Personal Prayers

Question

Is one permitted to pray directly to G-d in his own words for him/herself to have things s/he badly desires? Things like money, a luxurious lifestyle, a good spouse, healthy children, material possessions, etc. Is G-d likely to grant these wishes if one prays? Or is G-d more likely to deny these requests?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    Yes, absolutely! More than that, if you don’t pray for what your truly want, the chances are that Hashem won’t grant them to you. However, having said, that I think that it is terribly important to stress that just because you ask Hashem for something is not a guarantee that He will give it you. Sometimes we ask for things that we desperately want but we don’t know that it would actually be destructive for us if we got it. There is an exquisitely poignant story that is told about when a person came to the Ponovizher Rav to complain that Hashem does not listen to his prayers. The Ponovizher Rav answered, “He does, He said no!”

    That is why we leave the final decisions up to Hashem and let Him decide.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team