Summary

G'd looks for a righteous person to pray on behalf of those who deserve to be punished and thereby save them. G'd tells Abraham about the seriousness of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and that He is considering to destroy them. G'd had a different reason why he told Abraham about the destruction of these cities. No prayer is ever wasted. Abraham succeeded to have G'd promise that if there are ten righteous people in a town, the whole town will be saved in their merit. The biggest act of lovingkindness, G'd can do for a person, is to give him an opportunity to get closer to G'd. People, who suffer or lack something, should never give up praying for their needs.

Righteous pray to save

Two weeks ago we discussed how G'd looks for a righteous person to inform him about an impending punishment. G'd's intention is that this person should pray on behalf of those who deserve to be punished and thereby save them.

Sodom and Gomorrah

In this week's parasha, it seems that we find a contradiction to this principle. The Torah (Bereishis 18:20-21) relates how G'd tells Abraham about the seriousness of the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah and that He is considering to destroy them. Abraham understands that this is an invitation to pray for the sinners, and in his great love for his fellow human being, Abraham engages himself in intense prayer and argues back and forth with G'd in an attempt to save them. But he does not succeed. G'd explains to Abraham that there are not even ten righteous people in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and as such they have lost their right to continue to exist. The obvious question is, if G'd did not want to answer Abraham's prayers, why did He inform him of their punishment in the first place?

Father of all nations

The Torah itself gives the answer and explains that this time G'd had a different reason why he told Abraham about the destruction of these cities. As it says (Bereishis 18:17): "And G'd said, 'Am I going to conceal from Abraham what I am about to do?'" Rashi quotes from Midrash Tanchuma (5) that G'd further said, "I have given him this country and these are his cities. I called him the father of all nations, so how can I destroy the children without first telling the father who is beloved to Me?"

No prayer ever wasted

However, one question still remains. If G'd did not intend to save the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, why did He not tell Abraham to stop praying, like He told Moses when he kept asking for permission to enter the land of Israel (see Devarim 3:26). Rabbi Yaakov Krantz, better known as the Dubno Maggid, explains that G'd wanted Abraham's prayers, for although they did not benefit the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah, they were not in vain. As a matter of fact, no prayer is ever wasted. If G'd decides, in His infinite wisdom, not to grant a request that a person makes, his prayer will be "stored away" for another time, when it will benefit the person or his offspring (see Torah Attitude: Parshas Vayeira: Every effort counts, November 14, 2005).

Ten righteous save a town

In this case, Abraham succeeded to have G'd promise that if there are ten righteous people in a town, the whole town will be saved in their merit. Who knows how many times this promise has saved towns and cities throughout the generations? But only G'd knows when to apply this promise and save the population. Obviously, sometimes G'd has other calculations that may override this promise and allows towns with many righteous people to be destroyed.

Get closer to G'd

We find that all three of our Patriarchs were childless for quite a while before G'd answered their prayers and granted them children. The Talmud (Yevamos 64a) explains that G'd specifically orchestrated it as He wants the prayers of the righteous. This sounds strange. Why would G'd, Who is the epitome of goodness, let anyone suffer and bring about that the person has to ask for his needs for many years? The answer is that prayer is an opportunity to get close to G'd. The Hebrew word for prayer, tefillah, is connected to the Hebrew word "pesil" that means tied together (see Targum and Rashi Bereishis 30:8). Says Rabbi Eliahu Dessler (Michtav Me 'Eliahu Volume 4, page 63), the biggest act of lovingkindness, G'd can do for a person, is to give him an opportunity to get closer to G'd.

Never give up praying

People, who suffer or lack something, should never give up to pray for their needs. Rabbi Moshe of Trani, better known as the Mabit, writes ("House of G'd", Gate of Prayer, chapter 17) that even if a person does not see any result from his prayer he should remember that he will be rewarded for the praying itself. In addition to this, we must realize that we do not know how many prayers we need in order to accomplish something. Let us keep in mind that the Jewish people collectively have prayed for close to two thousand years to be redeemed from our exile and merit to see the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. We do not give up and we keep praying for this every day, three times a day. So why should any individual give up on his personal needs and requests. Isaac blessed Jacob with the power of using his voice in prayer and study. We, his descendants, have inherited this special power. Even secular doctors have acknowledged many times how they have seen miraculous results that can only be attributed to prayer.

In the merit of our prayers, may G'd grant everyone their individual need and may we all soon see the end of our long exile with the coming of Mashiach. Amen.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

These words were based on a talk given by Rabbi Avraham Kahn, the Rosh Yeshiva and Founder of Yeshivas Keser Torah in Toronto.

Shalom. Michael Deverett