Their water is gone. Facing death by dehydration, Ishmael turns to God, pleading, "O Lord of the world! If it be Thy will that I shall perish, then let me die in some other way, not by thirst, for the tortures of thirst are great beyond all others."
It's a poignant moment, isn't it? A child confronting his mortality, begging for a different kind of end. And what about Hagar? Interestingly, the story tells us she didn't pray to God. Instead, she called upon the idols of her youth.
Now, Ginzberg, in his masterful Legends of the Jews, doesn’t shy away from showing us the complexities of faith. In this moment of crisis, we see two very different responses to the same dire situation.
What happened next is nothing short of miraculous. Ishmael's prayer, the story says, was heard. God commanded Miriam's well to spring forth. Now, Miriam's well is no ordinary well. It was created in the twilight of the sixth day of creation, a source of life itself! According to tradition, this well followed the Israelites during their 40 years of wandering in the desert.
But here's where it gets even more interesting. Even after this incredible miracle, Hagar's faith remained… unchanged. She immediately filled the bottle with water, driven by fear that the well might vanish as quickly as it appeared. It’s a very human reaction, perhaps, but also a telling one.
Then, Hagar journeyed to Egypt with her son. There's a proverb attached to this part of the tale: "Throw the stick into the air as thou wilt, it will always land on its point." What does it mean? Well, Hagar was Egyptian, and to Egypt she returned, seeking a wife for Ishmael. There's a sense of inevitability here, a pull back to one's origins.
This small story, tucked within the larger narrative, offers a glimpse into faith, fear, and the enduring power of origins. It makes you wonder: What do we do when faced with the miraculous? Do we embrace it fully, or do we cling to our fears and familiar patterns? And how much are we shaped by where we come from?