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Why does Hagar carry her sick son Ishmael for miles, then throw him down and abandon him when he's dying? The shiur draws a stark contrast between Hagar's conditional, self-serving devotion and the Shunammite woman's selfless love. The critical test: does a parent's commitment survive when there's nothing in it for them anymore?
Rabbi Zweig examines the troubling narrative of Hagar and Ishmael in Parshas Vayeira, focusing on Bereishis 21:13-16. The Torah (תורה) describes Hagar carrying her sick son — whom Rashi (רש"י) identifies as a twenty-year-old — on her shoulders through the desert. Despite this extraordinary physical effort, when the water runs out and the boy appears near death, Hagar throws him down under a bush and distances herself five hundred yards away, declaring she cannot bear to watch him die. Rabbi Zweig contrasts this with the Haftarah's account of the Shunammite woman (Melachim II 4:17-20), whose son suddenly becomes gravely ill in the field. Rather than distancing herself, she holds him on her lap until he dies — enduring the unbearable pain of watching her child's last moments to ensure he does not die alone. These two mothers, both devoted, respond oppositely to their sons' suffering.
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Bereishis 21:13-16
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