“Isaac entreated the Lord opposite his wife, because she was barren, and the Lord acceded to his entreaty, and Rebecca his wife conceived” (Genesis 25:21). “Isaac entreated [vayetar] the Lord opposite his wife” – Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Because he poured out prayers abundantly [beosher].7In Aramaic, the root ayin tav reish is parallel to the Hebrew ayin shin reish. Reish Lakish said: Because he overturned the decree.
On that basis they call a pitchfork atra, as it overturns the grain. “Opposite his wife” – it teaches that Isaac was prostrated here and she was prostrated there, and he was saying: Master of the universe, all the children that You are giving me will be from this righteous woman.’ She, too, said so: ‘All the children that You are destined to give me will be from this righteous man.’ “Because she was barren” – Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Lakish: She did not have a uterus, and the Holy One blessed be He fashioned a uterus for her.
“The Lord acceded [vayeater] to his entreaty” – Rabbi Levi said: This is analogous to the son of kings, who was tunneling under his father in order to take a litra of gold. This one was tunneling from inside,8The king sought to enable his son to gain access to the gold. and that one was tunneling from outside, as in Arabia they call tunneling atirata.