I wrote this quote inspired by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, mother of Hersh, who fought like a lioness to bring her son and all the other hostages home. She traveled the world, met with countless foreign leaders, cried out from podium after podium, and appeared on camera after camera, interview after interview. All the while, praying, weeping, hoping, reciting Tehilllim, and pleading with Hashem. She personifies hishtadlus, she radiates emunah, and I have no doubt that Kol Berama Nishma, her voice is heard on high.
When Hersh was finally returned to her and laid to rest, after 334 days of incessant Tefillos, Rachel was able to share a perspective on Tefilla with an authority that only she could. She maintains that no Tefillos ever goes unanswered. She described her relationship to praying over and over without seeing results, by the visual of each prayer adding moisture droplets to a raincloud. Eventually, the cloud gets so heavy and full, the rain bursts forth. Sometimes, the salvation we ask for needs to be built from many layers of prayers. And other times, Hashem redirects the raincloud over to another person. That person receives an unexpected flow of brachos and salvation.
Sometimes, we get to see our choleh get better, our soldier come home safely, or the raise we were hoping for. And sometimes, we don’t. No prayer ever goes unanswered, no prayer is ineffective. Just sometimes Hashem redistributes the effects of our Tefillos onto other causes. A Yid turning to Hashem with a request is always a powerful form of prayer. And that prayer may go on to power the miracle a Yid across the world so desperately needs. Hashem’s calculations are beyond us. But if Rachel Goldberg-Polin can be comforted that her Tefilos were going to where they needed to go, so can we. As Hashem reassured Rochel Imeinu, yesh sachar l’piulaseich, there is a reward for your efforts.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 87.
