In parshas Chayay Sarah, Yitzchak
is twice to be found at Be'er L'chai Rowee באר לחי ראי. The phrase can be difficult to translate.
Be'er באר
is a well. Chai חי means life, but in this context it is referring to the holy
One, blessed be He, who is the source of all life. Rowee ראי is a gerund from the word "see"
expressed in a possessive form, so to speak my watcher.
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| Ein Avdat reputed site of Be'er L'chai Rowee |
The name of the place is coined
by Hagar in parshas Lech L'cha when she is running away from her mistress,
Sarah emanu. Hagar is pregnant by Avraham who has taken her as a second wife.
Hagar errs by treating Avraham's prime wife, Sarah, lightly. When Sarah abuses her,
she flees. On the road to Egypt
the angel of Hashem appears to Hagar and tells her to return to Sarah and
submit to her afflictions. G-d continues that she is going to give birth to a
son. Because G-d has heard her prayer, he is to be namedYishma-el (ישמעאל), literally the Almighty will hear,. The
boy will be a wild man who will father a large nation. He will have his hand in
everybody's affairs and everybody will have a hand in his (see Bereshis
16:7–14).
Hagar names the place after her
vision. Rashi explains Hagar's perception was that of a G-d that sees
everything, but nobody sees Him. He specifically sees the insults of the
afflicted and, is to be found not only in the abode of the righteous but even
in remote places as well. The Sforno explains that this was the place where
Hagar really prayed. He then brings Chazal that all of the gates are closed
except for the gate of the distressed. The Ibn Ezra explains the word life as
meaning that there would be another year of life and adds that the Ishmaelites
had an annual celebration at this well.
In parshas Chayay Sarah the well
is first mentioned as the place where Yitzchak went out to contemplate or to
pray (Hebrew (לשוח (Bereshis 24:62). Rashi comments that the
reason he went to Be'er L'chai Rowee was to bring Hagar back to Avraham. The
Sforno explains that this was the place where Yitzchak meandered off the road
to pour out his thoughts before Hashem. It is in Be'er L'chai Rowee that
Yitzchak is consoled for the loss of his mother and finds his wife.
The second time Be'er L'chai
Rowee is mentioned in this parsha is as the place where G-d appeared to
Yitzchak and blessed him after the death of Avraham. Yitzchak subsequently
decides to dwell in that area (Bereshis 25:11). Concerning the death of Avraham
the Chumash recounts that he was buried by Yitzchak and Yishmael, specifically
placing Yitzchak first (Bereshis 25:9). Rashi explains that from this we see
that Yishmael repented. It also hints that he recognized Yitzchak as the
legitimate heir to Avraham's mission. However Yishmael is still called Avraham's
son and the sons of the concubines are not mentioned.
The parsha ends with the passing
away of Yishmael (see Genesis 25:17) saying that he perished (ויגוע). Rashi comments that this word is used to describe the death of
the righteous. The parsha also mentions Yishmael's age in the same style that
was used for Sarah and Avraham. The Rambam explains this is the way of
numbering the years of the righteous. He continues that it is used in
connection with Yishmael to say that he really did change his ways and died a
righteous man.
The Rambam in Guide for the
Perplexed discusses Eastern and Western ways of thinking towards religion. In
regards to the east he uses the word Mohammedans. Their approach is essentially
introspection until it reveals the soul. They view G-d as close and see the
hand of G-d directly controlling the world down to the finest details. The
western approach is seeing G-d through observation of the environment and the
supernal wisdom in the natural sciences.
When the Mohammedans err it is to
say that G-d's providence reaches to the point that everything is done because
G-d desires it and that human beings in fact have no free will. The error of
the west tends to be the opposite in that it says that a man has complete
control over his destiny and that G-d's providence is distant and scant. It
seems that the East desires a benevolent society rooted in religion and the
west desires material well being.
The Rambam analyzes the role of
the Jews in this paradigm. The task of the Jews is to reconcile these two
positions and provide a conduit through which the knowledge of one side flows
to the other. In addition they are to add depth to this synthesis and relate it
to Scripture.
The Arabs and the Jews both have
intrinsic belief in G-d. However these feelings are stronger among the
Ishmaelites and more greatly revealed. A Jew is more likely to be a lost soul.
The message of Ishmael to Yitzchak at Be'er L'chai Rowee is that a person can
be a thief and a savage in the wilderness but even so G-d can still be with
him. In addition even from this state a person can return to the house of
Avraham and die a tsadik.
To view on YouTube click:
El Adon אל אדון sung at 10:46; Link to lyrics in Hebrew and English:
תרגום
לעברית
http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com/2013/10/41.html
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