Wednesday, November 23, 2022

Pray Like A Rich Man

 In last week's parsha, Yitzchak prayer is expressed as sicha, ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה.  In this week's parsha, the prayer of Yitzchak is expressed as ויעתר.  Why are the two situations associated with different terminologies of prayer?  Furthermore, the prayer of sicha is associated with a poor person, תפילה לעני כי יעטוף ולפני ה ישפוך  שיחו  but עטר the Midrash (63:5) associates with praying with wealth, וַיֶּעְתַּר יִצְחָק לַה' לְנֹכַח אִשְׁתּוֹ (בראשית כה, כא) ,רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר שֶׁשָּׁפַךְ תְּפִלּוֹת בְּעשֶׁר?

What is tefillah בעושר?  The Alter from Kelm (Chachma U'mussar volume 2 #1):













According to the Alter, tefillah is an avodah on one's Emunah.  It is an avodah of strengthening one's faith in Hashem's running of the world.  That is what it means to pray from עושר.  One is not praying due to a lacking of something, one feels that they have all like a עשיר, one is praying to remind themselves of their faith.   

I was thinking that there must be a difference between the prayer of Yitzchak when he is set to find his shidduch which is something that occurs in the natural world where a sicha is more appropriate to beseech for that event to occur vs. praying for his wife's closed womb to be opened which would not be a natural occurrence where a עטר, a constant prayer, reminder that it is Hashem's will for whatever is best to happen is better suited.  However, I'm not sure if that chiluk really explains the issue. 

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