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In the second book of Melachim (Kings)[22:14], we find the following
incident: In the days of Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) the prophet, Yoshiyyahu the king
realized that the sins of the nation of Israel were great, and that if the
nation did not repent and find favor in the eyes of G-d, the destruction of the
Temple would occur. Therefore, Yoshiyyahu sent messengers to a prophet to
request the guidance of the prophet. These messengers were not sent to the
prophet Yirmiyahu, the greatest of the generation. They were sent instead to
Chulda, the prophetess, to request her intervention. Why were they sent to
Chulda and not to Yirmiyahu?
Rashi, the commentator, writes that 'Our Sages said (they went to Chulda)
because a women is more merciful than a man, and therefore they (the messengers)
were not sent to Yirmiyahu.' The Gemora in the tractate of Megilla (14b) also
discusses the choice of Chulda. There the question is posed "How could
Yoshiyyahu himself pass over Yirmiyahu and send the messengers to Chulda? The
members of the school of Rav Shila replied 'because women are tender-hearted.'
Because of this attribute that Chulda had by virtue of the fact she was a woman,
Yoshiyyahu sent the messengers to her, as the commentator Maharsha says, so that
she herself, out of her feelings of mercy, would pray that the destruction not
happen.
This explanation is still puzzling. The prophet Yirmiyahu was one of the
greatest men of his generation. He was a person who as a prophet knew intimately
of the great catastrophe that was going to occur if the nation did not repent.
He most definitely felt pain and anguish over the plight of the nation of
Israel. He most certainly prayed that the destruction should not happen. His
mercy was definitely aroused so that he prayed for the nation of Israel
constantly, with every fiber of his being. Why then did Yoshiyyahu instead turn
to Chulda?
Rabbi Henoch Leibowitz shlit"a said that we need to understand the nature of
prayer. The essential ingredient for prayer is "Kavana" - concentrative intent.
The more one truly means what he is saying to G-d, and the more one truly feels
that he is talking to G-d, the more concentrative intent one has. The greater
the concentrative intent is , the power of the prayer is greater, and the
acceptance of the prayer by G-d is greater. It is without doubt that Yirmiyahu
prayed to G-d with a great amount of "kavana" when asking for the sparing of the
nation of Israel from the prophecized tragedies. However, Chulda had an edge
over Yirmiyahu - she was by nature more merciful. This added edge translated
into Chulda being able to pray with slightly more "kavana" than Yirmiyahu that
the destruction of the Temple be averted. Because the stakes were so high,
Yoshiyyahu sent the messengers to Chulda, the person whose prayers he knew would
have greater impact because of the added level of "kavana."
We see from the incident not only a lesson about prayer, and how to properly
pray, but a lesson in how to pray for the Temple as well. The Temple now lays in
ruins, and the nation of Israel is in exile. In order for our prayers that the
Temple be rebuilt and that the entire nation of Israel be returned to our land
to be accepted on the highest level possible, we have to truly mean what we are
saying. Mere lip service will accomplish very little. On the Fast of the Tenth
of Teves, our goal should be to mourn over the destruction, repent, and pray to
G-d with deep feelings. Hopefully, if each and every one of us can arouse even a
small spark of the "kavana" that our prophets had when praying for the Temple,
we will see the Temple rebuilt soon.
YomTov, Vol. I, # 64
Topic: The Tenth of Teves - The Power of Prayer and the Destruction
by Rabbi Yehudah Prero
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