Have any of your Tefilos been answered?

heidi

Thu, Jun 18 2015, 10:44 pm

Of course my tefillot are answered, even when I don't know I'm davening.
My kids wake up every morning. They are healthy. They have the usual kid issues, some bigger some smaller, but they are alive and well.
Last night our car got us to and from a ceremony for our soldier son, an hours drive away. This morning my dh noticed that one of the tires is almost flat-- what a huge pain that would have been last night!!!
I have my own issues with G-d-- after 120 years I plan to take him to task about several things he should have granted-- a baby to my friend, a husband to my cousin.

PinkFridge

Fri, Jun 19 2015, 8:18 am

shoshanim999 wrote:

It sounds like the game is rigged. If we get what we want then hashem answered us. If we don't get what we want the hashem still heard us but answered no. I dont mean to sound like an apikores, but that sounds like brainwashing to me. I believe that as a human being I don't have the slightest understanding of what hashem is. There is no way I can begin to understand how hashem works or why he does or doesn't do certain things. No one would argue that the people that are davening more and doing more mitzvos are not necessarily the one's that have shidduchim, health, parnasah ect. Just looking at the reponses on this thread, yes, no, yes, no....are the people getting the yes davening more than the people getting the no? I'm trying to understand.

There's a shiur by Rabbi Menachem Nissel called Understanding Unanswered Prayers. I haven't heard it yet but have heard it distilled. It sounds really substantial.

This all ties in with the concept of tzaddik v'ra lo, etc. For a great treatment of that, get hold of a shiur by Rabbi Yitzchak Kirzner, zt"l on suffering. It may have been part of a series.

And I don't think you sound like an apikorus. You sound like someone who's trying to think things through. I think most if not all of us have moments when we feel our heads might explode Very Happy

The main thing is we have to try to find a way to connect to the RBSh"O and tefilla does that.

A related thought I recently came across about connecting with Hashem from the Stone Chumash at the end of Shelach, on tzitzis: the whole thing about looking at the techeiles and thinking of the heavens, and all those knots making us think of the Torah and mitzvos - it's not exactly straightforward. But "This roundabout means of focusing on G-d's Throne teaches that people should look for ways to direct their attention toward higher aspirations. Those who search for holiness can find inspiration in many experiences. Conversely, in the very same situation, those who seek only pleasure will not see even a possibility of spiritual elevation. Thus, a familiar way of testing what different people are like is to see how they react to the same stimuli; what someone sees is an indication of what he is."

ETA: Heidi, I loved your post. May your son serve honorably and safely and may you see nachas from all your children.

PinkFridge

Fri, Jun 19 2015, 1:26 pm

amother wrote:

I heard in a shiur once, everything has a price tag in prayer.
For example, Moshe Rabenu prayed 515 times to go into the land of Eretz Yisrael, and H-Shem told him to stop. If he would have prayed 1 more time, H-Shem would have to let him in to Eretz Yisrael, even if it went against H-Shem's will.
If someone has more insight to understand this please explain.
How can H-Shem do something against HIS will?

I've also heard this, about Moshe having to stop davening. I don't have an answer for you.
But how does this price tag concept impact you practically?
Usually the lesson of Ve'eschanan is the difference between people and Hashem. The more our kids ask/nag us for something, the less likely we are to be responsive. OTOH, Hashem never gets annoyed with our tefillos and encourages us to ask and ask again. (Kaveh el Hashem. Then after chazak v'ametz libecha Kave el Hashem again.) Even here Hashem didn't get annoyed.

amother

Brunette

Fri, Jun 19 2015, 2:31 pm

PinkFridge wrote:

Does this mean there are no "NO" answers? Have we just not davened enough? This means it's all in our hands? This is very confusing. Also, depressing to know we could have stopped tragedies from happening.

amother

Aqua

Sun, Jun 21 2015, 10:38 pm

I posted a thread a few months ago that I was praying for a miscarriage because the pregnancy was unexpected at a very hard time. Well after that I got used to the idea of having a pregnancy and baby, and survived most of the difficult first trimester symptoms, and was doing better than I thought I would though also having a hard time of it but figuring that it would all be worth it somehow. And then I had the miscarriage. After I'd already been through much of the hard part, and the miscarriage wasn't a piece of cake either. So I guess be careful what you wish for.

I don't actually think that I had the miscarriage because I'd prayed for it. After all, I am not usually in the habit of getting everything I pray for; it's clear G-d has His own cheshbonos. But I still think it's pretty ironic and I still think I'll be more careful what I wish for in the future - if only to focus more on accepting and appreciating what I have instead of praying for things to be different.

imasoftov

Mon, Jun 22 2015, 5:36 am

amother wrote:

There is little certainty in this world. The king of Ninveh, when telling his people to repent and pray (Yona 3:9), "who knows?", e.g. salvation is not guaranteed. The Yalkut Shimoni (Shmot 176) says that he is the as the Pharaoh of the time of the Exodus, who said to Moshe (Shmot 5:2) "Who is Hashem ... I do not know Hashem".

PinkFridge

Mon, Jun 22 2015, 8:02 am

amother wrote:

IMO, this is why I need Moshiach, I want to be closer to H-Shem. I want to know when I'm doing what I need to be doing, and do it.
OTH we can only correct things now.
I'm not sure if I'm communicating correctly, it makes sense in my head.

Sounds sensible to me. We all want the clarity of Moshiach. OTOH we want to be the best people we can be so that we'll have front row seats.
For the former, find teachers. Find IRL mentors if you can, find people whose shiurim and written words you appreciate and follow.
Know that it's often the little things we do that are the biggest building blocks of our olam haba.
And that what we find especially challenging might be our greatest growth opportunities.