Why Do We Pray?

And make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them. (Sefer Shemot 25:8)

1. The Mishcan was a precursor to the Bait HaMikdash

Parshat Terumah is devoted to the commandment to create the Mishcan – the Tabernacle. The Mishcan was a portable sanctuary. Its central component was the aron – the ark – in which the tablets of the Decalogue were placed. At each of the nation’s encampments along the journey to the Land of Israel, the Mishcan was assembled. When the nation was directed to leave the encampment and resume its journey, the Mishcan was disassembled to be erected again at the site of the next encampment.

The Mishcan was not a permanent institution. Instead, it was a precursor to the Bait HaMikdash – the Sacred Temple. King Shlomo built the Bait HaMikdash on the Temple Mount in Yerushalayim.   There are a number of differences between the Mishcan and the Bait HaMikdash. The most fundamental of these is that the Mishcan of the wilderness was not associated with any specific location. It was a portable structure designed to be moved from site to site. The Bait HaMikdash’s location is permanent. Shlomo’s Bait HaMikdash was destroyed and then replaced by a new structure. The new Sacred Temple was constructed upon the ruins of Shlomo’s structure. This second Bait HaMikdash was also destroyed. We await the building of the third and final Bait HaMikdash. The final temple will be build upon the same location as its predecessors.

And you should make the altar of acacia wood. Its length should be five cubits and its width should be five cubits. The altar should be square. And its height should be three cubits. (Sefer Shemot 27:1)

2. The purpose or function of the Bait HaMikdash

What is the function of the Bait HaMikdash? As indicated in the above passage, an important component of the Mishcan and the Bait HaMikdash is its altar. Maimonides explains that the Bait HaMikdash has two functions. It is a place designated for the offering of sacrifices. Second, it is the destination-site for the three annual pilgrimages.[1] These pilgrimages are associated with the Regalim – the three Pilgrimage Festivals. The people are obligated to appear at the Bait HaMikdash during these three festivals. These festivals are Pesach, Shavuot, and Succot.

Maimonides does not describe the Bait HaMikdash as a place of prayer. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that it is a place of prayer. The childless Chanah went to the Mishcan to pray to Hashem. Hashem responded to her fervent entreaties and provided her with a son. This son, Shemuel, grew up to become one of our greatest prophets and leaders. When King Shlomo built the Bait HaMikdash, he initiated it with a prayer to Hashem. In his prayer, King Shlomo does not describe his temple as a place for sacrifices. Instead, he describes the Bait HaMikdash as a place in which the individual and nation should seek Hashem in prayer. Why does Maimonides ignore these associations between the Bait HaMikdash and prayer? Why does he not identify the temple as a place for sacrifices and for prayer?

3. The relationship between prayer and the Bait HaMikdash

Both prayer and sacrifices are associated with the Bait HaMikdash. However, they are associated in different ways. In his discussion of the Bait HaMikdash and sacrifices, Maimonides is defining the purpose of the temple. The Bait HaMikdash is an institution created for the purpose of sacrifice. He does not mention prayer in this context because the Bait HaMikdash is not a place dedicated to prayer. However, the sanctity of the Bait HaMikdash is a reflection of its association with the Divine Presence. Prayer is essentially an encounter with Hashem. Because the Divine Presence is so closely related to the Bait HaMikdash, it is an appropriate place for the prayerful encounter with Hashem.

4. Two conceptions of the function of prayer

What is the role and function of prayer according to the Torah? Maimonides rules that daily prayer is a Torah commandment.[2] Nachmanides disagrees. He argues that the institution of regular prayer is a rabbinic innovation. The Torah does not include a commandment to pray daily or according to any set schedule. However, although Nachmanides dismisses the notion that the Torah requires daily or regular prayer, he acknowledges that when the community suffers an affliction or is endangered, there is a Torah level obligation to turn to Hashem in prayer.[3]

This dispute is uncharacteristic of the disagreements between our Sages. In this dispute, the two sides are at opposite extremes. Maimonides regards prayer as a fundamental activity. It is a Torah level obligation that is performed daily. Nachmonides’ position is at the opposite extreme. He rejects prayer as a daily or regular Torah obligation. Prayer is an occasional obligation that the community performs when it is confronted with danger or catastrophe.

In order to understand the basis for this dispute, we must more carefully consider Maimonides’ description of prayer. Maimonides explains that the prayer process begins with praise. Then, one petitions Hashem for his needs. This is followed by praise and thanksgiving for all of Hashem’s kindness. Praise, petition and thanksgiving are all elements of prayer. However, his comments indicate the fundamental element of prayer is petition and supplication.[4]

5. Two views on prayer and their common ground

It emerges from Maimonides’ comments that he and Nachmanides do share a conception of the fundamental construction of prayer. Both maintain that the fundamental element of prayer is petition and supplication. They differ only on the circumstances that compel a person to appeal to Hashem for His support. According to Maimonides, the individual’s daily and common needs compel a person to pray and are the text of prayer. According to Nachmanides, only the community confronted with serious danger or threat is compelled to appeal to Hashem in prayer.[5]

Actually, the positions of Maimonides and Nachmanides are very similar. They share a concept of the basic substance of prayer. It is a petition to Hashem in response to need. They differ only on the type of need that occasions prayer. According to Nachmanides, it is communal and serious affliction. As a result, prayer is occasional and irregular. When the community is confronted with serious danger or affliction it is required to turn to Hashem and appeal to Him for salvation. According to Maimonides, the individual’s needs are the subject of prayer’s petitions. We are constantly in need. In other words, the human condition obligates us in prayer. Each day we recognize our needs and turn to Hashem in petition and supplication.

6. Prayer as a response to personal need or communal affliction

A question arises. Maimonides and Nachmanides agree that prayer is a response to need. However, the type and degree of need that each associates with prayer are very different. According to Nachmanides, serious affliction demands a response of prayer. Prayer is a response to impending communal tragedy or disaster. According to Maimonides, the simple challenges that we face each day and our personal needs are worthy of expression in prayer. Nachmanides’ position is more easily understood. Of course, we should appeal to Hashem for salvation from impending disaster. It is more difficult to regard the common needs of every human being as worthy subjects for prayer.

In order to understand Maimonides position, we must proceed a step further in our analysis. As noted above, both Maimonides and Nachmanides regard prayer as fundamentally composed of petition. Both agree that it is a response to need or affliction. However, we must also consider the objective or goal of prayer. Of course, we engage in prayer to enlist Hashem’s help. We hope that our prayers will be answered. However, this is not the sole purpose of prayer.

7. Prayer in the process of repentance

Let us reconsider the purpose of prayer. Nachmanides maintains that prayer is the community’s response to impending disaster. Actually, Maimonides agrees with Nachmanides that when Bnai Yisrael is faced with an impending danger or disaster, it is required to turn to Hashem in prayer. In his discussion of this requirement, Maimonides explains that we must recognize that any tragedy befalling our nation is a Divine consequence of our behaviors. We turn to Hashem in prayer. Through prayer, we recognize that we are not experiencing random misfortune. We are experiencing consequences for our behaviors. Prayer is the initiation of a process of repentance. In this context, the purpose of prayer is to recognize and acknowledge national culpability for the afflictions that we are experiencing.

8. Prayer as an expression of humility

Clearly, our daily prayers do not share this objective. We pray for sustenance, health, and every and any other need. These needs are reflections of our own finite power. They demonstrate the limited influence of the human being upon one’s own destiny. We are weak and relatively helpless creatures. We are threatened by illness we cannot cure. Unexpected financial developments can undermine our hard-earned financial security. We cannot protect ourselves from the extremes of weather. In this context, prayer is not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing or culpability. It is a humble acknowledgment of our limitations and our dependence upon Hashem.

This is a fundamental difference in the views of Maimonides and Nachmanides. According to Nachmanides, prayer is a response to impending disaster or affliction. It is an act of recognition and the beginning of a process of repentance. Maimonides maintains that prayer is a daily activity. It is a response to the relatively minor frustration or challenges that we each experience. In this conception of prayer, it is not an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. It is a humble declaration of our humanity.

 

[1] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Bait HaBechirah 1:1.

[2] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Tefilah 1:1.

[3] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Nachman (Ramban / Nachmanides), Critique on Maimonides’ Sefer HaMitzvot, Mitzvat Aseh 5.

[4] Rabbaynu Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides) Mishne Torah, Hilchot Tefilah 1:2.

[5] Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik Zt”l (Recorded lecture on Parshat Terumah) suggests that Maimonides and Nachmanides agree that prayer is a response to a time of affliction. They differ on the character of the affliction that demands a prayerful response. According to Nachmanides, the affliction must be serious and impact the community. According to Maimonides, even the personal struggles and needs of the individual are treated by the Torah as afflictions that should compel the individual to petition Hashem.