May You Become Thousands of Myriads

"Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads." Why was Rebecca not remembered with child until Isaac prayed for her? So that the nations of the world should not say, "Our prayer bore fruit," but rather "And Isaac entreated the LORD" (Genesis 25:21). "The blessing of one perishing comes upon me" - this is Laban the Aramean, as it is said, "An Aramean sought to destroy my father" (Deuteronomy 26:5). "Comes upon me" - this is Rebecca, as it is said, "Our sister, may you become thousands of myriads," and there arose from her chieftains from Esau and a myriad from Jacob. Chieftains from Esau: "chief Teman, chief Omar" (Genesis 36:15). A myriad from Jacob, as it is said, "a myriad like the growth of the field" (Ezekiel 16:7). And some say both these and those arose from Israel, as it is said, "And when it rested he would say, Return, O LORD, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel" (Numbers 10:36). (Genesis 24:61) "And Rebecca arose, and her maidens, and they rode upon the camels and went after the man" - and not before the man, for it is unseemly for a man to walk behind a woman. Rav Nachman said, Manoah was an ignoramus, as it is said, "And Manoah went after his wife" (Judges 13:11). But perhaps he went after her words and her counsel? And according to what Rav Nachman said, that Manoah was an ignoramus, he had not even read the verses of the schoolhouse, as it is written, "And Rebecca arose, and her maidens," and so forth. "And they rode upon the camels" - for such is the way of camels, that they grow in the East. The Rabbis say, just as this camel has a sign of impurity and a sign of purity, so Rebecca raised up a righteous one and a wicked one. (Genesis 24:62) "And Isaac came from coming" - he came from going where? To Beer-lahai-roi; he went to bring Hagar - she who had sat by the well and said to the Living One of the worlds, "See my humiliation." "And Isaac went out to meditate" - meditation means only prayer.