• Home
  • About Us
    • About CTN
    • Testimonials
    • Photo Albums
    • Videos
  • Calendar
  • Programs
    • Classes and Events
    • Women’s Israel Mission
    • Jewish Marriage
    • Jewish Family Experience
  • Weekly Wisdom
    • Shabbat Fax
    • Audio Classes
    • CTN Torah Minute
  • Ask the Rabbi
  • CTN Young Professionals
  • Support Us
  • Contact

CTN TORAH MINUTE


Posted by rabbi.deutsch on 06 May 2012 / 0 Comment



Hi,

Mazal Tov!

It’s a boy!

Isaac is born to Abraham and Sarah. (Genesis, 21:1)

Isaac represents the Jewish future.

… Earlier, Abraham had married Sarah’s servant Hagar.

And they had a son, Ishmael.

But G-d had told Abraham that Sarah will have a child.

And that the Jewish People will come from Isaac.

… Sarah sees Ishmael acting inappropriately.

The Torah doesn’t tell us what Ishmael did.

But the Hebrew word used, sometimes implies pretty serious things.

Sarah saw the danger of Ishmael influencing Isaac.

And how that would threaten the future of the Jewish People and its mission.

She tells Abraham to send Ishmael away!

“This troubled Abraham very much…” (21:11)

How could he send Ishmael away?

… Disagreements between people are pretty common.

But it’s not very often that we get “Official Word” on who’s right.

But in this case we do.

How?

G-d gives it.

G-d tells Abraham, “… Do everything that Sarah tells you.”

(My mother in law’s name is Sarah.  This is her favorite verse in the whole Torah!)

… We’ve spoken quiet a bit about Abraham.

How he taught the world so much.

About G-d.  And about man.

And, of course, sending away Ishmael was a heart wrenching thing to.

But Jewish tradition credits Sarah with saving the day.

Because the stakes were very high.

Everything that the Jewish People would teach the world was in jeopardy.

She saw the danger in Ishmael being part of the Jewish future.

A danger that Abraham did not see.

… It’s something that repeats itself again and again in the Torah.

In pivotal times when the Jewish future was in danger?

And the men wavered?

The women rose to the occasion!

 All the best,

Leave a Reply

  Cancel Reply


  • CTN Torah Minute Home

    Home
  • Post Categories

  • Archives

    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
    • November 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • November 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012



© 2013 Chicago Torah Network | All Rights Reserved
The CTN Center • 2832 West Touhy Avenue • Chicago, IL 60645 | 773.761.0400