Category Archives: Bereshit 16:1-13

Lech L’cha (Bereshit 16: 1-13) בראשית טז א- יג

Leave a reply

Download the text here:  Word word-doc-icon  PDF  pdf-icon

Bereshit 16: 1-13

   בראשית טז א– יג
1. Sarai, Avram’s wife, had not borne [children] to him. She had an Egyptian maid, her name was Hagar.

א וְשָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם לֹא יָלְדָה לוֹ וְלָהּ שִׁפְחָה מִצְרִית וּשְׁמָהּ הָגָר:
2. And Sarai said to Avram, “Behold now, God has held me back from bearing; please come in to my maid; perhaps I will be built up [with sons] from her.” And Abram hearkened to Sarai’s voice.

ב וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרַי אֶל אַבְרָם הִנֵּה נָא עֲצָרַנִי יְהֹוָה מִלֶּדֶת בֹּא נָא אֶל שִׁפְחָתִי אוּלַי אִבָּנֶה מִמֶּנָּה וַיִּשְׁמַע אַבְרָם לְקוֹל שָׂרָי:
3. Sarai, Avram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, at the end of ten years of Avram’s living [dwelling] in the land of Canaan, and she gave her to her husband Avram for a wife.

ג וַתִּקַּח שָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם אֶת הָגָר הַמִּצְרִית שִׁפְחָתָהּ מִקֵּץ עֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים לְשֶׁבֶת אַבְרָם בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן וַתִּתֵּן אֹתָהּ לְאַבְרָם אִישָׁהּ לוֹ לְאִשָּׁה:
4. And he came in to Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress became less important [lowered in esteem] in her eyes.

ד וַיָּבֹא אֶל הָגָר וַתַּהַר וַתֵּרֶא כִּי הָרָתָה וַתֵּקַל גְּבִרְתָּהּ בְּעֵינֶיהָ:
5.  And Sarai said to Avram, “The wrong [injustice] done to me is upon you! I gave my maid into your bosom, but now she sees that she is pregnant, I have become unimportant [lowered in worth] in her eyes. May God judge [do justice] between me and you!”

ה וַתֹּאמֶר שָׂרַי אֶל אַבְרָם חֲמָסִי עָלֶיךָ אָנֹכִי נָתַתִּי שִׁפְחָתִי בְּחֵיקֶךָ וַתֵּרֶא כִּי הָרָתָה וָאֵקַל בְּעֵינֶיהָ יִשְׁפֹּט יְהֹוָה בֵּינִי וּבֵינֶיֹךָ:
6. And Avram said to Sarai, “Here – your maid is in your hand; do with her however it seems good in your eyes.” And Sarai afflicted her, and she fled from before her.

ו וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָם אֶל שָׂרַי הִנֵּה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ בְּיָדֵךְ עֲשִׂי לָהּ הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיִךְ וַתְּעַנֶּהָ שָׂרַי וַתִּבְרַח מִפָּנֶיהָ:
7. And an angel [messenger] of God found her by a spring of water in the desert, by the spring on the way to Shur.

ז וַיִּמְצָאָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה עַל עֵין הַמַּיִם בַּמִּדְבָּר עַל הָעַיִן בְּדֶרֶךְ שׁוּר:
8.  He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where are you coming from, and where are you going to?” And she said, “I am fleeing from Sarai my mistress.”

ח וַיֹּאמַר הָגָר שִׁפְחַת שָׂרַי אֵי מִזֶּה בָאת וְאָנָה תֵלֵכִי וַתֹּאמֶר מִפְּנֵי שָׂרַי גְּבִרְתִּי אָנֹכִי בֹּרַחַת:
9. And God’s angel [messenger] said to her, “Return to your mistress, and allow yourself to be afflicted under her hand.”

ט וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה שׁוּבִי אֶל גְּבִרְתֵּךְ וְהִתְעַנִּי תַּחַת יָדֶיהָ:
10. And Go’s angel [messenger] said to her, “I will greatly multiply your seed [children], and it will be too many to count.”

י וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה הַרְבָּה אַרְבֶּה אֶת זַרְעֵךְ וְלֹא יִסָּפֵר מֵרֹב:
11. And God’s angel; [messenger] said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and and will bear a son, and name him Ishmael [God hears], for God has heard your affliction.

יא וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן וְקָרָאת שְׁמוֹ יִשְׁמָעֵאל כִּי שָׁמַע יְהֹוָה אֶל עָנְיֵךְ:
12. And he will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be upon all, and everyone’s hand upon him, and yet in the presence of all his brothers he will dwell.”                              

יב וְהוּא יִהְיֶה פֶּרֶא אָדָם יָדוֹ בַכֹּל וְיַד כֹּל בּוֹ וְעַל פְּנֵי כָל אֶחָיו יִשְׁכֹּן:
13. And she called the name of God, the one who had spoken to her, “You are the God of seeing,” because she said: “Have I continued [gone on] seeing here after I have been seen?”

יג וַתִּקְרָא שֵׁם יְהֹוָה הַדֹּבֵר אֵלֶיהָ אַתָּה אֵל רֳאִי כִּי אָמְרָה הֲגַם הֲלֹם רָאִיתִי אַחֲרֵי רֹאִי:
14. Therefore the well was called Be’er Lachai Ro’i; [Well of the living-one who sees me], behold it is between Kadesh and Bered.

יד עַל כֵּן קָרָא לַבְּאֵר בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי הִנֵּה בֵין קָדֵשׁ וּבֵין בָּרֶד:
15. Hagar bore a son to Avram, and Avram named his son, whom Hagar had borne, Ishmael.

טו וַתֵּלֶד הָגָר לְאַבְרָם בֵּן וַיִּקְרָא אַבְרָם שֶׁם בְּנוֹ אֲשֶׁר יָלְדָה הָגָר יִשְׁמָעֵאל:
LechLecha-S-image

Exercise: She’s Leaving Home – MS, HS, A

Leave a reply

Download the exercise here: Word word-doc-icon PDF pdf-icon

Exercise: She’s Leaving Home

Play “She’s Leaving Home” by the Beatles. Try analyzing it according to some or all of the following; (i) good reasons for leaving, (i) drawing lines, (iii) rhetorical questions, (iv) running from/running to

She’s Leaving Home Lyrics – The Beatles

Wednesday morning at five o’clock as the day begins
Silently closing her bedroom door
Leaving the note that she hoped would say more
She goes downstairs to the kitchen clutching her handkerchief
Quietly turning the backdoor key
Stepping outside she is free.

She (We gave her most of our lives)
is leaving (Sacrificed most of our lives)
home (We gave her everything money could buy)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

Father snores as his wife gets into her dressing gown
Picks up the letter that’s lying there
Standing alone at the top of the stairs
She breaks down and cries to her husband Daddy our baby’s gone
Why would she treat us so thoughtlessly
How could she do this to me.

She (We never thought of ourselves)
is leaving (Never a thought for ourselves)
home (We struggled hard all our lives to get by)
She’s leaving home after living alone
For so many years. Bye, bye

Friday morning at nine o’clock she is far away
Waiting to keep the appointment she made
Meeting a man from the motor trade.

She (What did we do that was wrong)
is having (We didn’t know it was wrong)
fun (Fun is the one thing that money can’t buy)
Something inside that was always denied
For so many years. Bye, bye
She’s leaving home. Bye, bye

You can download the song with permissions from here: https://play.google.com/music/preview/Tah2fx2olu73ubixghz6sumd5xm?lyrics=1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=lyrics&pcampaignid=kp-lyrics&u=0#

Leading Idea: When is enough enough?

Leave a reply

Download the leading idea description here: PDF pdf-icon

Leading Idea: When is enough enough?

Sarai doesn’t do just one thing to Hagar; rather, it seems that she treats her badly time after time. Hagar finally runs away because she decides she has taken enough of Sarai’s harsh treatment. How do we make the decision that enough is enough? There are two things to consider here (i) When to draw the line and say “no more!” and (ii) What constitutes good reasons for leaving a situation or person. Here the question is not only one of quantity, but also a matter of deciding what factors are the relevant ones in the first place. For instance, two people might both ‘draw the line’ at eating one candy bar per day – but the relevant factor to consider for one person might be health, while the relevant factor for the other might be the cost.

Leading Idea: Rhetorical Questions

Leave a reply

Download the leading idea description here: PDF pdf-icon

Leading Idea: Rhetorical Questions
“Where have you come from? Where are you going?”

When the Angel comes to Hagar he asks: “Where have you come from? Where are you going?” Does the angel want an answer? Rhetorical questions are questions we ask when we do not expect (or even desire) an answer – rather, their intent is either: (i) to lead us along a path of reasoning (in which case the person asking the question then proceeds to answer it (e.g.; “Why am I saying this? Because…), or (ii) to point our attention to something we are already expected to know (e.g.; “Do you really want that third cookie?”).
In the case of Hagar, it seems the angel is asking the second kind of rhetorical question. So what is the angel seeking to get Hagar to think about? Hagar has left Avram’s house and she is ‘on the road to Shur’ – heading back toward her place of birth, Egypt. It looks like she is fleeing from one home and returning to another home. The question might be: “To what home should you be returning?” or “Where do you belong?”
Other cases of rhetorical questions in the Torah involve other pivotal events.

  • God to Adam and Chava in the garden of Eden, (Bereshit 9-13)
  • God to Cain “Where is Hevel your brother?” (Bereshit 4:9)
  • God to Moshe “Why are crying out to me?” (Exodus 14:15)

Exercise: Drawing Lines

Leave a reply

Download the exercise here:  Word word-doc-icon  PDF  pdf-icon


Exercise: Drawing lines

In each case, how do you decide that enough is enough? In each case, what factors do you take into account in making this decision?

  • Deciding how much homework to do
  • Deciding how much candy to eat before putting the rest away
  • Deciding when you have watched enough television
  • Deciding how late to stay up
  • Deciding when your hair needs cutting
  • Deciding when to stop playing a computer game
  • Deciding whether to continue asking your parents for something after they have said ‘no’
  • Deciding when teasing your brother/sister has gone far enough
  • Deciding how much tzedakah to give
  • Deciding when you need to clean your room

Exercise: Rhetorical Questions

Leave a reply

Download the exercise here:  Word word-doc-icon  PDF  pdf-icon


Exercise: Rhetorical Questions

Can you think of circumstances in which the following might be asked as a genuine question? Can you think of circumstances where the question is asked rhetorically? f it is a rhetorical question, what might it be designed to get the person to think about?

  1. Do you really want that third cookie?
  2. Have you been listening to what I have been saying?
  3. Aren’t you tired yet?
  4. Did I say that you could go out tonight?
  5. Aren’t you cold?

Are there questions that can only be asked rhetorically?

Leading Idea: Consequences and Responsibility

Leave a reply

Download the leading idea description here: PDF pdf-icon

Leading Idea: Consequences and Responsibility

In verses 4-6 Sara speaks to Avram complaining of Hagar and Avram says to her “do what you want to do” – Sarai then treats her badly. Hagar then runs away.
In this passage Avram seems to take no responsibility for addressing the situation – is he then partly responsible for Hagar’s leaving? Our actions can have consequences we don’t foresee, but does that absolve us from responsibility toward the outcome?
The discussion plan “Consequences and Responsibility” explores the relationship between actions we take, their consequences and our responsibility toward the outcome.

Activity: Rhetorical Questions – MS, HS

Leave a reply

Download the activity here:  Word word-doc-icon  PDF  pdf-icon

 

Activity: Rhetorical Questions

In pairs make up a skit where the dialogue consists solely of rhetorical questions directed at one another. See how long you can sustain the dialogue so it continues to make sense. You can use both forms of rhetorical questions – ones whose intent is either:

  • to lead us along a path of reasoning (in which case the person asking the question then proceeds to answer it (e.g.; “Why am I saying this? Because…),
  • to point our attention to something we are already expected to know (e.g.; “Do you really want that third cookie?”).

Discussion Plan: Consequences and Responsibility – PS

Leave a reply

Download the discussion plan here: Word word-doc-icon PDF pdf-icon

Discussion Plan: Consequences and Responsibility

  1. If I give you permission to play ball outside the house and a ball goes through the window, who is responsible for the broken window?
  2. You loosen the wheel on the bike of someone intending to scare them, but they ended up getting hurt. Are you responsible for them being hurt?
  3. You help your friend with their homework. Are you responsible for their good grade?
  4. You introduce two people and they become friends. Are you responsible for their friendship?
  5. Your parents don’t give you permission to go to your friend’s sleepover party and your friend is angry with you. Are your parents responsible for the anger?

Secondary Source: Reasons for Returning: Hannah Senesh – MS, HS

Leave a reply

Download the secondary sources here: Word word-doc-icon PDF pdf-icon

Secondary Sources: Reasons for Returning: Hannah Senesh

Hannah Senesh (Szenes) 1921-1944

Hannah Senesh chose to run away from horror and then chose to go back there. Her story is completely different from that of Hagar, yet both leave and then choose to return from the reality they fled from. Hannah was not forced to go back, but did that of her own free will (was Hagar forced to return, or just strongly advised to?). Hagar received a promise for her child’s future from an angel of God, while Hannah found her death upon returning to Hungary – yet despite these differences, the comparison is worth exploring.
Leaving

Hannah Senesh, was born in Budapest. She demonstrated a literary talent from an early age, and she kept a diary from age 13 until shortly before her death. Although her family was assimilated, anti-Semitic sentiment in Budapest led her to involvement in Zionist activities, and she left Hungary for Eretz Yisrael in 1939.
Returning

Watching the war in Europe, in 1943 Senesh knew she had to do something. She decided that her knowledge of Europe could help save Jews. She joined the British Army and volunteered to be parachuted into Europe. After special training in Egypt she was one of thirty-three Israelis chosen to parachute behind enemy lines. The purpose of this operation was to help the Allied efforts in Europe and establish contact with resistance fighters in an attempt to aid Jewish communities. In March, 1944 Senesh was parachuted into Yugoslavia with the goal of making her way to her native Budapest. On June 7, 1944, Senesh crossed the border into Hungary. She was caught almost immediately by the Hungarian police. Throughout her ordeal she remained steadfast in her courage, and when she was executed by a firing squad on November 7, she refused the blindfold, staring squarely at her executors and her fate. In 1950, Senesh’s remains were brought to Israel and re-interred in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl.

lechlecha-returning-ss-image

Ya’akov’s bones were also brought back from Egypt with the Exodus, traveling with the Israelites and then finally buried in Canaan – what kind of journey is it to have your bones brought back for burial? Why might you want this?

Image source: wikimedia commons