This week’s Torah portion is Chayei Sarah. Now we know the backstory is that Sarah has been unable to bear a child for Abraham. So G-d promises her that he will grant her a child.

But… just in case, Abraham takes another wife whose name is Hagar. Who is Hagar? Well, she is a daughter of the Pharaoh. So how does she end up married to Abraham? This portion tells us that when Hagar saw how the G-d of Israel had protected Sarah she exclaimed “I would rather be a slave in Sarah’s house than a princess in my own.” Her very name, Hagar, comes from the phrase ha’agar or this is the reward.

Moving on, we find that Abraham takes yet another wife, K’turah. So who is K’Turah and where did she come from? Surprise ending…she is  Hagar. She is a magnificent example of so many in the scriptures who witness the faithfulness and miracles wrought by the G-d of Israel and who say “I want to join with those people.”

And that’s what I have done! I’ve chosen to join with the Jewish people even though I don’t come from a Jewish background.

Shalom, Moreh Matan