by Stephen Kirschenbaum
There is a part towards the end of the Parsha that is rarely quoted, most probably because it is the least understood. We learn that after Sarah’s death, Avraham Avinu took another wife. This is found in 25:6 where Rashi teaches פלגש אחת, that it is actually one Pilegesh, despite the fact that the Pasuk states פילגשים. So, he went and took a woman named Keturah and he had children with her. The Chumash tells us he sends themse children of his far away to the Far East as we understand, and these are the children of Avraham from whom the Far Eastern cultures stem from. The Gemara Sanhedrin 91a states מאי מתנות אמר ר’ ירמיה בר אבא מלמד שמסר להם שם טומאה, the Matanos he gave were the Sheim HaTumah, the powers that exist in the world that emanate from a negative place. This is what it says in the Pasuk, as explained by the Gemara.
There are two difficulties. 1) Why did Avraham Avinu send his children away, after all, they are his children? When Yishmael misbehaved as Rashi says, Yishmael was transgressed the cardinal sins of Avodah Zara and Gilui Arayos, Avraham was reluctant then to send him away, and Sarah had to compel him to do so. So, why here did Avraham Avinu send these Bnei Ketura away to a distant land with seemingly no reluctance before doing so? 2) Why did he give them the Sheimos HaTumah when he sent them away? A Davar Pele.
The Pachad Yitzchak in Maamarei Pesach Maimar 83 says that from here we have a connection to a Yesod of the Vilna Gaon. The GRA talks about the idea of Brisi, Es Brisi Avraham, Es Brisi Yitzchak, V’es Brisi Yaakov. HKBH talks about the Bris of the Avos. The GRA says that the Bris of the Avos is well-known — Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferes. However, there is also a Bris of the Imahos. There is also something we have from our Imahos — Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah. Es Avraham, Es Yitzchak you don’t say Bris Avraham you say Es Bris Avraham. The Es is Marbeh the women, the wives. As is the Derech of Nashim Tzidkonios to behave Kevuda Bas Melech P’nima, with ultimate Tzniyus. So too, the Bris is hidden here in the word Es.
What is the Bris of the Imahos, what is the Cheilek of the Imahos? To be a Chomah, to be a protection. We know that there is a custom that the Kallah walks around the Chosson under the Chuppah seven times. That is based on an idea from Shir HaShirim that the wife, the Kallah is K’Chomah, like a wall surrounding and protecting the home that the Chosson and Kallah build together. The Chomah is to protect from spiritual dangers. The father gives the white, the mother gives the red in the language of the Gemara. The father gives the intellect, teaches the children how to learn and how to keep Mitzvos. The mother gives the red, the blood, the warmth, the heart. That is the Chomah to be protected.
We see this in the Imahos. The Bris Imahos of Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel, and Leah. Sarah said in 21:10 protect Yitzchak from outside influences. Get rid of Yishmael, send him away. Rivka too, disagreed with Yitzchak and felt that Eisav’s influence was negative and should not be included in Klal Yisrael. Even Rachel and Leah, both of whom had only good children, were the ones who understood on their own in 31:15 that they should leave Lavan’s home. Yaakov only understood it when G-d told him B’nevuah, but they understood instinctively. The Bris Imahos is to be that Chomah in the home. Avraham lost his wife, he lost Sarah. He understood that the Chomah was missing, and therefore, he sent away the Bnei HaPilagshim.
So, why did he give them Kochos HaTumah? Yishmael and Eisav were sent away but they still
aspire to be Klal Yisrael. Eisav, the Catholic religion of today, is a people claiming that they are the chosen people. G-d has traded the Jewish people for us. Yishmael too, built their religion on the basis of that which was given over by the Jewish people for thousands of years until their prophet came and said we are the ones who descend from the Bible.
Avraham would have none of that. He said you go with the Kochos HaTumah, do what you need to do with it. Use it for good use it for bad, but you are not Klal Yisrael. So, we learn here about the idea of the Bris Imahos, when the mother wasn’t in the home, the father had to take certain steps to protect Klal Yisrael from the negative influence of others. The importance of having that Chomah, that protection.