Toldot

Kaveh El Hashem Vekaveh El Hashem.

In this week’s parasha, the Torah says that Yitzchak was forty years old when he married Rivka. Rivka Imeinu was barren – as was the case with Sarah Imeinu and as was the case with Rachel Imeinu . Yitzchak prayed to Hashem that his wife should be able to have children. The expression the Torah uses to express the nature of Yitzchak’s prayer is “Va’Ye’etar Yitzchak l’Hashem…” [Bereishit 25:21]. Rashi explains this to be “hirba vehiftzir betefillah” [he poured his heart very much through prayer]. This means, not only did Yitzchak pray for Rivka, but he was persistent in his prayer. LEHaftzir means to persist and to do something over and over again. Rav Shimshon Pincus, z”l, notes that the Talmud in fact comments [Brachot 32b] “If a person sees that his prayers are not being accepted, he should repeat them, as it is written ‘Hope to Hashem, strengthen yourself and He will give you courage, and hope to Hashem.'” [Tehillim 27:14] This in fact is what Yitzchak did here. However, we must ask, why is it like that? For example, if someone asks to borrow your car and for whatever reason you decline to lend your car, what is the appropriate approach for him to use in order to convince you to lend him your car? It is certainly not to return ten minutes later and ask once again “Can I borrow your car?” It is not advisable to go back even the next day and say “Can I borrow your car? Can I please borrow your car? Can I ‘pretty please’ borrow your car?” Being a nudnik is not the way to get somebody to lend you his car, after he has already refused to lend it to you. When someone turns you down, perhaps you might ask a second time but not “hiftzir” – not asking over and over again. It is not wise. It is not polite. Yet, that pasuk teaches regarding Hashem “Kaveh el Hashem” [express hope to Hashem through prayer] and if you are not answered then the solution is “v’Kaveh el Hashem” . This is what Yitzchak did. Rivkah was barren for many years. They got married when Yitzchak was forty. Rivka did not give birth to Yaakov and Eisav until Yitzchak was sixty! Yitzchak prayed and prayed and prayed. This is what Rashi is teaching us with the words “hirba v’hiftzir b’tefilla“. So why is there such a difference between the way we should ask Hashem and the way we should ask man? The answer is very simple and very fundamental. When we ask someone to lend us his car or do some kind of favor for us and he declines, the whole issue is that we want the car or the money or the favor – some specific item that the other person does not want to give it to us or will not do for us. Period. We received our answer. Either he cannot or he does not want to satisfy the request and there is no point arguing about it. Obviously, the Ribono shel Olam can do anything. He is never unable to do something. The Ribono shel Olam is not saying “no” because He is not capable of granting the request. The reason the Almighty wants us sometimes to pray over and over and over again is because He wants the relationship. He wants us to ask (sometimes multiple times) because He wants us to have a shaychut with Him.The Gemara says that the Ribono shel Olam desires (mitaveh) the prayers of the righteous. Our tendency is that if we have everything, we forget the Ribono shel Olam. When things are going well, He is not so much a part of our lives. When things are not going well, we all become a little more “religious” and we all begin to pray a little more. This is what He wants – He wants that we should involve Him in our lives. By human beings, if you receive a “no” once and certainly, if you receive a “no” twice, the prudent course is to stay away. On the contrary, it is just the opposite by the Master of the Universe: Kaveh el Hashem, chazak veyametz libecha, v’kaveh el Hashem [pray to Hashem; strengthen your heart; and then – if necessary – keep praying further].