Prayer in Judaism is often misunderstood. Yes, we pray three times a day, and during those times the words are composed for us. However, is it appropriate for us to pray at any moment of the day when we need G-d’s intervention?
In this week’s Torah portion, we see an interesting exchange between Jacob and his sons as he sends them off to Egypt to get food. After he prepares them to travel down to Egypt, the portion tell us that they have their plan all worked out and they have all their provisions ready to go. But then Jacob tells his children, you travel while I stay behind and pray for your safety.
From this text, we see that prayer can be, and should be, done at any time. However, looking a little closer at the order of their departure, we see that only Jacob prays, and he does so after the brothers leave. Does this mean to say that Jacob’s prayer is a last recourse? Shouldn’t prayer be part of the plan to begin with?
Of course, it should be, and it is.
Jacob’s praying is very much part of the plan. His point is that although you have everything taken care of, all your provisions are in place, and you have a plan of action, you may think that there is no need to pray. Jacob teaches us that not only do you still have to pray, but specifically then is when you should pray!
From this portion we learn that there are times when we have an obligation to pray, and there are times when we are not obligated to pray. Nevertheless, when the need arises, or if we are inspired to do so, we should go ahead and pray. Not always do we need the words to be composed for us—after all, prayers are words of the soul.