Guide
Rabbinic Depictions of Individual Prayers
By Carol Bakhos
In the rabbinic corpus, petitionary prayers of biblical characters often take the form of “forceful” prayers, in which the petitioner essentially outwits God in logical argumentation. The characters appeal to God’s own words and actions, arguing that it would be inconsistent of God not to fulfill their requests. See also Rabbinic Narratives of Forceful Intercessory Prayers and “Hannah’s Forceful Prayer for a Child in Rabbinic Literature.”
Related Primary Sources
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Cain’s Prayer
Three approached [God] with insidiousness: Cain, Esau, and Manasseh. Cain, as it is written, Is my sin too great to bear? (Genesis 4:13). He said before God:
“Master of the…
Primary Source
Abraham’s Prayer on Behalf of Sodom
You love justice and hate wickedness (Psalm 45:8, NJPS). R. Judan in the name of R. Azariah applied this verse to Abraham our father at the time when he beseeched [God] for mercy on behalf of the…
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Abraham’s Prayer after the Akedah
R. Bibi Abba said in the name of R. Yoḥanan, “Abraham said before the Holy One: Master of the universe! It is revealed and known before You that when You told me to sacrifice my son Isaac, I had a…
Primary Source
Moses’ Prayer to Enter the Land
When Moses sought to enter the land of Israel, the Holy One said: Enough! (Deuteronomy 3:26). He [Moses] replied before Him: Master of the universe, did You not say to me, “To one who has a claim on…
Primary Source
Moses’ Prayer to Evade Death
Moses said to God: Master of the Universe! You know full well how much toil and pain I bore for the sake of Israel until they would believe in Your name, how much grief I suffered on their account! […