187. Rabbi Yehuda said, Now this whole portion of the scripture is made clear, but I do not know the meaning of the verse, "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Kturah" (Beresheet 25:1). To a reasonable mind, this text is contradictory. IT CONTRADICTS THE EXPLANATION CONCERNING THE SOUL AND BODY AT THE TIME OF RESURRECTION.
187. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, הָא כָּל פָּרְשָׁתָא דָא אִתְבְּרַר לָן, אֲבָל לָא יָכֵילְנָא לְמִנְדַע מַהוּ, וַיּוֹסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה. וּלְשִׁקּוּלָא דְדַעְתָּא כָּל פָּרְשָׁתָא דָא לִיסְתּוּרֵי.
196. Rabbi Yehuda said, Even if we came only for this secret, it would have sufficed. They said to him, Happy is your lot in the World to Come, for no secret is withheld from you. They said to him, We came before you, Sir, to know the secret of the verse, "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Kturah" (Beresheet 25:1).
196. אֲמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אִלְמָלֵא לָא אָתֵינָא, אֶלָּא בְּדִיל רָזָא דָא דַּיִּי. אֲמָרוּ לֵיהּ, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקָךְ לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי דְּכָל רָז לָא אָנִיס לָךְ. אֲמָרוּ לֵיהּ אָתֵינָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּמַר, לְמִנְדַע רָזָא דְהַאי פְּסוּקָא, וַיּוֹסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה.
257. "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Kturah" (Beresheet 25:1). Kturah is Hagar, for we learned that after Hagar separated from Abraham and whored after her father's idols, she repented and was associated with good deeds. For that reason, her name was changed to Kturah, which alludes to her good deeds, FOR KTURAH MEANS CONNECTED. Then Abraham sent and took her for a wife. From this, it is understood that changing a name atones for transgressions, because her name was changed TO KTURAH AFTER SHE ATONED FOR HER SINS.
257. וַיּוֹסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה. קְטוּרָה דָא הִיא הָגָר. דְּהָא תָּנִינָן, בָּתַר דְּאִתְפְּרָשָׁא הָגָר מִנֵּיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם, וְטָעַת בָּתַר גִּלּוּלֵי דַּאֲבוּהָ, לְבָתַר, אִתְקַּשְׁרָא בְּעוֹבָדִין דְכַשְׁרָן, וּבְגִין כָּךְ, אִשְׁתַּנֵּי שְׁמָהּ, וְאִקְרֵי קְטוּרָה, בְּעוֹבָדִין דְּכָשְׁרָן, וְשָׁדַר אַבְרָהָם, וּנְסָבָהּ לֵיהּ לְאִנְתּוּ. מִכָּאן דְּשִׁנּוּי שְׁמָא מְכַפֵּר חוֹבִין, וְעַל דָּא אִשְׁתַּנֵּי שְׁמָהּ.
258. In the phrase, "Then again Abraham", what is meant by "again (lit. 'he added')?" If you say that Abraham took another wife in addition to Sarah, this is not so. Rather, in the days of Sarah he had already mated once with Hagar and then drove her away because of the deeds of Ishmael, WHO MOCKED ISAAC. The word "again" MEANS that he TOOK her again, a second time, because she atoned for her evil deeds. As a result, her name was changed AND SHE WAS CALLED KTURAH.
258. וַיּוֹסֶף אַבְרָהָם, מַאי וַיּוֹסֶף, אִי תֵימָא דְּעַל שָׂרָה אִיהוּ דְּאוֹסִיף, לָאו הָכֵי. אֶלָּא בְּיוֹמָהָא דְשָׂרָה, אִזְדַּוַּוג בַּהֲדָהּ זִמְנָא חָדָא, וּלְבָתַר תָּרִיךְ לָהּ, עַל עִסְקֵי דְיִשְׁמָעֵאל, וּלְבָתַר וַיּוֹסֶף כְּמִלְקַדְמִין, זִמְנָא אָחֳרָא, עַל מַה דְּנָסִיב לָהּ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא. וּכְפוּם דְשָׁנֵי עוֹבָדָהָא, הָכֵי נָמֵי שָׁנֵי שְׁמָהּ.
263. "The sons of the concubines" are the children of Kturah, WHO IS CALLED "CONCUBINES" because she was a concubine before ABRAHAM SENT HER AWAY and was again a concubine when HE TOOK HER BACK. Rabbi Chiya said that this alludes to actual concubines AND IN NO WAY DOES IT ALLUDE TO KTURAH. "And sent them away from his son, Isaac" (Ibid.), so that they would not have control over Isaac "while he yet lived," while Abraham was alive and well in this world. This way, they would not quarrel with him later, and Isaac would be strengthened and subjugate everyone before him. "Eastward, to the east country" (Ibid.), because one finds there all kinds of witchcraft.
263. בְּנֵי הַפִּילַגְשִׁים אִלֵּין הֲווֹ בְּנֵי קְטוּרָה, פִּלֶּגֶשׁ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּפִלֶּגֶשׁ הַשְׁתָּא. ר' חִיָּיא אֲמַר, פִּילַגְשִׁים מַמָּשׁ. וַיְשַׁלְּחֵם מֵעַל יִצְחָק בְנוֹ, דְּלָא לְשַׁלְּטָאָה לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּיִצְחָק. בְּעוֹדֶנוּ חַי, בְּעוֹד דַּהֲוָה אַבְרָהָם חַי וְקַיָּים בְּעַלְמָא, דְּלָא יְקַטְרְגוּן לֵיהּ לְבָתַר, וּבְגִין דְּיִתְתַּקַּן יִצְחָק בִּסְטַר דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא עִלָּאָה, לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ אִתְכַּפְיָין קַמֵּיהּ. קֵדְמָה אֶל אֶרֶץ קֶדֶם, בְּגִין דְּתַמָּן אִינוּן סִטְרֵי חֳרָשֵׁי מְסָאֲבֵי.