20 Feb THE SILENT CONVERSATION: DISCOVERING HASHEM’S INTENTIONS THROUGH TEFILLAH

During times of
conflict, individuals
are urged to employ
every means at their
disposal to ensure
victory. This
encompasses acquiring
the finest equipment, ammunition,
intelligence, and other resources. However,
these endeavors, termed as hishtadlut,
constitute merely our earthly efforts in the
grand scheme of things, but it’s crucial to
recognize that Hashem operates behind the
scenes, orchestrating all outcomes. By
engaging in hishtadlut, we fulfill our nature
duties while maintaining Hashem’s hidden
role. It’s a delicate balance: Hashem remains
concealed, expecting us to uncover Him
through our actions.
In addition to fulfilling our earthly duties, we
are also obligated to engage in spiritual efforts,
such as deepening our understanding of Torah,
intensifying our tefiloss, and meticulously
observing the commandments. Let’s focus on
the significance of tefillah in this article,
highlighting how it can genuinely aid our
soldiers and nation in achieving victory during
wartime.
Hashem Desires Our Tefillah.
In times of peril, our sages teach us that the
danger may be a catalyst for Hashem’s desire
for our tefilos. While we often perceive tefillah
as a response to our needs, the cause and effect
relationship can sometimes be reversed.
Hashem may engineer circumstances that
evoke feelings of urgency and desperation
within us, prompting our tefilos for
deliverance.
In simpler terms, while we typically view
tefillah as our request to Hashem and His
subsequent response, the relationship between
tefillah and events can often be reversed.
Sometimes, Hashem engineers situations
where we experience fear or desperation,
prompting us to pray for salvation. Thus,
tefillah becomes the response to the
circumstances that Hashem has orchestrated.
Hashem Wants a Relationship With Us.
אמר רבי יצחק: מפני מה היו אבותינו עקורים? מפני
(שהקב“ה מתאוה לתפלתן של צדיקים.)יבמות דף ס“ד
We recognize this principle from our patriarchs
and matriarch who faced infertility. Chazal
explain that this difficulty was ordained by
Hashem to elicit their tefilos, and upon
praying, they were granted children. However,
one might argue that this principle applies
only to individuals who have personal needs,
such as desiring a child. It may not seem
relevant to situations where Hashem places us
in grave danger, as is the case in our current
times. Yet, Chazal elucidate that this principle
extends to such situations as well, as we can
glean from the following Midrash Raba (שמות
: (‘כא, ה
“When the nation of Israel saw that they were
surrounded on three sides – the sea blocking
them, the enemy in pursuit, and the beasts in
the wilderness – they raised their eyes to their
Father in heaven and cried out to Him, as it is
stated: “The children of Israel cried out to
Hashem.” Why did He do this to them? It was
because Hashem desires their tefilos.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: To what is this
matter comparable? It is to a king who was
travelling on the way and a princess was
screaming to him: ‘Please, save me from the
highwaymen.’ The king heard and rescued
her. Sometime later, he sought to take her as a
wife. He desired that she speak to him, but she
did not want to do so. What did the king do?
He incited the bandit against her so that she
would scream and the king would hear. When
the bandit beset her, she began screaming to
the king.
The king said to her: ‘This is what I desired, to
hear your voice.’ So Israel, when they were in
Egypt and the Egyptians were forcing them to
work, they began screaming and raising their
eyes to the Hashem, as it is stated: “It was
during those many days…they cried out”
(כג,ב שמות(. Immediately, “Hashem saw the
.(שמות ב, כה) “Israel of children
Hashem began taking them out from there
with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm.
He sought to hear their voice another time, but
they did not wish to cry out. What did He do?
He incited Pharaoh to pursue them, as it is
stated: “Pharaoh drew near.” Immediately,
“the children of Israel cried out to the
Hashem.” At that moment He said: ‘That is
what I wanted – to hear your voice.’ As it is
stated: “My dove in the cleft of the rock […
“.(שיר השירים ב, יד) “[voice your me sound
But why does Hashem care whether we pray
to Him, and why does He desire our tefillah?
Additionally, how do we explain the notion
that Hashem didn’t give our patriarchs
children so they would pray? Didn’t they pray
beforehand? It seems evident from the
Midrash Raba that, just like a king desires a
close relationship with his princess, so too
does Hashem desire a binding relationship
with us. In fact, this is what the commentators
explain about the meaning of tefillah (Tfila) – a
binding attachment relationship. We derive
this concept from the reason Rachel named
her son Naftali. She said it’s because the word
“נפתולי “is a variant of the word “פתיל “as in
“פתיל צמיד, “meaning a tightly fitted lid (במדבר
טז ,יט(. Rachel meant that her bond with her
husband contained spiritual and religious
dimensions, making their connection
immeasurably stronger. (Rashi, Rabenu
Bechayey)
Accordingly, we can understand that since
Tfila comes from the word “patil,” which
means attached, the attachment to Hashem has

various levels, just like any
attachment can range from
loose to tight to very tight.
Thus, when Hashem desired
the Tfila of our patriarchs,
although they obviously
prayed before, there is always
room to strengthen the
attachment with Hashem. You
can only reach your full
potential when Hashem tests
the person.
Why Do We Pray?
א“ר יצחק: לָמָה נמשלה תפילתן של
צדיקים כעתר? מה עתר זה מהפך התבואה ממקום
למקום, כך תפילתן של צדיקים מהפכת מידותיו של
(הקב“ה ממידת רגזנות למידת רחמנות. )יבמות סד, א
There is a question about tefillah that is very
challenging. Since we believe that Hashem
does whatever is best for us and puts us in the
best possible scenario at all times, why would
I pray to change my circumstances? Moreover,
why would Hashem change it if that is the best
for me?
Or we can present this the way Rabbi Yosef
: (ספר העיקרים מאמר ד‘ פרק יח)asked Albo
“Either Hashem has determined that a given
person shall receive a given benefit, or He has
not so determined. If He has determined, there
is no need of tefillah; and if He has not
determined, how can tefillah avail to change
Hashem’s will that He should now determine
to benefit the person, when He had not so
determined before? For Hashem does not
change from a state of willing to a state of not
willing, or vice versa. For this reason, they say
that right conduct is of no avail for receiving
good from Hashem. And similarly, they say
that tefillah does not avail to enable one to
receive a benefit or to be saved from an evil
which has been decreed against him”.
The answer is that indeed the conditions I’m
in at any given moment are the best for me for
that moment, but many times they are painful
and hard to tolerate. Therefore, we ask
Hashem in our tefillah to elevate us to a new
level, to a place that is very different from
where I am right now. In that scenario, I’m in
a new place and that will require new
challenges which are easier or more
comfortable to tolerate.
This principle is explained in the Gemara(יבמות
א,סד (that tefillah has the power to change the
status of a person and thus change the heavenly
decree. Rabbi Yitzchak said: Why are the
tefilos of the righteous likened to a pitchfork?
Just as a pitchfork turns the grain from one
place to another, so too the tefilos of the
righteous turn the heavenly attributes from the
attribute of anger to the attribute of mercy.
Rabbi Albo elaborates on this concept,
explaining that when a benefit is determined
in favor of anyone, it is conditional upon a

certain degree of right conduct. This principle
applies generally to the promises in the Bible.
Similarly, when a certain evil is determined
upon someone, it is also conditional upon his
being wicked to a certain degree or being
predisposed to it. If the degree of wickedness
or predisposition changes, the pre-determined
event or fate necessarily changes for the better
or worse accordingly.
Utilizing the Potential.
Another approach is that the good destined for
a person is already prepared for him, but it can
only be utilized if he prays for it; then Hashem
brings it down for him. Otherwise, it remains
waiting for him unused. This is the explanation
of Rabbi Yosef Albo: For the influences from
above come down upon the recipient when he
is in a certain degree and state of preparation
to receive them. And if a person does not
prepare himself, he withholds the good from
himself. For example, if it has been determined
from on high that a given person’s crops shall
prosper in a given year, and he neglects to
plow or sow his land that year, then God may
bring the most abundant rain upon the land,
but his crops will not prosper, seeing that he
has not plowed or sowed. He withheld the
good from himself because he did not prepare
himself to receive it.
This principle is exemplified in the creation of
the world, as the verse states (ה ,ב בראשית (that
although Hashem had created plants and trees,
they weren’t fruitful yet because there was no
man to pray for them to bring forth. This
teaches us that many times the potential is
there, but it awaits tefillah to bring it forth.
Coming back to recent events, we should all
understand that Hashem wants something
from us, as a catastrophe doesn’t occur in the
world without a spiritual reason. Therefore,
it’s crucial to try to discern what Hashem
desires from us. In previous generations, we
would turn to our great rabbis, who could
guide us in understanding Hashem’s will.
However, in a generation like ours, where
guidance may be elusive, we need to return to
the fundamental roots. The most basic
principle is that we need a relationship with
Hashem, and we foster that relationship
through intimate tefillah.