Rabbi Sholom Twerski
November 6, 2026
When Rivka was leaving with Eliezer to get married to Yitzchak, her family gave her a blessing:
וַיְבָרְכוּ אֶת־רִבְקָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לָהּ אֲחֹתֵנוּ אַתְּ הֲיִי לְאַלְפֵי רְבָבָה
And they blessed Rivka and they said to her, “Our sister, you should be unto thousands of ten thousands.”
The Mesores ties together another three places where the word רְבָבָה appears in Tanach.
וּמֵאָה מִכֶּם רְבָבָה יִרְדֹּפוּ וְנָפְלוּ אֹיְבֵיכֶם לִפְנֵיכֶם לֶחָרֶב׃
and a hundred of you shall give chase to ten thousand; your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
אֵיכָה יִרְדֹּף אֶחָד אֶלֶף וּשְׁנַיִם יָנִיסוּ רְבָבָה
“How could one have routed a thousand,
Or two put ten thousand to flight,
רְבָבָה כְּצֶמַח הַשָּׂדֶה נְתַתִּיךְ
I let you grow like the plants of the field
The Baal HaTurim explains that they are including these references in their blessing, that not only should her progeny increase until they are a nation in their own right, but they should also have military strength to be able to stand against their enemies.
While we can understand then what is added by the first two sources, what is added by the last source? Isn’t the last pasuk merely reiterating what is being said here that her children should increase like the grass of the field?
The Chasam Sofer explains that we know the prayers of tzaddikim are powerful and Hashem listens to them, sometimes granting them things He would not otherwise have done. But our sages have revealed to us something even more precious than that- Hashem desires to hear the tefillah of tzaddikim! This, to the point that He will hold back from them things He wants to grant so they will turn to Him in prayer and forge yet a tighter connection with Him. This is a tremendous praise for the tzaddik that Hashem so strongly loves to hear from him/her.
The Alshich Hakadosh on Tehillim describes this with a parable. Two people come before a king to petition their requests. As soon as the first one starts speaking, the king immediately cuts him off, “Yes, I know what you want. Here it is.” The other person is a close friend of the king. The king enjoys his company and so, he lets the second person talk at length, enjoying his speech and the bond they have. While the first one may have his request fulfilled first, the second one gains a longer interview and closer connection with the king.
The Chasam Sofer continues to explain a pasuk in Tehillim with this thought. Regarding tzaddikim, Dovid Hamelech writes (21:3)
תַּאֲוַת לִבּוֹ נָתַתָּה לּוֹ וַאֲרֶשֶׁת שְׂפָתָיו בַּל־מָנַעְתָּ סֶּלָה׃
You have granted him the desire of his heart,
have not denied the request of his lips.
The simple meaning is that you give him what his heart desires and also grant his requests. But that would raise a question because the first part implies that Hashem gives him even before his request while the second clause would imply that the tzaddik only gets it once he prays.
The Chasam Sofer explains that even though Hashem has already decided to grant the tzaddik what he desires, he doesn’t deprive the tzaddik of the opportunity to daven, wanting the tzaddik to reach out to Him in prayer.
The Gemara in Chulin (60b) expresses this concept as well.
רַב אַסִּי רָמֵי, כְּתִיב: ״וַתּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ דֶּשֶׁא״ (בתלת) [בִּתְלָתָא] בְּשַׁבָּא, וּכְתִיב: ״וְכׇל שִׂיחַ הַשָּׂדֶה טֶרֶם יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ״ בְּמַעֲלֵי שַׁבְּתָא, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁיָּצְאוּ דְּשָׁאִים וְעָמְדוּ עַל פֶּתַח קַרְקַע, עַד שֶׁבָּא אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וּבִקֵּשׁ עֲלֵיהֶם רַחֲמִים, וְיָרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים וְצָמְחוּ, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְאַוֶּה לִתְפִלָּתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים.
Rav Asi raises a contradiction between two verses. It is written: “And the earth brought forth grass” (Genesis 1:12), on the third day of the week of Creation. And it is also written: “No shrub of the field was yet in the earth” (Genesis 2:5), on Shabbat eve, the sixth day of Creation, immediately before Adam was created.
Rav Asi explains: This teaches that the grasses emerged on the third day and stood at the opening of the ground, but they did not grow until Adam, the first man, came and prayed for mercy upon them, and rain came, and they sprouted. And this is meant to teach you that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires the prayers of the righteous.
רַב נַחְמָן בַּר פָּפָּא הַוְיָא לֵיהּ הָהִיא גִּינְּתָא, שְׁדִי בַּיהּ בִּיזְרָנֵי וְלָא צְמַח. בְּעָא רַחֲמֵי, אֲתָא מִיטְרָא וּצְמַח. אֲמַר: הַיְינוּ דְּרַב אַסִּי.
The Gemara recounts: Rav Naḥman bar Pappa had a certain garden. He planted seeds but they did not sprout. He prayed for mercy, and rain came, and they sprouted. He said: This is what is meant by the statement of Rav Asi, that the Holy One, Blessed be He, desires the prayers of the righteous.
With this, the Chasam Sofer explains the message behind the four pesukim of theMesores. The bracha given to Rivka was that -yes, her children should grow and develop into a grand nation- but not on their own. They should be like the grass of the field of creation, that sprouted not on their own but only with the power of tefillah. The Jewish nation will have success- but only after they daven for it. It is when we recognize and humble ourselves before G-d that he lifts us up and fulfills our requests.
We have been blessed as a nation and have had tremendous growth. It may be that the bracha has caused a certain degree of complacency in our service to Hashem. With the world changing around us, it would do us well to awaken the strength of our nation, the strength of our forefathers, to daven in earnest for the Ultimate Redemption.
And may we merit to see the ingathering of the exiles and the return of the Divine Presence.
Have a wonderful Shabbos!