Tefillah Tips - Ashrei XX

"Karov Hashem Lechol Korav , Lechol Asher Yikreu Be'emet - G-d is close to all who call unto Him, to all that call upon Him in truth."

The Ibn Ezra remarks that if a king is distant from his subjects, he will be unable to respond to their cries. Hashem is close to all and therefore hears every voice that calls out to Him.

The Yalkut Tehillim 808 asks, "Is it so, that G-d listens to everybody? The answer is Yes, if they call upon Him in truth." The question is, what exactly does it mean to call upon G-d in truth?

The Etz Yosef explains that it does not mean to pray with fervor and intent. It is obvious to all that prayer must be serious and genuine for it to be effective. In truth, rather means that the one who is praying is a person of truth. This has many implications. Firstly it means that he is an honest person, that his word means something, and then his words of prayer will be powerful as well. Second of all Rav Miller zt"l explains that a person must be true to his prayers, which means that one cannot pray for health and eat poorly, to be a Torah scholar and never open a Sefer, or to learn for a living and never seek work. one must be true to his prayers. And finally, Rav Mordechai Kaplan used to state, "You had better be careful what you pray for, it just may come true." One must be certain that they truly desire what indeed they are praying for?

May we all recognize our closeness to Hashem when we pray. May we take advantage of the words of King David and call unto G-d in truth.