Who
Causes
the
Prayer
Article
No.
18,
1986
Our
sages
wrote
(Mesechet
Berachot
32),
“One
should
always
praise
the
Creator
and
then
pray.”
This
shows
us
that
one
should
believe
that
when
a
person
comes
to
a
state
where
he
feels
his
fault
in
the
work
of
the
Creator—when
he
feels
that
his
faith
is
not
as
it
should
be,
that
is,
able
to
believe
that
the
Creator
is
benevolent,
and
this
feeling,
when
he
sees
that
he
cannot
thank
the
Creator
and
say
wholeheartedly,
“Blessed
is
He
who
said,
‘Let
there
be
the
world,’”
meaning
that
he
so
enjoys
the
world
that
he
thanks
the
Creator
for
having
created
the
world
so
he
has
what
to
enjoy—if
he
doesn’t
feel
the
delight
and
pleasure
that
can
be
received,
it
is
hard
for
him
to
be
thankful
for
it.
And
this
pains
him
that
he
cannot
praise
the
Creator
for
the
world
He
has
created
and
say
wholeheartedly,
“Blessed
is
He
who
said,
‘Let
there
be
the
world.’”
And
that
deficiency
pains
him,
meaning
he
says
that
this
feeling
must
have
come
to
him
because
he
is
remote
from
the
Creator,
meaning
immersed
in
self-love.
This
causes
him
to
part
from
the
Creator,
meaning
that
he
doesn’t
feel
the
greatness
of
the
Creator
because
the
Creator
is
hidden
from
him.
And
therefore,
he
cannot
see
the
truth,
as
it
is
written,
“For
it
is
your
life
and
the
length
of
your
days.”
And
also,
he
cannot
feel
the
importance
of
the
Torah,
as
it
is
written,
“For
this
is
your
wisdom
and
your
understanding
in
the
eyes
of
the
nations,
who
will
hear
all
these
statutes
and
say,
‘Surely
this
great
nation
is
a
wise
and
understanding
people.’”
When
a
person
introspects
and
thinks,
“Where
is
this
excitement
that
the
nations
are
saying
about
us,
‘Surely
this
...
is
a
wise
and
understanding
people,’
because
of
the
Torah,
because
we
keep
what
is
written,
‘Observe
and
do
them;
for
this
is
your
wisdom
and
your
understanding
in
the
eyes
of
the
nations.’
So
why
don’t
I
feel
the
importance
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot?”
In
that
state
of
reflection,
when
he
feels
how
remote
he
is
from
any
reverence
for
the
work
of
the
Creator,
he
begins
to
awaken
and
think,
“Something
must
be
done.
I
cannot
stay
in
that
state
of
lowliness
for
the
rest
of
my
life.”
Certainly,
this
is
the
time
when
a
person
begins
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer
to
Him
and
to
help
him
from
above,
as
our
sages
said,
“He
who
comes
to
be
purified
is
aided.”
In
other
words,
He
should
lift
the
concealment
of
the
greatness
and
importance
of
Kedusha
[holiness/sanctity]
from
him,
so
he
can
overcome
all
the
ignoble
thoughts
and
desires
that
come
from
self-love,
and
that
all
his
concerns
will
be
only
about
how
he
can
do
something
for
the
Kedusha,
called
“in
order
to
bestow
contentment
upon
his
Maker.”
And
certainly,
this
can
only
be
to
the
extent
that
he
believes
in
the
greatness
and
importance
of
the
Creator.
Thus,
he
asks
the
Creator
to
open
his
eyes
so
he
will
see
and
feel
the
greatness
and
importance
of
the
Creator,
as
it
is
written
(Psalm
88),
“Lord,
why
do
You
reject
my
soul?
Why
do
You
hide
Your
face
from
me?”
And
then
it
is
a
prayer
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.
That
is,
at
that
time,
a
person
wants
the
Creator
to
heal
his
heart,
as
it
is
written
(Psalm
147),
“Who
heals
the
brokenhearted
and
binds
up
their
sadness.”
And
then
one
probably
thinks
that
the
awakening
for
the
prayer
that
the
Creator
will
bring
him
closer
to
Him
came
from
himself,
and
he
awaits
the
Creator’s
salvation,
that
He
will
help
him
by
granting
his
prayer.
That
is,
that
He
will
bring
him
closer
to
Him,
as
he
is
praying
now
because
now
he
feels
His
lack,
which
he
didn’t
feel
before.
Therefore,
when
a
person
doesn’t
receive
from
the
Creator
what
he
thinks
the
Creator
should
give
him,
he
becomes
angry
that
the
Creator
is
not
granting
his
prayer.
As
for
other
people,
he
believes
that
He
is
not
bringing
them
closer
because
they
have
no
desire
for
spirituality.
But
he
is
not
like
other
people,
who
have
no
affinity
to
the
Creator,
so
the
Creator
doesn’t
need
to
bring
them
closer
anyway.
But
this
man,
who
prayed
for
the
Creator
to
help
him
come
closer
to
Him,
the
Creator
Himself
can
see
that
he
is
not
like
other
people.
Rather,
he
is
higher
than
the
populace;
he
understands
the
world
and
its
purpose,
and
he
contemplates
the
purpose
for
which
he
was
created
and
what
he
must
achieve.
But
when
he
looks
at
other
people,
he
sees
their
lowliness—that
all
their
thoughts
and
actions
are
for
their
own
benefit—and
he
feels
that
he
understands
differently
because
his
mind
and
qualities
are
more
virtuous
and
worthy
than
those
of
other
people.
Moreover,
sometimes
he
sees
that
he
is
even
more
virtuous
than
the
people
in
his
group.
He
sees
that
they
occasionally
think
of
spirituality,
but
he—his
every
thought
and
all
his
desires
are
only
about
spirituality.
He
always
wants
to
exit
self-love,
and
all
his
requests
of
the
Creator
are
only
for
Him
to
deliver
him
from
this
lowliness.
And
he
doesn’t
see
that
his
friends
are
equally
serious,
thinking
only
about
spirituality.
For
this
reason,
he
is
upset
with
the
Creator
for
not
granting
his
prayer,
leaving
him
in
his
current
state
like
the
rest
of
the
friends,
and
is
not
considerate
of
him,
meaning
with
his
prayer,
which
is
truly
prayed
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.
Thus,
regarding
the
granting
of
the
prayer,
he
finds
a
fault
above.
And
he
asks
himself,
“But
it
is
written,
‘For
You
hear
the
prayer
of
every
mouth,’
and
‘every
mouth’
means
that
the
whole
mouth
should
ask
the
prayer,
meaning
that
his
whole
body
demands
that
the
Creator
will
help
him.
But
as
for
the
rest
of
the
people,
their
prayers
are
not
answered
because
it
is
not
with
‘every
mouth.’”
Baal
HaSulam
said
about
it,
“It
is
written,
‘And
it
shall
come
to
pass
that
before
they
call,
I
will
answer,
and
while
they
are
still
speaking,
I
will
hear.’”
He
interpreted
that
when
a
person
feels
his
fault
and
prays
for
the
Creator
to
help
him,
it
is
not
because
a
person
feels
his
fault,
and
this
gives
him
reason
to
pray.
Rather,
the
reason
is
that
he
is
favored
by
the
Creator,
and
the
Creator
wishes
to
bring
him
near.
At
that
time,
the
Creator
sends
him
the
sensation
of
his
own
fault
and
calls
upon
him
to
join
Him.
In
other
words,
it
is
the
Creator
who
brings
him
near
by
giving
him
a
desire
to
turn
to
the
Creator
and
to
speak
to
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
he
already
had
the
granting
of
the
prayer
even
before
he
prayed.
That
is,
the
Creator
brought
him
closer
by
enabling
him
to
speak
to
the
Creator.
This
is
called,
“Before
they
call,
I
will
answer.”
That
is,
the
Creator
brought
that
person
near
Him
before
the
thought
appeared
in
the
man’s
mind
that
he
should
pray
to
the
Creator.
But
why
did
the
Creator
choose
him
and
give
him
the
call
to
come
to
Him
and
pray?
To
this,
we
have
no
answer.
Instead,
we
must
believe
above
reason
that
this
is
so.
This
is
what
we
call,
“Guidance
of
Private
Providence.”
One
must
not
say,
“I’m
waiting
for
the
Creator
to
give
me
an
awakening
from
above,
and
then
I
will
be
able
to
work
in
the
work
of
holiness.”
Baal
HaSulam
said
that
in
regard
to
the
future,
a
person
must
believe
in
reward
and
punishment,
meaning
he
must
say
(Avot,
Chapter
1),
“If
I
am
not
for
me
who
is
for
me,
and
when
I
am
for
me,
what
am
I,
and
if
not
now,
then
when?”
Thus,
one
mustn’t
wait
another
moment.
Instead,
he
should
say,
“If
not
now,
then
when?”
And
he
must
not
wait
for
a
better
time,
so
“Then
I
will
get
up
and
do
the
work
of
holiness.”
Rather,
it
is
as
our
sages
said
(Avot,
Chapter
2),
“Do
not
say,
‘I
will
study
when
I
have
time,’
lest
you
will
not
have
time.”
But
after
the
fact,
said
Baal
HaSulam,
one
must
believe
in
private
Providence—that
it
was
not
the
person
who
called
upon
the
Creator,
but
the
Creator
who
called
upon
the
person
and
told
him,
“I
want
you
to
speak
to
Me.”
It
follows
that
the
reason
for
the
nearing
did
not
come
from
the
individual
but
from
the
Creator.
For
this
reason,
one
mustn’t
think
that
the
Creator
did
not
hear
the
prayer.
Rather,
He
brought
him
near
even
before
he
turned
to
the
Creator
to
bring
him
near
Him.
This
is
called,
“Before
they
call,
I
will
answer.”
It
follows
from
the
above
that
if
a
person
has
awakened
to
sense
his
ignoble
state,
it
did
not
come
from
the
individual.
Rather,
the
Creator
sent
him
this
feeling
so
he
would
ask
to
be
brought
closer.
Therefore,
as
soon
as
one
has
a
thought
that
he
is
remote
from
the
Creator
and
wishes
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer,
he
mustn’t
pray
until
he
first
thanks
the
Creator
for
having
called
upon
him
to
bring
him
closer.
The
Creator
wants
man
to
pray
to
Him.
And
when
a
person
does
self-analysis
into
why
he
suddenly
remembered
that
there
is
spirituality
and
that
he
should
try
to
obtain
something
in
spirituality,
if
he
immediately
says
that
the
Creator
sent
him
this
thought,
then
he
can
pray.
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
our
sages
said,
“One
should
always
praise
the
Creator.”
In
other
words,
as
soon
as
one
begins
to
contemplate
his
situation
concerning
spirituality,
he
should
promptly
praise
and
thank
the
Creator
for
having
given
him
the
thought
and
desire
for
spirituality.
Afterwards,
when
he
knows
that
the
Creator
is
calling
him,
he
immediately
begins
to
thank
and
praise
the
King
for
having
brought
him
closer.
This
is
when
he
can
pray
for
his
situation,
since
he
sees
that
he
is
lacking
Torah
and
doesn’t
know
any
distinction
between
true
and
false,
and
he
prays
for
the
Creator
to
show
him
the
path
of
truth.
Now
we
can
understand
what
our
sages
said
(Midrash
Rabbah,
Toldot,
63,
Mark
5),
“‘And
the
Lord
answered
him.’
Rabbi
Levi
said,
‘There
is
an
allegory
about
a
prince
who
was
striving
to
take
a
pound
of
gold
from
his
father.
He
was
striving
from
within
and
he
was
striving
from
without,
since
in
Arabic,
‘striving’
means
‘asking.’’
He
interprets
there
the
gifts
of
priesthood,
that
‘taking
a
pound
means
that
his
father,
too,
wished
to
give
it,
and
was
striving
opposite
him
to
hurry
his
taking.’”
From
what
we
have
explained,
the
reason
that
a
person
wants
to
draw
near
comes
from
the
Creator.
The
Creator
does
not
wait
for
a
person
to
wake
up,
but
awakens
the
person.
Afterwards,
one
prays
that
the
Creator
will
bring
him
closer.
We
can
understand
it
with
the
allegory
that
he
gives
about
the
verse,
“And
...
answered
him,”
which
means
that
Isaac
prayed
to
the
Creator.
And
he
gave
an
allegory
about
that,
meaning
that
his
father,
that
is,
the
Creator,
conspires
from
within,
meaning
that
his
father
gave
him
a
thought
and
desire
to
pray
to
Him,
and
afterwards
the
prince
conspires
from
without.
In
other
words,
the
people
of
Israel
are
princes,
and
they
are
standing
outside
the
King’s
palace
and
wish
to
draw
near
the
Creator,
meaning
enter
the
King’s
palace.
This
means
that
his
father
in
heaven
started
first.