Issac & Ishmael - 8 vs. 13

In this week's Torah portion, we are introduced to the father of Judaism - and through it many of today's major belief systems.
How did Avraham become the father of various religions? What role did his 2 sons play?

While living in Israel, Avraham & his wife Sarah experienced a great famine that hit the land of Israel.
Forced to traverse down to Egypt to acquire food, the couple runs into some problems, with Sarah taken by guards to marry her to Pharaoh.
G-d Saves Sarah by striking Pharaoh's household with a plague, and Pharaoh sends Avraham & Sarah away with great riches.
But during his short acquaintance with the holy Avraham & Sarah, after witnessing miracles wrought for them, Pharaoh, greatly impressed, sends his daughter Hagar to be a hand-maid
to Sarah, saying: "Greater a helper to Sarah, than a princess here."

Childless, Sarah asks Avraham to marry Hagar and they have a child, "Ishmael." In this week's Torah reading, Avraham is commanded to circumcise himself and the males of his household. Ishmael is 13 at the time. Soon Sarah is granted by G-d a child, Issac, and he is circumcised at 8 days old as commanded by G-d.

We are told in the Midrash, that one day, Issac and Ishmael were having an argument. Ishmael was gloating to Issac, saying:
"I am greater than you, for I had my circumcision at 13 yrs. old! I made my own decision, I chose to dedicate myself to G-d!
You were 8 days old and had no choice!" Issac answered him: "That may be, but I was circumcised & thereby dedicated to G-d at 8 days old, beyond my choice, because I am dedicated to G-d beyond
reason and understanding; beyond intellect." The nature of a Jew is his dedication to G-d, his commitment beyond reason. To be sure, Judaism places a central role on understanding
as much as possible about Judaism & G-d, but through thick & thin, as we've seen throughout history, even when it doesn't seem to make sense, we stay committed. And that's why Issac, his son Jacob, the 12 tribes, and all of the future Jewish People, had to be circumcised at 8 days old. A time when one doesn't yet "understand" G-d, but is bound with Him - body & soul.

Ishmael was born naturally, while Isaac was born miraculously, from a mother of 90 yrs. old who had always been barren. Sarah had no womb. Ever.
Every person in the world has a connection with G-d, and a spiritual self that must be nurtured, and Jews must help this happen.
It is our duty.
But to do that, we must always remember who we are, a people whose nature, as bequeathed to us spiritually by our forefathers, is a bound with G-d
that defies all logic and nature. An unalterable bond that defies any laws of a nature, any enemy, any circumstance.

Shabbat Shalom!

-Daniel