Work and Pray
ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה לפנות ערב ... ותשא רבקה את עיניה ותרא את יצחק ותפל מעל הגמל: ותאמר אל העבד מי האיש הלזה ההלך בשדה לקראתנו ויאמר העבד הוא אדני ותקח הצעיף ותתכס: “Yitzchak went out to converse in the field toward evening ... And Rivkah raised her eyes and saw Yitzchak, and she fell from upon the camel. And she said to the servant, “Who is that man walking in the field toward us?” And the servant said, “He is my master.” She then took the veil and she covered herself. (Bereishis 24:63-65)
What was it that so impressed Rivkah about Yitzchak that she fell from the camel and that she inquired about the man?
Rashi, citing the Gemara (Berachos 26b), identifies the term la’suach as an expression of prayer. In fact, we derive from this pasuk that Yitzchak instituted the tefillah of Minchah. The Medrash (Bereishis Rabbah 60:15) brings the words of Rav Huna, who says that Rivkah saw Yitzchak’s hand outstretched in prayer and she said, “Certainly, he is a great man.”
There is, however, a second meaning to the word la’suach. In Parshas Bereishis (2:5), the Torah describes how the siach, trees, and grass had not yet sprouted. The Ibn Ezra understands that Yitzchak went out “la’leches bein hasichim — to walk among the trees.” The Rashbam writes that Yitzchak went out to plant trees and to oversee his workers.
In the sefer Menachem Tzion, Rav Menachem Zaks explains that when Rivkah saw that Yitzchak was involved in tefillah as well as in agriculture — the spiritual and physical at the same time — she was impressed. Rivkah saw in her future husband a man aware of his responsibilities, to both Hashem and to others.
Additionally, she saw a person praying while tending his fields. There was no dichotomy between his spiritual life and his worldly pursuits. He was not a religious man at shul but someone else at work. His praying while at work showed true allegiance to and appreciation of the Source of all blessings. Yitzchak, beyond being a responsible and hands-on employer, was a person who was fully aware that all success comes from Hashem. Seeing this, Rivkah fell from the camel, modestly covered her face, and could not help but ask, “Who is this great man?”
It says in Berachos (6b) that one should be careful with Tefillas Minchah, since Eliyahu HaNavi was only answered during the tefillah of Minchah (I Melachim 18). The Tur (Orach Chaim, Hilchos Tefillas Minchah 232) explains why the Minchah prayer has a special advantage. He says that Shacharis has a set time — when one wakes up, prior to involving oneself in his daily routine. Maariv also has a set time — after one has come home, and he is finished with a day’s work. Minchah, however, is in the middle of the day, during a person’s working hours. One needs to stop his work in order to daven. And, says the Tur, a man who is able to put his tasks aside in order to daven Minchah — with proper kavanah — receives a great reward.
Minchah is an appropriate tefillah to have originated from Yitzchak, who was devoted to Hashem as well as to his agriculture, a man who prayed while at work. (R’ Avraham Bukspan, Classics and Beyond 1)
