Reflections

Drawing on a teaching from Rabbeinu Bachya’s Kad HaKemach, this article explores a Talmudic saying that children, long life, and livelihood depend not on personal merit but on mazal — one’s destined portion. Rather than diminishing the role of prayer, the teaching elevates it: prayer alone has the power to overturn fate itself. Scripture shows that all three gifts were granted specifically through prayer, making it the indispensable tool for the deepest human needs.

Drawing on biblical examples from Hezekiah to Hannah to Daniel, this article argues that prayer is uniquely powerful among all the commandments — capable of healing the sick, averting death, opening the womb, ending famine, winning wars, and securing redemption from exile. Quoting the Sefer HaIkkarim (Book of Principles), it concludes that prayer, like a universal balm, works for every person and every need, even for the most complete sinner.