G-d judges each person by who they are right now
G-d attends to the tears of the lowly and the stranger as readily as to those of the righteous, as shown by His response to Hagar's weeping over Yishmael. Though the angels protested that Yishmael's descendants would one day bring suffering upon Israel, G-d judged him "as he is there" — solely by his present righteousness, not by his future deeds, teaching that each person is judged according to who they are now. The well was already present, but Hagar's eyes needed to be opened by G-d to see it — for all people are presumed blind until G-d grants them sight — yet her act of filling the skin rather than trusting fully in what she had seen reveals a lingering deficiency in her faith.AI summary · anthropic/claude-haiku-5.5
That is what is written: “You have taken account of my wandering. Put my tears in Your flask [nodekha]” (Psalms 56:9) – [accept my tears] like that woman with the flask [Hagar]. Just as it is written in the book of Psalms: “Hear my prayer, Lord, and heed my cry; [do not be silent at my tears]” (Psalms 39:13) – [David said:] ‘To the tears of Hagar You were not silent, but to my tears You are silent? And if You will say: Because she was a stranger she was beloved, I, too, “for I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, like all my fathers”’ (Psalms 39:13).
“God heard the voice of the lad; the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens, and said to her: What is it with you, Hagar? Fear not, as God has heard the voice of the lad, as he is there” (Genesis 21:17). “The angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens” – due to the merit of Abraham. “As he is there” – due to his own merit; the prayer of an ill person himself is superior to all others.
“As he is there” – Rabbi Simon said: The ministering angels leapt to condemn him before God]. They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, a person who is destined to kill your children by thirst, will You produce a spring for him?’ He said to them: ‘What is he right now, righteous or wicked?’ They said to him: ‘He is righteous.’ He said to them: ‘I judge a person only at his present time. “Rise, lift the boy”’ (Genesis 21:18).
“God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad to drink” (Genesis 21:19). “God opened her eyes” – Rabbi Binyamin said: Everyone has the presumptive status of being blind until the Holy One blessed be He opens their eyes. [This is derived] from here: “God opened her eyes.”
“She went and filled the skin with water” – this teaches that she was lacking in faith.
הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים נו, ט): נֹדִי סָפַרְתָּה אָתָּה שִׂימָה דִמְעָתִי בְנֹאדֶךָ, כְּאוֹתָהּ בַּעֲלַת נֹאד, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר תְּהִלִּים (תהלים לט, יג): שִׁמְעָה תְפִלָּתִי ה' וְשַׁוְעָתִי הַאֲזִינָה וגו', אֶל דִּמְעָתָהּ שֶׁל הָגָר לֹא הֶחֱרַשְׁתָּ אֶל דִּמְעָתִי אַתָּה מַחֲרִישׁ. וְאִם תֹּאמַר עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיְתָה גִּיּוֹרֶת הָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה, אַף אָנֹכִי (תהלים לט, יג): כִּי גֵּר אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ תּוֹשָׁב כְּכָל אֲבוֹתָי. (בראשית כא, יז): וַיִּקְרָא מַלְאַךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶל הָגָר מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, בִּזְכוּתוֹ שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם. (בראשית כא, יז): בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם, בִּזְכוּת עַצְמוֹ, יָפָה תְּפִלַּת הַחוֹלֶה לְעַצְמוֹ יוֹתֵר מִכֹּל. בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם, אָמַר רַבִּי סִימוֹן קָפְצוּ מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת לְקַטְרְגוֹ, אָמְרוּ לְפָנָיו רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, אָדָם שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְהָמִית אֶת בָּנֶיךָ בַּצָּמָא אַתָּה מַעֲלֶה לוֹ בְּאֵר, אָמַר לָהֶם עַכְשָׁו מַה הוּא, צַדִּיק אוֹ רָשָׁע, אָמְרוּ לוֹ צַדִּיק, אָמַר לָהֶם אֵינִי דָן אֶת הָאָדָם אֶלָּא בִּשְׁעָתוֹ. (בראשית כא, יח): קוּמִי שְׂאִי אֶת הַנַּעַר. (בראשית כא, יט): וַיִּפְקַח אֶת עֵינֶיהָ, אָמַר רַבִּי בִּנְיָמִין הַכֹּל בְּחֶזְקַת סוּמִין עַד שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵאִיר אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם, מִן הָכָא וַיִּפְקַח אֱלֹהִים אֶת עֵינֶיהָ. (בראשית כא, יט): וַתֵּלֶךְ וַתְּמַלֵּא אֶת הַחֵמֶת, הֲדָא אָמְרָת מְחֻסֶּרֶת אֲמָנָה הָיְתָה.