Lech Lecha - 6th Portion

After promising him offspring, G-d reiterated to Abraham His promise of the Land of Israel. Abraham requested a sign from G-d that his offspring would inherit the land. G-d told Abraham that they would inherit the land in the merit of the sacrifices they would offer up and in the merit of the exile they would endure before re-entering it. Despite G-d’s promise of offspring, Abraham and his wife Sarai had not yet had any children. Sarai therefore asked her Egyptian bondwoman, Hagar, to bear a child by Abraham, hoping that in this merit she would also conceive. Hagar indeed quickly conceived. Concluding from this that her spiritual merits were greater than her mistress’s, Hagar mocked Sarai, who thereupon told Abraham to send her away. Hagar miscarried, but was told by G-d’s angel to return and submit humbly to Sarai, and that in thismerit she would conceive again. Hagar obeyed and gave birth to Abraham’s first son, Ishmael.