Abraham had two sons: Yitzchak and Yishmael. Yitzchak was Sarah’s son, and Yishmael was Hagar’s son. Yitzchak would become the ancestor of the Israelites, and Ishmael would be the father of the Arab nations. Sarah sent Hagar and Yishmael away when the half-brothers were still boys. They did not see each other again until their father died. In this parsha, we are told that the brothers come together again at last in order to bury their father at the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron. In their sadness over their father’s death, they are willing to stop being enemies and share their sorrow together.
Do you have any friends or people that you are fighting with? Remember that there are more important things in the world than whatever you were fighting about, and try to make up.
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