תַּוֹ...וַ יֵֵּ עָ תֶ ר לוֹ ה’ וַ תַַּ הַ רֶ עְ תַַּ ר יִ צְ חָ ק לְ נֹכַ ח אִ שְְׁוַ יֵּ תַּוֹרִ בְ קָ ה אִ שְְׁ
“Yitzchak pleaded with Hashem [for a child] opposite his wife... Hashem accepted his prayers, and his wife Rivkah conceived” (Bereishis 25:21)
Rashi quotes the Midrash that notes that although they both davened earnestly for a child, it was Yitzchak’s tefillos, not Rivkah’s, that effected salvation, as Yaakov was the son of a Tzaddik and Rivkah was the daughter of Besuel, a wicked man. One may question, that if it was Yitzchak’s tefillos that accomplished a yeshua and not those of Rivka, why does the Torah even mention that Rivkah prayed at all? Similarly we find that the Torah describes that Hagar davened for Yishmael who was deathly ill in the desert. However, the Torah says that Hashem heard “kol hana’ar”, that it was Yishmael’s prayers that were accepted. So why does the Torah tell us about Hagar’s tefillos?
Rav Yitzchak Feigelstock zt”l answers that we can derive from here that certainly Rivkah’s prayers played a role in securing their salvation. However, ultimately, it was Yitzchak who secured salvation from Hashem. Hagar’s prayers were vital as well, yet ultimately it was the ill person, Yishmael himself, whose cries accomplished the salvation. Rav Yitzchak zt”l explains that every tefillah is received by Hashem and there is no such thing as a prayer going to waste. Although we may not notice the effectiveness, each and every tefillah brings about a measure of good and salvation.
