The Power of Prayer for Others
One of the most powerful expressions of human emotion that potentially has enormous positive ramifications on others is empathy. In fact, it is so immense, that the Gemara states, if someone expresses it by praying for the mercy on behalf of someone else for the same need he has, the person praying will be answered first. In his book, Praying with Fire 2, Rabbi Heshy Kleinman associates this behavior with the Torah mitzva of “Love your fellow Jew as you would love yourself”. This idea is supported by the Magen Avraham who cited that the Arizal had the custom to accept upon himself this mitzva before he would pray.
One of the sources for this idea is found in the happenings of our fore-parents Avraham and Sara. The Torah records that their travels to Gerar and its king Avimelech’s involvement with Sara resulted in he and other members of his court and family becoming ill. In a dream, Hashem came to Avimelech and encouraged him to seek Avraham’s prayers for his recovery. He followed the Almighty’s advice and Avraham’s prayers brought about the recovery of Avimelech and the others.
Following this narrative, the Torah records the famous Rosh Hashana reading that Hashem remembered Sara. She became pregnant on that day. Chazal say, because of the juxtaposition of these two stories, we learn that as a result of Avraham’s prayers for Avimelech to overcome his illness, Sara was healed from her inability to have children. Although, Avraham and Sara were promised by Hashem to have a son, it was Avraham’s kindness by praying for Avimelech that served as a catalyst for Hashem remembering Sara at that time.
Rabbi Kleinman so eloquently expressed the greatness of this idea. He wrote, “ Ahavat Yisrael is the Jewish people’s treasure chest of merit, this level of Ahavat Yisrael-the ability to look beyond one’s own suffering and feel the suffering of someone else-is the diamond in the treasure.” Praying for someone else’s needs is a prime example of Ahavat Yisrael.
We find that the idea of praying for others is actually a normal daily occurrence. The text for the Amida-Shemonah Esrei was established by the Men of the Great Assembly during the era of the second Bet HaMikdash using plural language, i.e., “Heal us Hashem, then we shall be healed…” The Chatam Sofer explains that the concept of praying for others is based on the fact that all Jews are one body. Therefore, when one Jew hurts a part of his body every Jew should feel the pain-our foot hurts. Hence, our prayers for all Bet Yisrael should be with intensity and fervor.
In a similar vein, The Chafetz Chaim, Z”L said that if someone wishes to ensure that his prayers are accepted, he should pray for the welfare of the community and include himself in the prayer. Rav Dessler added, one who prays for the community, his prayers are many many folds more valuable than if everyone prayed for themselves. Communal prayer is superior because it has greater purity since it is devoid of selfish interest and more reflective of the communal spirit.
For children, the concept of praying for others is powerful because it can help them to grow away from a natural tendency of being self-centered in the same way as any act of kindness. Silent prayer may have an advantage in that it lacks public recognition that is associated with other acts of kindness. It’s being done more for the sake of the chesed, which has a greater spiritual impact on the one who is praying.
I once heard in the name of an adam gadol, although, I don’t remember who it is, that praying for someone else who has the same need that you have, and that your intent is for your own prayers to be answered, the formula will still work. Hashem will even answer someone’s prayers first if he davened for someone else for that reason. We can conclude, that all sincere prayer is accepted by Hashem and it arouses the feelings of doing a chesed for someone else.
May we all merit to appreciate the power of prayer and utilize it for the benefit for ourselves, for every Jew and for all mankind.
Shabbat Shalom