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disorganized and heedless words. And that is more prevent me from learning—if You will do that, it will be in prayer and pleading before the Holy One, blessed be
acceptable [to Hashem]. fine. But if not, I will die of sadness. Immediately, “God He, until heaven and earth and the structures of
fulfilled his request.” Creation trembled, and [the ministering angels] said,
Prayer substitutes for the sacrifices. [The prayer] of a “Perhaps the Holy One, blessed be He, is coming to
poor person is called a minchah (a “gift offering”). That Rashi explains that Jabez asked for very great things—to be great renew His world….” The sound of [Moses’] prayer
[prayer] is considered by Hashem, may He be blessed, in Torah and more. He said to Hashem: “If You give me this, grew so strong that [the angels] wished to move up a
as a gift and minchah. And the word minchah is also fine. If not, I will die of great sadness.” He did not want to live firmament because of that sound of the prayer of Moses,
related to the word nayacha, “relief,” because this without this. As a result of his request, the Gemara states that because his prayer was similar to the sword that
person immediately receives relief. “immediately ‘God fulfilled his request.’” That was immediate: tears apart and splits apart, and that does not stop.
the request that he made in a strong and stubborn manner was
The Gemara writes the following about the prayer of Othniel son answered immediately! This prayer of Moses demonstrates clearly that there is no
of Kenaz (Temurah 16a): contradiction between prayer as pleading for Hashem’s compassion
From this, Rabbi Tzadok derives a tremendous insight very much and prayer that is powerful, because Moses prayed with all his might
We learned in a baraita: related to the wonderful theme of this chapter (ibid.): and with immense stubbornness, yet he is said to have “pleaded.”
I heard that if every Jew who lacks something requested
Othniel was Jabez. But what was his [real] name? His To Fall before Hashem
[real] name was Judah, [and he was] the brother of it [of Hashem] in an extreme fashion he would certainly
Simon. succeed. But afterwards he is satisfied with anything [he
might get]. And in this area a person needs the From here we see that even when we pray by seeking Hashem’s
He was called Othniel (“God answered me”) because awareness not to be appeased but to consider that compassion by pleading and asking for an undeserved gift,
our prayer must be so strong that heaven and earth and the
God answered him. only when he gains complete salvation will he not structures of Creation tremble. Thus, the midrash describes Moses’
lack anything. uncompromising request for an “undeserved gift” as being similar
He was called Jabez (a combination of the words to “a sword that tears apart and splits apart, and that does not
ya’atz, “advised,” and ribetz, “increased”), because he That was the advice of Jabez. He said, “If You will stop,” with a loud, thundering sound. Presumably, Moses argued
advised and increased Torah in Israel. bless….” And we learn in Temurah (16a) that he said, before Hashem: “I must enter the Holy Land. And You want to
“If…, but if not, I will….” That means that he said that he assist me, because in Your treasury You possess the treasure of an
And how did God answer him? The verse states, “Jabez would not accept any relief at all as long as Hashem, may undeserved gift. For whom did You create this treasure? Didn’t
called to the God of Israel, saying: If You will bless me He be blessed, did not acquiesce to his every request. If You create it in order to save me? You wish to save me and to
and increase my border, and Your hand will be with me [Hashem did] not, he would go to Sheol, heaven forbid, reveal Your treasure of an undeserved gift.”
and save me from harm, so as not to sadden me…’—and where he would waste away completely.
God fulfilled his request” (Chronicles I 4:10). We see from this midrash that praying with great force does not
Hashem, may He be blessed, is prepared to help the in the least contradict pleading for Hashem’s compassion and for
“If You will bless me” in Torah, “and increase my brokenhearted. Thus, “immediately ‘God fulfilled His undeserved gift. We must uproot the false belief that prayer in
border” in students, “and Your hand will be with me” his request.’” From the Gemara’s use of the word the form of pleading contradicts forceful crying out to Hashem.
so that I will not forget my learning, “and save me from “immediately,” we see that [his prayer] had an Accordingly, the statement in the Shulchan Aruch, “A person
should pray in a pleading manner, like a poor person begging at the
harm” so that I will have friends who are my peers, “so immediate effect. door” (Orach Chaim 98), does not mean that a person should pray
as not to sadden me,” so that the evil inclination will not weakly. It does not mean that he should pray listlessly. A person
We too request, “Compassionate One, You Who