“And Yitzchok lived with B’er Lachai Ro’ee” (B’reishis 25:11). B’er Lachai Ro’ee is mentioned three times in Tanach, all three in Sefer B’reishis. Although it is mostly associated with Hagar, who, after fleeing from Sara, saw (and received divine communication from) G-d’s angel(s) there and gave it its name (16:13-14), two of the three times B’er Lachai Ro’ee is mentioned, it is regarding Yitzchok. Why was Yitzchok drawn to B’er Lachai Ro’ee if its significance was based on what happened to Hagar, his half-brother’s mother? And why did he live “with” B’er Lachai Ro’ee rather than “in” it?
The second time B’er Lachai Ro’ee is mentioned (24:62), as the place Yitzchok came from when he first met Rivka, Rashi tells us that Yitzchok was coming from there to bring Hagar to Avraham so he could remarry her. If Hagar had been living at B’er Lachai Ro’ee because of the significance it had for her, this second mention is really more connected to Hagar than to Yitzchok. Nevertheless, Yitzchok decided to live there (with Rivka) after his father died, so it must have been significant to him as well. What was it about B’er Lachai Ro’ee that led Yitzchok to move there? Was Avraham’s home less spiritual than where Hagar had one religious experience?
Midrash Aggadah says that Yitzchok moved to B’er Lachai Ro’ee in order to be with his father’s widow, which once again makes connects it to Hagar, rather than to Yitzchok himself. Although we can understand why Hagar wanted to live there, we still need to understand why Yitzchok decided to join her there. Did he move there just to help her, or was there another reason? Midrash Or Ha’afeila (quoted in Torah Sh’laimah 25:44) says “Yitzchok lived in B’er Lachai Ro’ee with Hagar, and placed her in Avraham’s house, and she was supported from Avraham’s estate, as is taught (see K’subos 49b), ‘a widow is nourished from her husband’s possessions.” Which makes our question two-fold; where do we find that Avraham lived in B’er Lachai Ro’ee that the Midrash says Avraham’s house was there, and why did Yitzchok have to live there too instead of just supporting her (from Avraham’s estate) while he lived elsewhere?
The Targum translates the names of the cities used as references for where Avraham lived in G’rar (20:1) the same way the cities that tell us where B’er Lachai Ro’ee is located were translated (16:14). Ramban (24:62) says that by doing so, the Targum is indicating that B’er Lachai Ro’ee and B’er Sheva are one and the same. When Avraham planted an orchard and/or built hospitality suites (see Rashi on 21:33) in B’er Sheva in order to bring others closer to G-d, he was doing so on the same spot where Hagar had encountered the divine; B’er Lachai Ro’ee.
B’er Sheva being B’er Lachai Ro’ee has several implications. First of all, when Avraham called it “B’er Sheva” after he made a covenant with Avimelech and they swore allegiance to each other, he was changing the name from B’er Lachai Ro’ee to B’er Sheva. Secondly, apparently Yitzchok never acknowledged that name change, as when he came from there before meeting Rivka and when he moved there after Avraham died, it was still referred to as B’er Lachai Ro’ee (although this could have been done because of the connection it had with Hagar, who likely still called it by that name). Additionally, it explains why Yitzchok had to change the name to B’er Sheva a second time (26:33), as until then the family was still referring to it as B’er Lachai Ro’ee (see page 3 of www.aishdas.org/ta/5769/toldos.pdf). Finally, and most pertinent to our discussion, it means that it wasn’t Yitzchok who gave the area prominence after Hagar’s experience there, but Avraham. He made it his religious center, where he would introduce the many wayfarers passing through to G-d, after Hagar had encountered angels there. While this certainly explains how Avraham’s house was in B’er Lachai Ro’ee (as the Midrash indicates), and why Yitzchok moved there after Avraham died, as it had been his father’s residence as well as a major religious center for many years, the question now shifts from why Yitzchok chose to live there to why Avraham decided to make B’er Lachai Ro’ee the focal point of his religious mission.
When an angel first spoke to Hagar (16:8), she responded to the angel’s query, telling him that she was fleeing from her master, Sara. The next communication (16:9), however, when she was told to return to her master and suffer under her, elicited no response. This led to a third communication (16:10), when she was told that she would have many, many descendants, but Hagar still didn‘t respond. During the fourth communication (16:11-12), Hagar was told that she was pregnant (or would become pregnant), what name to call the son she will give birth to (Yishmael), that G-d was aware of her suffering, and what her son would be like. It was only after this fourth communication that Hagar reacted (16:13), acknowledging that she had been the recipient of divine communication.
It was not one long communication, as evidenced by the introductory “and he said” before each new message. As a matter of fact, our sages, of blessed memory, tell us that each communication was delivered by a different angel (see Rashi on 16:9), indicating that each was a new and totally different message. Understanding why separate communications were necessary may help us understand why Avraham (and Yitzchok) were so taken by her experience.
When Hagar was first told to return to her master, she was supposed to do just that. But she didn’t. She ignored the instructions given to her by the angel, and stayed right where she was. Therefore, G-d had to send another angel, with the message being that although she would suffer (which was included in the previous message), things would turn out okay, as she would be the matron of a large nation. That still wasn’t enough to convince her to return, so G-d had to send yet another angel, this time telling her that she’s pregnant (or would become pregnant), and that not only won’t her suffering lead to a miscarriage (or to another miscarriage), but G-d is aware of what she is going through, and that her progeny will even the score (see Ramban on 16:16). Hearing that suffering under Sara would not be in vain (as she will become pregnant, or see this pregnancy through), and that G-d would be with her throughout her ordeal, Hagar decided to return to her previously intolerable situation.
Hagar’s experience wasn’t only powerful because she experienced divine communication, but because despite her initial refusal to act upon that divine communication, G-d didn’t give up on her. She didn’t follow G-d’s instructions even after being told that things would eventually work out, yet G-d still didn’t give up on her. Only after being told that ultimately she will benefit from her suffering (having a child whose name will always remind her that G-d was with her as she suffered) did she do what she should have done right away. And yet, G-d stayed with her, despite her initial failures.
Avraham wanted to bring others closer to G-d, but it’s difficult to convince people to give G-d a chance if they’re not convinced that G-d will give them a chance (or another chance). Telling them that they can eventually reach spiritual heights is rarely enough to get them to start the climb. Explaining how good things will eventually be if they do the right thing is often not enough to motivate them to make the sacrifices needed to do what’s right. Hagar’s experience showed that not only will things eventually work out, but that the hard work necessary to get there is worthwhile. It showed that G-d is patient with us, and helps us succeed even after early failures. And it showed that G-d is not only there waiting for us when we reach the top of the mountain, but is with us when we start the climb and while we are climbing. Therefore, after Hagar returned from her experience, Avraham moved his outreach organization to B’er Lachai Ro’ee, where these lessons were palpable.
After Avraham died, Yitzchok took over the “family business” of hosting guests and bringing them closer to G-d. Hagar/Keturah was still a big part of that, as she could relate to the guests first-hand what happened to her there. Since Yitzchok not only lived there, but continued to promote what B’er Lachai Ro’ee meant conceptually, he is described as living “with” it, not just “in” it.
