Guest Post: Tefilah

In a very exciting new step for doleh-u-mashkeh, we have our first guest post. (If anyone else ever wants to write, please feel free!)  Its attacking something I wrote, so I will respond at the end (note that in deference to the author, I have not changed anything even if I don't like being called "baal hamshkeh"):

In a recent post http://doleh-u-mashkeh.blogspot.com/2013/10/tefillah-against-baalei-mussar.html, the Baal Hamashkeh brought examples from Tanach to demonstrate that we should feel comfortable asking Hashem for specific requests despite the fact that we believe Hashem has a master plan.  He raises this issue to debunk the unspecified “baalei mussar” who felt that we should pray somewhat ambiguously due to our inability to account for Hashem’s master plan and our inability to determine what is best for us.   I heard an interesting idea on the parsha from Rabbi Eli Bacon (mashkiach at YU) bshem Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld which perhaps can add to this discussion. 

               In last week’s parsha, Rashi (Bereishis 25:30) writes that Hashem kindly took Avraham five years before his time to ensure that Avraham would not see his grandson Esav develop into a Rasha.  Initially the plan was for Avraham to live until 180, but as Yaakov and Esav approached their bar mitzvas, Hashem decided to cut Avraham short at 175. 

The problem with this Rashi is that the initial plan doesn't seem to make much sense.  Did Hashem not realize that Esav was going to turn to the dark side?  Why wouldn’t Hashem account for this when He initially planned the length of Avraham’s life?

Rav Chaim Yosef Sonnenfeld answers this question by pointing out a misunderstanding of when the plan was changed: the plan wasn’t changed when Avraham was 175 to account for Evil Esav, but was changed years earlier.  He explains that in the original plan, Yaakov and Esav were supposed to be born when Avraham was 167 in order that Avraham would finish his 180 years before Esav turned evil.  However, in the beginning of this week’s parsha, Yitzchak’s fervent teffilos for children stirred Hashem to the point that He changed His plan and allowed Yaakov and Esav to enter the world five years earlier, when Avraham was 162.  The new reality became such that Esav would become evil when Avraham was 175, as opposed to 180, so Hashem changed the plan and out of kindness took Avraham five years early.  [For the gematria inclined: "Vayeiaser lo Hashem"- same gematria as chamesh shanim.] 

Sounds like a nice pshat, but what emerges from this idea is that Yitzchak’s teffilos for a son indirectly killed Avraham.  Perhaps if Yitzchak would have followed the mehalech of the baalei mussar he would have gotten what he wanted while avoiding this collateral damage on his father…

               Nevertheless, I don’t think you’ll find a mekor in chazal reprimanding Yitzchak for his fervent tefillos. 

Perhaps the takeaway is that Yitzchak davened for what from his perspective seemed positive, and he need not consider the possibility that Hashem would pull a fast one and grant the request only to negatively affect the greater scheme. 

In fact, this episode demonstrates that Hashem will account for the ramifications of our requests and ensure that all factors are taken into consideration, even those that we cannot realize.  

קרוב ה' לכל קוראיו לכל אשר יקראהו באמת.  רצון יראיו יעשה ואת שועתם ישמע ויושיעם

Good shabbos

My comments: 1) dont chazal say that hashem purposely made the imahos barren because hashem desires the tefillah of tzaddikim - if so it was part of the plan that yitzchak shouldnt have kids until he davened for them which undermines this whole vort.

2) indeed, r tzaddok which we quoted in the last post was coming off that very idea - sometimes tefillah's purpose isn't to change the master plan, but rather, to allow the master plan to come to fruition.

3) looking at it again, it really makes no sense.  the whole question was that hashem should realize that eisav was going to "turn to the dark side" - by that logic, hashem should also realize that yitzchak was going to daven!  ela mai, Hashem didnt incorporate yitzchak's tefillah into the "master plan" because that was a function of yitzchak's bechira chofshis - then he also shouldn't factor eisav's going off (also a function of free will) into the plan!

Tzarich iyun on our guest poster.