Chavarah- Jewish Community Learning

A blog of Jewish study and traditions. Notes from classes: Torah Study with Rabbi Marder, Toledot and Shabbaton as well as other details found of interest.

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Saturday, April 23, 2011

Sarah's Demand

Torah Study 4-23 Genesis 21:1-14 discuss verse 11

Sarah demand that Hagar and her child are to be thrown out.
Asking to give up the inheritance and then give Hagar freedom.

First look from Sara's point of view
Commentators:
R Joseph Karo. Descendants of Sarah were expelled from Egypt because of this action. Consequences measure for measure punishment References the Exodus as a punishment!
Question. Why punish when God went along with this banishment.?
Ishmaels action is questionable. But he feels Sarah could have influenced Ishmael's behavior ... As he was a child of her home. Parents job is to shape the character of the child.

Question about Hagars status as a slave.
Two trends in relation to the way to look at the outsiders. Ruth and Ezra.


Naomi Rosenblat. Relates to Sarah's lingering feelings of resentment for Hagar.
Emotional repercussions. Sarah is a Complicated person and we can learn from this competing maternal reactions.
Sarah is fighting for the future. Instinct to fight for her child.
Relates to step families. Can't cast out the characters who cause grief.
Step mothers are typified as "evil". The step child is competition. How to reconcile?


Novel. Ayelet Waldman's novel, 'Love and Other Impossible Pursuits’

Read: Womens commentary pg 107. Judith Plaskow
Sees violent view. Relates that Sarah was treated as a pawn in the Avimelach episode. She is responding to lash out at Hagar and Ishmael.
Duplicate patterns of horizontal violence. Keep patterns of abuse of what done to her.

Balance between chesed and guvurah (spiritual and emotional) is demonstrated in the relationships between Sarah. Hagar. Isaac and Ishmael. And Abraham.

Bill Moyer series and asked women who they relate more to. Hagar or Sarah.

Should women all be rivals? Should Sarah and Hagar have combined forces instead?
Both were victims of their own insecurities.

Ch 11. The matter was evil in Abraham's eye. He was upset.

Midrash says his son has fallen into evil ways. Rashi. Abraham told that Ishmael became evil and is a type if justification. But Rashi prefers to read simply that he was upset at sending away his child.
Abraham didn't see the bad in Ishmael. Sarah could see it more clearly.
Nachmanadese. Abraham upset only about his son not about Hagar.

Next week what it feels like to throw out the ex wife without enough provisions

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