The Proper Mindset for Davening

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah (www.bircas.org)

In Parashas Va’eschanan, Moshe Rabbeinu begs Hashem to let him enter Eretz Yisrael. Rashi notes that the term used to describe Moshe’s prayer, “va’eschanan,” is a form of request in which one asks for something regardless of his personal merit. Rashi explains that while the righteous have the right to claim reward for their actions, they choose to submit themselves to Hashem with humility. Moshe Rabbeinu is a prime example of one who applied this approach in prayer. Although Moshe may have had merit that could have gained him entry into Eretz Yisrael, he did not request it based on his own merit but rather asked that Hashem grant it as a kindness.

We can infer from Rashi that one has the right to rely on spiritual merits, and that mitzvos gain us the right to be paid back by Hashem. Is this true? What kind of payback is one entitled to? After all, Hashem is constantly showering us with blessing. He gives us air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat! He provides so much for us!

Moreover, the Chovos HaLevavos says that we can never truly pay Hashem back, because He has cared for us from the very first moment of our existence. Doing some good deeds does not make us deserving of more than we have already received. The amazing kindness that Hashem has already done for us more than compensates for whatever we can do in return. What reward can we possibly claim, then?

The Kotzker Rebbe writes that it is true that we are indebted to Hashem and can’t rightfully claim reward. However, we can claim the right to spiritual gifts. A person who has demonstrated that he makes the most of his opportunities to grow spiritually can claim precedence when spiritual gifts are being granted by Heaven, as he can utilize them better than others. For Moshe Rabbeinu, entering Eretz Yisrael would have enabled him to fulfill the mitzvos that can only be fulfilled there. Therefore, his request was well-founded. Still, he asked for this only as a free gift, and did not invoke his unparalleled merits in order to be granted it.

Moshe Rabbeinu is teaching us that when it comes to tefillah, one shouldn’t mention himself at all. Rather, one should beg for Hashem’s mercy, understanding that He owes us nothing.

Since tefillah is not based on merits, spiritual stature does not affect the effectiveness of one tefillah over another. The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 21:4) says explicitly that Hashem listened to Moshe Rabbeinu’s prayer just like anyone else’s. What matters is how sincerely one davens, not who he is.

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 44b) says that anyone who exerts himself in prayer, even a person who is lacking merit, will have no enemies from above. Rav  Dessler explains that in order for one to truly exert himself while davening, he must really feel that he is begging for something that he doesn’t deserve. With this realization, one who cries out for Hashem’s mercy eliminates all of the prosecuting angels that threaten him. Davening this way protects him from any claim of unworthiness that the Heavenly Court may make, as he is admitting to it himself!

Nevertheless, Hashem denied Moshe’s request to enter Eretz Yisrael. This is discouraging. If Moshe’s tefillah was so heartfelt, why wasn’t it accepted? The Steipler answers that every time one davens properly, his tefillah is answered. Not every prayer gets an automatic yes, but a truly sincere prayer does get answered to an extent. The Gemara (Berachos 32b) states that even though Moshe Rabbeinu never entered Eretz Yisrael, Hashem showed him the entire land in a prophetic vision. We must appreciate that just because the Highest Wisdom has deemed it fitting not to answer our prayers in exactly the form that we davened, it doesn’t mean that He has rejected them. If we look more closely, we may discover that Hashem has answered us in some form.

Rav Moshe Mandel would say that a good davening should be so sincere that it brings one to tears. He would say, “When a person cries while davening, and he feels as if he has nothing in the world but the hope that Hashem will listen to him, the gates of heaven are open.” He added that every time he cried during davening, his tefillos were answered.

When Rav Mandel was nearing the end of his life, he was hospitalized after suffering a heart attack. Before the doctor released him from the hospital, he wanted to make sure that Rav Mandel was aware of the need to come back if signs of a relapse occurred. He asked a routine question, but he received a lesson in faith in return.

“What will the Rav do if he feels the onset of a heart attack, and the medicine that we prescribed is not helping?”

“I’ll daven to Hashem.”

“But the Rav surely understands that he must rush back to the hospital as soon as possible.”

“No, if I feel the onset of a heart attack, G-d forbid, I’ll daven to Hashem with all my heart. Hashem always answers me when I daven wholeheartedly.”

May we be zocheh to sincere tefillah!

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Rabbi Krieger’s “Gedolei Yisroel on the Parashah & Yamim Tovim” is now available from the Yeshiva office, Jewish bookstores worldwide and can be ordered online at https://www.feldheim.com/gedolei-yisroel-on-Parashah-yamim-tovim-2.