Parshat Chayei Sarah 5785
Rabbi Jablinowitz
We read in this week’s parsha that after he completed the arrangements for Yitzchak to marry Rivka, Avraham remarried Hagar. The pasuk states (Chapter 25, Pasuk 1), ויסף אברהם ויקח אשה ושמה קטורה; Avraham took a wife and her name was Keturah. Rashi explains that his wife was in fact Hagar, and the Torah calls her Keturah since her deeds were pleasant like the smell of the Ketores.
The Medrash Tanchuma (5-8) darshens the fact that the Torah doesn’t just teach us that Avraham remarried; the pasuk begins with the word ויסף, and he added. One point the Medrash teaches from the word ויסף, is that if one marries a woman and had children, and then she dies, he should marry another woman and have children. This Medrash parallels the position of Rabbi Yehoshua in the Gemara in Yevamos 62B which teaches נשא אדם אישה בילדותו, ישא אישה בזקנותו, היו לו בנים בילדותו, יהיו לו בנים בזקנותו. Hence, the Torah teaches that Avraham “added” when he married, since he had more children as we read in the following pasukim about the Bnei Keturah.
The Sfas Emes teaches a different meaning to the word ויסף found in the pasuk. He learns it in a similar manner to the mitzvah of Tosefes Shabbos, להוסיף מחול על הקודש; we take from the profane and we make it holy. We take from the days of the week, the ימי חול, and we instill them with the Kedushah of Shabbos. We do this both before Shabbos, we accept Shabbos before Shabbos actually begins, and similarly at the conclusion of Shabbos, we end Shabbos later and extend into the next day. And in fact, the entire week is affected and maintained by Shabbos. The first three days of the week are lifted up from the influence of the previous Shabbos, and the last three days are maintained and inspired by the preparation for the upcoming Shabbos.
Avraham Avinu did the same thing with his offspring. His main offspring is Yitzchak, as the pasuk states (Chapter 21, Pasuk 12), כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע. And he added some aspect of holiness before and after, just as there is Tosefes Shabbos before and after Shabbos. He had Yishmael with Hagar before he had Yitzchak with Sarah, and he had the Bnei Keturah after Yitzchak.
Why did Avraham Avinu need to add holiness to other nations, and how are these qualities expressed?
The Medrash Tanchuma (8) on parshat Pekudei teaches that at the Bris Bein HaBesarim, Hashem showed Avraham Avinu Torah and Karbanos, and He also showed him Gehinom and Galus. These two, Torah and Karbanos, will protect you against the other two, Gehinom and Galus. But there will be a time when the Beis Hamikdash will be destroyed and you won’t have Karbanos to protect you. Which punishment do you prefer for your descendants, Avraham was asked; Gehinom or Galus? Avraham chose Galus among the nations for his descendants.
The Sfas Emes teaches that this holiness spread among the nations was essential to enable the Jewish people to survive the years of Galus. As is taught in the Sefarim, the רכוש גדול Bnei Yisrael left Egypt with was the sparks of holiness they were able to detect. In order to be able to survive all the years of suffering in Galus, there needed to be some light which could be extracted from the darkness. And the possibility of there being Gerim among Clal Yisrael also only resulted from Avraham Avinu adding Kedushah to the profane nations of the world.
The Gemara in Zevachim 62B brings two different instances where students indicated a lack of proper understanding. As a result, in both those cases they were referred to as Bnei Keturah. Rashi on the Gemara teaches that they were saying, yes, you are the sons of Avraham, but not of Yitzchak and Yaakov. The Maharsha asks, why not say straight, you are acting like Bnei Eisav? What does it mean Bnei Keturah?
The Maharsha answers that perhaps since the Rambam holds (Hilchos Melachim, Chapter 10, Halacha 8) that Bnei Keturah are obligated in the mitzvah of Milah (most Rishonim disagree with the Rambam), he was saying, you might have a milah like Bnei Keturah, but you’re not acting like a Ben Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. Or perhaps he didn’t want to insult them too much (in one case, Rabbi Tarfon is speaking to his nephews).
The Keren Orah gives a different explanation. He teaches that Avraham Avinu represents a Neshamah with a high level of understanding and wisdom. And of course, this knowledge and understanding, this דעת שלמה, is based on the Torah. And only those who have this level of Da’as based on Torah are the true descendants of Avraham. As the pasuk says, כי ביצחק יקרא לך זרע. The receivers of the Torah are the descendants of Yitzchak and Yaakov, as well as Avraham.
And those whose understanding is beyond the pale of the truth of Torah, as is understood in the Gemara in Zevachim, are referred by Chazal as the Bnei Keturah. And they were sent away by Avraham, as we read (Pasuk 6), וישלחם מעל יצחק בנו. And though they weren’t בעלי דעת שלמה, it would be possible for them to reach the truth of the Torah and become גרי צדק. And Clal Yisrael would also be able to see a bit of the spark placed within them by Avraham Avinu in order to survive living among the nations for so many years.
Good Shabbos
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