Taanit 4 – Three improper requests

Since we spoke about rain and seeds, Rava said a related thing: "Young Sages are like a seed under a clod of the earth: he hides and grows, but when he is out, his power only increases." He also said, "When a Sage gets angry, it is the Torah that is burning in him, since God says, 'Is not My word like fire?'" In addition, the Sage must be hard as iron. The Talmud gives two proofs for that. And yet, a person must train himself to always remain calm and "remove anger from his heart."

Three have asked God incorrectly, but in two cases, that got a proper reply. The first one was Eliezer, who prayed, "The girl that comes out first will be Isaac's wife." This could include someone with a bodily defect or unfit, but he was answered by Rebecca coming to the well. The second one was Saul, who promised to "make rich and marry his daughter" to a person who would fight Goliath. This could have been a slave or a mamzer, marriage with whom would be forbidden. But he was answered with David stepping up to the task.

The last was Yiftach (Jephthah), who said that if he wins against the enemies, he will sacrifice the first thing that comes out of his house. One might think it includes even a pig or other non-kosher animal, which cannot be offered. Instead, his daughter came out to greet him. Some say she took a vow of celibate life, and others – that he actually sacrificed her. This was uncalled for since his vow was not even valid, and he should have asked the Sage Pinchas to annul it.

Art: Eliezer and Rebecca at the Well by Nicolas Poussin