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Those Who Are Dismissive of Prayer ask Hashem to “bring back our judges as at first and our advisors
as in the beginning.” As we say this, we must have in mind to ask
Whoever has learned the practical guidance to prayer presented Hashem to give us true leaders as we had initially, such as Moses
here understands that when he has intent in his prayer, it will turn and David—men who possesses the knowledge of Torah and the
into a Garden of Eden of aspiration, longing and intentions. He will knowledge of Hashem, and who know how to shine that knowledge
not want to stop praying. He will find that his prayer is a golden upon the entire nation of Israel. When we recite the words, “And
opportunity to pour forth his heart and detail all of his many needs. remove our grief and sighing,” we should have in mind that we are
And he will pluck wonderful fruits that will illuminate his entire day asking Hashem to eradicate and remove all of the false leaders who
and his entire life. distance the nation of Israel from knowledge and who thus cause
us grief and sighing. And when we recite the words, “And rule
Now we can appreciate the depth of the Gemara’s statement over us…,” we should have in mind the wish that the knowledge of
(Berachot 6b and Rashi there) that people are dismissive of prayer. Hashem will be revealed at the time of the complete redemption,
On the surface, it would appear that people value and appreciate when the sovereignty of Hashem will be revealed.
prayer. They devote a significant amount of time to pray every
day, and it is important to them to educate their children to pray. In the twelfth blessing, “He Who crushes enemies and
So why does the Gemara say that people are dismissive of prayer? subjugates the willfully evil,” the entirety of our prayer is to
remove all heresy and lack of knowledge from the world. When
But now you may now understand the Gemara’s words. Prayer heretics cease to exist, the messiah will come. As Rabbi Nachman
presents an opportunity. Yet people come to the synagogue, read teaches, “‘The messiah, son of David, will not come until a perutah
from the siddur and immediately run out, without having gained ceases from the pocket (kis)’ (Sanhedrin 97a). That is to say that
anything. A person should go swiftly to pray with yearning and heretics will cease—meaning, people who do not have faith in
longing, then pray at length without wanting to stop, and afterwards miracles and who conceal (mekhaseh) all miracles by attributing
leave shining with great supernal happiness, floating in the air. Yet them to nature” (Likutei Moharan I 7). We must pray that all of the
what actually happens? We enter depressed and leave depressed. people who spread heresy throughout all of the media and literature
We enter hungry and leave hungry. We enter poor and leave poor. will instead only spread faith. We must have in mind to ask Hashem
That is called being dismissive of prayer. And it is a desecration of to close the mouths of all of those who speak falsehood. And when
Hashem’s name. evil will shut its mouth, the world will easily return to proper and
true knowledge. And this suffices for those who understand.
If we would all truly pray three times a day with intention
and longing, especially as we said the words, “May our eyes see In the thirteenth blessing, “He Who is the support and
Your return to Zion with compassion,” is there any doubt that surety of the righteous,” we pray for all of the righteous of the
the messiah would already have come hundreds of years ago? But generation who possess true knowledge of the Torah and who truly
unfortunately, the messiah sits and waits, changing his bandages know Hashem, in whose merit we live. This blessing refers to them
(cf. Sanhedrin 98a), and the redemption has not yet come. What as “those who trust in Your name in truth,” because they know
is Hashem waiting for? He is waiting for us to begin to want to completely that Hashem is entirely compassionate and only good
beseech, to “beseech Hashem [our] God and David [our] king” and doing good, and they therefore truly trust in His compassion.
(Hosea 3:5). It is true that we all want and look forward to the days We ask Hashem in this blessing to “place our portion among them”:
of the messiah. But what have we really learned? We need to want so that we will know that Hashem is entirely compassionate and
this at the time that we are praying. Then we will build vessels. that we may trust in Hashem’s compassion.

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