone, it means the person concerned was a wicked person. Examples are the death of the people during the generation of the flood, and the death of the Jews in the desert as a result of the sin with the spies.

Expire is only used with the righteous. Although in 7:21 it says גויעה about the [wicked] generation of the Flood, it is explained in Bava Basra 16b that גויעה refers to the righteous only when it is written with ויאסף. And for the generation of the Flood it does not say ויאסף.

AND HE EXPIRED (‘VAYIGVA’). Rashi comments: “This expression — ‘expiring’ — is only mentioned in the case of righteous people.” But in the Gemara¹⁸⁶Baba Bathra 16b. The Gemara (teaching) constitutes the collected discussions of the Amoraim, centering around the Mishnah. The Mishnah and Gemara combined are known as the Talmud. the Rabbis objected, “But it says ‘expiring’ with reference to the generation of the flood: And all flesh expired that moved upon the earth, etc., and every man;¹⁸⁷Above, 7:21. Every thing that is in the earth shall expire.”¹⁸⁸Ibid., 6:17. And the Gemara answers: “We were referring to [those places where it mentions both] ‘expiring’ and ‘gathering,’” [as it says in the case of Abraham and in the present verse concerning Ishmael].
The intent of the Rabbis is that the expression “expiring” indicates death without prolonged sickness and without pains. This death is merited only by the righteous people, [and concerning their death both “expiring” and “gathering” are mentioned]. But the men of the generation of the flood, who were overthrown as in a moment, and no hands fell upon them,¹⁸⁹Lamentations 4:6. as also those who died in the desert — with them Scripture therefore mentions only “expiring”: when our brethren expired.¹⁹⁰Numbers 20:3. And so is the sense of the verse, And that man expired not alone in his iniquity,¹⁹¹Joshua 22:20. meaning that his iniquity did not cause him instant death. But when Scripture so mentions the term “expiring” in reference to death together with the word vayei’aseph (and he was gathered [unto his people]) or vayamoth (and he died), it hints to the death of the righteous ones.
In the words of Bereshith Rabbah,¹⁹²62:2. “And Abraham expired, and died,¹⁹³Verse 8 here. Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Ilai said, ‘The early pious men used to suffer with intestinal disease for about ten or twenty days before death, thus establishing the principle that illness cleanses from sin.’ Rabbi Yehudah said, ‘All who are said to have expired died of intestinal disease.’” There in Bereshith Rabbah the Rabbis also said,¹⁹⁴31:15. “Everything that is in the earth ‘yigva’¹⁸⁸Ibid., 6:17. — will shrivel.”
It would appear that to the Rabbis, the word gviyah (expiring) was analogous to Their flesh shall consume while they stand upon their feet.¹⁹⁵Zechariah 14:12. So also is the opinion of Onkelos who translated here ve’isnagid, meaning “fainting,” similar to the expressions: “isnagid (he became faint) and sighed”;¹⁹⁶Sanhedrin 39a. “You might think he may pay as a fine five negidim (emaciated) oxen.”¹⁹⁷Baba Kamma 67b. In case of a thief who makes restitution for stolen oxen. See Exodus 21:37. Now “you might think that if he stole an ox worth one hundred (weights in gold or silver) he may pay as a fine five oxen emaciated (‘and in near-dying condition’ - Rashi). It is for this reason that Scripture says (he shall pay five oxen) ‘tachtav’ “ — in its place. In other words each one of the five oxen must be equal in value to the stolen ox, “for otherwise he might pay him back five emaciated oxen which together will not equal even the value of the one stolen” (Meiri, Baba Kamma ibid.). It is so said in the case of the flood, as Scripture states, And He blotted out every being.¹⁹⁸Above 7:23. Ramban’s intent here is to be understood in the light of what he has written above on that verse: “And He blotted out every living substance…” After having said, And all flesh perished (‘vayigva’), and having said, whatever was in the dry land, died, Scripture continues to say, “And He blotted out, meaning etc.”(see above p. 112). Here in discussing the meaning of the word gviyah. Ramban brings proof to his theory that gviyah in itself does not mean death but fainting, emaciation, etc. For it is on this basis that we can understand why after having said ‘vayigva’ all flesh Scripture continued to inform us further that it died and was blotted out, since these facts are not included in the term of gviyah. And in the case of Ishmael it is stated in the verse before us: And he expired and died, as a man who is powerless and dies, and this is the measure¹⁹⁹“A measure.” In the Lisbon edition of Ramban: “the death.” meted out to righteous people.²⁰⁰For since in the present verse concerning Ishmael it says both “expired” and “died” the reference must be to the death of a righteous person, as explained in the text above. “It is based upon this (double expression) that the Sages of blessed memory have said that Ishmael repented of his evil ways” (Bachya, p. 219 in my edition).
Toldoth

ויאסף אל עמיו, “he was gathered in to his people.” Ibn Ezra writes that (according to some) this is a description of the honour being paid to the soul of the deceased. While the relatives are busy with interring the physical remains of the deceased, his soul meanwhile rises to the celestial regions, this being the first time that body and soul are each going their separate ways. Others claim that there is no ulterior meaning to this formulation but that it described the deceased now starting the journey to join his forebears, having already followed in their footsteps while still here on earth. This is what G’d promised Avraham when He said to him: “ואתה תבוא אל אבותיך בשלום, “but you will join your fathers in peace.”(prior to the commencement of the 400 years of being strangers or enslaved, Genesis 15,15)