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Know that until you meet your marriage partner Hashem wants our teacher, peace be upon him, would dedicate his Second Axiom: Hashem Wants to Give Life to Even
you to guard yourself with the fear of heaven and keep yourself soul to them and pray on their behalf—such as in the Most Wicked Person
from sinning, particularly in your present situation, when you are the case of the spies, and the like. That is because he
single. And that is something that you can ask heaven to give you knew that in accordance with the holiness of the people The greatest halachic authorities state that we must desecrate
immediately: you can demand that heaven provide you with the of Israel and their nobility, they are far from sin, and the Sabbath for any Jew, even someone who is base and very far
strength to overcome your evil inclination, because Hashem at this it is completely impossible for them to bear the heavy from the Torah: “At this time, one must desecrate the Sabbath for
very moment wants to give you the fear of heaven and the power every dangerously ill person, even if he does not keep the Torah
to overcome your evil inclination that is burning within you. If you burden of sin (as above). And in truth, how do they come and mitzvot—even if he publicly violates the Sabbath” (Yalkut
stand up and ask to receive this immediately (as we are learning in to sin, heaven forbid? That happens only when a person Yosef 329:1). And: “When a person has made a suicide attempt
this chapter), you will receive immediately. But regarding meeting lacks awareness, because “a person does not sin unless a by drinking poison and the like, if he is in danger, we must do
your marriage partner, ask for that only as an unearned gift that spirit of foolishness has entered into him” (Sotah 3). And everything possible to save him, and we even desecrate the Sabbath
Hashem will give you when He wishes to, because only heaven that is the most pitiful matter of all, and we must for him, although he committed the grave offense of trying to take
knows the exact time when you must meet your spouse. have compassion on such a person and give him his own life, which is a severe sin. Even if he protests and cries out
awareness, as in the verse: “Fortunate is the person who that he wants to die, we do not listen to him, because a person’s
A person’s prayer for physical matters must indeed be accepted gives wisdom to the poor” (Psalms 41:2), because “there
by heaven—but it does not have to be accepted immediately. Why is no poor person except one who is poor in awareness” life is not his own property, but the property of the Holy One,
blessed be He.”
must prayer for physical matters be accepted? That is because this
is a law of nature (as was discussed in Chapter Four: The Laws (Nedarim 41). We must have compassion upon him and And the Rambam rules that for the sake of saving someone’s life,
of Life). After Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she said, “I have give him awareness. it is a mitzvah for “the great ones of Israel and their sages” (ibid.)
stubbornly pleaded to God to be equal to my sister, and I prevailed” to violate the Sabbath. That means that we tell the Jewish leaders
(Genesis 30:8, as translated by Rashi). And Rashi explains the phrase, “I That is the purpose of creation. Hashem created the world to to desecrate the Sabbath. For whom? For a person who violates
prevailed,” as “He yielded to my importunities.” The mashgiach, be inhabited. As the verse states: “Not chaos did He create it; the Sabbath and the entire Torah. And why? Because Hashem’s
Rabbi Yerucham Leibovitz, states: “This is something awesome to to be inhabited did He form it” (Isaiah 45:18). A person who will is that even the most ignoble transgressor should live! Here is
contemplate! When we are this stubborn and plead this much, we does not possess awareness is not called a human being. Thus, a a distinct law that says this explicitly—and there can be no greater
are assured that we will attain what we desire. Hashem must, as it world of people who lack awareness is a desolate ruin. As Rabbi proof than that.
were, give it to us. That is because Hashem wanted and created Nachman says: “The world should be inhabited by human beings.
a world in which this will be the way of nature in the realm of The essence of a human being is his awareness. If a person does not Many verses and sources teach clearly and absolutely that Hashem
spirituality…. A person should consider everything that has been have awareness, he is not part of civilization and he is not termed a does not desire that a person die but that he do teshuvah. As the
said regarding the necessity to pray, and how wonderful prayer human being at all. Rather, he is on the level of an animal in human verse states: “I do not desire the death of the wicked person, but
is, because a person who engages in prayer is assured that he will form” (ibid.). rather that the wicked person repent from his path and live” (Ezekiel
certainly receive its positive results” (Divrei Torah: Bereishit). 33:11). But despite all of these well-known prooftexts, this truth
Give Me Life in Your Ways is unfortunately very much hidden. Therefore, we must remind
But we want to have an effect in spiritual matters and to ourselves over and over again that it is Hashem’s will to rescue and
encourage ourselves to pray to achieve spiritual change. Therefore, When we know that Hashem is truly compassionate, that His save every person. Hashem’s entire will is to rescue even the most
we must consider this logically. If a person’s perfect prayer to be compassion is infinite and it is His will to extend compassion to all wicked person so that he will live, do teshuvah, and serve Hashem.
rescued physically at a time that his life is endangered is certainly beings, we can make every spiritual request, which is the purpose
immediately effectively, how much more does perfect prayer of all creation and of the entire trait of compassion. In accordance
requesting spiritual assistance certainly have an immediate effect, with this, we may understand Moses’ prayer on behalf of the Jews
because Hashem’s entire will is that a person receive all spiritual during the episode of the sin of the spies: “Please forgive the sin