By Rabbi Nechemia Schusterman – besser gemacht by Kushi, untouched by me.

Pray you aren’t a nudnik! or is it ok to be one?

Am I a nudnik? Do I have trouble taking no for an answer? Do I badger and nudge until I get my way? My kids are definitely good at it. We’ve got some good role models to learn from!

The great Moshe, the greatest of all Jews, was a master of persistence. He begged Hashem to let him enter the land of Israel 515 times!

So, is it ok to badger? If it’s bad, why did Moshe do it? And Hashem still didn’t grant him his wish! That’s where the name of this week’s Torah portion comes in. Va’Eschanon, meaning to “entreat” or to ask, even if unworthy (chinom). When we pray, are we asking because we deserve it, or because we’re unworthy and still asking Hashem to give it to us anyway, like a loving parent?

The answer is both! We can pray because we deserve something, and sometimes our wish is granted. However, a higher place of prayer is when we ask for something we don’t deserve and Hashem still grants it to us because He deems us His beloved child.

Ultimately, every prayer is both a request of hope and a smidgen of entitlement. But that’s not how we should be praying. Ideally, we should say to Hashem , “While we may not be worthy, please do give it to us bchinom, for free.”

And while we may not be worthy, we may ask again and again. Unlike humans, Hashem doesn’t lose patience with us. He wants us to ask again and again. Like my kids, me, and Moshe!

But sometimes, the answer may still be no. Other factors are at play, but asking we can, we must, and that’s the G-dly way!

Good Shabbos!