“ותאמר לאברהם גרש האמה הזאת ואת בנה כי לא יירש בן האמה הזאת עם בני עם יצחק.” (בראשית כ”א י’)
רש”י: מתשובת שרה כי לא יירש בן האמה הזאת עם בני אתה למד שהיה מריב עם יצחק על הירושה ואומר אני בכור ונוטל פי שנים, ויוצאים בשדה ונוטל קשתו ויורה בו חצים… ואמר הלא משחק אני.
Rashi: From Sarah’s response, “for this son of the handmaiden will not inherit with my son”, you learn that (Yishmael) would quarrel with Yitzchak regarding the inheritance, and say “I am the first born and receive a double portion.” And they would go out to the field, and (Yishmael) would take his bow and shoot arrows at him (Yitzchok)… and say “I am (only) playing.”
Thousands of years later, Yishmael is still making this very same claim, “I am the first born”. How did Sarah respond then, and how should we respond today?
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Yishmael’s actual claim is straightforward: he was the older son. But how are we to understand Rashi’s commentary that “they would go out to the field, and (Yishmael) would take his bow and shoot arrows at Yitzchok”? Was Yishmael claiming to be the first-born or was he trying to kill his brother? And if both are true, what does one have to do with the other?
Even Yishmael recognized the superiority of Yitzchak, and that Sarah was Avraham’s primary wife. But he did not think that made a difference. A bow and arrow are used to kill from a distance. The message behind shooting arrows at Yitzchak is Yishmael’s contention that despite the “distance” between them, Yitzchak still lies within his reach. You might be further along, but you are still “within my range”. And if the distinction between us is only a matter of better or worse, more advanced or less, but you are still reachable, than I remain the first son.
Sarah responds by demanding that Avraham expel Hagar and Yishmael, “גרש את האמה הזאת ואת בנה…”, demonstrating that they really had no place with Sarah and Yitzchak. The distinction between Yitzchak and Yishmael is not just a matter of more and less; they are of two different worlds. Sarah does not say that Yishmael is not fitting to inherit Avraham. She says that he will not inherit “with my son”, “with Yitzchak”. Because of the difference between Sarah and Hagar, as well as the difference between Yitzchak and Yishmael, Yishmael is not “with” Yitzchak at all, so not only does he not inherit a double portion, he does not inherit at all.
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Thus, the crux of our dispute with Yishmael is the following question. Are we more or less the same thing as Yishmael, perhaps better, but not completely different? Or do we belong to an entirely different realm – a realm closed off to Yishmael entirely? We claim, like Sarah, that the latter is true. Our approach to the present conflict should reflect that truth. Yishmael is motivated by hate, jealousy and honor, but we should be coming from a higher place. In his description of the mindset with which a soldier should go to battle, the Rambam writes that “he should recognize that he is battling for the Oneness of Hashem.” (Melachim ch. 7) Likewise for non-combatants, we should not think or act “small”, running to check the latest news out of curiosity or competitiveness. And our primary concerns should be kavod Hashem and the welfare of our brethren, not “winning” or “showing them”. This is our response to Yishmael’s challenge.