Six Principles of Prayer

Following are six principles of prayer that will greatly illuminate the entire avodah of tefillah—and, by extension, bitachon:

Every Tefillah Draws Down Shefa

We have previously cited the words of the Mezericher Maggid regarding the verse in Tehillim, הבוטח בה’ חסד יסובבנו, one who trusts in Hashem will be surrounded by lovingkindness, that this isn’t a reward for trusting Hashem; rather, it is a part of the design of nature: that is, a person who has bitachon in Hashem will have a good life, for his bitachon automatically draws down a Divine measure of kindness and mercy. It is simply part of the design of creation: Bitachon will always bring revealed good.

The holy Berdichever Rebbe was once very ill and confined to his bed, but when he remembered this teaching from his illustrious Rebbe, he was soon healed.

This very principle applies to tefillah as well. The same design that we see in bitachon also applies to tefillah. That is, tefillah always works, without exception. It’s simply impossible otherwise, for tefillah brings the illumination of bitachon to a person, and every person who engages in the avodah of bitachon merits the assurance of הבוטח בה’ חסד יסובבנו—without exception, for this is built into creation.

If so, it must be that every tefillah brings shefa—as we say clearly, כי אתה שומע תפילת כל פה. There’s no such thing as a tefillah that goes unheard, and there’s no such thing as a person saying that his tefillos aren’t accepted.

One may ask, “But I don’t see my tefillos being answered?” The answer to this question is: True, we don’t always see it openly, but we believe with complete faith that every tefillah factually brings us great shefa. The shefa went where it was needed, and it brought completeness to the world in the area for which we davened.

Sometimes, the Ribbono shel Olam sends us a certain problem or lack because He knows that the world needs tefillos for this matter at that time. For example, He may cause a person to become ill, R”l, because the world currently needs tefillos for the matter of illness, and when we daven for this sick person, we draw down a great shefa of healing to the world. However, the particular neshamah for which we davened may have completed its avodah on this lowly world; it is experiencing only anguish from being here, and its time has come to return to its Maker. But the illness came for the sole purpose that the friends and relatives of this person should engage in davening for healing, because the world currently needs these tefillos—and they have accomplished their intended mission of bringing down healing to the world.

It is certain that every tefillah is effective, because tefillah is a vessel for bitachon, and the order of creation is that bitachon always brings shefa.

Davening Brings Us Joy and Satisfaction

We have previously learned the principle that a ba’al bitachon will always be joyful and blissful... his heart simply overflows with bliss and satisfaction, as it says in Tehillim, אשרי אדם בוטח בך, fortunate is one who trust in You.

If a person complains that he has bitachon but he doesn’t feel satisfied and joyful..., but rather he struggles and he feels unlucky, we must tell him, “I feel and understand your pain, but don’t become upset, as Dovid HaMelech has already attested that you do not in fact have bitachon, because a person who has proper bitachon will always be happy.”

The pasuk says, אשרי אדם בוטח בך—this person always has a feeling of happiness and joy! Independent of his circumstances, this person is happy. Dovid HaMelech doesn’t provide exceptions or conditions... “except if you have such and such a challenge, or such and such a nisayon... or if you had a difficult childhood.” The principle of a ba’al bitachon being joyful applies always and to everyone.

If we understand that davening is a vessel that leads to deeper bitachon, we will also understand that when a Yid ends his tefillah, he must feel incredibly serene and elevated, experiencing lightheartedness and buoyancy.

Sometimes, after davening, we ask someone, “Nu, you’re coming to make a l’chaim?!” And he says, “First, let’s see if my tefillah was effective. I davened, and I invested my energies into my davening, but now I’m nervous about what will happen. I don’t know whether Hashem will help me or not. Maybe it’s bashert that I shouldn’t have this.... Maybe I didn’t ask hard enough.”

If this is his feeling after davening, then this person has not internalized what tefillah really is. We must tell this person that good times are ahead... because when he will properly understand tefillah, his life will be filled with bliss, without any worries.

This doesn’t apply only to great ovdei Hashem who daven with utter deveikus... even a simple Yid who davens with the proper approach will feel sweetness and serenity after davening. Of course, the deeper one goes into tefillah, the more sweetness and serenity he will experience. But everyone who davens with the proper attitude and approach will feel this sweetness.

A good example of this is the concept of דאגה בלב איש ישיחנה, when a person has a worry, he should speak about it to others. This Yid is carrying a truly difficult dilemma on his heart, and he has discussed it with many people already, but always comes away disenchanted. “Why did I even bother? No one understands me.... All they do is give me advice.... If you don’t understand me, just be quiet. There’s no need to make it worse with your lack of empathy.”

But then he encounters a Yid who truly understands him. “For the first time in years, I feel understood... like someone feels my pain. The listener expressed elements of my pain that even I wasn’t even aware of!” This gives the person so much serenity and calmness. The listener pledges to think about the Yid and daven for him and perhaps think about concrete ways to help him.

How does this Yid feel now? He feels so calm... as if a heavy stone has rolled off his heart!

This incredible feeling doesn’t approach the level of calmness and serenity that we must feel following davening. The Chovos HaLevavos explains that even our best friend, who truly understands us and really wants to help, remains a limited human. When he pledges to help you, he may try, but we don’t know how much he can really help. And when he expresses compassion and empathy for you, it’s not even a drop in the ocean compared to the love and the rachmanus that the Ribbono shel Olam feels for you.

Nevertheless, we can use this as an illustration for how we must feel after we have unburdened to the Ribbono shel Olam during davening—independent of whether or not our tefillos were accepted. The measure of whether we have davened properly can be measured by how much calmness and serenity we feel after we have davened.