The Gemara discusses a hired worker who didn't follow his employer’s instructions. He planted barley instead of wheat, and since there was a flood that season, all the crops of his field (and of other people's fields) were destroyed. The hired worker claimed that although he didn’t follow instructions, he didn't cause any harm. Even if he had planted wheat kernels as instructed, the flood would have destroyed the crop. However, the Gemara rules that he must pay for the damages. Rashi explains that the field owner can tell him, "Had you planted wheat kernels as I told you to, the wheat would have grown. At the beginning of the year, I prayed that my wheat crop should succeed. I didn't daven for a barley crop."
The worker is held responsible since a miracle could have occurred, and the crops would have been spared. It is known that when it comes to money matters, the rule is הראיה עליו מחבירו המוציא, that the onus of proof is on the claimant. Since we obligate the employee to pay damages, it must be that we are sure that the wheat crops would have grown because of the field owner's tefillos.
This Gemara demonstrates the incredible power of tefillos, especially at the beginning of the year. It states (Iyov 22:28), לך ויקם אומר ותגזר, "You will decree, and it will occur." The Gemara (Bava Metzia 106., Rashi) teaches that this pasuk refers especially to tefillos said at the beginning of the year. Whatever you ask for at the start of the year will be given to you. Miracles will happen, and your requests will be fulfilled.
The Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 18.) tells us that each person stands before Hashem in judgment on Rosh Hashanah. The Gemara describes that they go before Hashem one by one, like מרון בני. The Gemara offers three explanations for the words מרון בני. One is אמרנא כבני, like sheep. Rashi explains that this refers to sheep walking one by one through a narrow gate when counted for maaser. Every tenth animal is marked with a red marker to indicate that this animal is maaser.
The second explanation of מרון בני is מעלות מרון בית. This is a narrow passage atop a mountain in northern Eretz Yisrael. The road is dangerously narrow. There is a slope on either side of the road, and only one person can pass at a time. This is how people pass before Hashem on Rosh Hashanah, one after the other.
The third explanation is that מרון בני refers to דוד בית חיילות, the soldiers in Dovid HaMelech's army, who would go out to war, one by one, so they could be counted.
The first explanation is אמרנא כבני, like sheep. Rebbe Mordechai of Nadvorna zt'l added that אמרנא can also be translated as speech. The Gemara is saying that the judgment will be אמרנא כבני, according to how we daven. If we daven well, the judgment will be good.
The Gemara also says that the judgment is דוד בית כחיילות, like Dovid’s soldiers. This can be explained to mean that the outcome of the judgment will be according to the amount of Tehillim we say during these days.
It is foolish to complain about the long tefillos of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, etc. The long tefillos are for our benefit. All of our tefillos at this time are so powerful. The Or HaMeir writes, "A rebuke to the many people of our nation who consider the long tefillos of Rosh Hashanah as a burden. There is nothing sweeter! The Master, Hashem, requests that we say Malchiyos and Zichronos so that Hashem will remember us and bestow His kindness upon us. Hashem is solely seeking our benefit so that everything will be good for us."
