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What was Hagar's actual status when Sarah gave her to Avrohom? The shiur develops a chiddush that Sarah transferred her onah rights to Hagar, making it more than concubinage but less than full marriage. This explains why Sarah merited having children - she gave up something tangible.
This shiur analyzes the complex relationship between Sarah, Avrohom, and Hagar as described in Parshas Lech Lecha. The central question explored is what exactly was Hagar's status when Sarah gave her to Avrohom - was she merely a concubine or did she have some form of marital status? Rabbi Zweig begins by examining the seeming contradiction in the pesukim. The Torah (תורה) states that Sarah gave Hagar "lo l'isha" (as a wife), yet Hagar remained a "shifcha" (maidservant) throughout. This creates a halachic difficulty - how can someone simultaneously be a shifcha and have the status of isha?
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Parshas Lech Lecha 16:1-6
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