In the beginning of this week’s parsha, Moshe Rabbeinu recounts how he beseeched Hashem to enter the land of Israel. Chazal tell us that the gematria, or numerical value, of the word V’eschanon,” which means, “And I beseeched,” is 515. This corresponds to the 515 prayers Moshe advanced, begging to enter the land of Israel. Ultimately, Moshe Rabbeinu was not allowed to enter as Hashem told him, “Al tosef daber ailai od badavar hazeh.” “Do not continue to speak to me of this matter.” What though, happened to all those prayers? Were they all for naught? Moreover, just a few pesukim later, Moshe tells Klal Yisroel of their superiority over the nations of the world, “Ki mi goy gadol asher lo elokim krovim eilav kaHashem Elokeinu b’chol kar’ainu eilav.” “For which is a great nation that has a God Who is close to it as is Hashem our God, whenever we call to Him.” How can Moshe say this after begging Hashem 515 times and being answered in the negative? I believe this teaches us a fundamental lesson about prayer.
Everything that happens, both personally and in the world around us, is not in our power to control. Everything is preordained and is all part of a Great Master Plan. Therefore, Tefilah– prayer, is not there for us to use to form our fate. Rather, prayer is there to guide us and a tool with which to relate to all that happens in the world.
Of course, we may never underestimate the power of prayer. There are many times when a person is granted the blessings he seeks. However, that is not the essence, or even the main purpose of prayer. There seems to have been far more unanswered prayers than those that we have seen answered, as in the case of Moshe Rabbeinu. We cannot say that all those prayers were for naught. We must deduce then, that prayer has a function in and of itself, even without the apparent answer. Let us try to explain.
G-d created this world with a Divine goal and plan, and all that happens in this world leads to that end. During our lives we may not be able to perceive that purpose because there is a greater picture much larger than our lives. The world has a destiny that is Divine, and therefore, beyond our intellectual grasp altogether. But, there will be a day when all will become clear. “Bayom hahu yihyeh Hashem echad u’shmo echad.” “On that day Hashem will be One and His Name will be One. “ On that day there will no longer be any confusion and we will be able to understand how everything that happened throughout history led to this greater objective of Hashem Echad – The revelation of the Unity and Kingdom of Hashem here in this world.
That is what we are to strive towards in our personal lives as well. When Hashem revealed Himself to us on Har Sinai and gave us the Torah, He enlisted us as His emissaries in this world. To reveal as much of that, “Hashem Echad,” as we can. By learning His Torah, the Divine Wisdom, and by following His mitzvos, we are doing just that.
However, in addition, we must also pray to Him. For the essence of the Jewish faith is not just learning His wisdom and even following His edicts, rather the chosen nation is one that has a connection with God. When we pray to Hashem and ask from Him everything we need and could possibly want, we acknowledge that nothing is possible without Him and we are literally helpless without Him. Therefore we need Him. If we lack the feeling of needing Him, we will inevitably lose our relationship and connection with G-d. We humans, by nature, don’t really have time for things that we feel that we don’t absolutely need. Therefore, we remind ourselves three times a day how much we truly need Him. That is why we pray. Not necessarily for the answer, and not as a means to achieve everything we want. Rather, through prayer we acknowledge our constant need for a connection with G-d.
We can now understand the meaning of the passuk, “Hashem is close to us whenever we call to him,” in its simplicity. Hashem is truly close to us when we pray to Him as this is the ultimate purpose of prayer : To bring Hashem closer to us and to strengthen the relationship we share with him.
Prayer is also a tool. For part of having a relationship with Hashem is working to see Hashem through everything that happens. After all, Hashem is truly there even when we cannot perceive His Presence. But many times we find ourselves asking “Where is Hashem?” Through Tefilah we connect Hashem to all that transpires. We express the fact that even if we don’t understand how, and even if we don’t see Him, we know that He is there. This enables us to bring Hashem into the picture where He is seemingly absent. That gives perspective to everything that happens. For when we think about events in those terms, we grow from them, and become more G-d minded people. This brings meaning into our lives and all that comes along with it, thereby maximizing the revelation of Hashem Echad in the world, which in turn, brings it to its ultimate purpose.
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