I'd like to share a beautiful thought from the Ramchal, in his essay on the topic of kivoy/hoping to God , which is a level of bitachon. He makes a very important distinction between prayer and bitachon/reliance on Hashem. He says that when a Sadik , or anyone for that matter, prays, the prayers go up to the King's ears. As it says, Because they prayed to Hashem, and cried out to Hashem, the prayers go up. That's all very nice, but there's a time, he says, when there are prosecutors that interfere with the prayers going up. He quotes a pasuk in Eicha 3,44 which is an important pasuk to know about in the times that we live in, which says, “ זכותה בענן לך מעבור תפלה You cover with the cloud, blocking the prayers from coming up.” That's a real concept. There’s a blockage. There's another pasuk in that same perek (3,8) גם כי אזיק .. שתם תפלתי “Even when I cry out and I pray, my prayers have been clogged.” This second pasuk is the source for a well-known Gemara in Masechet Berachot 32B, where Rav Elazar said, from the time when Bet Hamikdash was destroyed the gates of prayer are closed, as it says, “ שתם תפלתי My prayers have been clogged or blocked. But the Gemara continues “ ואף על פי ששערי תפלה ננעל Even though the gates of prayer have been closed, שערי דמעה לא ננעלו the gates of tears have not been closed.” The gates of prayer , at times , are closed. So what do we do now? Our goal is to get our prayers to the ear of the King, namely God. But there's a blockage there. And here comes the hiddush of bitachon- says the Ramchal, when people are hoping, they make a path and a crack through the clouds, and God , as if to say, comes down to hear the prayers of the one that hopes to God. And that's what the pasuk means. “ I hoped to God and God leaned down towards me, and heard my prayers.” This is an unbelievable hiddush. The Ramchal is telling us that prayers go up but Bitachon doesn't have to go up, because for Bitachon, God comes down, so there are no interferences between God and the one who is relying on Him. That's a very important hiddush. This is the first time I realized this. This also relates to humility, because as we've quoted in the past, there are two things that God can do. God can lift somebody up when they're down, or God can go down to the person. And the Gemara says, just as God didn’t make Har Sinai tall, but rather, God came down to Har Sinai, that's exactly what happens when a person's humble. When a person's humble, God comes down to him. That's where Bitachon comes from- the person knows that he's not able to do anything. He does not rely on himself, he relies on God. The arrogant one who is proud of his strength, of his wealth and his wisdom relies on himself. The Hovot Halevavot Shaar Bitachon talks about people that rely on themselves and their wisdom wealth, and strength. But when a person is humble, he does not rely on himself. He relies on God . And when that person has that Bitachon and that humility, even in a situation where prayers are not going to work, because the prayers are blocked, bitachon works. There are other ways to go break through the blockage, such as crying. B’Ezrat Hashem, starting next week over the next few classes, we'll discuss some other techniques to get through blockages. *Technique number one, the hiddush of the Ramchal, is Bitachon. Whereas prayer goes up, when it comes to bitachon, God comes down. Have a wonderful day.