Rebbetzin Leah Gans
And Yet Prayer Is Stronger...
When the prophet Elijah brought a drought upon Israel during Ahab's reign (because of their idolatry), upon the Northern Kingdom where ten tribes lived, there was no rain for more than three years. Elijah held the key to rain. But then, to revive the son of the widow who had taken him in, he needed the key to the resurrection of the dead, and he had to return the key to rain.
Seeing the famine in Israel, the Almighty said to Elijah, “Go, appear before Ahab, and I will give rain upon the land” (1 Kings, 18:1).
Elijah proposed a test to the people: “I alone remain here of the prophets of the L-rd, while the prophets of Baal number four hundred and fifty. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one for themselves, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood, but let them light no fire. I will place the other bull on the wood and light no fire. Let them call upon the name of their deity, and I will call upon the Name of the L-rd. The One who answers with fire is G-d.” And so it was. The prophets of Baal called upon their deity all day, without success. Elijah dug a trench around the altar and poured water over the altar until the trench was full. Then he called to the Almighty: “Answer me, L-rd, answer me! And this people will know that You are G-d.” In response to his prayer, fire fell from heaven onto the altar and consumed not only the bull and the wood, but also the altar and all the water around it. The people acknowledged the oneness of G-d, and Elijah executed all the priests of Baal.
But even then, the rain did not begin immediately. Elijah placed his head between his knees and began praying to the Almighty for rain with great concentration and fervor. Seven times Elijah sent a young man to check whether there was a cloud over the sea. Only on the seventh time did a small cloud appear above the sea. Elijah then warned Ahab to have the horses harnessed and to ride home, or the downpour would hold him up.
It is astonishing that after such a miracle, the rain did not come on its own.
The priests of Baal had been executed. The people acknowledged the greatness and oneness of the Almighty—they cried out, “The L-rd is G-d, the L-rd is G-d.” And yet it took the prophet Elijah's focused prayer for rain to fall on the seventh attempt.
This means that prayer from the depths of the heart accomplishes more than miracles.
In Your Own Place
Rav Yaakov Galinsky told the following story. In Germany, there was a specialist physician who combined Torah with worldly pursuits in accordance with the teachings of Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch. He was pleased with himself and his level of spirituality, but one day he heard about the yeshivas in Lithuania and decided to go and see what they were like. The experience made such an impression on him that he could not settle down.
Later, he asked to meet with the Chafetz Chaim. “I thought I was a good Jew, but these young men who study in such conditions… With no proper conditions at all! I am nowhere near their level. How can they do it?” he asked.
After thinking for a moment, the Chafetz Chaim replied, “Perhaps your portion in Gan Eden is not so bad. Perhaps it is next to mine. You grew up in Germany and received that kind of upbringing. And you are doing everything you can in your circumstances—with all your strength. You are a G-d-fearing person and set aside regular times for Torah study.
I grew up in Lithuania and received a different upbringing. I studied according to the Lithuanian system. I, too, do everything I can in my circumstances—with all my strength. The main thing is to do what you can—with all your strength.”
We can give ourselves the same advice: the main thing is to do what we can, with all our strength, in our own place.
Prepared by: Mrs. Zissi Skarzhinskaya