Musar do Hioba 36:5

8) Our sages of blessed memory have said (Ibid.): "The Holy One Blessed be He does not reject the prayer of the many, it being written (Job 36:5): 'G-d is mighty, and will not reject [the many].'" This, as opposed to one praying alone, when each blessing is scrutinized for proper intent. As we find in the holy Zohar on the verse (Psalms 102:18): "He will turn to the prayer of the devastated one, and will not reject their prayer" [that of the many.] And it is well known that today there are many disturbances and it is almost impossible to find a man who prays one prayer with proper intent, unless he labors on it greatly. Now does not each man wish his prayer to be accepted above? If so, in any event, he must fall back upon this counsel, to pray with the congregation, of which it is written (Job, Ibid.) "G-d is mighty, and will not reject [the many]."

Such considerations also help to explain the Midrash which I mentioned earlier. Let me first mention a comment I have seen in a book called בית אלוקים. The author of that volume questions that we have a tradition according to which G–d has made a covenant with Israel (Berachot 8) that communal prayer is always welcomed and accepted by Him. A comunity which prays to G–d never returns empty-handed. The origin of that tradition is based on: הן א-ל כביר לא ימאס "See G–d is mighty; He is not contemptuous" (Job 36,5). The author's question is: "Everyday we see that what the verse in Job purports to promise does not happen! How many times has the Jewish community prayed for redemption and our prayers have not been answered! We pray daily in the עמידה that תקע בשופר גדול, or: השיבה שופטנו, or: ולירושלים עירך תשוב and other similar entreaties. All of these prayers are offered up three times a day, communally, and nothing has changed! We are still in exile after close to two thousand years!" The author of בית אלוקים answers in a variety of ways. Personally, I believe that the plain meaning of the statement in the Talmud is not that G–d has to respond immediately and totally whenever a community offers a prayer. Such prayer will not be rejected out of hand; any time we pray daily for our redemption, part of our prayers will find a ready response. Although our enemies try constantly to destroy us, the very fact that we are still in existence and, in many instances, more prominent and numerous than before, shows, that every day we experience some nucleus of the redemption. Were it not for G–d having listened to our prayers and responded to them at least partially, we would have ceased to exist a long time ago. We are, after all, like a sheep surrounded by seventy wolves.