“She removed the garments of her widowhood from upon her; she covered herself with a veil, and she wrapped herself, and she sat at Petaḥ Einayim, which is on the road to Timna, for she saw that Shela had matured, and she had not been given to him as a wife” (Genesis 38:14). “She removed the garments of her widowhood from upon her; she covered herself with a veil” – there were two who covered themselves with a veil, Tamar and Rebecca, and both of them bore twins.
Rebecca – “she took the veil and covered herself” (Genesis 24:65); Tamar – “she covered herself with a veil, and she wrapped herself.” “She sat at Petaḥ Einayim” – Rabbi Ami said: We reviewed the entire Bible, and we did not find a place whose name is Petaḥ Einayim. What is petaḥ einayim? It teaches that she directed her glance to the entrance [petaḥ] to which all eyes [einayim] are directed.39This is a reference to the gates of prayer.
She said: May it be Your will, Lord my God, that I will not emerge from this house empty-handed. Alternatively, “at Petaḥ Einayim” – it teaches that she opened his eyes [shepateḥa lo et haayin]40She removed his hesitations. by saying to him: ‘I am ritually pure, and I am unmarried.’