”Prayer and Partnership” Parashat Toledot 5787
There is something curious about the way the Torah describes the struggle of the patriarchs and matriarchs to have children. Abraham and Sarah are unable to conceive, so Sarah proposes that Abraham take her maidservant, Hagar. Jacob encounters a similar predicament when Rachel remains barren and she offers him her maidservant, Bilhah. Isaac, however, responds differently. When Rebecca is unable to conceive, the Torah tells us that they pray to G-d. The Talmud, in Tractate Yevamot [64a], offers a striking explanation for the infertility of the patriarchs and matriarchs: G-d made them barren because He desires the prayers of the righteous. But why would an omniscient G-d desire prayers? He already knows their anguish and their longing for children. What could their prayers possibly tell Him that He does not already know? And why would He deliberately create suffering to elicit a response? Further, only Isaac and Rebecca explicitly pray. For some reason, Abraham, Sarah, Jacob and Rachel, in precisely the same situation, do not reach for their prayer books.
I suggest that one answer lies in understanding what prayer accomplishes. Prayer is not an information-transfer mechanism or a shopping list. It is an act of relationship. Rabbi J.B. Soloveitchik[1], writing in “The Lonely Man of Faith”, develops the idea that prayer is the human counterpart to prophecy. In prophecy, G-d addresses man. In prayer, man addresses G-d. Prophecy is the Divine initiative while prayer is the human response. A relationship cannot consist exclusively of one party speaking and the other listening. It requires dialogue. This distinction is relevant when we examine the patriarchs. Abraham and Jacob have numerous encounters with G-d. Isaac also receives Divine revelation but his narrative contains considerably less direct dialogue[2]. Yet Isaac is the only patriarch whose prayer for children is explicitly recorded. The Torah tells us [Bereishit 25:21] “Isaac pleaded (vaye’etar) with G-d opposite his wife”. Our Sages in the Midrash explain that Isaac and Rebecca stood in opposite corners of the room, each praying for the other. Their prayer is not merely a request for children – it is an expression of their shared predicament and their shared future.
Midrashic literature puts a sharp point on the comparison with Abraham and Jacob. One Midrash asserts that Rachel reminded Jacob that Isaac prayed for Rebecca and asks why Jacob does not do the same for her. In another Midrash, Sarah challenges Abraham for not having prayed for her. The traditions differ over whether Abraham actually prayed for Sarah but they demonstrate that our Sages considered the question important. Perhaps the distinction is not simply between prayer and the absence of prayer. Abraham and Jacob might not pray but they also exercise initiative. They do not passively accept infertility. Abraham takes Hagar at Sarah’s suggestion and Jacob takes Bilhah at Rachel’s. Both couples attempt to find a practical way to fulfill G-d’s promise of descendants. This introduces a fundamental principle of Jewish thought: Human responsibility and Divine Providence are not competing explanations. We are not expected to wait passively for miracles. We are expected to act, plan, invent and solve problems. But we must also recognize that our ability to act and the ultimate success of our actions are not entirely within our control. I suggest that this is what the Talmud means when it says that G-d desires the prayers of the righteous. Prayer does not replace action. It gives action its proper spiritual context.
Consider the Iron Dome missile defence system. Its success is the product of extraordinary human ingenuity. Scientists develop the mathematical models, engineers design the radar and fire-control systems, software developers write the algorithms, and soldiers operate the batteries under enormous pressure. Every successful interception represents years of research, engineering, testing and operational experience. It would be absurd to suggest that Israel should have prayed for protection instead of developing Iron Dome. The people responsible for the system have an obligation to use every available tool to protect the population. They must constantly improve detection capability, optimize intercept points, investigate failures and continually refine the technology. But it would be equally mistaken to attribute success exclusively to human achievement. Missile defence operates in an environment full of uncertainty. Radar measurements are imperfect, threats behave unpredictably, and even the most carefully engineered system can – and does – experience unexpected failures. We can reduce uncertainty and improve kill probabilities but we cannot guarantee outcomes. When Iron Dome successfully intercepts an incoming rocket, we should recognize the extraordinary human achievement that made it possible. We should also recognize that the outcome depends upon factors beyond our ability to control. Acknowledging Divine Providence does not diminish engineering. It recognizes that engineering itself operates within a world created and sustained by G-d.
That said, we must be careful not to attribute every successful interception to a miracle or assume that every failure represents Divine displeasure. We cannot presume to know G-d’s intentions. Rather, we must recognize that human effort and Divine Providence are not mutually exclusive. The Talmud in Tractate Yevamot alludes to this. Immediately after explaining that G-d desires the prayers of the righteous, the Talmud asks why their prayers are compared to a pitchfork (eter). It answers that just as a pitchfork turns over grain, prayer can turn Divine judgment into mercy. Prayer is not merely an expression of gratitude or a psychological exercise that helps us accept circumstances. It is an active component of our relationship with G-d. The same principle applies in the opposite direction. We cannot simply pray and abandon our responsibility to act. Abraham and Jacob demonstrate the importance of human initiative while Isaac demonstrates the importance of prayer. Together, they suggest that the proper response to adversity is neither passive dependence on G-d nor exaggerated confidence in our own abilities. It is both.
There is a broader lesson about partnership with G-d. A partner contributes whatever capabilities he possesses, takes responsibility for his part and recognizes that the final result depends upon more than his individual contribution. The patriarchs were partners in fulfilling G-d’s promise. They were expected to build families, to make decisions and to take risks. Yet they also had to recognize that the continuation of the covenant was not something they could manufacture entirely through their own efforts. Perhaps this is the reason the Talmud teaches that G-d desires the prayers of the righteous. He does not need their supplications. He desires their participation. He wants human beings to take responsibility for their world, to use their intelligence and creativity to solve its problems, and at the same time, to recognize that their abilities are themselves a gift. This is not a call to diminish human achievement. It is a call to understand its place within a larger relationship.
We should never pray for miracles instead of developing systems like the Iron Dome. But when Iron Dome performs what seems miraculous, we should remember to pray. Our obligation is to develop the technology, improve the algorithms, train the operators and do everything humanly possible to protect our people. Our humility is to recognize that even the most sophisticated technology cannot place us entirely in control of our destiny. The covenant requires both: We must act as though the responsibility rests with us while praying with the recognition that the ultimate outcome rests with G-d. This is not a contradiction. It is the essence of partnership.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ari Sacher, Moreshet, 5787
Please daven for a Refu’a Shelema for Rachel bat Malka, Yiftach ben Adi, Iris bat Chana, Sheindel Devora bat Rina, Esther Sharon bat Chana Raizel, Meir ben Drora, Golan ben Marcelle and Hodayah Emunah bat Shoshana Rachel.
[1] Rabbi Soloveitchik was the leader of Modern Orthodox Jewry in North America during the 2nd half of the previous century.
[2] G-d speaks with Isaac only twice.
