English: Rabbi Yitzchak said: Why is the prayer of the righteous compared to an atar (a pitchfork)? Just as a pitchfork turns the grain from place to place, so the prayer of the righteous turns the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the attribute of severity to the attribute of mercy.
On the daf / in context: The unusual verb “va-ye‘atar” is taken as an allusion to the transformative power of the prayers of the righteous.
Type of Learning
Custom (Bavli — prayer of the righteous overturns the attribute of severity)
What Is Learned
The prayer of the righteous is compared to a pitchfork: it turns the Divine attribute from severity to mercy; Yitzchak’s pleading for Rivkah is the classic illustration.