General Principles of Prayer 7

From my father zt”l: The Drive for Independence: The source of our human need to deny dependency is related to the purpose of our existence, which is to earn our portion in “Olam Habah”, the World to Come. We do not and would not desire to have the ultimate reward handed to us as “Nehama Dichesufa”, or, Bread of Shame”, an unearned and therefore embarrassing gift.

This drive to earn and master things on our own is so primal that we hate to admit dependency. We hate to acknowledge that we needed a present. We prefer not to acknowledge that we needed somebody else to help. We desire independence. We aspire to achieve self-sufficiency. We intend to fulfill our own needs.

When we pray, and acknowledge God’s gifts and our dependency on the Creator, we confront our independence, but ultimately do not have to sacrifice any of it.