Prayer Points

A few points on prayer.
1.  The point of prayer isn't the result, its the act itself of coming close to Hashem. (See what my father wrote.)  Rav Chayim Kamil explains that is what we learn from Moshe's prayer.

2. The possuk in this week's parsha says כִּ֚י מִי־ג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל אֲשֶׁר־ל֥וֹ אֱלֹקים קְרֹבִ֣ים אֵלָ֑יו כַּי״י֣ אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ בְּכׇל־קׇרְאֵ֖נוּ אֵלָֽיו.  The Targum leans that this means Hashem accepts our prayers all the time.  [The Rambam at the end of his count of the mitzvot in the intro. to Mishne Torah learns the possuk this way as well.  He says the holiday of Purim was enacted to demonstrate that prayer works!  .אלא כך אנו אומרים, שהנביאים עם בית דין תיקנו וציוו לקרות המגילה בעונתה כדי להזכיר שבחיו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ותשועות שעשה לנו, והיה קרוב לשווענו כדי לברכו ולהללו, וכדי להודיע לדורות הבאים שאמת מה שהבטיחנו בתורה, "ומי גוי גדול, אשר לו אלוהים קרובים אליו" (ראה דברים ד,ז; דברים ד,ח).] The question is that there are many times we find that prayers aren't accepted?  Rav Kamil tries to justify their explanation, עיי"ש. Based upon his previous idea, he says a different peshat in the possuk, the possuk means we can come close to Hashem through prayer at any time.

The Even Ezra answers the question on the Targum by adding one word שיענהו תמיד בכל אשר יבקש ממנו בחכמה.   You have to ask properly to get answered.  (Interestingly, the online edition that I was looking at, mg.alhatorah.org doesn't have the word בחכמה there.  According to Mossad Harav Kook in some כת"י  it doesn't exist, but without it was is he adding more than the Targum?) 

3.  Rav Baruch Povorski asks why in Shemonei Esrai do we end the blessing שומע תפילה as opposed to the additional blessing of a fast day, עננו which ends העונה בעת צרה, why don't we end in Shemonei Esrai as well that Hashem answers our prayers?  He explains that there are two types of prayer.  As Rashi says in Berashis (2:5)  כי לא המטיר - ומה טעם לא המטיר? לפי שאדם אין לעבוד את האדמה ואין מכיר בטובתם של גשמים, וכשבא אדם וידע שהם צורך לעולם התפלל עליהם וירדו, וצמחו האילנות והדשאים .  One type of prayer is just to open the door for the beracha/shefa to enter the world.  For that it's enough to say שומע תפילה.  As long as the person prayed, it is fitting for the beracha which is already ready, to now come down into this world.  However, a fast day, a day of an עת צרה needs more than that.  Then prayer needs to remove a bad decree that is already standing.  In order to be מחדש something new, to remove that decree, one needs their prayers to be answered.