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18a) that an outcry to Hashem is effective and instrumental even of this nation in accordance with the greatness of Your kindness, realm of spirituality, prayer must be accepted immediately. But
after judgment has been decreed. That means that Hashem’s will and as You have forgiven this nation from Egypt until now” when we pray for physical matters, although certainly Hashem
to give a person life remains even after heaven has decreed that he (Numbers 14:19). Moses said: “Just as You forgave them until this wants to give and pour forth an abundance of good for the house
must die. Therefore, a person’s outcry is useful. That outcry does point, forgive them now as well.” This raises a question: Is that an of Israel, it is impossible to ask Hashem to save us immediately,
not change Hashem’s will, but reveals Hashem’s true will, and it is argument? On the contrary, if, after all of the times that Hashem but we must wait and look forward with patience for His salvation.
the vessel to receive Hashem’s will. forgave them, they sinned again, they do not deserve to have Him That is because in physical matters there are heavenly reckonings
forgive them now. But Moses knew very well that Hashem wants regarding what a person must undergo in his life and under what
It is a basic foundation of faith that we must believe in Hashem’s to forgive the nation of Israel because He wants people to do conditions he must serve the Creator. Sometimes, if he is physically
compassion. This is what Moses and all of the tzaddikim revealed: teshuvah. Therefore, Moses did not request forgiveness because rescued that will interfere with his spiritual mission, which is the
that Hashem has infinite compassion and infinite love for every the nation of Israel deserved it. On the contrary, he requested principal factor. Therefore, heaven witholds his physical rescue.
creature—even for the most egregious of sinners, even for wicked forgiveness because they did not deserve it—and that is because And it is forbidden to force matters. But spiritual salvation cannot
people and for the nations of the world. Hashem is gracious, and granting this forgiveness reveals Hashem’s compassion. As the be prevented, because attaining that is our entire purpose, it is
He has compassion on a person who does not deserve compassion. verses state: “May the power of Hashem be increased now as You why we were created. Therefore, in Psalms we find many times
In fact, that is the essence of His greatness: that He has compassion spoke, saying: Hashem is patient and extremely kind….” (ibid. 17- that King David asks Hashem, “Make haste to help me,” “Hurry
on every person who truly trusts in His compassion and truly cries 18). Moses meant to say: “Now is the time to reveal all of the traits to me,” “Quickly rescue me,” “Swiftly answer me,” and so forth.
out to Him—whoever that person may be. of compassion that You taught me. Now You must forgive the
people, because this is Your way and Your true will.” Only in Spirituality
To imagine that the Creator does not want a person to live,
heaven forbid, is a major, unparalleled form of disrespect. It is And indeed, the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives and acquits.
improper even to raise that as a possibility. Is there such a thing as He told Moses, “I have forgiven in accordance with your word,” Regarding the topic of prayer that we are learning about here,
a normal father who does not want his son to live, no matter what and He continued, “As I live…” (ibid. 20-21). The Gemara puts people have asked me: “If I pray to meet my true marriage partner,
he may have done? How much more is that true of Hashem, Who these two phrases together and presents a wonderful interpretation: can I ask Hashem to answer me immediately, right now? After all,
is “the King Who desires life” (siddur). “This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses: a person’s entire spirituality depends on his spouse, because then
Moses, You have revived Me with your words” (Berachot 32a). he is complete, he is protected from sinning, he can keep many
Hashem, Who gave us the Torah and mitzvot, and Who wants This means that Hashem told Moses, “This was truly My entire will: mitzvot, and his entire service of Hashem is on another level.” I
us to keep the mitzvot with all of their details, tells us that when to forgive and have compassion on the nation of Israel. But I cannot tell these people, “Praying to meet your marriage partner is called
there is a danger to life, and even if that danger is unconfirmed, we forgive without prayer and outcry. Your outcries and arguments, as a prayer for something physical. Therefore, it is impossible to tell
desecrate the Sabbath and transgress the entire Torah. The Rambam it were, ‘helped’ Me forgive them as I truly wanted to. Therefore, Hashem, ‘Give me my spouse, because You want to save me now.’
states that if a person does not believe that Hashem’s will—as as it were, you revived Me with your words!” So too everyone Who said that Hashem wants to provide you with your spouse right
expressed in the entire Torah and mitzvot—is that we should live, who asks Hashem to help him spiritually is, in a sense, eliciting now? You cannot know the reckonings of heaven.”
that person is infected by heresy. He teaches, “It is forbidden to Hashem’s will. Therefore, you can entreat Hashem with all your
hesitate to desecrate the Sabbath for a gravely ill person. As the might, because you are, as it were, looking to help Hashem do what Isaac only got married at the age of 40. We can be sure that he
verse states, ‘that a person do them and live in them’—and not He wants to do: “Master of the universe, I ask that Your true will prayed a great deal. If he had demanded to get married immediately,
die in them. Thus, you learn that the laws of the Torah are be actualized, because in this way Your name is made great, and he would not have met his true spouse, because Rebecca was only
not vengeance against the world, but compassion, kindness that is Your true will and Your salvation, as it were!” born when he was 37 years old. Jacob married at the age of 84.
and peace in the world. As for the heretics who say that this And there are great tzaddikim who never married at all. Do you
constitutes a desecration of the Sabbath and is thus forbidden, the To Pray for Hashem understood what is best for you, what you have come to rectify,
verse says of them: ‘I, too, gave them rules that were not good and what heaven desires from you?
and judgments through which they should not live’ (Ezekiel 20:25)” But what if you say that your evil inclination is burning in you?
(Hilchot Shabbat 2:3). From this, something very wondrous may be derived. The way of