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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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Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Bereishis 21:13-16
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Why does the Torah separate Avrohom's eulogy for Sarah from his crying for her? The shiur shows that Sarah required a public eulogy focused on the communal loss of a leader, not Avrohom's private grief. This teaches that we must view Jewish tragedies through a national lens first, seeing attacks on Am Yisrael as collective losses that dwarf personal concerns.
