Parsha Paragraphs
Rabbi Naftali Kassorla
Parshat Toldot 5778
Heartfelt Desires
The D’var Torah for this week is dedicated in honor of:
הרב הגאון ידיד נפשי ר׳ יצחק בן רחל שליט״א ורעייתו מינא רחל בת אידה חיה תח׳
יהי רצון שימלא הקב״ה כל משאלות לבכם לטובה מתוך נחת שמחה ושפע
הרב הגאון ידיד נפשי ר׳ יצחק בן רחל שליט״א ורעייתו מינא רחל בת אידה חיה תח׳
יהי רצון שימלא הקב״ה כל משאלות לבכם לטובה מתוך נחת שמחה ושפע
If you are interested in sponsoring a D’var Torah in honor or in memory of someone, or for any occasion, please email: ParshaParagraphs@gmail.com
In this week’s parsha we are told of the barrenness of Rivka and Yitzchak, and their beseeching G-d to grant them a child.
The pasuk says: ויעתר יצחק לה׳ - “Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife” (Bereishit 25:21). Rashi explains that Yitzchak and Rivka would stand in opposite corners of the room and pray. Yitzchak would pray on Rivka’s behalf, and she would pray for herself as well. Directly after this, in the same verse, the Torah tells us, “And Hashem allowed Himself to be entreated by Yitzchak, and his wife Rivka conceived.” Their prayers were answered.
When reading the pasuk, from the very fact the Torah puts both the prayer and its answer in one pasuk implies that Hashem answered them very swiftly, thus showing us the direct and immediate correlation between the two: That prayer was the key to their being blessed with a child.
The Gemara in Yevamot (64a) asks a very famous and emotionally packed question: This was not the first time or the last time one of our אמהות was stricken with being עקרות. Why did Hashem allow our patriarchs and matriarchs to have children only after many years of heartfelt prayer? The Gemara gives its answer which has become famous to many: מפני שהקב״ה מתאוה לתפילתן של צדיקים - “For Hashem desires the prayers of the righteous.”
This answer is deep and contains within it many concepts, with much ink spilled expounding upon it. However when we look at the original source, the Midrash Tanchuma, we are faced with a tremendous peculiarity. The Midrash asks the same question as the Gemara but adds a new dimension to the answer. Speaking from Hashem’s perspective, it tells us that Hashem made a reckoning saying, “They [the אבות] have wealth, they have the respect of the world, if I give them children they will never pray to me” and the Midrash concludes, “We see from here that Hashem desires the prayers of Tzadikim.”
This Midrash is startling, to say the least. Are we not talking about the אבות הקדושים, whose lives were completely focused on the enhancement of G-d’s glory in this world, the very people who created the concept of a daily prayer. Can it be that they, of all people, would not pray to Hashem? How can we understand that Hashem could entertain the possibility that the Avot would not pray to Him?
From here we can truly gain a deeper understanding of prayer. תפילה, as we too often assume, is not just a compilation of praises to G-d. Rather the animating aspect of prayer is that it is a time for us to connect and recognize The Power which runs our universe, nourishes our souls, and comforts our hearts. However, that recognition and connection can only come from a place of total self-abnegation. Only when we realize that we are so dependent upon His grace for everything we have in life, can we really connect to Him. But how can one truly feel this way if he lacks absolutely nothing? When we lack something tremendously important and we recognize that only Hashem can give it to us, we are more able to pray with a realization of our reliance upon Him and to forge a real bond with Him. This is the prayer which Hashem desires.
With this in mind, we can answer our initial question: Of course the אבות would have prayed to Hashem even if they had children right away, but perhaps their prayer would have been lacking this deeper awareness – the awareness of man’s utter dependence on G-d for his every need. Perhaps had they prayed without feeling this existential lack it (on their level) would not have been a tefillah which one casts all of his burdens, hopes, and dreams onto Hashem, and allows His providence to control his life.תפילה לעני (Tehillim 102)– the tefillah of a pauper, of one who is lacking, one who “pours forth his plea”, is not the same as the tefillah of one who has everything.
Specifically out of G-d’s love and desire to draw the the אבות closer, He desired that they pray this deeper tefilla, for He desires the ultimate relationship that it will create.
May we merit having a true connection with Hashem in times of good and bad, and may we all be able to recognize that whatever we lack in life is a symbol of G-d’s love and His desire for a deeper relationship with us.
Shabbat Shalom
