Yishmael and Rebellious Son

Rav Elazar Abuchatzeira raised an interesting question regarding the בן סורר ומורה, the rebellious son. If this thirteen year old is put to death because of future crimes he would commit, why was Yishmael saved by the angel when he was thirteen years old?

The Jewish people have suffered greatly over the centuries by the descendants of Yishmael, to this very day. Wouldn’t it have been much easier not to revive him at that time, and the world would have been spared a great deal of suffering.

Rav Elazar explains that the key words in the Torah are, באשר הוא שם, that Yishmael was judged as he was at that time.

Unlike the בן סורר ומורה, who was already a thief and a glutton and a drunkard, Yishmael was not yet a sinner at all. We also know that he ultimately repented from whatever wrongdoing he ever did, before he died. There is even a hint that he merited עולם הבא.

And a final point to consider is that Yishmael grew up in the house of Abraham Avinu. Even though he was sent away, he must have acquired some good traits from his father.

So there was a great difference between Yishmael and the בן סורר ומורה.