For a Purpose

"Why don't you daven? You do everything else that yeshiva guys do, but not daven. Why is that?"

"I don't see a purpose to it. Everything is going fine in my life, so why ask Hashem for stuff if I'm already getting it?"

"Hm, ok, if you don't see a purpose for davening for yourself, how about you daven for someone else. Someone I know who could use your tefillos."

"Ok, tell me about him."

"He's 28 years old. He's married and his shalom bayis isn't great. It's ok, but it could definitely use plenty of help. He has 2 kids with a third on the way. He put in for a raise that he desperately needs, but it doesn't look like he's going to get it. He really needs help from Hashem but he is too busy to daven, working 14 hours day starting from the earliest hours in the morning."

"Wow, sounds like he has a purpose to daven! Ok, I'll daven for him. What's his name?"

"Moshe ben Rivka."

"Uh, Rebbi, that's my name!"

"Yes Moish, it is. That's you in 10 years."


My Rebbi from Israel is in town and this is, basically, a conversation he had with a current student of his a few weeks ago. He told it over at a reunion for former students this past Sunday.

He has many quote-worthy lines, but one of his favorite expressions is: "You have to have the foresight, to have the hindsight, on sight." The idea, from what I understand, is similar to the Gemarah in Tamid which says "איזהו חכם - הרואה את הנולד." -- "Who is called a 'wise man'?” The person who sees the consequence of their action.” (Tamid 32a).

While it's difficult to imagine that there won't always be someone or something to daven for at any given moment, there will always be something to daven for along the road of life. If you can't find a purpose in davening today, for today, there's a purpose to daven today, for tomorrow.

HT to T for the reminder to update this blog.