Parshas Toldos
Rabbi Yechiel Spero tells the following story in his wonderful book Touched by a Story (Artscroll Mesorah Publications):
When the State of Israel was first formed, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion appointed his cabinet. Among those selected was Zaman Oran, a non-religious Jew, who was to serve as Minister of Education. Zalman’s wife, also secular like her husband, nonetheless lit Shabbos candles every week, a custom passed down from her mother. Every Friday night she would cover her eyes and pray that her children should grow up to be as great as the greatest Jew she knew – David Ben-Gurion! This was her heartfelt prayer, week after week.
In 1952, Ben-Gurion met with the great sage and Torah scholar, Rabbi Avraham Yeshayah Karelitz ZTâ€L, known popularly as the ‘Chazon Ish’. They discussed many important issues during that momentous meeting, and Ben-Gurion came away from that encounter incredibly impressed and somewhat awed by the Chazon Ish’s saintliness and sensitivity.
A few days after that meeting, Ben-Gurion met with Zalman Oran and other members of his cabinet to discuss certain policies and he began by describing the Chazon ish and how amazed he was by his angelic presence. That night Oran went home and related the entire episode to his wife.
The next week when she lit the Shabbos candles, Mrs. Oran’s prayer for her children was modified. Instead of wishing that her children grow up to be like Ben-Gurion, she now prayed that they become like the Chazon Ish, a man she knew nothing about other than the fact that Ben-Gurion was unusually impressed with him and held him in high esteem.
This incident was related by Rabbi Baruch Heyman - a Rabbi in Jerusalem and a Torah scholar who is involved with many Torah organizations – and the grandson of Mrs. Zalman Oran.
We learn from this story that prayer works…
Indeed, from the very beginning of Jewish history we have been praying to G-d for all our needs. As we read in the beginning of this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Toldos, Isaac and Rebecca prayed to G-d that He should grant them a child (see Genesis 25:19-23). And we Jews continue to pray to G-d – the Source of all Blessing – until this very day.
But is there a way to guarantee that our prayers will be answered?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes.
In 1891, the great sage and leader of European Jewry, Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen ZTâ€L, known throughout the world as the Chafetz Chaim, published a book titled Machaneh Yisrael (lit. “Encampment of Israelâ€) on the minimum requirements of Torah observance for soldiers in the army.
Machaneh Yisrael was intended to be a handbook for soldiers in the army to help them maintain their integrity, dignity, observance level, and Jewish identity even under the most spiritually challenging conditions. This amazing book was written with a focus on Jewish soldiers in the Czar’s army in the late 1800’s, yet its timely and timeless messages still resonate.
In Chapter 39 of the book, the Chafetz Chaim discusses the great importance and power of prayer, and virtually guarantees that our prayers will be answered under certain conditions. Here are his holy words (my translation):
"…and even if one prayed [to G-d] many prayers and still was not answered, he should strengthen himself and continue to pray, for certainly the time will come when his request will be fulfilled, as we are taught in the Midrash Rabbah: ‘There is a prayer that is answered after 40 days, and there is a prayer that is answered after 3 days, etc. etc.’.
“And the prayers that one offers up to G-d don’t necessarily have to be during the times of formal prayer (such as during the Amidah/Silent Prayer in the synagogue), for one can pray to G-d and He will listen anytime. Furthermore, one need not necessarily pray in ‘Lashon HaKodesh’ (Hebrew), for he can pray in the language that he is used to from his youth and G-d will hear his prayers.
“The most important thing is that the following two ‘conditions’ are met: (1) The prayers should come from the depths of one’s heart and not be mere ‘lip service’. And if one can arouse his heart to cry during his prayers, it’s even better, for as the Sages have taught us: “The Gates of Tears are never lockedâ€, (2) He should have in mind that his prayers ascend to Heaven via the Land of Israel, and from there to Jerusalem, and from there to the place of the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount [and from there up to Heaven].
“We learn this from King Solomon who beseeched G-d at the inauguration of the First Holy Temple in Jerusalem regarding the Jewish people’s prayers and repentance: “…and [when] they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who had captured them, and pray to You by way of their land that You gave to their forefathers, and by way of the city that You have chosen and through the Temple that I built for Your Name – may You hear their prayer and their supplication from Heaven, the foundation of Your abode …†(II Kings 8:48-49). And when these two conditions are filled, one is guaranteed that his prayers will not come back empty-handed.â€
May we all merit to follow the Chafetz Chaim’s directives … and get all our prayers answered speedily and in our day. Amen!
http://www.torchweb.org/torah_detail.php?id=592