Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Genesis 21:1/אור החיים על בראשית כ״א:א׳
אוַה׳ פָּקַד וְגוֹ׳ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר. פֵּרוּשׁ: לֹא לְצַד שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵּל עַל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וּמִטַּעַם כָּל הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל עַל חֲבֵרוֹ וְכוּ׳, וְזוּלַת זֶה לֹא הָיָה נִפְקָד, וְזֶה יְמַעֵט חָס וְשָׁלוֹם הַהַבְטָחָה שֶׁאֲמוּרָה בִּתְחִלַּת הַפָּרָשָׁה, אֶלָּא כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר.
1 וה׳ פקד את שרה כאשר אמר. G'd remembered Sarah as He had said. The Torah tells us that this would have occurred even if Abraham had not prayed on behalf of Avimelech as we stated already. We should not think that G'd needed a prayer to prompt Him to keep His promise.
בעוֹד לְעוֹלָם, כִּי תְּפִלָּתוֹ עַל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ הוּא דָּבָר הַמַּעֲמִיד לִפְקִידַת שָׂרָה, וְהַבְטָחָתוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ הָיְתָה שֶׁיִּתֵּן לוֹ בֵּן, וְהִזְמִין לוֹ הַשֵּׁם מִצְוָה שֶׁסְּגֻלָּתָהּ שֶׁיִּפָּקֵד, וּבָזֶה נִתְקַיְּמָה הַבְטָחָתוֹ. וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר, פֵּרוּשׁ: וּלְצַד הָאֲמִירָה שֶׁאָמַר הַשֵּׁם הוּא שֶׁנִּזְדַּמֵּן לוֹ הַדָּבָר וְנִפְקְדָה, כִּי כְּשֶׁיִּרְצֶה הַשֵּׁם לְהֵיטִיב יַזְמִין הַמִּצְוָה שֶׁסְּגֻלָּתָהּ הִיא הַטּוֹבָה הַמְבֻקֶּשֶׁת. וְתִמְצָא שֶׁקּוֹדֶם הַבְטָחַת הַפְּקִידָה כְּבָר נִזְדַּמֵּן לְאַבְרָהָם מַעֲשֵׂה פַּרְעֹה שֶׁהוּא בְּדוֹמֶה לְמַעֲשֵׂה אֲבִימֶלֶךְ, וְלֹא עֲצָרוֹ הַשֵּׁם לְפַרְעֹה כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְפַּלֵּל עָלָיו אַבְרָהָם, וְזֶה לְךָ הָאוֹת לְמַה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ.
2There was, however, a connection between Abraham's prayer on behalf of Avimelech and G'd "remembering" His promise to give Sarah a son. G'd provided Abraham with an opportunity to perform a מצוה which in turn would trigger His removing Sarah's sterility. This is the deeper meaning of the additional words כאשר אמר. Whenever G'd wants to do someone a favour, He provides him with an opportunity to perform a good deed in response to which G'd can translate His intention into practice. The reason that G'd did not make Pharaoh and his household sterile at the time Sarah was kidnapped by Pharaoh was so that Abraham could pray for them because there had not yet been a promise to Sarah whose fulfilment could have been triggered by Abraham's prayer.
גוַיַּעַשׂ ה׳ וְגוֹ׳ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר. טַעַם שֶׁכָּפַל לוֹמַר ״וַיַּעַשׂ״ וְגוֹ׳, יְכַוֵּן לְפִי דִּבְרֵיהֶם זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (תנחומא) בְּפָסוּק ״כָּעֵת חַיָּה״, שֶׁשָּׂרַט לָהּ הַמַּלְאָךְ שְׂרִיטָה בַּכּוֹתֶל כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמָקוֹם זֶה וּלְשָׂרָה בֵּן, וְהוּא שֶׁהוֹדִיעַ הַכָּתוּב שֶׁנִּתְקַיֵּם מַאֲמַר הַמַּלְאָךְ הַדּוֹבֵר אֵלֶיהָ בְּדִקְדּוּק הַזְּמַן.
3ויעש…כאשר דבר, and G'd did for Sarah as He had foretold. The reason that the Torah repeats "He did" is explained in Tanchuma on our verse. When the angel had announced the impending birth by saying "כעת חיה," he had made an incision on the wall to mark the exact time of day the baby would be born, i.e. when the sun would hit that line. The Torah here confirms that the birth took place exactly as predicted.
דעוֹד יְכַוֵּן הַכָּתוּב עַל פִּי מַה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּפָסוּק (בראשית י״ח:י׳) ״בֵּן לְשָׂרָה אִשְׁתֶּךָ״ שֶׁבָּא מִצַּד הַנְּקֵבָה, וּלְסִבָּה זוֹ הֻצְרַךְ לָעֲקֵדָה. וְיָדוּעַ הוּא כִּי זוֹ הִיא סִבַּת מִיתַת שָׂרָה, וּלְפִי מַה שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי כִּי הִקְפִּיד ה׳ עַל צְחִיקַת שָׂרָה וְקִיֵּם הַגְּזֵרָה שֶׁלֹּא תֵּלֵד שָׂרָה אֶלָּא בֵּן מִסִּטְרָא דְּנוּקְבָא, כְּאָמְרוֹ (בראשית י״ז:י״ט) ״אֲבָל שָׂרָה אִשְׁתְּךָ יוֹלֶדֶת״. לָזֶה אָמַר וַיַּעַשׂ ה׳ לְשָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר, וְיָדוּעַ הוּא כִּי הַדִּבּוּר קָשֶׁה, וְהוּא שֶׁלֹּא יְלָדַתּוֹ שָׁלֵם בַּשְּׁלֵמוּת הַצָּרִיךְ, וְנִתְגַּלְגְּלוּ הַדְּבָרִים וְנִפְטְרָה שָׂרָה מִסִּבָּה זוֹ. וּלְדֶרֶךְ זֶה קִיּוּם הַהַבְטָחָה עַל הַשְּׂרִיטָה שֶׁשָּׂרַט לָהּ הַמַּלְאָךְ נִרְמְזָה בַּפָּסוּק שֶׁאַחֲרֵי זֶה דִּכְתִיב ״לַמּוֹעֵד אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֹתוֹ״ וְגוֹ׳.
4The verse also reports something we have explained on 18,10 and again on 17,19, namely that the son Sarah bore originated in the female (negative) side of the emanations. This in turn was the reason Isaac needed to submit to the binding on the altar, something that resulted in Sarah's death. The word דבר always refers to speech containing some harsh element. The Torah therefore uses it when it wants us to note that the birth of Isaac was not something that was perfect. He had to undergo a process of refinement as a result of which he could become holy. When the Torah says ויעש ה׳ לשרה כאשר דבר, this really means that "G'd did to Sarah as He had foretold." Isaac was born in response to Sarah's prayer, not in response to Abraham's.