The Art of Prayer

This article is based on the lecture Double Concealment by Rabbi Lazer Brody, based on the Gem  Series of booklets (Hebrew) Concealment within the Concealment

A tribulation or test of emuna (faith) has the purpose of encouraging us to recognize through spiritual awareness that we are being drawn closer to Hashem because no solution can be found without Him. When the emuna comes easy it is because we have earned it, and we are able to find Hashem within the challenge. However, sometimes we grope in the darkness for the cause and for the solution, but we cannot find it nor can we seem to connect to Hashem to help us. This is considered to be double concealment where the challenge is so great we have trouble believing that it is from Hashem, that it is for the best, and that it is for a purpose.

Rebbe Nachman in Likutei Moharan identifies many of our challenges in this generation as being from the realm of double concealment – a concealment within a concealment. Hashem hides Himself doubly so to speak, and thus forces us to work harder to find Him because the choices we are given to make are so difficult when we forget to communicate with Hashem. The reason that the double concealment is occurring is that so many of us do not turn to Hashem and have moved so far away that we have forgotten to talk to Him on a daily basis. Those of us who do not call upon Hashem cause the additional concealment because we do not know or realize how far away we have gone from Hashem.

The answer to this unsolvable and unbelievably challenging problem is to find a good point concealed within the dilemma, and say "thank you." When we thank Hashem for that one good point within the challenge as we talk to Him in prayer, we find Hashem in the difficulty. You must find that silver thread, however thin it may be, and show gratitude to Hashem. Now, we are talking to and thanking Him rather than praying for something we want so acutely that we come across as whining.

Hashem does not respond favorably to someone who pleads and complains. When we pray in this manner, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai explains in the Zohar that there is a hierarchy of angels that filter prayers and oftentimes our prayers do not go beyond the first level, never reaching the Heavenly Throne. The reason is that the angels can intercept prayers and weigh them to determine if they are worthy of going higher. Thus, we must take heed to not allow ourselves to wallow in pain and confusion, because prayers that plead and beseech or complain become suspect as they are translated as dissatisfaction with Hashem’s judgment, chas v’shalom.

Hashem is testing our emuna on a high level. There is, however, a spiritual law that states that the only time we can by-pass the angels is when we show gratitude for the challenge by way of the one thing that we can honestly be thankful for that is hidden within the problem. Our gratitude is taken as a gift for Hashem, and no angel is allowed to assess or interfere with it. As such, it ascends unimpeded on High to HaKodesh Baruch Hu. Thanking Hashem lifts our prayers without interference.

A simple example of such a situation might be a person who is experiencing a knee problem from overdoing it on the basketball court. Instead of complaining to Hashem, the person thanks Him for the “time-out” to contemplate his priorities and re-assess his choices. 

Another more involved example might be a divorced mother who is concerned about her children’s spiritual well-being and education, having to split custody with a father who refuses to refrain from taking the children to movies, playing video games, and wasting precious time on computer sites that offer no value. What can this mother thank Hashem for? Perhaps she can find it in her heart to show gratitude for the fact that she has joint custody rather than, G-d forbid, her husband having been granted sole custody. She can also thank Hashem for the opportunity for her to assess the way she gives over spirituality to her children as to whether it is with love and beauty or with a heavy hand.

Furthermore, Rabbi Arush explains that there is always one good point that we can thank Hashem for in every single difficulty, no matter how "bad" it is: Hashem sends us tests in order to bring us closer to Him. No matter what, you can always say: "Thank you Hashem, for forcing me to strengthen my emuna!" "Thank you Hashem, for pushing me to learn emuna!" "Thank you Hashem, for bringing me closer to you, for giving me the opportunity to know You better, which is the entire purpose of my being."

King David says in Psalms that Hashem answers every person who called out to Him in truth. Complaining and worrying about our troubles is sheker, lies – the truth is that everything Hashem does is good! It might not look great in this world, but in the Next World where all the factors are clear, this situaiton isn't just good – it's very good. That's the real truth. When you start thanking Hashem, you cut through the darkness, through the lies, through the negative emotions from the Other Side, and you connect to the truth. Hashem's seal is truth! So you connect to Hashem! Now Hashem's light can pierce the thick darkness that surrounds you, and you start to feel Hashem, and feel the emuna, and now you can really pray with happiness, which is true prayer.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslev explains in Likutei Moharan that every person today is being faced with one or more difficult problems that seem unsolvable because they are part and parcel of our soul correction in the times before the Messianic Age. For some they involve health, either physical or mental, including depression and anxiety; for others they may be livelihood (parnassa) or relationships, including with one’s spouse (shalom bayit) or with one’s children. Some are having problems finding their intended or having difficulty having children. These challenges are related to our tikkun. Hashem is prodding us to seek out a healthy connection to Him.

The further a soul is from G-d, the more a person feels anxiety, sadness, or depression. These states of darkness end and the concealment is broken as soon as we remember the three principles of emuna:  that everything we are experiencing is from Hashem, for the very best, and for a purpose. When we remember to find Hashem, to be happy, and to smile, we break the barriers to light. When we thank Hashem from within the darkness, we pierce the Heavens, and by creating a connection the size of a pinhole, Hashem opens for us a connection the size of a banquet hall.

Now we can talk to Hashem. We can ask Hashem to strengthen our emuna and feel His presence. When we ride the wave of emuna and trust in Hashem, then we try to equate our individual challenge to our soul correction and then look inward. When we work on ourselves, looking for the clues in our own behavior as the root of our problem and then focus on our character development and emotional self-control (instead of on the actual problem itself), we demonstrate to Hashem how much we believe in Him and Him Alone to dissolve the issue as soon as we correct our own behavior and come closer to Him.