The pasuk in Parshas Toldos says, “And Yitzchak entreated Hashem opposite his wife, because she was barren…” (Bereshis 25:21). Chazal say that Yitzchak stood in one corner and Rivka stood in another corner and they both davened. However, the pasuk continues “…Hashem listened to him, and his wife conceived.” Rashi comments on the fact that the pasuk does not say that “He listened to them,” but rather, “He listened to him.” Rashi notes: There is no comparison between the prayers of a tzadik (righteous person) who is the son of a tzadik, and the prayers of a tzadik who is the son of arasha(wicked person).
On the face of it, this teaching of Chazal, which Rashi quotes, contradicts a well-known Gemara. The Talmud states: “In a place where ba’alei teshuva (people who were not originally religious and “returned” to religious Judaism) stand, completely righteous people cannot stand.” (Berachos 34b). This teaching seems to clearly say that a tzadik who is the son of arashais on a higher spiritual level than a second generation tzadik. According to that, Rivka’s prayers that she should become pregnant should have been more readily accepted than the prayers of her husband Yitzchak.
How do we reconcile these two teachings? I saw a very important principle of prayer in asefercalled Me’Orei Ohr.
There is a fellow here in Baltimore who is an expert glass blower from Italy. His works appear in museums. He is a seventh-generation glass blower. Glass blowing is in his veins. He saw it done in his parents’ house. He saw it done in his grandparents’ house. It is an art. If I would try it, all I would get is broken glass. Even if I would take lessons and learn how to do it, I would never reach this fellow’s level of expertise, simply because I am starting from scratch without any prior exposure to this art form.
Similarly, sometimes people are natural born athletes. The person’s father played in the NFL. He played in the NFL. When such people live it their entire lives, something rubs off. They have a leg up on other people, who may try to become professional athletes without such a background.
L’havdil, tefilla is also an art. Tefilla is not just opening a siddur and mouthing the words of Shemoneh Esrei. It is a skill, an art form. So, in terms of spiritual level, perhaps Rivka was on a higher spiritual level by virtue of her being aba’alas teshuva, than Yitzchak who was born into a spiritually inclined family. However, in terms of the efficacy of tefilla – how to go aboutdavening– what emotions a person employs, etc., Yitzchak lived that in his father’s house. His prayers were not accepted because he was on a “higher madreigah” than his wife, but simply because he was more aware of the art and science of how todaven, a skill he learned in his family’s home. He knew “the art of glass blowing,” except that it wasn’t glass blowing, it was the power of tefilla.
Yaakov Maintained the Enthusiasm of “Day One”
I saw the following interesting observation in Rabbi Buchspan’ssefer. The pasuk says, “The lads grew up, and Eisav became a man who knows trapping, a man of the field; but Yaakov was a wholesome man, abiding in tents.” (Bereshis 25:27).
Chazal say that the expression “abiding in tents” indicates that Yaakov learned in yeshiva. He learned in Yeshivas Shem v’Ever. This pasuk ostensibly describes Yaakov and Eisav. However, shouldn’t the pasuk say that Yaakov yashav b’ohalim (i.e. – he sat in the yeshiva), in past tense? Yoshev ohalim means he is sitting there, in the present.
There are two other places in Sefer Bereshis where the Torah uses the word yoshev instead of yashav, both times indicating something significant. For instance, the pasuk in Parshas Vayera says, “And the two Angels came to Sodom and Lot was sitting (yoshev) in the Gates of Sodom.” (Bereshis 19:1). The fact that the present tense was used rather than the historical past teaches us (as Rashi comments) that it was specifically that day that Lot was appointed to a judicial position in Sodom. Yoshev means that today was his first day.
A second example is in last week’s parsha: Efron was sitting (yoshev) in the midst of the children of Ches.” (Bereshis 23:10). Rashi there as well comments that it was just that day that Efron was appointed as a judge over the children of Ches. Thus, when the pasuk writes yoshev rather than yoshav, it means that he just started today.
So, what are we going to do about the pasuk “Yaakov ish tam, yoshev ohalim“? It can’t mean that this was his first day! The Medrash (on the pasuk “and the lads grew up” (Bereshis 25:27)) writes that this is reminiscent of two flowers that sprouted up next to one another – a myrtle and a thorn-bush. At the beginning of their sprouting, they look similar. However, when they grow up, one emits its beautiful aroma and the other one gives off thorns. So too, the first thirteen years of their lives, both Yaakov and Eisav attended school each day. After thirteen years, this one went off to the house of study and this one went off to the house of idolatry. They both went to the same cheder, but after their Bar Mitzvahs, Yaakov took one path and Eisav took another path.
So what does it mean “yoshev ohalim“? After all Yaakov was in cheder since age three or perhaps age five. The answer is that the special attribute of Yaakov was that it was as if it were his first day in yeshiva. Yaakov’s quest for learning was such that each day felt like it was “day one.” Each day feeling like “day one” indicates a special level of enthusiasm and excitement.
Rashi says on the pasuk “And these words that I command to you today shall be upon your heart.” (Devorim 6:6) – that they should not be upon you like an old edict but rather like a new one. This is one of the great challenges of life. It is one of the great challenges of every yeshiva bachur and of everything we do in life. It is very common that everything we do becomes “Same old; same old.” It is just another day.
If a person had this ability to treat every day as if it were new, like the first day, then our attitude would be quite different. This is a very appropriate message to any Bar Mitzvah boy. On the first day that a boy wears tefillin, it is amazing how carefully and meticulously he wraps the retzuos around his arm and puts the shel rosh on his head. The same is true on the first day of a new school year or of attending a new yeshiva. I remember the first day that I attended Ner Yisrael. It is seared into my memory for the rest of my life.
Unfortunately, that original enthusiasm wears off. It does not take too long to become “Same old; same old. Day in, day out.” The greatness of Yaakov Avinu was that he was a yoshev ohalim. Each day was a new day, like day one in yeshiva! It is hard for us to duplicate that, but the more we can appreciate every day in yeshiva (which does not last forever), the more successful we will be in yeshiva.
R' Frand
