In the beginning of Toldot, the Torah tells us that Yitzchak (and Rivkah) prayed for a child. In the Torah’s words: וַיֶּעְתַר יִצְחָק לַה' לְנֹכַח אִשְתוֹ כִי עֲקָרָה הִוא וַיֵּעָתֶּר לוֹ ה' וַתַהַר רִבְקָה אִשְתוֹ “And Yitzchak prayed to G-d opposite his wife because she was barren, and G-d answered his prayer, and Rivkah, his wife, conceived.”
What Did They Pray?
According to one of the commentaries, while praying for a child, Yitzchak (and Rivkah) also composed (and prayed) part of “Shochein Ad,” which we recite before Yishtabach on Shabbat and Yom Tov mornings. They composed the part of the prayer that contains the names of Yitzchak and Rivkah in acronym form.
דיקים צ ומם, ובשפתי רשרים תת יבפי תת ברך, ובלשון חסידים תתקדש, ובקרב קדושים תתה לל . This is the version of the prayer in Nusach Sefard. In Nusach Ashkenaz there is only an allusion to Yitzchak and not to Rivkah.
The term וַיֶּעְתַר is slightly unusual. Rashi translates it as “prayed excessively.” The word is used to mean prayer in several other places while in other places it means to speak or ask excessively (not necessarily in prayer) or to do anything in excessive quantities.
Prayer Is Like a Pitchfork
The Talmud points out that the word עֶּתֶּר also means a (shovel or) pitchfork in Aramaic. As such, the Talmud says that the prayer of the righteous is compared to a pitchfork – just like a pitchfork turns over the wheat in the granary from one place to another (in the context of separating it from the chaff), so too the prayers of the righteous transform G-d’s attribute of anger to the attribute of mercy.
Why a Pitchfork?
There are many explanations as to why prayer is compared specifically to a pitchfork. Here are some of them:
- Pitchfork Represents Din
Rabbi Avraham Yosef Gross explains that a pitchfork represents strict judgment (perhaps because it can be used to stab or spear someone). In addition, Yitzchak’s unique quality was to serve G-d with awe which is associated with the attribute of judgment. As such, Yitzchok’s prayer is compared to a pitchfork because of how he transformed judgment to mercy – through his prayers. - Upwards and Downwards
When praying, the righteous elevate their thoughts to the Almighty, which in turn draws down Divine beneficence into this world. In this sense, prayers reflect the movements of a pitchfork that is being used to winnow the grain. The end result – the sifted grain – represents the Divine blessings that come down to this world. - Clean Hands
The Talmud (Tractate Sukkah) says earlier that a pitchfork can be used to turn over the grain only if the tips of the stalks are still attached to it. The Talmud calls the tips of the stalks “yadayim” or hands. Thus, yadayim (the tips of the stalks) are necessary for the effectiveness of the work of a pitchfork. Similarly, in order for one’s prayers to be accepted, one must have clean hands (yadayim), that is, he must be honest in his financial affairs. This is the symbolism behind the law that before praying one must wash one’s hands, meaning that we must have clean and honest business dealings in order for our prayers to ascend. - Purifying Oneself
The purpose of winnowing with a pitchfork is to clean the grain and separate it from the chaff after which time the grain can be returned to wherever it was placed before. So, too, the ultimate purpose of prayer is to change and elevate ourselves after which time G-d can “put us back” where we were before, i.e., heal the illness or resolve the problem etc.
Yakov Was Uniquely Pure
The Chatam Sofer points out that, according to our sages, the entire reason that Rivkah was barren was in order to elicit prayer from Yitzchak and Rivkah. As such, why did the attribute of strict justice have to be transformed to mercy, if there wasn’t really a strict judgment?
He explains that our job in this world is to elevate and extricate the holy from the unholy and the pure from the impure. As such, everything in this world has a certain degree of unholiness attached to it. The Jewish person is tasked with purifying it and elevating it to G-dliness.
Yaakov was unique in that he contained no impurity. In this sense he was like Adam HaRishon before the sin. This is why he was conceived together with Eisav, so that Eisav could take all of Yaakov’s impurities into himself (which may explain why we must elevate Eisav). As such, Yitzchak prayed that the natural attribute of judgment (impurity) contained in every aspect of this world should be transformed (in this case) so that Yaakov could be completely pure.
Transforming Oneself
According to the Shela HaKadosh (Rabbi Issac HaLevi Horowitz of 16 and 17th Century Europe and Israel), the transformation accomplished by prayer is an internal one. The righteous transform their corporality into holiness, whereas the wicked contaminate and debase even their G-dly souls.
Rabbi Avraham Saba gives several examples of how one can transform one’s physical body into something G-dly.
- King David says in Tehillim (84:3), “My heart and flesh sing to the living G-d.”
- Job said, “And from my flesh I see G-d.”
- Upon realizing that he had not made an error in judgment, Rabbi Eliezer, son of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, said, “May my stomach rejoice.”
- When Rabbi Amram Chasidah (a sage from the Talmudic era) barely overcame a difficult temptation, he prayed to G-d to be relieved of his evil inclination at which point a pillar of fire exited from his body, symbolizing the departure of his burning inclination.
How Do the Tzadikim Do It?
The Ruzhiner Rebbe explains that the energy that G-d sends to this world is contained in letters and that the righteous, through their prayers, can rearrange those letters (or rearrange the vowels) from something negative to something positive. For example, נגע, which means “affliction,” can become ענג, which means “pleasure.” In the case of Rivkah, the Divine decree stated גרוש which means “divorce” (i.e., that Rivkah would remain barren, and Yitzchok would have to divorce her and marry someone else to be able to have children), but through prayer, Yitzchak transformed גרוש into שרוג which means “connected” (see Lamentations 1:14). This means that Rivkah would bear children and remain connected to Yitzchak.
A Fork or a Razor?
The Ben Ish Chai explains that when a person prays slowly and enunciates the words carefully, his prayer is like an עֶּתֶּר, a pitchfork which sifts through the grain. Such a prayer can transform judgment to mercy. If a person prays hurriedly, however, his prayers become like a תַעַר, a razor that chops up the words. Such prayers cannot hope to elicit Divine mercy.
The main difference between the prayers of the masses and those of the righteous is how much concentration they have. Most people allow their thoughts to wander to other matters during their prayers while the righteous have a pure heart and continual concentration during their prayers. As such, with concentration in their heart - לֵּב (which has the gematriyah of 32) -- the righteous turn the anger - רוֹגֵּז (which has the gematriyah of 216) into mercy - רַחֵּם (which is the sum of the two previous gematriyahs, 248).
On the other hand, those who don’t concentrate in their prayers do not rectify the (Divine) anger through their heart and are therefore unable to transform it into mercy.
May we transform anger to mercy with our prayers!
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom UMevorach and a Chodesh Tov!
