Kaisipang Hudyo sa Isaias 50:2: Olat Reiyah

R’ Chama bar Chanina said ‘if one sees that he has prayed and not been answered, go back and pray again, as it says “Hope in G–d, strengthen yourself and take heart! and hope in G–d…” (Tehillim 27:14) [ibid.]
Unlike the end purpose of prayer and the achievement of what is sought through it, which is singular, the magnification of the soul’s powers and the actualization of her wholeness through conceptions of holiness and perfection happens through pathways many and broad, branching into a multitude of particulars without end. And all secrets are revealed before the Eternal Rock (See Yishayahu 26:4) , even which particular spiritual conception is fit to, but lacking from, each soul for its completion. So too the lack whose appearance necessitates the particular prayer⁷⁹G–d ‘longs to hear the prayer of the righteous’ (Yebamot 64a) which, through the order of His transcendent wisdom, parallels that which the soul requires for completion.⁸⁰The radical assertion which R’ Kook is making here is - we generally imagine that we pray because things happen to us, but from the Divine perspective things happen to us in order that we pray. The events which move us to pray are those which can evoke the particular prayers that bring about our completion. As a practice of introspection, we should all notice what things in life and the world move us to pray. Sometimes the acceptance of prayer is delayed because the necessary spiritual conception is not completed in all its depth and variations within the soul until it has been repeated and reiterated many times. Therefore, one who has not been answered should go back and pray, and not say all is lost, G–d forbid. For is His hand shortened at all (See Yishayahu 50:2) that it cannot redeem?! Rather in His transcendent wisdom He considers how to give an end and hope⁸¹See Jeremiah 29:11, where the context is not despairing of exile. Contemplate prayer as the response to existential level of exile which is alienation from self. By asserting an image of the world as it ought to be, both the world around and the world within, prayer helps move us toward who we believe we ought to be. to a person, that all temporary things add to him an eternal value and significant wholeness. This is the nature of humanity - when we make efforts and do not achieve our aim, we loses heart. But when one knows that every act draws them nearer to their goal, even if the lofty nature of that goal necessitates many steps, their heart takes courage and redoubles its labor - therefore it is said “hope in G–d…” Hope itself is the quality of wholeness⁸²V’yesod hatikva hi ma’alat hashleimut…and the yesod of tikvah, the foundation of hope is…what is the foundation of hope, what is it grounded in, what is it founded upon? Ma’alat hashleimut…it’s grounded in the exquisiteness of the wholeness that derives from all the activities that preceded the wholeness that needed to come about. That’s what the hope is built upon, and I know I’m on the way and what I’m doing is not wasting and the things I’m involved in are bringing me to my will as long as I continue to deeply deeply pray about it. That foundation of hanhagat tachlict peulat hatfillah…of that being the end point of the activity of prayer…teidah ne’emana…then you’ll know…ki b’chal tziur shel tikvat hashem nekrav yoteir el hamatarah…then you’ll know that every description, every imagining of the hope you have for G-d, you have gotten closer.” R’ Daniel Kohn, and the foundation of hope is that level of wholeness which is worthy to emerge from the quality of the actions which precede it. In accordance with the stature of this foundation, of the guidance offered by the end purpose of prayer, you will surely know that with each conception of hope in G–d you draw closer to the goal; only, you have not yet arrived because you have not yet reached completion. Therefore - strengthen yourself and take heart! And hope in G–d.⁸³It’s a very important question. The question is, is there some activity that would be appropriate to help maintain this perspective? In this instance I really believe it’s about being present, but being present and prayerful. It’s not just about being in the now. It’s not. It’s about being in the now in a mode of prayer, which is to say it’s about being right here with what is and being very attentive to it and yes, having a future in mind toward which this is leading even though you don’t know how, and yet a gratitude very deeply for everything that has brought you to this place. But being very attentive and aware of what is is crucial because if you let yourself float away from what is and just be in the hopes then what is just looks totally sour and off…but if you’re attentive to what is, so it becomes very deep in terms of how much what is really is what needs to be right there. R’ Daniel Kohn