Weekly Torah Portion

”Is G-d Listening?”

I am sitting in my office writing this week’s Torah message for the Join Journal. While it
is September, when looking at the Jewish calendar, it is also the month of Elul, the
month that leads into the holiest time of the year, Rosh Hashana through Yom Kippur.
Elul is a time where Hashem is looking out for our Tshuvah, Repentance, our good
actions, our prayers – whatever we can do to deepen our relationship with Him.
But what is this thing that we call prayer? Is G-d really listening to little old me? Does He
know all the languages we speak? Does it matter when and where I pray? Should I
daven for money, wealth and health? Pray for others? Ask for forgiveness? Is prayer an
emotional exercise? How do I find meaning in words written thousands of years ago?
It’s a hard concept to comprehend, understand and internalize.
One way of helping us understand Davening is looking at it from Hashem’s perspective,
which we can decipher by analyzing a time of prayer in the Torah. Towards the end of
Moshe’s life, Hashem informed him that after leading the Jewish people from the
exodus of Egypt through the desert, his leadership would end before entering the land
of Israel. Moshe did not merit going into Israel and passed away just outside it’s
borders. When Moshe was told about that, he prayed and requested that Hashem
change His mind.
There is a Medrash, an oral tradition, which elaborates on this incident. While Moshe
was praying, Hashem asked all the angels in heaven to quickly lock the doors of prayer,
ensuring Moshe’s request would be stifled and not get through to Hashem. Which, if you
take a step back and reflect upon, is a mind-boggling concept. Why did Hashem have to
go and lock all the “Prayer Doors” and avoid letting the prayer through – why couldn’t He
just say no to Moshe? “I am sorry, Moshe. I know you really wanted to go into Israel and
experience the holiness it has to offer, but I must remain firm in my stance” – that
sounds like a good reply. Why lock the doors?
It must be that Hashem does not want to ever say no to us. Prayer is our way of
reaching out to our Father, who cares so deeply for every single one of us, that His
default setting is to say yes. Because who can turn away their pleading child? Hashem
loves us so deeply and wants to give us all the blessings in the world – and prayer helps
trigger those blessings. Hashem had to lock the doors to ignore Moshe, because
otherwise He would have changed His mind and allow Moshe into Israel – something
that should not happen based on G-d’s world plan.
Prayer, Davening has real power behind it. We are talking to Hashem, our Father. What
do you want to tell Him today?