by Rabbi Avi Billet
The beginning of Chapter 25, which follows the marriage of Yitzchak and Rivkah, informs us that Avraham took a wife named Keturah. There is a debate as to whether Keturah is a new woman never before introduced to us or whether she is Hagar in a new name.
The verse tells us she had 6 children, and the implication is that Avraham is the father of these children. It is certainly worthy of further discussion as to why a big deal is not made of this when Avraham made a big deal of his being 100 at the time of Yitzchak’s birth.
Seforno is of the opinion, based on Divrai HaYamim I 1:28 that Avraham only had two sons, Yishmael and Yitzchak, that the 6 children of Keturah (ibid 1:32) were hers from a previous union. Seforno describes Avraham as “raising her children” as he compares the situation to Michal bat Shaul being credited with giving birth to 5 children to Adriel (her sister’s husband) (Shmuel II 21:8), while a different verse tells us Michal never had children (Shmuel II 6:23)! Therefore the assumption is that Michal raised her sister’s kids, even though the text says she “birthed” them. The same applies here with Avraham and Keturah’s children.
In verse 6 we are told that “And to the sons of the concubines that Avraham had he gave presents, and he sent them from upon Yitzchak to the east.” Most commentaries indicates that the “concubines Avraham had” were Hagar and Keturah. Of course, for those who believe that Hagar and Keturah were the same person, it would be odd that the text would refer to Avraham’s concubines in the plural!
Radak (Rabbi David Kimchi) notes that the concubines in question were not “his” personal concubines, but were rather part of his serval staff – the concubines that were in his household. Any children they may have had were not biological to him, but they were ילידי ביתו, born in his household, and therefore subject to circumcision and to follow in the ways in which he guides his household.
It was to those servants that he gave gifts of silver, gold, animals, etc., and - as Radak notes - he certainly gave similarly to Yishmael and Bnei Keturah, even though they are not mentioned, because they were his sons. (Obviously Radak does not agree with Seforno and assumes Keturah’s children were fathered by Avraham, but he clearly does not include Hagar/Keturah as the “concubines of Avraham.”)
They were all sent to the east so they would not be a burden or hindrance to Yitzchak’s claims to Avraham’s property or to the land itself. Radak even says that the “eastern lands” refer to Charan and Ur Kasdim, the places of Avraham’s origins, where the greater family would embrace the kin of Avraham and take them under their wings.
Interestingly, there is a tale which appears in the Midrash (Pesikta, Sechel Tov) concerning Ishmaelites who came to Alexander Macedon claiming that as the verse in the Torah indicates clearly that Yishmael was the older son of Avraham, and not only that but there is a verse in the Torah that one may not favor the younger son over the older son (Devarim 21:17) when there are two wives, and two first borns, but the younger of the first borns is the son of the more loved wife. The Ishmaelites argued to the potentate to resolve the issue and give them their due of a double portion!
His response to them was essentially that a person can give away whatever he wants in his lifetime, and that “yerusha” is only an argument after death!
Since the verse, from the same Torah!, indicates that Avraham gave away ALL of his possessions to Yitzchak (25:5), and gave the sons of the concubines gifts (25:6), the descendants of concubines can’t come along and claim that Avraham meant to give them something that he clearly did not give them!
It doesn’t take much to take this to the next obvious conclusion. Those who want to twist the Torah or the Bible to fit their claims are certainly entitled to make that effort. But once they open that door, they can’t only take the verses that seem to work in their favor, especially when taken out of context, while ignoring the parts that don’t work in their favor.
For example, while it can be debated as to whether Yaakov stole blessings from Eisav in Parshat Toldot, it is clear that the blessing that may have been intended for Eisav was a blessing of prosperity that had nothing to do with the gifting of the land (27:28-29). The same blessing that Avraham receives from God of inheriting the land is the same blessing Yitzchak received, and is the same blessing Yitzchak subsequently gave over to Yaakov before sending Yaakov to find a wife from the daughters of Lavan (28:4).
Every year, this Shabbos includes a large gathering in Hebron, where hundreds or even thousands of Jews descend upon the ancient city to declare and affirm our ancestral connection to the space Avraham purchased at an exorbitant price.
Whether a deed spoken of in the Torah is binding thousands of years later is certainly debatable. But to deny, based on anything in the Torah, our historical connection to that space is unconscionable.
May it be a wonderful Shabbos for those celebrating there, and may we see the day when all peoples appreciate the blessing given to Avraham, fulfilled though the reemergence of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel, as we have been blessed to see over the last 140 years.
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