TRANSFORM YOUR EMUNAH!

152 - You Are The Light

Our main focus on Rosh Hashanah is to proclaim Hashem as the King. Hashem doesn't need our respect and honor. In fact, as we are taught, Hashem did not need to create the world in the first place for His own sake. The only reason Hashem created the world is in order to give to us, as we have learned many times, which ultimately takes place in the next world. When we do, however, proclaim Hashem's kingship and connect with Hashem in that way, that is the strongest catalyst of how we earn our place in the next world.
Hashem is everywhere in this world. The verse teaches us, ein od milvado, there is nothing else except for Hashem in the world. It's just that the more we include Hashem in our lives, the more we are able to perceive Hashem as being there. Besides for following Hashem's laws, as well as making our maximum effort to living a life of emunah and bitachon, how do we truly crown Hashem as the King and proclaim His kingship? 
Simply speaking, it is following the will and instructions that Hashem has requested of us. If one takes the very first word of the Torah, b'reishit, and rearranges the letters, one comes out with shirat alef bet, the song of the alefbet. The Torah itself is Hashem's song and something so beloved to Him. Similarly, when the verse outlines to us the mitzvah of writing a sefer Torah, it is portrayed with the following words, "and now write for me this song." Again, the Torah is called Hashem's song because it is so beloved to Him. 
At the same time, we are taught that there are 600,000 letters in the sefer Torah corresponding to the 600,000 Jewish souls that exist. Although there are many more than 600,000 Jewish people in the world, numerous people are embodied from a single soul, and in its source there are 600,000 souls. The law is that if just one letter of the 600,000 letters in the sefer Torah is invalid, the entire sefer Torah is considered invalid. And in the same vein, Torah commentaries explain of the 600,000 souls that exist in the Jewish people, if just one soul is spoiled, then although the remaining souls might be excelling in every area, the entire entity is considered invalid.
If we are looking to proclaim Hashem as King, there are many things, of course, learning His Torah, following His mitzvahs, and doing our best to live a life of emunah and bitachon. However, one of the highest things that Hashem loves is the life of a Jew, the soul of a Jew. We have learned many times that our ultimate mission statement in this world is to grow in our emunah and bitachon, and of course we should always treat that as highest priority. Whilst at the same time, can you imagine how happy it would make Hashem if we take the mission statement of life and make our maximum effort to spread that light to help the souls which are so beloved to Hashem, to achieve success in their endeavors and ultimately in their place in the next world?
"Hashem, my dear Father, as we approach this holy day of Rosh Hashanah, please help me to truly proclaim You as King. Please help me to follow Your instructions and live a life of true emunah, where I am able to perceive that You are exclusively orchestrating every detail throughout my life. And at the same time, Hashem, please grant me the opportunity to be able to spread this light with all those around me. Hashem, You are the only true King of the world."

151 - Crowning The King

One of the basic extensions of Emunah is to internalize that we don't understand things based on what we see and on our logic, but rather, we are to believe that everything Hashem does is for the best, and by following His laws and doing our best to live a life of Emunah and Bitachon, that is what is going to bring us to our ultimate destination in the best way in the next world. Sometimes we might feel inspired by what we are doing, but many a time we do not feel any specific inspiration. But nevertheless, Emunah teaches us not to make our decisions based on our logic and what makes sense to us, but rather, to choose to follow Hashem whether we understand or not.
The Gemara relates a fascinating episode where Moshe Rabbeinu encountered Hashem placing what is known as the crowns on the letters of the Torah and within Moshe Rabbeinu's understanding, these crowns were actually not needed. So he asked Hashem, "why are you placing these crowns on the letters of the Torah?" And Hashem responded, "although they are not needed right now, in many years to come there will be a great man who will be so wise that he will be able to derive many laws from each of these crowns that I am placing now. And although you, Moshe Rabbeinu, cannot understand the great deeper meaning behind these crowns on the letters, this individual in many years to come will be able to." 
And Moshe Rabbeinu said to Hashem, "if there is such a great individual that will exist in the future, please Hashem, will you show him to me?" And Hashem teleported Moshe Rabbeinu into the future where he found himself in the Beit Midrash of Rabbi Akiva. The way it would work in times of old, those students which understood the most would sit in the front row, those who understood less would sit in the second row. Moshe Rabbeinu was seated in the eighth row because he was not one of the top students in Rabbi Akiva's lecture. The Gemara relates, in fact, that he could not understand what Rabbi Akiva was teaching because the level of Torah learning was way beyond Moshe Rabbeinu's understanding. Now we all know Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest prophet that ever lived. We cannot even begin to imagine his spiritual level. Nevertheless, he was told that Rabbi Akiva was even greater, to the point that Moshe could not even understand Rabbi Akiva's lecture because it was too high of a level. 
When Hashem then brought Moshe Rabbeinu back, Moshe Rabbeinu then asked Hashem to please show him what the end of the life of Rabbi Akiva would look like. Perhaps he imagined that for such an incredibly holy individual there would be a grand finale. Hashem then showed Moshe that the way Rabbi Akiva's life would end would be by his enemies torturing him in the most cruel way, and he would die a gruesome, painful death. And when Moshe Rabbeinu saw this, he was completely perplexed and begged Hashem for some explanation. "Such a great individual, Hashem, who would completely devote his life to you, this is his reward?" And Hashem responded to Moshe, "Be quiet; This is My will, and you will not be able to understand the bigger picture of things." 
And similarly, there is a story told about a man who was standing before the Baal Shem Tov, and when the man took a drink of water, he said the bracha hastily, without having the appropriate intention for the bracha, and the Baal Shem Tov said, "You just missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because the soul of your father, because of certain sins that were committed, has been lingering in this water for many years, and if you would have recited this blessing with real meaning and intention, you would have redeemed his soul." We have absolutely no idea of what is going on in the bigger picture of things. What we are called on to do is to follow Hashem's instructions and to make our maximum effort in living a life of sincere emunah and bitachon.

150 - Reincarnation

A fundamental concept of the Torah is the concept of Gilgulim - reincarnations. We are taught in many Torah sources that almost all souls are recycled, meaning to say that we have lived before, in previous lives. For the most part, people do not remember anything about their previous lives.
One of the basic conclusions that a life of emunah should bring us to, is to understand that we don't understand anything. The picture that we see is so small in comparison to what's actually going on in the picture that Hashem sees. When we are able to internalize that the reason we are here in this life is for a specific mission which is also very directly connected and related to our previous lives, it is easier to try live life making less effort in trying to make logical sense about the way that Hashem deals with us, and rather choosing to follow a life of belief, knowing that Hashem is carrying me through the exact course that would be best for me, not just for this life isolated from my previous lives, but rather Hashem is doing what's best for my soul, in the bigger picture, taking into account all of the reincarnations that this soul has experienced.
The Midrash teaches that Hashem wanted to teach Moshe Rabbeinu this concept, and therefore He was told to go to a certain place where He was able to watch a series of events that would teach this lesson how in truth we don't understand anything. 
There were three people. There was an individual who came to get water from a well. Whilst he was there drawing the water, he dropped his purse unknowingly, which had a large amount of money inside of it. After he finished drinking, he left not knowing that he had lost his purse. A while later, a second individual came to get water from the well, and he noticed the purse on the floor. And to his delight, there was no one around to return this purse to, so he rejoiced on the treasure that he had found, and the second individual left with the money in his pocket. It then happened that a third individual came to drink water from the well. And whilst the third individual was there, the first individual who had lost his purse realized what had happened and turned around to go back to the well to try to find his purse. And when he arrived, he encountered the third individual, and when the third individual denied having found the purse, the first individual accused him of stealing his money to the point that he murdered the third individual out of anger, mistakenly thinking that this was the person who had taken his purse and money. 
And Moshe Rabbeinu watched this whole episode and said to Hashem, this is not fair. Firstly, that the first individual lost so much money for no apparent reason, and how come the second individual just got a treasure for free? And how come the third individual committed murder and there's no one around to testify his actions? 
And the Midrash states how Hashem explained back to Moshe Rabbeinu that really the father of the first individual had stolen money from the father of the second individual, and this was Hashem's way of paying the rightful inheritance back to the second individual by making the first individual lose his purse and the second individual finding it. And as to why the third individual was murdered by the first individual, Hashem explained that the father of the third individual had murdered the father of the first individual in a previous life, and in order to avenge his father's blood, Hashem orchestrated events now that the first man would kill the third man. 
If we try to understand life according to our own understanding, not only will we come out with nothing, but worse than that, we will draw the wrong conclusions. We are called on to make every effort to live our lives according to the values of Emunah and Bittachon, rather than trying to live our lives based on our understanding. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that the ideal course in how to live my life is living a life of Emunah."

149 - Paying On Time

One of the many mitzvos that we have is the mitzvah to pay a worker on time for their services. Simply speaking, when somebody does a job for me and the usual expectation is to be paid on the same day, then unless stated otherwise, one is obligated to complete the payment without delay. 
The Chofetz Chaim in his Sefer Ahavas Chesed writes that the reason many people do not fulfill the mitzvah of paying a worker on time is because many people are just not aware of the laws. It is important to remind ourselves that a basic extension of living a life of emunah and bitachon is making our maximum effort to follow every detail of halacha. Following halacha is applying emunah in a practical way.
If a sick individual in dire need of help were to find a single expert doctor to help them with their case, if I choose to visit this doctor, I am choosing to believe in this doctor, and by making my way to the doctor's office for my appointment, I am expressing my belief in this doctor. Applying that belief in a more practical way will be when the doctor tells me exactly which medications and procedures to follow, that I listen carefully and make sure to treat the information that he is giving me with utmost importance. It would be absurd for me to pay a huge amount of money to get an appointment with this highly sought after doctor, and after his assessment of the situation, upon giving me instructions, I pay no attention and leave the appointment without following any of the guidelines he has given me.
In the same vein, as we've learned many times, we are called on to believe in Hashem, and as the commentaries write, our ultimate purpose of being alive in this world is to express our emunah and bitachon. It is important to remind ourselves that one of the highest ways we can express this emunah and bitachon is when we follow the guidelines and instructions Hashem has commanded us. 
But as the Chofetz Chaim teaches us, we cannot fulfill the mitzvahs appropriately if we have not learned how to do so. With regards to many mitzvahs, it might be easier for us to fulfill their intricacies because these mitzvahs are more famous and we have been exposed to its details for many years. However, it is important to make every effort to learn halacha with regards to all mitzvahs, both those that are well-known as well as those that are less well-known, so that we can fulfill all of Hashem's instructions in the appropriate way. 
"Hashem, my Father, thank you so much for the opportunity to be learning about emunah and bitachon on a daily basis and trying my best to grow in this endeavor, which is ultimately my main purpose and focus whilst I am alive in this world, as you have taught us many times in your Torah sources. Thank you also, Hashem, for teaching me that one of the most basic extensions of practically applying the emunah and bitachon that I have learned is by making my maximum effort to fulfill all of your instructions that you have commanded me, including all of their intricacies, both when I might understand some of the reasons behind the mitzvahs and also with regards to mitzvahs that I have absolutely no understanding. Because obviously, if I believe and trust in you, then included in that would be to follow all your instructions. 
But Hashem, you know that some mitzvahs are so difficult for me to fulfill, and I take this opportunity to ask you, please Hashem, help me, that I should do my best to fulfill the mitzvahs with all their details and intricacies. And in the same vein, please help me to internalize the importance of learning all areas of halacha, even the areas which might be less well-known, because obviously, I cannot fulfill your mitzvahs in the best way if I have not learned how to do so. Thank you, Hashem, for the incredible opportunity to talk to you on a daily basis about anything and everything."

148 - Torah Vs. Tefillah

There are countless Torah passages which outline the tremendously great value of Torah learning, and the emphasis Hashem places on this great mitzvah. The most famous one, perhaps, is the Mishnah we recite every day in the morning prayers, where the Mishnah says that the value of Torah learning is equal to all of the other mitzvahs put together. So if one thinks of the tremendously great impact that we are taught each mitzvah provides - giving tzedakah; lighting Shabbos candles; putting on tefillin; listening to the shofar; shaking a lulav; and all of the other mitzvahs that we have. We are taught here that the value of Torah learning is on par with all of those mitzvahs put together. 
We are also taught in countless Torah passages about the incredibly great value of tefillah, prayer, and many Torah passages seem to indicate that the power and potency of the value of prayer is even greater than the power and potency of Torah learning, such as the teaching of the Sefer Chareidim and the Shelah Hakadosh, which we have quoted numerous times, where they state that the value of secluding oneself and connecting to Hashem with personal prayer is seven times stronger than that of Torah study.
Whilst at the same time there are many Torah passages which seem to indicate the exact opposite, that the value of Torah study is in fact greater than the value of tefillah. There is no question that the potency and power of both Torah study and tefillah is beyond anything we can imagine. But at the end of the day, there seems to be a contradiction in many Torah passages. Which is it? Is Torah study greater, or is prayer greater? 
Some commentaries resolve the contradiction in the following way. We know that the ultimate purpose of Torah study is "al menas laasos", in order to take the concepts from the Torah study that we learn and use them in a practical way throughout our lives. Although Torah study inherently is tremendously valuable itself, nevertheless, we are taught that the ultimate purpose of Torah study is "al menas laasos", in order to use the Torah study that we have learned in a practical way throughout our lives. And therefore, the commentaries explain that because Torah study is so potent inherently, when one does study Torah, that action automatically brings us closer to Hashem, builds our emunah and bitachon, sometimes even on autopilot without us knowing it, and also improves our character, which is part of the reason we exist in this world. 
And therefore, when I am praying, certainly if the prayer is with regards to unimportant matters, such as, "Hashem, I would really like a new car, please can You help me to be able to get this specific car that I would like." Although it is commendable that one is reaching out to Hashem about their interests, and that is certainly some level of emunah, Torah study is certainly considered higher than a prayer of this sort. But even a very necessary prayer, such as if a family member is sick, or one is struggling to find a soulmate, or one might be struggling financially and says, "Hashem, please can You send me more parnassah, so that I can be able to fulfill the mitzvah of tzedakah, and just so that I can provide my family with their needs and have more time to devote my life to You." Although this is certainly a very high level of tefillah, nevertheless we are taught that Torah study still precedes such prayer because ultimately, we are praying to have health, find a soulmate, or have more parnassah, in order to be able to do the ideal, which would be coming closer to Hashem, by having more time to devote to our spiritual pursuits, whereas Torah study itself is the spiritual pursuit itself. 
However, the commentaries explain that when our prayer is of the highest form, and we are asking Hashem, "Hashem, please will You send me more emunah, that I should live a life of absolute emunah and bitachon, connected to You, please bring me closer to You, please Hashem, will You correct my character traits, and help me to become the righteous individual that You'd like me to become." When our prayer is of this sort, then the commentaries explain that this prayer is so great and high, that it can even be above the great mitzvah of Torah study.
The bottom line is that both Torah study, as well as prayer, are both tremendously powerful conduits of how to connect to Hashem and fulfill our mission and purpose in this world. "Thank you, Hashem, for giving me the opportunity to connect to You and fulfill my mission in this world, both via the incredible and potent mitzvah of Torah study, as well as via the incredible and potent mitzvah of prayer."

147 - Complaints Department

We learned a very fundamental and important concept from the Gemara, which teaches us that it is actually considered a sin to be fearful of circumstance and individuals. The more we internalize ein od milvado, that there is no other power in the world outside of Hashem, and v'hu levado asa veoseh veyaaseh l'chol hamaasim - He Hashem exclusively orchestrates every happening down to the most minor detail throughout all of our lives, the more we internalize these concepts, the more we will get closer to living lives free of fear.
In the above-quoted episode from the Talmud, where the sage reprimanded the student for being fearful and told him off that that is considered a sin by quoting a verse which dictates so, the student responded back, quoting a different verse which seems to imply that it is actually a commendable thing to do, to feel feelings of fear. The sage then responded back to the student, explaining how to reconcile these two verses. The one verse which states clearly that it is a sin to be fearful is referring to the idea that we've been discussing, that we are to make every effort in growing in our emunah and bitachon, and by doing so, we will be led to living lives free of fear and worry, because it will be clear to us, both intellectually and beezrat Hashem also, on a deeper level emotionally, that Hashem exclusively runs every single detail, and there is no reason to fear anything else.
And the other verse which does clearly indicate that it is a good thing to be fearful, explained the sage, is referring to matters of the Torah and mitzvahs. Certainly, we should be very fearful of transgressing any of Hashem's commandments and all the repercussions that we are taught that that entails. And when we have already committed a transgression, it is also appropriate to now be fearful about the consequences in store for us, and by doing so, that can actually be a springboard to motivate me to repent for the transgression. And as the Gemara teaches, that if one repents sincerely and out of love for Hashem, that transgression actually turns into a mitzvah to our credit in our eternal bank account. 
The same piece in the Talmud then goes on to say that there was another individual who was groaning and complaining about a certain situation, and this individual was told off by the sages for groaning and complaining. And in fact, the Gemara says that when one groans and complains, that itself is the catalyst that brings suffering upon oneself.
"Thank you, Hashem, for teaching me that I need not fear anyone nor anything because You are exclusively running every single detail in my life. And at the same time, thank you, Hashem, for teaching me that it is appropriate and commendable to fear sin and its consequences. And thank you, Hashem, also for teaching me that not only is groaning and complaining about my situation that You've presented me, a lack of my emunah and bitachon, trusting that You would only send me what is best for me, but groaning and complaining itself is the catalyst that will bring me more suffering to my life. Hashem, You and I know exactly what I'm going through, and I'm already struggling in this situation, but at the same time, please help me to be inspired, to internalize that You can and will only always do what is good for me, and there is never ever reason for me to complain. Please help me to internalize, Hashem, that You are with me every single moment of my life."

146 - Peace, Calm and Tranquility

We've been discussing that one of the automatic extensions of having bitachon in Hashem is that it leads to a life without fear. I don't fear any individuals nor any circumstances because I know that Hashem is exclusively running the show. 
We learnt the Gemara which teaches us that it is actually classified as a sin to be fearful. And although initially such a concept might be difficult to digest, upon reflection it is actually very easy to understand. Because if our mission in life is to have emunah and bitachon, as discussed many times, and simple emunah and bitachon means I internalize that Hashem is in absolute control and I also internalize that Hashem only wants to do good for me, then when I begin to fear the repercussions of a certain circumstance or the power of a certain individual, I am in a sense acknowledging a force outside of Hashem. Basic emunah and bitachon would teach us that the most powerful individual in the world cannot even but lift a finger if Hashem does not will so. We are completely under the auspices and guidance of Hashem exclusively. 
For anyone serious about emunah and bitachon and our life's mission, this concept that the ideal course that we should be aiming for is a life without any fear whatsoever, should be relatively easy to understand intellectually. However, as Torah commentaries teach, the real work of emunah is not the intellectual understanding but rather to bridge the gap between what we understand intellectually and what we truly internalize on a deeper emotional level. Our job is to make our maximum effort to truly internalize these concepts and eventually be'ezrat Hashem lead to a life of true bitachon, free of fear, in all areas of our lives. 
David HaMelech in Tehillim compares the way we should relate to Hashem like that of a baby nursing from its mother. When the baby is hungry, the baby screams and shouts. And suddenly, when the mother brings the baby to nurse, the baby calms down because now it has all the food that it needs. And because of the simplicity of the baby not having a complex mind to worry about what will be for the future, right now when it has its food, it is completely calm without a worry or care in the world. And David HaMelech teaches us in Tehillim, that is the way that we are called on to rely on Hashem, to be completely calm, 24-7. That is a high level, but at least we should know where we are aiming for. 
I read a story in one of the fantastic books, Living Emunah, by Rabbi David Ashear. There was a young girl on a flight, sitting all by herself, without a parent or adult accompanying her on the flight. Suddenly, there was tremendous turbulence that even the adult passengers were grabbing onto their seats out of anxiety and fear. One of the passengers noticed that this girl was completely calm. Surprised, he went over to her and asked, "I am feeling tremendously anxious about this turbulence and so are all the many other passengers on this flight. How is it that you are so calm?" And the girl responded simply, "my father is the pilot and I trust him with my life." Hashem is the pilot to our lives and the more we internalize that, the more we will be able to live lives of peace, calm and tranquility.

145 - Fear is Sin

The Gemara in Brachos page 60a, relates that when one of the sages encountered that one of his students was fearful about something, the sage reprimanded the student, quoting a verse that states that it is a sin to be fearful. The reason for this is because when we internalize that Hashem exclusively orchestrates every happening throughout our lives down to the most minor detail, then when we fear another individual or some circumstance, it's as if we're acknowledging that there is another force outside of Hashem, because if we are to internalize that Hashem is in absolute control, why should we fear anyone or anything? And the sage was therefore teaching the student, if you are fearful, you are committing an actual sin. 
We need to internalize and believe these words. When it comes to other sins that are perhaps more logical and easier for us to understand, it is easier to relate to them as a sin, such as to steal or to commit murder, to talk Lashon Hara, and the many other transgressions that exist. Those are much more relatable to us as sins. But one might argue, how can it be classified as a sin just because I am feeling fearful feelings about someone or something? But we learn differently from this gemara, from the only true perspective, Hashem's perspective, that when we build our emunah and our bitachon, we can reach a place where we only fear Hashem because we truly internalize that ein od milvado, there is absolutely no other force whatsoever in the world except for Hashem, and therefore there is no reason to fear anyone or anything outside of Hashem.
We must remember the gemara which states, hakol bidei shamayim, everything is in the hands of Hashem. Hashem runs every single detail of the world exclusively. And in the same vein, one of the 13 principles of faith that the Rambam outlines is ve'hu levado asa ve'oseh ve'yaseh lechol hamaasim - and He, Hashem, alone did everything in the past, currently does everything in the present, and will orchestrate every single happening in the future. 
It's important to remember that emunah and bitachon, and everything encompassed within them, is our life's work, as we've learnt many times. This is our ultimate purpose of being alive in this world, the main way that we earn our place in the next world, as outlined by the Ramban, the Vilna Gaon, and many many others, and therefore we should take to heart that it is not a one day's journey to excel in emunah and bitachon. Yes, we do need to know where to aim, and therefore it is important to learn the Torah sources such as this Gemara which teaches us that it is actually considered a sin to fear anyone or anything, and ultimately, b'ezrat Hashem, we can all grow more and more to get closer to living our lives in such a way. 
Nevertheless, it is important to internalize that every small step that we make is greater than anything we can imagine in Hashem's books. Hashem does not expect us to climb leaps of emunah and bitachon in small periods of time. As taught by many Torah sources, Hashem places much more emphasis and importance on our effort and endeavor to grow in emunah and bitachon than the actual result that we achieve. "Thank you Hashem for teaching me that every single small step that I make in fulfilling my life's mission of growing in emunah and bitachon is greater to you than anything I can imagine."

144 - Unstoppable Weapons

We've discussed the many Torah sources which teach very clearly that it is Hashem's will for us to pray to Him. According to our own logic and common sense, one might have thought that if one has true bitachon and emunah in Hashem, then if Hashem orchestrates our lives in a way that presents challenges for us, perhaps we might think that the ideal course should be for us to keep quiet and learn to be happy with what Hashem has given us.
The bottom line is that it is absolutely clear from many Torah sources that Hashem's will is for us to pray for what we desire. Even if we can't understand this concept fully, as always, we don't follow our understanding and logic, but rather what the Torah sources teach us is Hashem's perspective, which is the only unmistakable perspective. 
We are taught many passages of our ancestors, such as Moshe Rabbeinu, who did not stop pleading Hashem on a constant basis to please allow him to enter the land of Israel, which he had been denied entry to. And in the same way, when it comes to our matriarchs, who were initially denied the ability to have children, although one might have expected that they should just accept their destiny to be barren, as Hashem's will, and live their lives happily ever after as such, we are taught that they continued to pray day after day for what they desired, children. And we learn from here a most important principle, that Hashem's true desire in the way He created this world, is that He does want us to talk to Him for what we would like. 
Nevertheless, as pointed out previously, we learn from the Gemara about Choni Hameagel, that we are not to be overly brazen and vehement in our requests from Hashem. Although we are to consistently continue to pray for our needs in the way we would like, nevertheless, we are not to outline certain requirements from Hashem in an overly stubborn way.
"Hashem, my daughter, currently, is extremely sick. I've been to many doctors, but it is clear that they cannot help her. I know that in truth, the only one that can help her is You, and in one second, You can send her a complete recovery, whilst at the same time, currently, the situation is very serious and dire, and I don't know what to do. Hashem, I have decided that today, I am going to spend the entire day reciting Tehillim for many hours. By the end of the day, I am hoping and begging You that my daughter should be completely healed. In fact, Hashem, I am making a condition right now that I will not stop reciting Tehillim, even for a short moment, to take a break, such as something to eat, to sleep, or anything else I might need, until my daughter is completely recovered, and if You decide not to heal her, well, I will not eat, I will not sleep, and I will not do anything else."
Although a prayer of this sort is certainly praiseworthy in many ways in that one is believing in Hashem and davening to Hashem and truly exercising their emunah and bitachon, nevertheless, being so adamant with an outright stubborn condition, the Gemara teaches us, is out of place and wrong. Rather, what could be said is, "Hashem, You know that my daughter is severely sick. I am taking on right now to devote many hours of reciting Tehillim on her behalf, and I beg You with all my heart, Hashem, please heal her. I know that in one second, You could send her complete recovery, and Hashem, if You decide not to send her recovery today, I will continue to serve You, and I will still pray with all my might tomorrow, whatever I can do, but I beg You, Hashem, please come through for her as soon as possible, ideally today. Thank You, Hashem, for giving us these most powerful weapons, emunah, bitachon, and tefillah."

143 - Should I Give Up?

We've been discussing the powerful statement of the Ramban, which teaches us that the opportunity to apply bitachon is completely independent of our actions. Of course, we always have to try to do our best - more mitzvos and less aveiros, whilst at the same time to internalize that the many statements that we are taught from Torah sources about the power of bitachon, that when we trust in Hashem exclusively, He comes through for us and delivers, that applies to any individual who is choosing to place their reliance and trust on Hashem independent of their actions.
We also discussed how many Torah sources teach that emunah, bitachon and tefillah are all synonyms, and the famous example from the verse in the Torah which states that Moshe Rabbeinu's hands were emunah, are translated by the Targum Unklus, as "he spread his hands in tefillah." Because again, the more one believes, trusts and relies on Hashem, the more one will pray to Hashem. 
We also mentioned the well-known episode in the Gemara of Choni Hameagel, where there was a drought in the land of Israel, and he, being a tremendously pious and righteous individual, was called on to pray on behalf of the people. And as the Gemara recounts, he was extremely stubborn and vehement in making sure that Hashem listens to his prayer, drawing a circle around himself and swearing that he will not leave that circle until Hashem comes through and sends rain in the form of blessing that will benefit the people.
Although we do learn the tremendous power of tefillah from this episode, how Choni literally changed the course of nature, where there was a clear drought, and suddenly abundant rain began to fall, completely denying all the laws of nature, nevertheless, the Talmud goes on to criticize Choni for being so stubborn and vehement in the way he talked to Hashem. Although none of us can compare ourselves to the spiritual level of the tremendously righteous and pious Choni Hameagel, nevertheless, one take-home from this Gemara is that when we do daven to Hashem, we should not be overly brazen and vehement to get what we want. 
And the question is, how do we reconcile this with other passages in the Torah, such as the episode where Moshe Rabbeinu was denied entry to Eretz Yisrael and he prayed no less than 515 times, constantly begging and begging Hashem to allow him entry. Perhaps he should have stopped earlier? Why pray so much when it is clear that Hashem did not want that? And we find many similar type of episodes recounted throughout Torah literature, such as by the matriarchs who were barren and constantly prayed to Hashem to be able to have children. And again, perhaps we could ask, if Hashem made them barren, and after making a few prayers they were not answered, maybe they should have stopped praying, trying to change Hashem's plans and course?
The bottom line take-home that we gain from these sources and many others is that it is Hashem's will that we never stop praying for what we desire. We are to pray and hope and have faith, emunah and bitachon that Hashem will come through for us, and if He didn't today, we are not to give up, but rather to hope and pray for tomorrow. However, we must also remember the passage about Choni Hameagel, that although we are called on to never stop hoping and praying, however, it is important to remember not to be overly brazen, stipulating certain conditions to Hashem that we require Him to meet for us.
"Thank you Hashem for teaching me that to pray in a stubborn way, making my own conditions for you to fulfill, is not necessarily what you'd like, whilst at the same time, to give up and stop praying is certainly not what you'd want. Thank you Hashem for the constant opportunity of tefillah."