בראשית, פרק כ״א, פסוק י״ד

The moment Abraham parts with Hagar and his son Ishmael is fraught with profound emotional difficulty. Yet, despite the agonizing reality of sending his son into the barren desert, Abraham rises early in the morning to act. The primary approach among commentators is that this swift action demonstrates his unwavering obedience to God, rushing to fulfill the divine command without a moment of hesitation. By carrying out the expulsion personally rather than delegating it to a servant, he underscores his absolute submission. Furthermore, acting early in the morning prevented any potential interference from his household, who might have been moved by pity to offer the exiles additional supplies.

Before they depart, Abraham equips Hagar with only basic rations: bread and a skin or wooden container of water. This raises a compelling question regarding Abraham's vast wealth. Why would a man of such extraordinary means provide his son and concubine with mere bread and water, especially when compared to the generous gifts he later bestowed upon the children of Keturah? One perspective [אבן עזרא, רד״ק, העמק דבר] suggests that these provisions were practically calculated, intended to last exactly until they reached the nearest settlement or Hagar’s homeland of Egypt. Another approach [ספורנו, הכתב והקבלה, מחוקקי יהודה] posits that Abraham did, in fact, provide them with silver, gold, and pack animals. The account only highlights the bread and water because these were the specific necessities they later desperately lacked while wandering in the wilderness.

Conversely, other scholars view the meager supplies as a deliberate expression of alienation and distance. Some argue that Abraham withheld wealth because Ishmael had fallen into destructive behavior, treating him with the strict distance reserved for an adversary who receives only basic sustenance [רש״י, רבנו בחיי, חזקוני]. Others suggest the expulsion was executed with a firm, uncompromising hand to clarify Hagar's status; she was being dismissed as a freed maidservant rather than a wife, and was therefore sent away without property [מלבי״ם, רש״ר הירש]. A unique view [אלשיך] even proposes that Abraham intentionally provided little so that Ishmael would experience hardship, thereby earning heavenly mercy through his suffering.

The manner in which Abraham hands over the provisions and the boy presents a logistical puzzle, as Ishmael was already a young man at the time. Many commentators [רמב״ן, אבן עזרא, שד״ל, בכור שור] clarify that Abraham placed only the supplies on Hagar's shoulder—an act emphasizing her subordinate status as a maidservant [ספורנו, הכתב והקבלה]—while simply handing the boy over to walk beside her. However, a more literal interpretation asserts that Abraham actually lifted Ishmael onto Hagar's shoulders. According to this view, Sarah had cast an evil eye upon the boy, causing him to fall ill with a fever and lose the strength to walk, leaving his mother with no choice but to carry him [רש״י, הטור הארוך, גור אריה, ברטנורא]. Another distinct explanation [אור החיים] suggests that Ishmael actively refused to leave his father's home, compelling Abraham to bind him and place him on Hagar's shoulder.

As they finally depart, the nature of their separation remains a point of contrast. While some scholars [ספורנו, רד״ק, אלשיך] maintain that Abraham mercifully escorted Hagar out of the city, others [מלבי״ם, פרדס יוסף] argue that he sent her away completely alone to demonstrate an absolute severing of their bond. Hagar then proceeds into the desert of Beersheba, where she ultimately loses her way. This wandering is understood on two distinct levels. On a practical level, she simply became physically disoriented; had she maintained a straight path, Abraham's water would have sufficed to reach the next town, but her detour extended the journey until the supplies ran dry [רשב״ם, רד״ק, שד״ל]. On a deeper, spiritual level, her wandering represents a moral deviation. In this view, Hagar reverted to the idolatrous practices of her youth, and it was precisely this spiritual regression that brought about the divine decree causing her water to run out, plunging her into mortal danger [רש״י, מזרחי, שפתי חכמים, גור אריה].