You are the God who sees me!

This write up attempts to bring attention to a potentially life altering idea expressed by Hagar

Bereishis 16 is essentially a story about Sarai—in Canaan ten years sans children—asking Avram to take her maidservant Hagar as a surrogate through whom Sarai might mother a child (Radak to 'פסוק ב).

Avram acquiesces, Hagar indeed becomes pregnant, and Sarai, feeling mistreated by her, oppresses her. Hagar, unable to bear it any longer, flees from her.

She finds herself in the desert, pregnant (ibid, verse 11) and alone.

An angel appears to her, and after telling her to return and that God will make her child into a great nation, instructs her to name the boy Yishmael as God has heard her pain.

Hagar, overcome, proclaims (verse 13): וַתִּקְרָא שֵׁם י"י הַדֹּבֵר אֵלֶיהָ אַתָּה אֵל רֳאִי כִּי אָמְרָה הֲגַם הֲלֹם רָאִיתִי אַחֲרֵי רֹאִי.

Onkelos renders it וְצַלִּיאַת בִּשְׁמָא דַּייָ דְּאִתְמַלַּל עִמַּהּ אֲמַרַת אַתְּ הוּא אֱלָהָא חָזֵי כוֹלָא אֲרֵי אֲמַרַת אַף אֲנָא שָׁרִיתִי חָזְיָא בָּתַר דְּאִתְגְּלִי לִי, Rashi אלוה הראייה שרואה בעלבון עלובים.
הגם הלום – לשון תימה, וכי סבורה הייתי שאף הלום במדברות ראיתי שלוחו של מקום.
אחרי רואי – אותם בביתו של אברהם, ששם הייתי רגילה לראות מלאכים
and Shadal, as: אתה אל ראי – אל ראי אלוה של השגחה, אלוה המשגיח, אשר עיניו פקוחות על דרכי בני אדם (רש"י) כנגד מה שכתוב כי שמע ה' אל עניך.
הגם הלום וגו' – וכי סבורה הייתי שגם הלום במדבר אמצא מי שישגיח עלי אחרי היפרדי מרואי, מאברהם אוהבי שהיה משגיח עלי?

Pulling them all together, the sense I'm getting is one of a startling realization on Hagars part.

Hagar was used to Godliness in Avrams house, she was used to being looked after and loved there.

However, she thought it was on behalf of and limited to her being around great people that cared about her.

When Gods messenger appears to her—even after her having fled Avram and Sarai's house—telling her that wherever she is she is seen, heard and loved by God, she is struck by a startling revelation (literally and figuratively).

Namely, that (Gods) love, care and concern isnt dependent on our being around (holy) people that care about us, but rather, that wherever we may be, or whatever circumstance we may find ourselves in, no matter how trying, that we are each seen, heard, deeply cared for and loved by God.

If I'm reading Onkelos correctly, Hagar is so blown away by this epiphany that she says that she has only now begun to see ie truly comprehend reality viz it was an absolute paradigm shift for her that she—all on her own—matters to God and that she is cared for by Him solely by dint of the fact that she is His creation.

The place is even christened בְּאֵר לַחַי רֹאִי which translates to "Well of the Living One Who Sees Me" reflecting this massive shift in thinking that occured in that forlorn (albeit not Godforsaken!) place. 

After penning the above, I noticed that R DZ Hoffman writes as follows (פסוק י"ד): קרא – כל אחד ואחד קראה כך. העובדה שה' מופיע, במדבר, לשפחה הבורחת מבית גברתה, כדי להצילה מכל רע ולהושיעה, עובדה זו יש בה משום מאורע מנחם לכל האנושות כולה, מאורע שכל מר נפש יתחזק בידיעתו, כי ללמד הוא בא לכל בן תמותה שבצרתו, כאשר עזוב הוא לנפשו, יכול הוא לפנות אל האל הרואה כל פרט ופרט, "חי ראי", החי שרואה גם אותי

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