(Note: I am posting “Lech Lecha” a week early because I will
be on vacation).
In
the Book of Genesis we are introduced to Abram (who will later be known as
Abraham) and his isha Sarai (who will later be known as
Sarah). With them is a sheficha known as Hagar.
It is important that you know the distinctions between the two.
An isha is often translated as "wife". A person with this status is the head of the house, after her husband, and sees to the upkeep of his property. This is the favored position. While there are times in Scripture when one has more than one isha, this is a shared position of authority.
A sheficha (sometimes translated as "maid" or "servant") is a secondary breeder who is subservient to the isha. When the sheficha has a child, that child is now considered as the offspring of the isha, although the sheficha will often raise the child. An example of this is Jacob who had two wives and their maids. Even though the maid gave birth, the infant was passed to the isha who named him.
There is a verse in Genesis 31:3 where Laban gives a stern warning to Jacob, saying that if he causes his daughters to cry-out-in-anguish (from the pi'el form of the verb, le'anot, which also translates to "torture") that Jacob will have something to fear. It is the warning of a father to his son in-law who is about to move away. He also warns Jacob not to add another isha to his group.
It is important that you know the distinctions between the two.
An isha is often translated as "wife". A person with this status is the head of the house, after her husband, and sees to the upkeep of his property. This is the favored position. While there are times in Scripture when one has more than one isha, this is a shared position of authority.
A sheficha (sometimes translated as "maid" or "servant") is a secondary breeder who is subservient to the isha. When the sheficha has a child, that child is now considered as the offspring of the isha, although the sheficha will often raise the child. An example of this is Jacob who had two wives and their maids. Even though the maid gave birth, the infant was passed to the isha who named him.
There is a verse in Genesis 31:3 where Laban gives a stern warning to Jacob, saying that if he causes his daughters to cry-out-in-anguish (from the pi'el form of the verb, le'anot, which also translates to "torture") that Jacob will have something to fear. It is the warning of a father to his son in-law who is about to move away. He also warns Jacob not to add another isha to his group.
The
torture verb (inah) is also used in Deuteronomy 22:29, when it speaks of
a woman who was raped and cried out in anguish. Some apologists have a problem
with God demanding that the raped girl becomes the wife of her rapist and will
either mangle inah to mean “she was humbled”, or say that the father
could opt-out of selling his raped daughter to the rapist if he so desired
(which contradicts the majority view of the Jewish sages). But in that case,
the girl still has no say in her situation.
Scripture also tells us that a father may sell his daughter to a master, who will treat her as a servant, but may choose to give her to his son. This was to become a sheficha to the son (or the master), as a breeder servant for the household. Many commentators explain that this was a method for the poor to find a well-off family for which the daughter, having no possibility of betrothal, could be inserted into.
And in various sections of Scripture, we read of the indifference that the master often had to the shificha, passing on those decisions to his isha.
And this brings us to Abraham and Sarah.
There are some who argue that Hagar was an isha, because Sarah was unable to conceive, saw her status as an isha compromised, and so gave Hagar to Abraham as an isha (verse 16:3). Yet, Abraham never saw Hagar in that way, and 3 verses later he refers to Hagar as a sheficha - simply a fill-in for Sarah as the breeding person.
The Sages try very hard to portray Hagar as the perpetrator of evil, with Sarah being the innocent one. And so, the very strong word that was used by Laban, that refers to cry-out-in-anguish, as in torture, is often toned down, saying that she was treated harshly "through hard labor" (Rashi). They do something similar with Laban's threat, saying that Jacob should not make the daughters cry-out-in-anguish as being "he will not lie with them" (Rashi).
That type of tweaking diminishes the strength of the threat, or what the women would be experiencing.
So here is the story with Sarah and Abraham and Hagar:
Scripture also tells us that a father may sell his daughter to a master, who will treat her as a servant, but may choose to give her to his son. This was to become a sheficha to the son (or the master), as a breeder servant for the household. Many commentators explain that this was a method for the poor to find a well-off family for which the daughter, having no possibility of betrothal, could be inserted into.
And in various sections of Scripture, we read of the indifference that the master often had to the shificha, passing on those decisions to his isha.
And this brings us to Abraham and Sarah.
There are some who argue that Hagar was an isha, because Sarah was unable to conceive, saw her status as an isha compromised, and so gave Hagar to Abraham as an isha (verse 16:3). Yet, Abraham never saw Hagar in that way, and 3 verses later he refers to Hagar as a sheficha - simply a fill-in for Sarah as the breeding person.
The Sages try very hard to portray Hagar as the perpetrator of evil, with Sarah being the innocent one. And so, the very strong word that was used by Laban, that refers to cry-out-in-anguish, as in torture, is often toned down, saying that she was treated harshly "through hard labor" (Rashi). They do something similar with Laban's threat, saying that Jacob should not make the daughters cry-out-in-anguish as being "he will not lie with them" (Rashi).
That type of tweaking diminishes the strength of the threat, or what the women would be experiencing.
So here is the story with Sarah and Abraham and Hagar:
16:3 - And Sarai ,
the isha of Abram, took Hagar the Egyptian, her sheficha at
the end of 10 years of Abram's in the land of Cana'an, and gave her to Abram,
her man/husband as his isha.
16:4 - [Abram] came to Hagar and she conceived,
and [Hagar] saw that she had conceived, and her mistress became lighter in her
eyes (less important).
16:5 - And Sarai said to Abram, "My
injustice is upon you! I game my sheficha in your bosom, and
she saw that she had conceived, I became lighter in her eyes. Yahweh will judge
between me and you!"
16:6 - Abram said to Sarai, "Behold,
your sheficha is in your hand. Do to her what is good in your
eyes. And Sarai harmed Hagar (caused-her-to-cry-out-in-anguish), and [Hagar]
fled from [Sarai].
The
KJV translated "caused-her-to-cry-out-in-anguish" as "dealt
harshly.
The idea of an isha and a sheficha were perfectly normal and were seen as the Biblical models for marriage. The word for "husband" is ba'al which also means "lord", "master", "owner". Whether ist is an isha or a sheficha, but are acquired and owned by the ba'al, who may acquire as many as he is capable of affording, and so long as they serve their purpose of breeding and serving, the women serve a purpose as well.
For Hagar, it was to give Abram an heir, which was to be replaces with Isaac (In the Septuagint, the second-born will almost always take over for the first born: Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, etc.
For Sarah, it was to give birth to a son that Abraham will be commanded to offer as a human sacrifice. (True, God changed His mind, but Abraham demonstrated that he was willing).
A final note: After Sarah dies, Abraham marries and has a lot of other children with a woman named Keturah (25:1) There is a Midrash that Keturah was also Hagar (keturah as a form of "katair", meaning "incense" as in the sweet smell of those days. Maybe she was, and maybe she wasn't. But as with Hagar, Abraham will send those children away as well.
The idea of an isha and a sheficha were perfectly normal and were seen as the Biblical models for marriage. The word for "husband" is ba'al which also means "lord", "master", "owner". Whether ist is an isha or a sheficha, but are acquired and owned by the ba'al, who may acquire as many as he is capable of affording, and so long as they serve their purpose of breeding and serving, the women serve a purpose as well.
For Hagar, it was to give Abram an heir, which was to be replaces with Isaac (In the Septuagint, the second-born will almost always take over for the first born: Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Moses, etc.
For Sarah, it was to give birth to a son that Abraham will be commanded to offer as a human sacrifice. (True, God changed His mind, but Abraham demonstrated that he was willing).
A final note: After Sarah dies, Abraham marries and has a lot of other children with a woman named Keturah (25:1) There is a Midrash that Keturah was also Hagar (keturah as a form of "katair", meaning "incense" as in the sweet smell of those days. Maybe she was, and maybe she wasn't. But as with Hagar, Abraham will send those children away as well.
Finally, here is a list of common translations. Notice how the torture of Hagar is glossed over.
No comments:
Post a Comment