Modern biblical scholarship and traditional Jewish interpretation need not stand in opposition - the Ishmael narratives in Genesis demonstrate how both approaches can enrich religious teaching and understanding. While Conservative Judaism accepts biblical criticism's premises, its preaching remains largely divorced from source-critical insights, relying instead on traditional Midrash alone. Source-critical analysis of the Ishmael stories (Genesis 16, 17, 21, 25, 28, and 36) reveals how different biblical sources (J, E, and P) reflected distinct theological and political stances toward neighboring peoples - from polemical accounts of expulsion to conciliatory narratives of coexistence. These varying perspectives show ancient writers engaging in their own form of homiletics, adapting inherited traditions to address contemporary concerns. Through careful comparison of midrashic and documentary approaches to these texts, this investigation demonstrates how source criticism can illuminate both religious and historical dimensions of biblical narratives. Conservative rabbis would benefit from incorporating such critical scholarship alongside traditional midrashic insights in their preaching, enriching congregational understanding while maintaining authentic engagement with sacred texts. This integrated approach strengthens Conservative Judaism's intellectual foundations and offers a model for combining scholarly methodology with traditional interpretation in contemporary Jewish teaching.