PARASHAT TOLEDOT tells the story of the birth of the twins to Yitzchak and Rivkah: Yaakov and Esav.
Prior to the birth, as the Torah tells us, Rivkah was sterile for 20 years. The Parasha starts with Rivkah asking (not to say; demanding) Yitzchak to pray to HaShem for her so that she has children.
We then see that Yitzchak does indeed pray, however the word used in the scriptures is not the regular word for praying.
| Prayer, also; petition, plea |
ATIRA LAATOR לַעְתּוֹר (פָּעַל) |
עֲתִירָה |
Let us look at other words relating to praying that are used in the Torah and in the Bible in general:
| prayer | TEFILAH | תְּפִילָּה |
|
prayer, also; conversation |
SICHA |
שִׂיחָה
|
When taking into account the context in which each word is used, we notice that it is a different type of prayer which is used every time. The different words distinguish between different approaches in the prayer. It could be with regular intention, a demand from God, or more emotional request for mercy. All these would be indicated by a unique word in the text.
The fact that the language has maintained the accuracy of the meaning of these words in today’s times has an implication on the validity of this covenant in today too.