She said to Avraham, “Banish this maidservant and her son” (Bereishis 21:10)
The Torah recounts many stories of the Avos: how they brought people to avodas Hashem, how they established yeshivos, the great nisayon of the Akeidah, and much more. What about the Imahos? The Torah tells us only about how they guarded the home.
Sarah Imeinu threw Yishmael out of the house. She recognized the danger his negative influence could have on Yitzchak. Avraham Avinu did not perceive it as clearly as she did. So Sarah was the one who said, “Banish this maidservant and her son.” A mother has a special ability to detect things like this.
The story was the same with Yaakov. Eisav wanted to grab everything, physical and spiritual, and Mother Rivkah preserved all the kedushah for her son Yaakov.
Later, when Yaakov was working for Lavan, Hashem told him to leave the house of Lavan. So Yaakov called Rachel and Leah out to the field, and asked them their opinion on the matter. Their answer was clear: הלוא נכריות נחשבנו לו – “We are considered strangers to him.” In other words, they have no relationship with Lavan, even though he is their father. This is how they protected the purity of their home.
The mother has a very special role. She protects the home from unwanted outside influences. Such influences might come in the form of books. We should not bring into our home a book whose author we would not want to bring into our home, because the author’s soul is in what he writes. When we bring in his book, we bring in his soul.
If we start with watching out for negative books, then we will understand how to watch out for negative games, and worse things. And we will have siyata d’Shmaya, because when the house is kept clean, the Shechinah dwells there.
1 Bereishis 31:15.
