The Biblical term chesed refers to overflowing love - a love which is expressed through deeds and words. A chasid is a Biblical term for someone whose understanding of Torah leads to a loving devotion to serving the Creator and all creation, always striving to fulfill the loving Divine purpose through deeds and words, including the words of prayer.


Mesilas Yesharim – "Path of the Upright" – is a classical work on personal spiritual growth written by Rabbi Moshe

These chasidim and their loving prayers are to serve as models for us.

 Chayim Luzatto, a leading sage of the 18th century. In several chapters of this work, he discusses how a chasid develops the art of loving. In chapter 19, he reminds us that the love of a chasid also includes a love for the People of Israel, and through this love, the chasid feels the pain and suffering of our exile. Rabbi Luzzato describes how the chasidim of our people, through their love of the Blessed One and Israel, pray for the redemption of Jerusalem and for the restoration of the honor of Heaven.


These chasidim and their loving prayers are to serve as models for us; however, as Rabbi Luzzato points out, someone may ask the following question: “Who am I and what am I worth that I should pray about the exile and about Jerusalem? Will the exiles be gathered in and will salvation sprout forth because of my prayer?”


Rabbi Luzatto explains that the answer to this question about the value of one’s prayer can be found in the following teaching from the Talmud: Each one should say, “For My sake the world was created.” (Sanhedrin 37a)


This teaching means that each person should feel that the world was created for the sake of his or her unique contribution. Rabbi Luzatto is revealing that one’s contribution includes one’s prayers.


Each person should therefore recognize that his or her prayers for redemption are needed and appreciated, as Rabbi Luzatto writes, “It is the Blessed One’s pleasure that His children desire and pray for this. And though their desire may not be fulfilled because the proper time has not yet arrived or for some other reason, they will have done their part and the Holy One, Blessed be He, rejoices in it.”


In profound and mysterious ways, which we may not fully understand, each of our prayers serves the cosmic purpose; thus, each of us can say, “For the sake of my prayers, the world was created.”


Yes, your prayers for the redemption are needed, and through the combined spiritual power of all of our prayers, together with the spiritual power of our own renewal, we can merit to experience the universal age of enlightenment and shalom, when “Torah will go forth from Zion and the Word of HaShem from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3)

Each person should feel that the world was created for the sake of his or her unique contribution.



Related Teachings
1. Regarding our responsibility to pray for Jerusalem, Rabbi Luzzato writes: “We cannot exempt ourselves because of our inadequate strength. For in relation to all such things we learned, ‘The work is not yours to complete, but you are not free to abstain from it’ (Pirkei Avos 2:16).” In other words, we are to do what we can and pray what we can, for this effort is precious to our Creator.


2. Regarding altruistic prayer, Rabbi Aharon Kotler, a leading sage of the 20th century, wrote: “Great is the obligation upon each and every person to pray for compassion upon the community and the individual, as it is explained in the Talmud, Tractate Brochos 12b: 'Whoever is able to pray for compassion upon his fellow and does not pray, is called a sinner, as it says (citing the words of the Prophet Samuel): "Far be it from me to sin against HaShem by refraining from praying on your behalf"’ (1 Samuel 12:23).”