WHAT SHALL WE EXPECT FROM A PRAYER?

 

Rabbi Rifat Sonsino, Ph.D

 There are three major types of prayers :

 1.     Petition: This is when we ask God for something specific. Like, “ Oh God, heal her” (Num.12:13)

2.     Praise: This is when we praise God for being God or what God does. Like: “I will praise you with a sincere heart” (Ps. 119: 7)

3.     Thanksgiving: This is when we express gratitude for a blessing received. Such as , “I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds”(Ps. 9:1)

 What should we expect after we utter a prayer? Most people would say, a positive response from the divine. The problem is that often we don’t get an answer. Is it because we did not pray sincerely? Correctly? Or, is it because God denied our pleas? Or, more drastically, is it because there is no one listening to our prayers?

 This becomes critical especially with petitionary prayers when, in desperation, we turn to a higher power, and ask for something concrete. Even the Psalmist is aware of this problem, when he says, “Why, O Lord, do you reject me, Do you hide Your face from me?” (Ps. 88: 15). What should we do if there is no answer?

 When we don’t get a satisfactory response, we are bewildered and disappointed. Maybe, we are expecting too much from prayers.  

 In the Western world, we are under the influence of our particular Roman language and culture. For instance, in Latin, the verb “to pray”  is ORARE, meaning, to beseech, beg, implore, appeal. Already, these terms imply that when we pray to God, we are begging for something concrete, and hope God will say , yes. Whereas in biblical Hebrew, the term for prayer is TEFILLAH, from the verb LEITPALEL, a reflexive form of a verb, basically meaning, to judge oneself, to analyze oneself. In Assyrian, to pray is  karabu, namely, to approach, get near.

 Building on this basic difference, I would reframe the issue by stating that a petionary prayer should be directed, not to an outside power, but to ourselves. Therefore, when we pray for something, we ourselves need to come up with the best answer possible, using all the means available to us. So, for me, the prayer, “heal her,” simply means, ‘Let me find the best sources of healing within my reach.”

 God, as the energy of the universe, will not change the course of nature, just because we pray sincerely. In reality, prayers do not change the world but alters our own understanding of the universe. They give us a new perspective on life. As such, they lead us to search for all the means that nature can provide. In this way, we are not disappointed if the answer is No, because we understand that nature acts according to its own rules and will not make an exception for each person who prays. As the Talmud says, “the world follows its own course” (Avodah zarah, 54b).

 Date: March 2, 2021