Hashem Loves the Prayers of the Righteous
Yitzchak entreated Hashem on behalf of his wife, for she was barren; and Hashem was entreated of him, and Rivkah his wife conceived. (25:21)
Rashi explains: “He prayed copiously and pleaded greatly in prayer. Hashem was entreated and appeased and persuaded by him...” The pasuk comes to teach us that only through Yitzchak’s many prayers and persistent supplications was Rivkah granted the fruit of the womb. Therefore, Rashi emphasizes that he did not pray casually, but “he prayed copiously and pleaded greatly in prayer.”
Rashi continues: “Every expression of עתר denotes pleading and abundance,” teaching that one must multiply prayers and supplications before Hashem, Who hears the prayer of every mouth. As Chazal said, “This one stood in this corner and prayed, and that one stood in that corner and prayed.”
Chazal reveal to us in (Yevamos 64a) that this was precisely the reason our mother Rivkah was barren — so that they would increase their prayers and supplications before Him, blessed be He, concerning the matter. As it states there, “Rabbi Yitzchak said, Why were our forefathers barren? Because Hakadosh Baruch Hu longs for the prayers of the righteous.”
This teaches a great lesson: When a person stands in need of Hashem’s salvation, he must increase and persist much in prayer and supplication, and not suffice with one perfunctory prayer merely to discharge his obligation.
The pasuk explicitly states, for she was barren. This means it was clear that she was naturally barren — and according to the very reality of nature, there was no way and no possibility for her to bear children. No remedies or medicines could help her, for a barren woman by her nature cannot give birth in any way.
Yet we learn something wondrous here. Although Yitzchak knew clearly that she was barren by nature, nevertheless he continued to increase and plead in prayer on her behalf, even though such a prayer was against nature.
This comes to teach that a person must never despair. Even if doctors have clearly determined that one is barren, or that one’s spouse is barren, he should still multiply and continue praying — for it is impossible to measure or comprehend the power of prayer, even when it stands entirely against the natural order.
There was once a distinguished young man, one of the outstanding students of a prominent yeshivah in Eretz Yisrael. He was considered complete in every fine quality — an exceptional scholar, gifted and diligent, counted among the illuyim of the yeshivah, a talmid chacham destined for greatness.
In his character as well, he possessed refined and upright traits, was pleasant in manner, and greeted every person kindly. His family, too, was of fine lineage — respected and well-to-do, lacking nothing. In short, he was regarded as a “perfect young man.”
Yet, to everyone’s wonder, when he reached marriageable age, he found no success in shidduchim. One proposal after another fell through, and for some unknown reason, he could not succeed in finding his match.
In his distress, he turned to the rosh yeshivah and poured out his heart, saying that he could not understand why it was so difficult for him to find a shidduch, for he lacked no virtue nor any merit.
When the rosh yeshivah heard his question, he said, “You have reminded me of an incident that occurred with our master, the Chafetz Chaim zt”l. A young man once came before him, lamenting the many obstacles and delays he faced in finding his shidduch, despite being of noble lineage — a ben kedoshim — and financially comfortable. Yet his match was delayed.”
The Chafetz Chaim said to him, “Who is greater than our forefather Yitzchak, peace be upon him? He too was a ben kedoshim, perfect in every worthy trait — his father Avraham among the greatest of that generation, and he himself exceedingly wealthy, for it states that Avraham gave all that he possessed to Yitzchak (Rashi, Bereishis 24:1).
