Do you ever wonder how exactly your davening and Tehillim actually work for someone who is sick, for the war in Israel, etc.? What direct connection do they really have? The answer is addressed in the last Medrish Tanchuma (10) in this week’s Torah portion of Miketz. When Yehuda convinced his father, Yaakov, to send his brother, Binyamin, with them back to Egypt on behest of the Viceroy, Yaakov said, “And may א-ל שד-י, (Almighty G-D), grant you mercy before the man that he may release to you your other brother as well as Binyamin and as for me, as I have been bereaved, so I am bereaved” (Breishis 43:14).
The medrish relates that “Rebbe Elazar says that it’s written in the Book Ben Sira, ‘You should give honor to your doctor, before you need him.’ What does ‘and all the effort of his power’ refer to? Rebbe Yochanan said, this is what righteous people do, they exert the power of strength (Gevura).” The Etz Yosef, quoting the Nezer Hakodesh explains this obscure statement, “that through prayer, we add power to the Strength on High to quiet and sweeten the root of the prosecuting judgement through mercy and creating satisfaction to his Creator, without needing to suppress the attribute of judgement with force which would have appeared as an act of hard effort and toil by Hashem, as if He was doing something difficult. Therefore, there is a mitzvah to pray.” (Click here for Hebrew text.)
The Nezer HaKodesh is saying that what prayer does is act as a defense against prosecuting angels who present a case that a verdict should be more harsh. But by praying to Hashem, doing His will, and showing we believe and trust in Him, that arouses mercy in judgement. We are showing we aren’t as bad as we appear to have been considered originally, and it makes it easier to deal with the strict judgement, because we have proven we deserve better.
The Medrish Tanchuma goes on to bring a proof to the concept that ‘You should give honor to your doctor, before you need him.’ For Yaakov, while Binyamin was still with him, prayed for him, as the pasuk in this parsha quoted earlier stated. The medrish goes on to ask why Yaakov specifically refers to Hashem when praying for Binyamin as Kel Shakai (א-ל שד-י)? It’s coming to teach you that Yaakov suffered a lot. From when he was in the womb he was fighting with Esav, as well as after he came out. He was forced to run away from Esav to Lavan’s house. In Lavan house he lived and worked in terrible conditions for 20 years. After he left, Lavan ran after him to murder him. Yaakov escaped Lavan then came Esav who wanted to kill him and lost much wealth as gifts he had given Esav. Once Esav left, next came the whole episode with Dinah. After that tragic episode came the death of Rochel during childbirth. After that he requested respite from Hashem. But then came the whole episode with Yosef and his brothers. In Egypt Shimon was taken prisoner, and then the incident with Binyamin. Therefore Yaakov prayed to Hashem using His name of Kel Shakai, saying “Who that proclaimed to the heaven and earth, ‘Enough!’ Say to my suffering enough!” For when Hashem created heaven and earth they stretched and kept on going until Hashem said ‘Dayechem’ (like Dayeinu), enough! That is why Yaakov referred to Hashem with the name א-ל שד-י.
Obviously, it’s not hard for Hashem to pull off any judgement. However the medrish is saying that when a tzadik like Yaakov Avinu davened to lessen his suffering and save Binyamin from any trouble that might come his way, Hashem saw a righteous person reaching out to him. Even if, quantitatively, this was just one small piece of the multiple parts of Yaakov’s life which Hashem had to calculate and exact strict judgement, for whatever reason he was deserving of it. Yet to be able to have a degree of mercy because Yaakov called out at this moment in prayer was a big kiddush Hashem, which made it easier for Hashem to play out what was destined to happen.
It sounds like from the medrish that only tzadikim, like Yaakov Avinu, whose qualitative prayers are so impactful, can stir things up in the courts of Heaven. However, it would seem from the Nezer HaKodesh, from the fact that he says Therefore, there is a mitzvah to pray, that all prayers, even yours and mine, have an impact in Heaven, which makes it easier for Hashem to exact more merciful judgement. This is because in any way in which we turn to Hashem and in so doing, trust in Him, which is done through our tefillos, this proves that we deserve to have mercy in judgment. And it can turn around or at least impact in a positive way any, suffering or strict judgement that is deserving down below in this world.
That is the purpose of the mitzvah to pray, to ease the strict judgement in Heaven and in this way prayer makes a tremendous kiddush Hashem, a literal sanctification of Hashem’s Holy Name.