An Anthology: The Greatness of Prayer (Part II)
One Should Pray About Everything
“A person should direct all his desires toward God — praying to Him for every need, whether great or small. Nothing should pass without bringing it to God in prayer. If one needs to arrange a match for himself, his sons, or his daughters, he should pray to God. In business matters, he should pray that he succeed and be guided along the right path. In short, there is nothing he wishes to accomplish in a given day for which he should not pray, asking God to grant him success and guide him on the true and proper path. And it goes without saying that if, God forbid, he faces some trouble within his household, he must pray — and likewise, if he has cause for joy, let him pray as well.”
— Ya’arot Devash (Derush 1)
Prayer Always Helps
“The fundamental truth of the Holy One, blessed be He, is that His mercy and kindness never run out. Whatever the situation, prayer, supplication, crying out, and pleading to God always help — always… And in every generation there are righteous and worthy people who follow in this way, strengthening themselves through prayer constantly. Through this, they sweeten all harsh judgments in the world and annul every evil decree against Israel.”
— Likutey Halakhot, Laws of Interest, 1:33
How Does One Pray?
“Once, a young man asked Rabbi Nachman of Breslov: ‘How does one engage in hitbodedut (personal, spontaneous prayer — speaking to God in one’s own words)?’ Rabbi Nachman taught him to say before the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Master of the Universe, have mercy on me! Is it possible that my days should pass in such emptiness? Was I created for this?!'”
— Chayei Moharan, 239
How Fortunate Is the Person Who Can Speak with the Creator!
“Our teacher, the Chafetz Chaim (Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan), used to marvel at how people fail to feel the presence of God and do not take advantage of His closeness to them. How fortunate is a person who has the ability to speak with the Creator — to turn to Him with all his requests and to pour out his whole heart before Him.”
— Tenuat HaMussar, Part III, “His Character and His Ways”
Troubles Come Because We Do Not Pray
“All the troubles that come upon us from which we find no relief — they come because we do not cry out or increase our prayers about them. For if we were to pray and pour out our hearts before the Holy One, blessed be He, our prayers and requests would surely not return empty. A person should not be satisfied with reciting the Amidah (the central prayer of eighteen blessings, said three times daily) three times each day; rather, he must pour out prayers and requests many times throughout the day, privately and on his own, from the depths of his heart while he is at home.”
— The Chafetz Chaim, Likutei Amarim, 10, p. 47
“Because He Multiplies His Supplications, I Show Him Kindness”
“The Holy One, blessed be He, does not wish to condemn any creature. Rather, He wants them to pray before Him, and He receives them. Even if a person does not deserve to be answered in his prayer or to have kindness done for him — because he prays and multiplies his supplications, I show him kindness.”
— Midrash Tanchuma, Vayishlach 9; Vayera 1
Every Day One Must Give Thanks and Praise
“For this reason our Sages instituted the daily recitation of Mizmor LeTodah (Psalm 100, the ‘Psalm of Thanksgiving’) — because every single day we are obligated to give praise and thanks for the miracles and wonders that accompany us in this bitter exile. By reciting Mizmor LeTodah, a person fulfills his obligation to bring a thanksgiving offering, for no person fully perceives his own daily miracle.”
— Kav HaYashar, Chapter 8
Prayer from a Place of Pain
“‘And let my prayer come to You, into Your holy sanctuary’ (Jonah 2:8) — the prophet assured us that a prayer arising from distress and the anguish of the soul is the prayer that enters before Him into His holy sanctuary.”
— Rabbeinu Bachya, commentary on Exodus