Every Jew is merciful and performs acts of kindness by nature, and hence "even the empty ones among you are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate." Even a wicked person who walks in his evil ways without thinking about his actions and without remorse engages in mitzvot automatically – but they don’t have a real impact on his life. (Only a great and exceptional deed, requiring a great effort of devotion to God, will divert him from the path in which he is immersed).
When a person studies Torah, he introduces a dimension of Divine awareness into his life. He has a correct view of reality, and consequently he already knows where he is not in order. However, one can study Torah as something that God gave in the distant past, without feeling the Divine presence here and now and without experiencing renewal – and consequently despair of the possibility of changing himself and changing reality.
In prayer, on the other hand, one turns to God as present, "Blessed are You", and asks Him to intervene in reality now. In prayer there is full awareness of God's presence, His providence over every detail, and that He renews reality and "gives the Torah" at every moment in the present. Hence, it is prayer that opens the door to real change. Prayer reveals the point of the tzaddik that exists in each and every person, even in someone who lives as a wicked person. When the point of the tzaddik is revealed, one can hope for real change.
A person submerged in despair does not even pray. If a person prays, he is not in despair. Even a person immersed in a negative path, who feels that he does not have the power to effect change, can pray and ask God to bring him out of the place where he is stuck. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that "the work of refinement has been completed." This can be interpreted to mean that in a certain sense we have exhausted the choices between good and evil that we are capable of making on our own. Nonetheless, we are required to engage in "the work of unifications" – prayer that God will bring about change in us. In standing before God as a sinner pleading for help to change, there is great audacity – but "Israel is the boldest among the nations" and knows how to demand help!
But what can be done when this prayer becomes routine? I am stuck in the same negative path, knowing my sins and shortcomings in detail, regularly secluding myself before God – but nothing really changes! To renew oneself in prayer, one needs to contemplate deeply and see that he has never truly prayed. In prayer, I must leave my 'I' and turn to God as 'You'. Indeed, if I prayed for a change in my ways because my sins disgust me – I feel dirty and want God to pull me out of the mud and clean me of my filth – I am still completely immersed in 'I' and am essentially praying to and for myself… Prayer before God should feel His presence, recognize that the sins anger and grieve my Father in Heaven, and turn to Him and plead – 'My sins hurt You, but I cannot stop, and if You don't help Yourself, there will be no change here…'. If until now I have not prayed – it's no wonder there was no change. And if today I truly pray, from the depths of my heart, to God and for God – surely change will come!
