Chapter 03
Chapter 03 somebodyToldot 3:21-24 (Chapter 03) (Toldot) (Zohar)
Toldot 3:21-24 (Chapter 03) (Toldot) (Zohar) somebodyפָּתַח רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אֲבַתְרֵיהּ וְאָמַר, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״א) וַיֶּעְתַּר יִצְחָק לַיְיָ לְנֹכַח אִשְׁתּוֹ. מַהוּ וַיֶּעְתַּר, דְּקָרִיב לֵיהּ קָרֵבָּנָא, וְצַלֵּי עֲלָהּ. וּמַה קָרְבָּנָא קָרִיב. עוֹלָה קָרִיב, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״א) וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ יְיָ, כְּתִיב הָכָא וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ יְיָ, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (שמואל ב כד) וַיֵּעָתֶר אֱלהִים לָאָרֶץ וְגו', מַה לְּהַלָּן קָרְבָּן אַף כָּאן קָרְבָּן. כְּתִיב וַיֶּעְתַּר יִצְחָק, וּכְתִיב וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ, דְּנָפַק אֶשָׁא מִלְּעֵילָא לְקֳבְלָא אֶשָׁא דִלְתַתָּא. R. Judah followed with a discourse on the text: AND ISAAC ENTREATED THE LORD FOR HIS WIFE. ‘The term “entreated” (vaye’tar)’, he said, ‘implies prayer accompanied by offerings, on an analogy with a kindred term in the passage, “So the Lord was entreated for the land” (II Sam. 24, 25), where also the prayer was accompanied by offerings. It is written here first, “And Isaac entreated”, and then “And the Lord let himself be entreated”, indicating that a celestial fire descended to meet the fire ascending from below.
דָבָר אַחֵר, וַיֶּעְתַּר יִצְחָק. דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ, וְחָתַר חֲתִירָה לְעֵילָא לְגַבֵּי מַזָּלָא עַל בְּנִין, דְּהָא בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר תַּלְיָין בְּנִין, דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל א א׳:י׳) וַתִּתְפַּלֵּל עַל ה', וּכְדֵין וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ יְיָ, אַל תִּקְרֵי וַיֵּעָתֶר לוֹ אֶלָּא וַיֵּחָתֶר לוֹ, חֲתִירָה חָתַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְקַבִּיל לֵיהּ, וּכְדֵין וַתַּהַר רִבְקָה אִשְׁתּוֹ. According to another explanation, the term vaye’tar (and he entreated) is akin to vayehtar (and he dug), signifying that Isaac in his prayer dug a tunnel, as it were, leading right up to the supernal department appointed over fecundity. He thus rose above the planetary influences (mazzal) in the same way as Hannah in her prayer, of whom it is written: “And she prayed unto (‘al’, lit. upon) the Lord” (I Sam. 1, 10) Similarly, the term vaye’ather (and he let himself be entreated) implies that the Lord Himself cleared a way for Isaac’s prayer, with the result that “Rebekah his wife conceived”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, עֶשְׂרִין שְׁנִין אִשְׁתָּהֵי יִצְחָק עִם אִתְּתֵיהּ וְלָא אוֹלִידַת, עַד דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ. בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בִּצְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָא, בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּבָעָאן קַמֵּיהּ צְלוֹתְהוֹן עַל מַה דְּאִצְטְרִיכוּ. מַאי טַעְמָא, בְּגִין דְּיִתְרַבֵּי וְיִתּוֹסַף רְבוּת קוּדְשָׁא לְכָל מַאן דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ בִּצְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא. Observe that Isaac lived with his wife for twenty years without having children, the reason being that God delights in the prayer of the righteous, who thereby attain to higher sanctity and purification. He therefore withholds from them their needs until they offer their supplications.
תָּא חֲזֵי, אַבְרָהָם לָא צַלֵּי קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּיִתֵּן לֵיהּ בְּנִין, אַף עַל גַּב דְּשָׂרָה עֲקָרָה הֲוַת. וְאִי תֵימָא, הָא כְּתִיב, (בראשית ט״ו:ג׳) הֵן לִי לא נָתַתָּ זָרַע, הַהוּא לָאו בְּגִין צְלוֹתָא הֲוָה (נ"א ההוא לא בעי בנין) אֶלָּא כְּמַאן דְּמִשְׁתָּעֵי קַמֵּי מָרֵיהּ. אֲבָל יִצְחָק צַלֵּי עַל אִתְּתֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּהָא אִיהוּ הֲוָה יָדַע דְלָאו אִיהוּ עָקָר אֶלָּא אִתְּתֵיהּ, דְּיִצְחָק הֲוָה יָדַע בְּרָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא, דְּיַעֲקֹב זַמִּין לְמֵיפַּק מִנֵּיהּ בִּתְרֵיסַר שִׁבְטִין, אֲבָל לָא יָדַע אִי בְּהַאי אִתְּתָא אִי בְּאָחֳרָא, וְעַל דָּא לְנֹכַח אִשְׁתּוֹ וְלָא לְנֹכַח רִבְקָה. Now observe that Abraham did not supplicate God for children, notwithstanding that Sarah was barren (for when he said “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed” (Gen. 15, 3), he did not mean it as a prayer, but as a mere statement of fact); but Isaac did offer up prayer on behalf of his wife, as he felt confident that he himself was not sterile. This confidence was based on his inspired knowledge that Jacob was destined to issue from him and produce twelve tribes, but he could not tell whether it would be from his present wife or from another. Hence he entreated the Lord for his wife, not for Rebekah.’
אָמַר הַהוּא רַבְיָא בְּרֵיהּ דְּרִבִּי יְהוּדָה, אִי הָכִי אַמַּאי לָא רָחִים לֵיהּ יִצְחָק לְיַעֲקֹב כָּל כָּךְ כְּמוֹ לְעֵשָׂו, הוֹאִיל וְהֲוָה יָדַע דְּזַמִּין אִיהוּ לְקַיְימָא מִנֵּיהּ תְּרֵיסַר שִׁבְטִין. אָמַר לֵיהּ שַׁפִּיר קָאֲמַרְתְּ, אֶלָּא כָּל זִינָא רָחִים לֵיהּ לְזִינֵיהּ וְאִתְמְשִׁיךְ וְאָזִיל זִינָא בָּתַר זִינֵיהּ. The youthful son of R. Judah here asked his father: ‘If that is so, why did not Isaac love Jacob as much as Esau, knowing as he did that the former would rear twelve tribes?’ ‘That is a good question,’ said his father, ‘and the answer is as follows. All creatures of the same kind love one another and are drawn to one another.
תָּא חֲזֵי, עֵשָׂו נָפַק סוּמָק כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ה) וַיֵּצֵא הָרִאשׁוֹן אַדְמוֹנִי כֻּלּוֹ וְגו', וְאִיהוּ זִינָא דְיִצְחָק דְּאִיהוּ דִינָא קַשְׁיָא דִלְעֵילָא, וְנָפַק מִנֵּיהּ עֵשָׂו, דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא לְתַתָּא דְּדַמְיָא לְזִינֵיהּ, וְכָל זִינָא אָזִיל לְזִינֵיהּ, וְעַל דָּא רָחִים לֵיהּ לְעֵשָׂו יַתִּיר מִיַּעֲקֹב כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ח) וַיֶּאֱהַב יִצְחָק אֶת עֵשָׂו כִּי צַיִד בְּפִיו. כְּתִיב הָכָא כִּי צַיִד בְּפִיו, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (בראשית י׳:ט׳) עַל כֵּן יֵאָמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְיָ. Now we are told that Esau “came forth ruddy”, a colour emblematic of severity. There was thus an affinity between Isaac, the representative of severity on high, and Esau, the embodiment of severity here below; and through this affinity Isaac loved him above Jacob. Hence we read: “And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his hunting”, where the term zayid (hunting) suggests the same idea as the similar term in the verse: “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter (gibbor zayid) before the Lord” (Gen. 10, 9).’