...If so, why am I thus... (25:22)
Rivkah prayed long and hard to conceive.
However, there was something so unusual about her pregnancy that she had
regrets. What could have happened that, had she been aware of it earlier, she
would not have desired to conceive?
The Gemara narrates that King Chizkiyahu did not marry by
choice. He had perceived through ruach hakodesh [Divine inspiration]
that although some of his descendants would be extremely righteous, others
would be evildoers. The prophet Yeshayahu brought him a message from Hashem
that he was sinning by not fulfilling the mitzvah of pru urevu
[procreation]. Although logically he was correct in not wanting to bring
sinners into the world, that consideration did not override the obligation of
having offspring (Berachos 10a).
The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 63:6) states that when
Rivkah would pass by a yeshivah, Yaakov would react and try to push his way out
of the womb. Whenever she would pass a place of idol worship, Eisav would in
turn begin pushing. Rivkah thus realized that she was carrying one son who was
a tzaddik and one son who was a rasha. Had she known the nature
of the child beforehand, she would not have prayed to conceive, since it would
mean bringing a rasha into this world. Since women are exempt from the
commandment of pru urevu, that would have been the proper thing to
do.
Rivkah said, Why did I exert so much effort?
Yitzchak, who was
required to have children, would have
been obligated to have them even if he would have had prior knowledge of
Eisavs nature. However, Rivkah, who was exempt, need not have prayed so
diligently. (Chidushei Maran Riz HaLevi)
l l l
...If so, why am I thus... (25:22)
Rivkah was amazed that she was undergoing
such a troubling pregnancy. It is not unusual for women to have difficulties at
the time of pregnancy; why was Rivkah surprised?
The Gemara states that righteous women are privileged not to
have to suffer the pains of pregnancy (Sotah 12a). Elsewhere, we find
that Hashem created the Matriarchs barren because Hashem desires the prayers of
righteous people (Yevamos 64a). Being childless, the Matriarchs would
perforce pray to Hashem.
Rivkah was barren for many years. She therefore assumed that
Hashem considered her a righteous woman and made her childless in order that
she should pray. She was confident that being a righteous woman she would not
have any suffering during her pregnancy! She was thus greatly shocked at the
onset of her pain. What she meant by exclaiming, Why am I thus?
was: If I am really righteous, why am I experiencing pain; if not, why
was I barren!4 (Chanukas
HaTorah)
4. [EDITORS NOTE: The Torah
states that Rivkah posed this question to Hashem and received a response that
the progenitors of two antagonistic nations are in her womb. One could suggest
that according to the Chanukas HaTorahs explanation of
Rivkahs question, Hashem answered that in actuality Rivkah is a righteous
woman. However, what she was experiencing was not pain due to pregnancy, but
rather a conflict between two warring nations!]