Midrash sobre Gênesis 25:2

(Gen. 25:19:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISAAC BEN ABRAHAM.¹Except for most of the last section (# 24), Toledot is not found in Buber’s Oxford MS. Buber has filled in the gap mostly from Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34. This text is related (to Prov. 17:6): GRANDCHILDREN ARE A CROWN FOR ELDERS, AND THE GLORY OF CHILDREN IS THEIR PARENTS.²Cf. Gen. R. 63:2; Tanh., Gen. 6:4. Who caused Abraham to be magnified? Jacob, as stated (in Is. 29:22): THUS SAYS THE LORD UNTO THE HOUSE OF JACOB, WHICH REDEEMED ABRAHAM. Why? Because, if one is meritorious as a Torah scholar together with his son and his grandson, it will never again be cut off from him. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 4:9f.): AND MAKE THEM (the statutes and ordinances) KNOWN TO YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AS ON THE DAY THAT YOU STOOD < BEFORE THE LORD YOUR GOD AT HOREB >. Just as the gift of < the > Torah did not become cease on the day it was given; so for one who teaches his son and his grandson Torah, it shall never again depart from him. And so it was when the Holy One saw Abraham was busy with the Torah. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 26:5): BECAUSE ABRAHAM HEEDED MY VOICE < AND KEPT MY CHARGE: MY COMMANDMENTS, MY STATUTES, AND MY LAWS >. It is also written (above, in 18:19): FOR I HAVE KNOWN HIM. Then Jacob arose up and did not move from the Torah, as stated (in Gen. 25:27): BUT JACOB WAS A PERFECT MAN WHO SAT IN THE TENTS (i.e., in the academies).³For this interpretation, see Gen. R. 63:10; Targum Onqelos, Gen. 25:27; PRK 5:7. What stipulation did the Holy One make with them? (According to Josh. 1:8:) < THIS > BOOK OF THE LAW SHALL NOT DEPART < FROM YOUR MOUTH >…. It is also written (in Prov. 10:1): A WISE SON SHALL MAKE A FATHER GLAD. This is Isaac, since it is stated (in Gen. 21:12): FOR IN ISAAC SHALL YOUR SEED BE NAMED. (Prov. 10:1, cont.:) BUT A FOOLISH SON. This is Ishmael. Thus it is written (in Gen. 25:12): NOW THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL BEN ABRAHAM. There are children who suffer disgrace through their parents. Josiah suffered disgrace through his father, as stated (in II Chron. 33:23): FOR AMON INCURRED A LOT OF GUILT. Hezekiah suffered disgrace through < his father > Ahaz, as stated (in Is. 8:16): BIND UP THE TESTIMONY.⁴According to Gen. R. 42:3; Lev. R. 11:7; Ruth R., proem 7; and Esther R., proem 11, this verse alludes to Ahaz, who had seized (ahaz) the synagogues and the academies. There are also parents who suffer disgrace through their children. Eli suffered disgrace through his sons, [as stated (in I Sam. 2:12): NOW ELI'S SONS WERE SCOUNDRELS. And Samuel also suffered disgrace through his sons], as stated (in I Sam. 8:3): BUT HIS SONS DID NOT WALK IN HIS WAYS. It did not, however, turn out in this way for Abraham. Instead he was magnified through Isaac, as stated (in Gen. 25:19, cont.): ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC. Did he sire no one but Isaac? Now look, it is written {(in Gen. 25:19): THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL.} [(in Gen. 16:15): SO HAGAR BORE A SON TO ABRAM.] And in addition < there are > the sons of Keturah: Zimran and Jokshan, < etc. > (cf. Gen. 25:2). But it does not say that Abraham sired anyone but Isaac, simply because Isaac was righteous. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 25:19): ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC.

(Gen. 25:1:) THEN ABRAHAM TOOK AN ADDITIONAL³⁹Again the translation of the verse has been changed to fit the midrashic context. WIFE. This text is related (to Job 8:7): THOUGH YOUR BEGINNING WAS TRIFLING, YOUR END SHALL GREATLY FLOURISH. R. Simeon ben Laqish said in the name of R. Eleazar: You learn from here that an addition of the Holy One is more than the original.⁴⁰Below, 7:20; see Gen. R. 61:4. Abraham had previously sired no one but Isaac. When the Holy One made an addition for him, he made his addition < even > more, as stated (in Gen. 25:2): AND SHE BORE HIM < ZIMRAN, JOKSHAN, MEDAN, MIDIAN, ISHBAK, AND SHUAH >. Thus you find in the case of the first Adam that when < Eve > gave birth, she bore Cain (Gen. 4:1). Then afterwards (in Gen. 4:2): AND IN ADDITION SHE BORE < HIS BROTHER ABEL >. And so you find in the case of Rachel that she bore Joseph and said (in Gen. 30:24): MAY THE LORD ADD ANOTHER SON FOR ME. He added Benjamin for her and his twin sister. Where is it shown to be so? Here (in Gen. 35:17), < where > "This is a son for you" is not written, but FOR THIS ALSO IS A SON FOR YOU. And so you find in the case of King Hezekiah, all the days of his reign were fourteen years; but when the Holy One made an addition for him, he added fifteen years. (Is. 38:5; cf. II Kings 20:6:) SEE, I AM ADDING [FIFTEEN YEARS] TO YOUR LIFE. Now when the prophets saw that an addition of the Holy One was more than the original, they began to bless Israel with an addition. Moses said (in Deut. 1:11): MAY THE LORD [GOD OF YOUR ANCESTORS] ADD TO YOUR NUMBERS A THOUSAND TIMES [MORE THAN YOU ARE]…. David said (in Ps. 115:14): MAY THE LORD ADD TO YOUR NUMBERS. Also in the world to come the Holy One has procured an addition (rt.: YSP) for his people, as stated (in Is. 11:11): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THAT DAY, THE LORD WILL EXTEND (rt.: YSP) HIS HAND A SECOND TIME < TO PROCURE THE REST OF HIS PEOPLE >.

Another explanation of Keturah (is): because her actions were beautiful like incense, and she bare him six sons, and they were all called according to the name of Ishmael, as it is said, "And she bare him Zimran (Gen. 25:2).

And her name was Keturah: Rav said, "She is Hagar." Rabbi Nechemiah said to him, "And is it not written, 'he added.'" He said to him, "[That signifies that] he [now] married her according to the [Divine] word; like that which you say (Isaiah 8), 'And the Lord added to speak to me more.'" He said to him, "And is it not written, 'And her name was Keturah?'" He said to him, "[It is] since she was fragrant (mekuteret) with commandments and good deeds." He said to him, "And is it not written, 'And to the sons of the concubines that Avraham had?'" He said, "It is [actually] written, 'concubine' (in the singular, such that there only be one concubine - Hagar)." "While he was still alive (chai)" - [this is a reference to] the one that sat by the well and said to the Life (chai) of the worlds, "Look at my embarrassment!" Rabbi Berakhia said, "Even though you say (Genesis 21:14), 'and she went and strayed in the wilderness, etc., [such that] you would say that she was suspected with any [other man]; hence we learn to say, 'And her name was Keturah' - like a type of knot (ketur) like this, [with which] he seals a storehouse and opens it with a seal, [that is] tied and sealed." Bar Kapra said, "The addition of the Holy One, blessed be He, is greater than the main part: Kayin was was the main part and as a result of Hevel being the addition - as it is is written (Genesis 4:2), 'And she added to give birth' - he and his two twins were born; Yosef was the main part, and as a result of it being written, addition, with Binyamin, he established ten [children], as it is written (Genesis 46:21), ' And the children of Binyamin were Bela and Becher, etc.'; Er was the main part, and as a result of Shelah being [born] with the language of addition, he established ten [courts], behold, it is written in I Chronicles 4:21, 'And the sons of Shelah the son of Yehudah were Er, the father (a term that is also used for the head of a court) of Lecha, and Ladah, the father of Maresha, and the families of the house Avodat HaButs of the house of Ashbea'; the main part of the years of Iyov were only seventy years, [and] one hundred and forty years were added to him, as it is written (Job 42:16), 'And Iyov lived after this one hundred and forty years'; the main part of the reign of Chizkiyahu was only fourteen years, and fifteen years were added to him, as it states (Isaiah 38:), 'behold, I will add fifteen years to your days; Yishmael is the main part, and as a result of the children of Keturah being [born] with the language of addition, 'And she gave birth for him to Zimran, etc.'"