Vayeira 20:18 · unit 1

Parashas Vayeira · Passuk 20:18

The Complete Passuk

כִּֽי־עָצֹ֤ר עָצַר֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה בְּעַ֥ד כׇּל־רֶ֖חֶם לְבֵ֣ית אֲבִימֶ֑לֶךְ עַל־דְּבַ֥ר שָׂרָ֖ה אֵ֥שֶׁת אַבְרָהָֽם׃

For Hashem had completely closed up every womb of the house of Avimelech because of Sarah, Avraham’s wife.

Chabad / Judaica Press

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Bava Kamma 92a.

TT lemma: עצר עצר.

Sefaria — Bava Kamma 92a

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
עָצֹר עָצַר. שְׁתֵּי עֲצִירוֹת הַלָּלוּ לָמָּה? אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, אַחַת בָּאִישׁ – שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע, וּשְׁתַּיִם בָּאִשָּׁה – שִׁכְבַת זֶרַע וְלֵדָה.

English: “Completely closed up.” Why these two expressions of closing? Rabbi Elazar said: One for the man—seminal emission—and two for the woman—seminal emission and childbirth.

On the daf / in context: The doubled verb is parsed as covering both male and female reproductive functions that were halted in Avimelech’s household.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Bavli sugya) — not a formal named middah of the 13. A doubled verb is distributed across the sexes and their respective functions.

What Is Learned

The double language “atzor atzar” indicates that both the men (emission) and the women (emission and birth) of Avimelech’s house were closed.