Yitzchak's Prayer Tunneled a Path for Us

1The Midrash Rabbah (Bereishis Rabbah 63:5) on “Yitzchak entreated (vaye'tar) Hashem opposite his wife” [Bereishis 25:21]: R' Yochanan and Reish Lakish differ. R' Yochanan said that he poured out prayers in abundance (b'osher). Reish Lakish said that he overturned the decree, which is why a pitchfork, which turns over the grain, is called atra. “Opposite his wife” teaches that Yitzchak lay prostrate in one place and she lay prostrate in another. He said, “Master of the world, may all the children You give me be from this righteous woman,” and she said the same. “And Hashem let Himself be entreated by him”: R' Levi said, this is like a king's son who was tunneling through to his father to take a pound of gold. One was digging from inside and the other from outside. For in Arabia they call tunneling asirta. So far the Midrash. The Gemara (Yevamos 64a) says: “Why are the prayers of the tzaddikim compared to a pitchfork (eser)?¹ Just as a pitchfork turns the grain over from place to place, so the prayers of the tzaddikim turn Hashem's attribute of anger into the attribute of compassion.” The Gemara says this on this very verse. And that is a wonder. What anger, Heaven forbid, was there against Yitzchak Avinu? Is it not explained in several places that the Imahos were barren because Hashem longs for the prayers of the tzaddikim [Yevamos 64a]? Anger applies only to one who has provoked his Creator, Heaven forbid.

2aIt seems, though, that these Sages do not really disagree. Each said one thing, and all agree that all of Yitzchak Avinu's prayers were meant to bring salvation for later generations. They differ only in how they read the wording. “He poured out prayers in abundance” is as Rashi explains [on Bereishis 25:21]: the root atar always means entreaty and abundance, as Rashi proves from several places. Now it is truly a great wonder that Yitzchak Avinu could achieve nothing with his holy, pure prayer except after much entreaty. So the Midrash resolves it. In truth Yitzchak Avinu could have achieved what he wanted by praying b'osher, as a rich man, in the spirit of “the rich man answers boldly” [Mishlei 18:23] (see the Midrash Rabbah on Va'eschanan). Tzaddikim can take hold with a strong arm², as Hashem says, “Who rules over Me? The tzaddik” [cf. Moed Katan 16b].

2bWhy, then, did he pour out so many prayers, like “a prayer of the poor man when he is faint, who pours out his speech before Hashem” [Tehillim 102:1]? It was all for our sake. When we are not rich in merit but stand as the poor man, then “a spirit will be poured on us from on high” [Yeshayahu 32:15] as well. When we pray the prayer of the poor man, Hashem will hear. Reish Lakish's words aim at the same idea, and so does the statement of R' Y. in the Gemara in Yevamos. In truth there was no anger against Yitzchak Avinu, Heaven forbid. It was all a preparation for us, so that the tzaddikim of every generation would be able to overturn the attribute of anger. Even when we are, Heaven forbid, among those who provoke Him, they can turn the attribute of judgment over us to good.

3aR' Levi's words too aim at the same idea. “He dug a tunnel for him” applies only when a Jew, Heaven forbid, has sinned and rebelled very greatly. Hashem, in His kindness, stretches out His right hand to receive those who return, and wants to accept him in teshuvah. But if things went in the usual order, the destructive forces created by his sins and all the accusers would not let his prayers and teshuvah rise and come before the Throne of Glory. So Hashem, in His great mercy and kindness, hides him under His wings and opens a tunnel for him from beneath His Throne of Glory. No created being has permission to reach that place, and no accusation reaches it, Heaven forbid: “Evil shall not dwell with You” [Tehillim 5:5]. “From His place He turns in mercy” to him. So we find with Menashe: Hashem dug a tunnel for him from beneath the Throne of Glory (Sanhedrin 103a).

3bBut Yitzchak Avinu? Could he not pray and send his prayers up by the straight road, when all the angels and seraphim longed for his holy prayer? Why did he need the tunnel? Rather, the tunnel that Hashem dug for Yitzchak awakened a power. By that power and in his merit, Hashem's mercy is aroused to dig a tunnel for us as well. By this power He dug a tunnel for Menashe, to bring him close in complete teshuvah. This is the word choser, “tunneling,” in the Midrash, as in “If the thief is found tunneling in (bamachteres)” [Shemos 22:1]. And this is how to understand the Midrash's parable of the king's son. It implies that even his father cannot give to him openly, because he is not worthy. As is explained in the name of the Arizal, nochach, “opposite,” has the same numerical value as mazla, the supernal flow that comes beyond merit.

4aSo the holy Zohar explains on Parshas Toldos [cf. Zohar I:137a]: “Another explanation: ‘Yitzchak entreated’: he prayed a prayer and dug a tunnel upward, toward the mazla, for children. For children depend on that place, as it is written, ‘She prayed upon (al) Hashem’ [Shmuel I 1:10]. Then ‘Hashem let Himself be entreated by him’: do not read vayei'aser but vayeichaser, He dug through for him. Come and see: for twenty years Yitzchak lived with his wife and she did not give birth, until he prayed his prayer. For the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayers of the tzaddikim when they pray before Him for what they need. Why? So that holiness may grow and increase for everyone who is in need, through the prayers of the tzaddikim.” The Zohar there also reads vaye'tar as related to tar'a, a gate. That is just as we said: Yitzchak made a gate and an opening for us, for the generations to come.

4bThe Zohar also explains that Yitzchak Avinu drew down from the eighth of the thirteen supernal sources of mercy, “preserving kindness” [Shemos 34:7]. This too fits what we said: he drew down kindness for our sake. Rivkah drew down from the thirteenth, “and He cleanses.” As Chazal say, “He cleanses those who return” (Yoma 86a): those who come back to Hashem on their own from their bad deeds. But who can merit complete teshuvah, and draw down children, life and sustenance [cf. Moed Katan 28a] from the supernal mazla by his own deeds? Therefore Hashem was entreated “by him and not by her” [Rashi on Bereishis 25:21], so that He would remember for us the merit of the Avos, even when we are not worthy on our own. And as the holy Zohar explains, the counsel for drawing down from the supernal mazla is self-nullification, becoming truly like nothing (ayin). For these three upper levels are called ayin, and “my help comes from ayin”³ [Tehillim 121:1].

5aThis is what we sing in the Shabbos song Kol Mekadesh Shevi'i: “Draw out Your kindness to those who know You, jealous and avenging God.” Through knowing Hashem's greatness, we become lowly, truly like dust, and through this kindness is drawn to us from the supernal mazla. Then there are people who do not know, because they are busy with the affairs of this world. Yet when the light of Shabbos's holiness shines on them, as the Tikkunei Zohar reads in Bereishis yarei Shabbos, yarei boshes, “fear of Shabbos, fear and shame,” the great fear and shame make them lowly, down to the level of ayin. This is “those who keep watch for the seventh day.” Through keeping Shabbos they examine their deeds, “every hidden thing, whether good” [Koheles 12:14]: how they kept the positive mitzvos; “or whether bad”: where they blemished, Heaven forbid, in the negative mitzvos. The positive and negative mitzvos are called Zachor and Shamor, “remember” and “keep” (Tikkunei Zohar 21; Zohar III:224). “Zachor and Shamor to uphold”: they think how to uphold them and set them right.

5bBut this fear and self-nullification last only on Shabbos. So we pray, “Gladden them with a complete building”: that this fear stay with them through all seven days of the week, which correspond to the seven days of building the world, so that the building is complete. “In the light of Your countenance”: “Your countenance” is as Rashi explains on “fullness of joys with Your countenance” (Tehillim 16:11), “in the company that is close to You.” That is light from the supernal mazal. With this light, may You shine on them too, through their self-nullification and lowliness. Amen, may it be His will.