Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/165

 Hagar and she

on

147

Islunael

passed to her eternal reward, her love lives on and

lias

of her children, and her gentle words of counand admonition are a lamp, w^hich guides them through Therefore the Bible the darkness upon the way of life.

in the lives

sel all

says truly, M- son, keep the coniniandrnent of

And

th-

father,

forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

Bind them continuall}- upon thy heart. Tie them about thy neck.

For the commandment

And

The other thie

a lamp,

is

and the teaching

reproofs of instruction are the way of

time,

first

when

story told that

He

weak

fail

to

a voice, lest

Moses should pay So He

recognize His true glory.

the voice

of

his

father,

for

He knew

light,

Moses

(lod called to

did not speak in His

feared that this might frighten Moses. too

is

life.

for

own voice, for He Nor would He use little

attention,

or

Moses

in

called to

that

to

this

gentle

and loving voice Aloses could answer only in accents of If only we are observant, we respect and tender affection. can see our father's love and our mother's love, and can hear it, too, not only in their actions and in the many things they do for us, but even in the sound and inflection of their voices, when tliey speak to us or about us, and in the light which shines in their eyes when they look at us, or even think of us.

This

the traditional love of Jewish

is

fathers

and Jewash mothers, which has ever made them happy their

many

sacrifices

for the sake of their children.

in

]lany,

many stories may be told of this love, and many examples may be given. Each child, if only made to think for a moment, must know some instances of father love and mother And we can understand love from his own experience. that in

wisdom and

truth the. Bible

commands, "Honor thy

father and thy mother".

One more thought ised that

this

story suggests.

God had prom-

Ishmael, too, like Isaac, should become the pro-