If Hashem Knows What You Need, Why Pray? | Rabbi Yosef Benyaminov

There's a famous question by the Rishonim. We have We all know we have to pray three times a day, and the question is why? >> [music] >> The question that the Rishonim poses God knows what we're lacking. God knows exactly what we need, whether it's health, >> [music] >> wealth, shidduch. So, why are we praying to God if he knows? Why don't he just give it to us? >> [music] >> And the answer is from this week's parashah. We find in Parashat Bereishit that [music] God actually created everything on the first day, but it was submerged in the ground. It was just like a little sticking [music] up a little bit. And when Adam was created on the last day, on the sixth day, he came out and he saw nothing. He saw that plantation of the everything is below, and he started praying. So, God made it rain, and everything started sprouting and growing and things like that. So, that's where we understand what the truth of tefillah is all about. Right? It's >> [music] >> not for Hashem, it's for us. We have to understand that everything >> [music] >> is from God. So, when we're praying to God, it's not We're not telling him something new that he didn't know. Obviously, he knows what we're lacking, but we don't always believe ourselves that God is the one who's who's able to help us. He's the only source of our solutions. And that's why we prayed We pray for ourselves to keep on reminding ourselves God is in charge. God knows what what we need. He's going to give it to us. If we sometimes we need to deserve We need to pray a little bit more, but ultimately it's for It's all for us. And that's what the word tefillah comes from, to fell, to be [music] secondary. When you have a cracker and you have a jam on top, you only make the blessing on the jam I mean, on the cracker. Why? Because [music] jam is secondary. It's tafell. We are like the jam, and Hashem is like the cracker. Hashem is the primary, and we have to make ourselves like we're secondary. We're tafell, we're nullified to him. When we're able to do that, when we say that no God, it's when you comes to your will or my will, your will will take precedence. >> [music] >> In that case, God said, "Well, you're doing my will, then I want to do your will, what you want." And then our prayers will be answered.