창세기 25:21의 미드라쉬

R. Isaac said: "Our father Isaac was impotent, as it is said (Gen. 25, 21) And Isaac entreated the Lord (L'nochach) opposite his wife. It is not stated Al (concerning) his wife, but it is said L'nochach (opposite) his wife. Infer from this that both of them were impotent [and therefore both prayed."] If so, then why is it written: And the Lord was entreated of him? Entreated of them, it ought to be? This is because the prayer of a righteous (Isaac), the son of a righteous, is not like the prayer of a righteous (Rebecca), son (daughter) of a wicked. R. Isaac said: "Why were our ancestors childless [until they prayed?] Because the Holy One, praised be He! desires [to hear] the prayers of the righteous." R. Isaac said: "Why are the prayers of the righteous symbolized by a shovel? Because just as the shovel turns the grain at the threshing floor from place to place, so the prayers of the righteous turn the dispensations of the Lord from anger to mercy." R. Ami said: "Sarah our mother was a Tumtum, as it is said (Is. 51, 1) Look unto the rock, (Ib. b) whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence they were dug out. And immediately follows: Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bore you." 11. Nachman, in the name of Rabba b. Abahu, said: "Our mother Sarah was wombless, as it is said (Gen. 11, 30) But Sarah was barren, she had no child; i.e., even a place for a child (womb) she had not."

“May your house be like the house of Peretz whom Tamar bore to Judah, from the descendants that the Lord will give you from this young woman” (Ruth 4:12).
“May your house be like the house of Peretz…[from the descendants that the Lord will give you from this young woman].” They said: ‘May all the children the Holy One blessed be He gives you be from this woman.’ Likewise, “Isaac entreated the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren” (Genesis 25:21) – Isaac was prostrated here and Rebecca was prostrated there, and he was saying: ‘Master of the universe, may all the children that You are destined to give me be from this righteous woman.’ Likewise, “Eli would bless Elkana and his wife [and say: May the Lord grant you offspring from this woman]” (I Samuel 2:20). He said: ‘May the sons that the Holy One blessed be He is destined to give you be from this righteous woman.’
“Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he had relations with her, and the Lord granted her pregnancy, and she bore a son” (Ruth 4:13).
“Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife.” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: She did not have a womb at all and the Holy One blessed be He carved her a womb.²⁵⁴This is derived from the phrase “she became his wife,” which is interpreted to mean that after Boaz took her she became capable of having children. Alternatively, the exposition is derived from the unusual phrase: “The Lord granted her pregnancy” (Etz Yosef).

Rabbi Yehuda said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar: Why did Rebecca become barren? It was so the nations of the world would not say: ‘Our prayer produced results,’ as they said to her: “Our sister, may you become thousands and myriads” (Genesis 24:60). This was until Isaac prayed on her behalf, and she was remembered. That is what is written: “Isaac entreated the Lord on behalf of his wife” (Genesis 25:21).
Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa: Why did the matriarchs become barren? It was so they would not rely on their husbands due to their beauty.¹³³They would not be fully confident in their relationship with their husbands, despite their great beauty, because their husbands would be frustrated by their barrenness. Therefore, they would place their trust in God (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Huna and Rabbi Yirmeya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba: Why did the matriarchs become barren? It was so most of the years would elapse without enslavement.¹³⁴In the covenant of the pieces Abraham was told that the four hundred years, beginning with Isaac’s birth, would contain elements of being strangers, enslavement, and oppression (Genesis 15:13). The fact that the matriarchs were barren, together with the fact that the enslavement in Egypt did not begin until after Joseph and his brothers died, ensured that the majority of the four hundred years elapsed without slavery (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Ḥoni [said] in the name of Rabbi Meir: Why did the matriarchs become barren? It was so their husbands would enjoy their beauty, for when a woman becomes pregnant, she becomes ugly and revolting. Know that it is so, as all the years that Sarah our matriarch was barren she would sit in her house like a bride under her wedding canopy. When she became pregnant, her luster was altered, just as it says: “With pain you shall bear children” (Genesis 3:16). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shila of the village of Ḥamarta, and Rabbi Ḥelbo in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Why did the matriarchs become barren? It is because the Holy One blessed be He desired to hear their speech. He said to them: ‘My dove, I will tell you why I rendered you barren; it is because I desired to hear your speech.’ That is what is written: “For your voice is pleasant, and your appearance is lovely.”