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[Chaim613]

I enjoyed your "Why we pray" shuir, but had a quick question on it. The way I understood from it, is that davening is really for us, like we make ourselves a better keli for Hashem's bounty through prayer. Through the hishtadlus which lifts us up, we are more fitting to receive the blessings.

My question is, how does that work when praying for the good of others, bet it for their health or other things? Since I am the one praying, and they have not change through their own hishtadlus, they have not become more of a keli to receive the blessings. If so, how can they receive Hashem's bounty, which I am praying for on their behalf?

thanks.

[Rabbi Shapiro]

I enjoyed your "Why we pray" shuir, but had a quick question on it. The way I understood from it, is that davening is really for us, like we make ourselves a better keli for Hashem's bounty through prayer. Through the hishtadlus which lifts us up, we are more fitting to receive the blessings.

My question is, how does that work when praying for the good of others, bet it for their health or other things? Since I am the one praying, and they have not change through their own hishtadlus, they have not become more of a keli to receive the blessings. If so, how can they receive Hashem's bounty, which I am praying for on their behalf?

thanks.

Well, I didn't really mean that. I meant more simply, that the way Hashem set up the world, part of the process for שפע coming into the world is that you have to ask for it.

But either way, praying for someone else is like physically giving him something. Hashem allowed me to direct the שפע from my prayers to someone else, just like I can give someone else money.

But what you are saying is also true. The reason Hashem arranged things this way is that praying for what we need knocks into our heads that everything we receive in the world comes from Hashem. By constantly having to ask Him for what you want,you internalize the idea that what you want comes from Him.

And this also applies when you pray for someone else, because such prayer still teaches us that all good that comes into this world is from Hashem. It doesn't matter whether that good benefits us or another person - the idea is for us to get used to the idea that He is the source.

And that applies whether we pray for ourselves or someone else.