Compassion and Prayer: Thoughts and Prayers from Jerusalem Shalom from Jerusalem! After Rabbi Yochanan finished his prayers, he said: “May it be Your will, God, that you will peek at our shortcomings and see our failings, and wear your compassion and strength and righteousness, and your trait of goodness will lead You.” Brachot 16 Rabbi Yochanan teaches about an underused, counter-intuitive character trait, harnessing it to our relationship with God, but worth applying in our daily interactions with other people. When requesting something, human nature dictates that we put our best face forward, and hide any shortcomings. This sage advice exhorts us to remind our benefactor of those shortcomings, and simultaneously compliment him on his traits of goodness. Of course, no human is as good and compassionate as God, but all should strive to imitate His divine qualities. Today, have compassion for someone who ordinarily annoys you. Smile at them and God will smile at you in your prayer. Today's Prayer: Psalm 146 Join the Holy City Prayer Society and we'll start praying for you TODAY! |