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.