The Reconciliation of Avraham's Family: A Lesson For Generations

At the end of Avraham's life, after Sara had passed away, we are told that he took another wife whose name was Keturah, with whom he had an additional six children. The Torah does not tell us anything about Keturah other than her name. Rashi, however, identifies her as Hagar, the mother of Yishmael. Rashi writes (25:1),

קטורה - זו הגר, ונקראת קטורה על שם שנאים מעשיה כקטרת ושקשרה פתחה שלא נזדווגה לאדם מיום שפרשה מאברהם
This is Hagar. She was called Keturah because her deeds were as beautiful as incense (קטורת), and because she tied (קטרה, the Aramaic for“tied”) her opening, for she was not intimate with any man from the day she separated from Abraham.

According to Rashi, Hagar had reformed. She was no longer a rebellious maid who challenged her mistress' authority; her deeds were as fragrant as incense and she had not been with another man since she was sent away from Avraham, perhaps because she anticipated the day when she would reunite with him.
Rashi earlier on in the parsha points out that this reunion was made possible by none other than Yitzchak. When Eliezer returned home with Rivkah we are told that Yitzchak had just returned from a trip to Be'er Lechai Roi. Previously, Be'er Lechai Roi was identified as the place where Hagar had an encounter with angel who promised her that she too, like Sara, would have a son whose descendants would be numerous (16:13-14). Rashi, wondering what Yitzchak was doing in Be'er Lechai Roi writes (24:62),

מבוא באר לחי ראי - שהלך להביא הגר לאברהם אביו שישאנה
Coming from Be’er Lachai Roi: where he had gone to bring Hagar to Abraham his father, that he should marry her

Not only did Avraham and Hagar reunite because of Yitzchak's urging, Yishmael and Yitzchak also were able to smooth things over. When Avraham passes away at the end of the parsha we are told that Yitzchak and Yishmael buried him in Me'arat Ha'machpeila (25:9). Where did Yishmael come from? We have not heard from him since he was kicked out of his father's house. And why would he want to have anything to do with the father who rejected him?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, with the help of a Midrash from the Pirkei D'Rabi Eliezer, offers a beautiful explanation. He writes, (Covenant and Conversation, Parshat Chaye Sara 5769, for the full text of article click here),

Not only did Isaac feel guilty about the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael. So did Abraham, according to this interpretation. We know that Abraham did not want to send Ishmael away. The text (Gen. 21: 11) is explicit on this point. But Sarah was insistent, and God told Abraham to listen to her. Throughout the lifetime of Sarah, reconciliation was impossible. After her lifetime, however, Abraham sought her out and brought her back. Hagar did not end her days as an outcast. She returned, in honour, as Abraham's wife. That is why, at Abraham's funeral (he died thirty-eight years after Sarah), Isaac and Ishmael were both present. The divided family was reunited.
There is an extraordinary midrash (Pirkei deRabbi Eliezer, 30) which tells the story of how Ishmael was twice visited by Abraham. On both occasions, Ishmael was not at home. On the first, his wife, not knowing Abraham's identity, refused the stranger bread and water. Ishmael divorced her and married a woman named Fatimah. This time, when Abraham visited, again not disclosing his identity, the woman gave him food and drink. The midrash then says "Abraham stood and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and Ishmael's house became filled with all good things. When Ishmael returned, his wife told him about it, and Ishmael knew that his father still loved him."
There is a story here of immense consequence for our time. Jews and Muslims both trace their descent from Abraham - Jews though Isaac, Muslims through Ishmael. Fatimah is an important figure in Islam. She is the daughter of the prophet.
Beneath the surface of the narrative in Chayei Sarah, the sages read the clues and pieced together a moving story of reconciliation between Abraham and Isaac on the one hand, Hagar and Ishmael on the other. Yes, there was conflict and separation; but that was the beginning, not the end. Between Judaism and Islam there can be friendship and mutual respect. Abraham loved both his sons, and was laid to rest by both. There is hope for the future in this story of the past.