Welcome to the Daily Chizuk. The Ramban writes that the ability to pray is a great kindness that Hashem has bestowed upon us. He is there, listening and answering every word that we say whenever we want to call out to Him. It’s an amazing gift that we have available to us at all times. No one should ever say, “Who am I to ask Hashem for something?” The Gemara in Masechet (tractate) Berachot tells us, regarding the Pasuk (verse) Verichamti et asher arachem, that Hashem has mercy on everyone, even people who aren’t worthy. As the Pasuk says, “Hashem is close to all those who call out to Him.” But we have to know that we deserve nothing. We are only asking for Hashem’s mercy.
Rabbi Benyamin Prusansky told the story of a mother who was on a deserted beach in Tiberias, watching her two little girls splash around in the ocean. She called out, “Not too far, girls!” The ten-year-old responded. She took her sister’s hand and moved her back a little. But a few moments later, the older girl lost her footing and was being tugged by a powerful undertow. The mother started screaming, “Save her! I can’t swim!” She immediately ran up to the road and stopped an oncoming car. “Please help! My daughter is drowning!”
A middle-aged man pulled over, ran toward the ocean, and, in seconds, he was in the water, swimming with strong, steady strokes toward the drowning girl. The mother was standing at the shore, praying that the man would reach her daughter in time. At last, she saw him swimming back safely with the girl. But as he got closer, her relief turned into fear. It was her younger daughter that he had. She must have gone in to try to save her sister. The mother yelled, “Thank you, but my other daughter is still out there. Please save her!” The man saw a figure in the distance, and he went back at full speed. When he reached her, he saw she was barely conscious. He held on to her and started swimming back to shore. As he was approaching, he heard the mother screaming, “Her head is in the water! Lift her head!” The man felt horrible. How could he have not noticed?
When they got back to shore, Hatzalah arrived. They worked very hard to restart her breathing and rushed her to the hospital. The mother was crying and praying in the waiting room as the doctors tried to bring the girl back to consciousness. Eventually, the doctor came in with a big smile and said, “You are the proud recipient of a miracle. Your daughter is going to be fine.” She had just had an MRI, and her brain activity was totally normal.
The mother was ecstatic. A few weeks later, she made a big seudat hoda’ah (thanksgiving meal) to celebrate the miracle, and she managed to track down the man who saved her children. He was the honored guest, and when he spoke, everyone was listening intently. He said, “I grew up on a non-religious kibbutz (collective farm). I never really believed in God, nor did I ever pray to him. In fact, we used to laugh at people who prayed. To us, it was a fairy tale. I had a heart attack a few months ago and was vacationing in Tiberias as part of my recovery process. My doctor had advised me to swim daily to improve my physical health. I was therefore swimming every single day and getting back into shape. In fact, had I not gotten into good shape, there would have been no way that I could have swum into the ocean to save your daughters.
“Then, when I was coming back with your older daughter and realized that I let her head remain in the water, I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe I made such a mistake. And when we got back and she wasn’t breathing, I was devastated. I felt that I caused it. I drove back to where I was staying, and I told my wife what happened. I said I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if the girl didn’t make it. She tried to calm me down, but there was nothing she could say to take away the guilt that I was feeling. At that moment, I decided I was going to do something that I had never done before. I got back into my car, and I drove back to the beach, to the same spot. With tears in my eyes, I looked up to the sky and prayed for the first time in my life. I said, ‘God, I know I have never prayed to you before, but now I need your help. I promise, if you save that little girl, I will never stop praying to you for the rest of my life.’
“Afterward, I called the hospital to find out what happened, and the nurse told me that just a moment before, the doctors had revived her and felt that she would make a full recovery. Hashem heard my voice, and I will in turn keep my promise to continue praying to Him and never stop.”
Prayer is for everyone, even if it’s your first time.