Abraham knew that feeling well. Before he was Avraham Avinu, our father Abraham, before the brit bein ha-betarim—the covenant of the pieces—he was just a man with a promise and a problem: no children.
The story goes that this momentous covenant, where God revealed the future of Abraham's descendants, happened when Abraham and Sarah were still childless. It's a powerful scene, full of symbolism and divine weight. But before all that, there was just a couple grappling with infertility and trying to understand God's plan.
According to Legends of the Jews, Ginzberg retells a fascinating detail: Abraham and Sarah believed their inability to conceive was linked to their location. They thought living outside the Holy Land was somehow holding them back, a sort of divine consequence for not being in the place God intended.
Imagine that pressure! You're already dealing with the emotional toll of childlessness, and now you're wondering if your geographical location is the problem. It's like blaming your tools instead of your skill, but with cosmic implications.
They waited ten years in Palestine, but still no child. That's when Sarah, in a moment of incredible selflessness, realized the "fault," as Ginzberg puts it, lay with her. And here's where the story gets really interesting. Sarah didn't succumb to jealousy or resentment. Instead, she offered her slave, Hagar, to Abraham as a wife.
But there's a crucial detail that often gets overlooked. Hagar wasn't just handed over. Sarah first freed her. As the text points out, Hagar was Sarah's property, not Abraham's. This act of freeing her is so important. It speaks volumes about Sarah's character and her commitment to righteousness.
And Pharaoh was Hagar’s father! What a story.
Think about the implications! Sarah took responsibility, and created a chance for Abraham to continue his lineage. She took Hagar, instructed her, and walked with her on the path of righteousness to be a suitable companion for Abraham.
The narrative continues by explaining that Abraham, guided by the ruach hakodesh—the holy spirit—accepted Sarah's proposal. This wasn't just a pragmatic decision. It was a divinely guided one.
What does this all tell us? It's a reminder that faith isn't passive. It's about active participation, even when it's painful. It's about making difficult choices, trusting in God's plan, and sometimes, taking matters into our own hands—with the purest of intentions, of course. Sometimes the biggest blessings come from the most unexpected places, and through the most unconventional means. It makes you wonder what blessings might be waiting for us, hidden in plain sight, just waiting for us to act with the same faith and courage as Sarah and Abraham.