I. Group Discussion
Discussion questions:
1) Which of these characters—Margaret, Leo, and Harry—are praying?
2) What makes something a prayer? Is it the way you speak? Is it what you say? Is it who you're speaking to?
3) If something is a prayer, does that make it a good thing? Is there such a thing as a bad prayer?
1. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
By Judy Blume
Margaret Simon is eleven when her family moves from New York City to a suburb in New Jersey.
"Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret. I'm in my new bedroom but I still have the same bed. It's so quiet here at night—nothing like the city. I see shadows on my wall and hear these funny creaking sounds. It's scary God! Even though my father says all houses make noise and the shadows are only trees. I hope he knows what he's talking about! I met a girl today. Her name's Nancy. She expects me to be very grown up. I think she was disappointed. Don't you think it's time for me to start growing God? If you could arrange it I'd be very glad. Thank you."
By Judy Blume
Margaret Simon is eleven when her family moves from New York City to a suburb in New Jersey.
"Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret. I'm in my new bedroom but I still have the same bed. It's so quiet here at night—nothing like the city. I see shadows on my wall and hear these funny creaking sounds. It's scary God! Even though my father says all houses make noise and the shadows are only trees. I hope he knows what he's talking about! I met a girl today. Her name's Nancy. She expects me to be very grown up. I think she was disappointed. Don't you think it's time for me to start growing God? If you could arrange it I'd be very glad. Thank you."
2. A Ring of Endless Light
by Madeleine L'Engle
Vicky Austin (the narrator, 15 years old) sees Leo Rodney (18 years old) for the first time in a year at the funeral of his father, who has died in an accident.
"I looked at Leo and his face was all splotchy as though he had cried and cried, but he hadn't cried, and he needed to...I remembered last year, when he was on a religious kick and was telling us exactly what God was like... Looking at Leo, I wished he was still on his religious trip, when he thought he knew the answers to everything."
A few days after the funeral, Vicky and Leo take a walk together on the beach and talk and cry together.
"And then Leo did something which didn't fit the picture I had of him, even the Leo with whom I'd sobbed out of rage and grief. He ran back to the water's edge and shook his fist up at the bland blue sky and the brilliant orb of the sun, too bright to look at, and swore, loudly and steadily. I'd thought, between the kids at school and a year in New York, that I knew all the words, but Leo came out with quite a few that were new to me. He swore with intensity and a strange kind of elegance, and then he dropped his arms and turned his back on the water and the sun and strolled over to me as though he hadn't done anything unusual. We walked without speaking to the foot of the bluff, with the path rising steeply ahead of us.
by Madeleine L'Engle
Vicky Austin (the narrator, 15 years old) sees Leo Rodney (18 years old) for the first time in a year at the funeral of his father, who has died in an accident.
"I looked at Leo and his face was all splotchy as though he had cried and cried, but he hadn't cried, and he needed to...I remembered last year, when he was on a religious kick and was telling us exactly what God was like... Looking at Leo, I wished he was still on his religious trip, when he thought he knew the answers to everything."
A few days after the funeral, Vicky and Leo take a walk together on the beach and talk and cry together.
"And then Leo did something which didn't fit the picture I had of him, even the Leo with whom I'd sobbed out of rage and grief. He ran back to the water's edge and shook his fist up at the bland blue sky and the brilliant orb of the sun, too bright to look at, and swore, loudly and steadily. I'd thought, between the kids at school and a year in New York, that I knew all the words, but Leo came out with quite a few that were new to me. He swore with intensity and a strange kind of elegance, and then he dropped his arms and turned his back on the water and the sun and strolled over to me as though he hadn't done anything unusual. We walked without speaking to the foot of the bluff, with the path rising steeply ahead of us.
3. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter has just arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and needs to be assigned to one of the school's four Houses. After watching several other first-year students put on the Sorting Hat, which tells each student what House they will be in, it is his turn.
"The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
'Hmm,' said a small voice in his ear. 'Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh, my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?'
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
'Not Slytherin, eh?' said the small voice. 'Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that—Well, if you're sure—better be GRYFFINDOR!'"
by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter has just arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and needs to be assigned to one of the school's four Houses. After watching several other first-year students put on the Sorting Hat, which tells each student what House they will be in, it is his turn.
"The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.
'Hmm,' said a small voice in his ear. 'Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There's talent, oh, my goodness, yes—and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting... So where shall I put you?'
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.
'Not Slytherin, eh?' said the small voice. 'Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that—Well, if you're sure—better be GRYFFINDOR!'"
II. Prayer and Ourselves
Class on Prayer by Rabbi Asaf Bednarsh
(https://www.etzion.org.il/en/shiur-10-prayer-1)
In one sense, prayer is self-judgment. As Rav Hirsch explains, the word for prayer is להתפלל, the reflexive form of the root word פלל, judge. Prayer is an opportunity for meditation about one's self. When we pray, we think about the following: What are our priorities, what are our goals, what do we want in life? What are our responsibilities? What is our place? What is our role in the world? What do we need in life, and how do we plan to utilize the blessings that God grants us? Prayer forces us to think about these questions, and, more importantly, our answer to these questions might very well be different if we are speaking to God than if we were just talking to ourselves. When we pray, we look at ourselves from God’s perspective and judge our lives by spiritual standards.
(https://www.etzion.org.il/en/shiur-10-prayer-1)
In one sense, prayer is self-judgment. As Rav Hirsch explains, the word for prayer is להתפלל, the reflexive form of the root word פלל, judge. Prayer is an opportunity for meditation about one's self. When we pray, we think about the following: What are our priorities, what are our goals, what do we want in life? What are our responsibilities? What is our place? What is our role in the world? What do we need in life, and how do we plan to utilize the blessings that God grants us? Prayer forces us to think about these questions, and, more importantly, our answer to these questions might very well be different if we are speaking to God than if we were just talking to ourselves. When we pray, we look at ourselves from God’s perspective and judge our lives by spiritual standards.
III. Prayer and God
Jonah, a prophet who ran from his mission, tried to escape on a boat, but the boat was caught in a storm. Jonah is thrown overboard and is swallowed by a big fish. Here, he is praying from inside the belly of the fish:
(ג) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר קָ֠רָאתִי מִצָּ֥רָה לִ֛י אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑נִי מִבֶּ֧טֶן שְׁא֛וֹל שִׁוַּ֖עְתִּי שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ קוֹלִֽי׃
(3) He said: In my pain I called out to God, And He answered me; From the belly of darkness I cried out, and You heard my voice.
דעת מקרא commentary on Jonah 2:3:
In the first half of our verse, the references to God are in the third person: "In my pain I called out to God, And He answered me," as though there is a barrier between him and his creator. But during the prayer, the barrier falls, and the person praying comes closer to God, and addresses him directly in the second person: "You heard my voice."