Parshat Nitzavim states, “The matter is very near to you—in your heart and mouth,” which the midrash (Devarim Rabbah 8:1) apparently understands to be a reference to prayer (see Maharzu there). During this time of year (as we approach Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur) we might find ourselves being more focused on prayer—beseeching Hashem for another year of life, for continued blessings, for salvation, protection, etc. There is, perhaps, a significant key ingredient that may make all the difference in having our prayers be accepted and fulfilled.
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18a) quotes Rabbi Meir who would say: “Two [patients] were confined to a [sick] bed with the identical illness, or similarly, two [suspects] entered before a tribunal with the identical case [being brought] against them. This [patient recovered and] left [his bed], whereas that [patient did not recover and thus] did not leave [his bed]. [Or, in the second case,] this [accused suspect] was spared [from capital punishment], whereas that one was not spared. [This prompts us to ask:] why did this [one merit to] leave [his sick bed], while that [one] did not [merit to] leave [his]? [Why was] this [suspect] spared [from capital punishment], while that [other one] was not spared? [The reason is because] this [one] prayed and was answered, while that [one] prayed and was not answered. [But] why was this [one] answered and that [one] not answered? [The explanation is as follows:] this [one] prayed a complete prayer, [so] he was answered; but that one did not pray a complete prayer [so] he was not answered.”
Rashi explains that “complete prayer” means a prayer that was prayed with kavana. It emerges that the ones who prayed with kavanah were answered, whereas the ones who did not pray with kavana were not answered. That was, seemingly, the sole difference between the prayers of the two people in both examples. Although both prayed, it was the aspect of kavana that seemingly made all the difference of whether their prayers would be answered or not. This may show us how impactful and crucial kavanahis when we pray in determining the practical outcome of our prayers.
Kavana may make such a profound difference as to whether one’s prayers will be answered, even, perhaps, when one’s kavana is simply enhanced just a mere notch. When King Yoshiyahu ordered repairs to the Temple, in the course of the work, Chilkiyahu discovered a hidden Torah scroll. Strangely, instead of being rolled to the beginning, the Torah was rolled to the portion of the tochacha (which describes the curses that Hashem would visit upon the Jews for their non-compliance with His commandments), and Chilkiyahu saw the verse that predicted the exile of the Jewish people with its king. Chilkiyahu sent the Torah to King Yoshiyahu, before whom the scroll was read, upon which Yoshiyahu then sent Chilkiyahu and others to Chuldah the prophetess for a prophetic explanation of whether or not the verse indeed applied to him and his generation.
Sincethe prophet Yirmiyahu was active at that time, the Gemara (Megillah 14) asks how Yoshiyahu could forsake Yirmiyahu and dispatch his emissaries to Chuldah instead [as indeed Yirmiyahu was, after all, greater than her in Torah and prophecy and was the leader of the generation (Chidushei HaLev, Nitzavim)]. The Gemara explains that he sent his emissaries to Chuldah instead of Yirmiyahu because [in the event that it turned out that there was indeed a bad decree imposed upon them], women are more merciful than men [and therefore she would have mercy on them and thus pray for them to prevent the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash from occurring (Chidushei HaLev)].
Rav Henach Leibowitz asks: Yirmiyahu experienced tremendous anguish regarding the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash. After all, it was he who authored the book of Eicha. Surely then, Yirmiyahu would have also had mercy upon the people and would pray with all his heart that the destruction be withheld! So why then did Yoshiyahu send his emissaries to Chuldah instead of Yirmiyahu?!
Rav Leibowitz explains that although Yirmiyahu had attained a high level of perfection in the middah of mercy and indeed would have also had mercy on them and prayed for their welfare, nevertheless, Chuldah was chosen instead because Yoshiyahu thought that Chuldah would have even more mercy on them than Yirmiyahu would since women naturally have more mercy than men, and because of this fact, Chuldah’s prayers would be said with more kavana than Yirmiyahu’s. Since Chuldah had a bit higher of a level of mercy than Yirmiyahu, he thought that Chuldah’s prayers would be said with a bit more kavana than Yirmiyahu’s, and thus her prayers would be more likely to be accepted and fulfilled than Yirmiyahu’s prayers (Chidushei HaLev, Ibid).
We can perhaps learn from here not only how central, impactful and potent kavana is in having our prayers be answered, but also that just a minute enhancement of kavana when we pray may spell the difference whether our prayers will be fulfilled.
This insight may perhaps also explain the aforementioned Gemara in Rosh Hashanah. For the question may be asked: Seemingly, perhaps, the ill person who didn’t recover was quite ill. How then could it be that he, as well as the one who was being judged for capital punishment, didn’t have kavana when they prayed? In such drastic, desperate and needy times, who wouldn’t naturally pray with kavanah to be spared and relieved?! It may, therefore, be suggested that perhaps they may have, in fact, had kavana, but yet, some measure of it may have been lacking, and they needed that extra bit of kavana to have their prayers pull through and be effective.
Binyamin is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, and Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
