Lekh Lekha 5767 -- Whose Laughter and Why?

We discussed at our Shabbat table how 5 names were divinely mandated in this part of Beresheit: Yishmael, Avraham, Sarah, Yitzchak, and Yisrael. We also discussed the origin of Yitzchak's name, which I had previously thought of as related to the joy of Sarah. However, it is initially Avraham who laughs, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu who actually supplies the name Yitzchak (17:17-19). The text does not, at this point, explain the name.

In Vayera, Sarah laughs when she is told (18:12), God asks Avraham why Sarah laughed (18:13), Sarah denies that she laughed-- rather she was fearful (18:15), and Sarah is reminded that she didin fact laugh (18:15). Yitzchak is born in 21:2, and Avraham nameshim in 21:3. It is only in 21:6 -- 4 chapters after God initially mandates the name, and 4 verses after Avraham gives it -- that Sarah gives herfamous speech: "Tz'hok Asah Li Elokim, Kol haShomea Yitzchak Li /God has made laughter for me, all who hear will laughingly rejoice over me." Rashi brings a beautiful midrash on this verse, in which he explains that "Kol haShomea Yitzchak Li" refersto the many other barren women who were remembered with children along with Sarah, the many other invalids who were cured on that day(of Yitzchak's brit milah), many prayers were answered along withSarah's, and there was great S'chok (games? fun?) in the world.

Sarah appears to laugh twice, once in 18:12 when the promise of a child is made, and when Yitzchak is born and enters the covenant in21:6. All of this suggests 2 questions to me:

1) Each of these instances in which Sarah laughs comes after Yitzchak is named. 22 verses after God names Yitzchak, Sarah laughs for the first time. 3 verses after Avraham names Yitzchak,Sarah laughs for the second time. Why does Sarah laugh only after his name is mentioned? (Or perhaps, why does the Torah only tell us ofSarah's laughter after the name?) That is, if we are supposed to associate Yitzchak with Sarah's laughter (Tz'hok Asah Li Elokim, KolhaShomea Yitzchak Li -- God has made laugther for me, all who hear will laughingly rejoice over me") wouldn't we expect to hear ofSarah's laughter before he is named?

2) When Yishmael, Avraham, and Yisrael are (re)named, a reason is given at the time (See 16:11 for Yishmael "Ki Shama Hashem elAnyekh -- because God has heard your distress; 17:5 for Avraham"v'hayah shimkha Avraham ki Av HaMon Goyim N'tatikha --your name shall be Avraham because you will be the father of many nations; 32:29for Yisrael "Lo Yaakov ye'amer od shimkha, ki im Yisrael, ki sarita im Elokim -- your name will no longer be said Yaakov, but Yisrael,because you wrestled with Elokim"). However, we have to wait for 4 chapters after God initially mandates the name until we receive what appears to be the explanation for the name: the joy and laughter thatYitzchak brings to Sarah. Yishmael, Avraham, and Yisrael (in that order) all received divine names, and they were immediately told by angels or the Almighty why they would receive this name. Why is Yitzchak so different?

There is one, far from satisfactory, explanation that we might offer. In 17:17 we read that Avraham fell and laughed when he wastold that Sarah would bear him a child. Rashi writes that we should learn from this verse that when Avraham initially laughed, it was because he believed God and was rejoicing in laughter, but Sarah did not believe, and was laughing dismissively. Because of this "HikpidhaKadosh Baruch Hu al Sarah, v'lo al Avraham." This sentence translates as follows: because Avraham's laughter was out of believing joy, and Sarah's out of incredulous scoffing, God was exacting upon Sarah -- querying "Why did you laugh?" -- and not upon Avraham. This would suggest thatYitzchak is not so named because of Sarah's laughter, but because ofAvraham's! This would solve the first question presented above, but the second question -- why is the reason for the name not spelled out? --remains. Furthermore, Sarah's joy and laughter over Yitzchak wouldseem to be the more significant, and the more worthy of memorialization in a name. Avraham was already the father ofYishmael, and it would seem that his joy and laughter would be lessthan that of the childless Sarah.

These are difficult questions and I would love to hear anyone's thoughts. I would also encourage any thoughts regarding theunderlying question: What differentiates Avraham, Sarah, Yishmael,Yitzchak, and Yisrael such that they all (and no one else, I think)are named by Divine intervention?