Take a leap of imagination and think how you’d react if you were visited by a malach who told you that your child would be the next gadol hador. The navi tells us just such an astounding story. In the haftorah of parshas Naso we read of Manoach and his wife childless for years until an angel informs Manoach’s wife that she will bear a son who will save the Jewish People. In preparation the angel instructs her regarding the laws of nezirus as this child will be a nazir from birth.
When his wife tells him of this remarkable visitation Manoach begs Hashem to send the angel once more. Again the angel appears to Manoach’s wife who hastens to her husband and tells him that the visitor has once again appeared. The angel repeats his instructions. Manoach and his wife offer a sacrifice and the angel disappears in the smoke. When the visitor fails to reappear the couple understands that he was indeed an angel from Hashem. Manoach’s wife has the clarity to reassure her husband that they will not die despite having seen this angelic figure. The child born to them is the great Shimshon who fought against the Philistines.
Restoring Peace
When we think about this encounter it is striking that the angel appeared not to Manoach but to his wife. The Kli Yakar based on the Midrash offers us a powerful insight. We know that the ultimate blessing is peace; indeed only when peace reigned between this couple would they be worthy of being blessed with a child. There was an element of contention between Manoch and his wife: Each blamed the other for their childlessness. The angel came specifically to Manoach’s wife so as to quell the dispute. He informed her that she was the one who was barren.
Creating peace between husband and wife is so crucial that when it comes to the law of the sotah Hashem allows His Name to be erased to create peace. Upon entering a Jewish home the first thing we see is the mezuzah on the doorpost — its slanted angle a well-known hint to the importance of compromise. A home is a dwelling place for the Shechinah and therefore must be a repository of peace. The angel doesn’t appear to Manoach and confirm that he was right. To do so could further the tension between the couple. Instead the angel appeared to Manoach’s wife. This teaches the sensitivities necessary to create peace. In fact the reason for the second visit explains the Midrash in Bamidbar Rabbah was to endear her to her husband. The second visit was a gesture from Above to cement their relationship of respect and love despite their childlessness.
