Prayer and Connection
By: Rivkie Gottlieb, Lower School Judaic Studies Principal
Parshat Beshalach covers various events as Bnei Yisrael leaves Egypt and starts their journey in the desert: the splitting of the Yam Suf, bitter waters turning sweet, the falling of the Mann, travels through the Sinai desert, flowing waters from a rock, and, of course, the complaints—the many complaints of this newly freed nation of slaves.
The age-old question arises: "How could this group of people complain? A group that not only witnessed but experienced the many miracles Hashem performed for them! Where was their faith?"
I recently spoke with a trusted friend, a Rabbi, and a Doctor of Psychology. We discussed how prayer sometimes feels like a token action when we think there's nothing else to do. He said something that made me pause and contemplate deeply: “Hashem doesn't need our prayers - He will do what He is going to do regardless of the tehillim, or mi sheberachs we recite.” I've been thinking about his comment for a few days now, especially with the question: so what is the point of prayer?! In preparing for the weekly parsha, I think I now understand his comment on a deeper level.
We pray for ourselves to feel connected. We pray as a show of our faith. We know that everything Hashem does is good. The process may seem harsh and off-putting, so we pray to connect and ask Hashem to help us feel the goodness in the process. Like Bnei Yisrael on the shores of the Yam Suf crying out “help us.” And those complaints—they were prayers too because in complaining, they realized there was someone to complain to.
Shabbat Shalom!