Storm the Gates: A Jewish Guide to Praying for Redemption

Noa asks: "Do we need to cry out and “tear open the gates of Heaven” as we ask for the coming of the Mashiach?"

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Yes, we should storm the gates of Heaven every single day. When you say the blessing “Cause the offspring of David Your servant to flourish, and speedily make his salvation blossom” (the Et Tzemach David blessing), say it with a stormy, passionate heart.

The same is true when we ask, “Bless for us, Hashem our God, this year and all its kinds of produce for good.” When you reach the words “and give dew and rain for a blessing,” say them with a heart on fire. Don’t say these words just to “get through” the prayer. Rain is a staggering miracle. Do we imagine it just happens on its own? It’s a miracle no less than the miracle of the manna.

When the People of Israel entered the Land of Canaan and saw food coming out of the ground, they were overwhelmed with wonder. Food from the earth? What a miracle! For forty years, manna from Heaven had felt “natural”. In fact, the miracle of plant growth is no less than the manna; it’s only habit that keeps us from noticing. Of course we should therefore “tear open the heavens” when we ask for dew and rain.

Every blessing and every prayer should be said with a stormy heart. We must wage war against the dullness, and look for the hand of God, and the miracles revealed in every detail of our world. We should tear open the gates of Heaven with a passionate heart, for everything.