At the start of this week’s perasha, Va’ethanan, we encounter one of the most personal moments in the Torah. Moshe continued his final speech to the nation before his passing. He describes his desperate plea to G-d: “I implored (Va’ethanan) G-d at that time, saying… ‘Please, let me cross over and see the good land that is on the other side of the Jordan…’” (Debarim 3:23-25).
This was no ordinary prayer. The Midrash (Debarim Rabbah 11:10) focuses on the word Moshe uses for his prayer: Va’ethanan. Our Rabbis note that the gematria (the numerical value) of this word is 515. From this, we learn that Moshe offered not one, but 515 distinct prayers to have his decree reversed so he could enter the Land of Israel.
He chose his timing carefully. The Gemara in Taanit 30b teaches that on the Tisha B’Ab of the 40th year in the desert, the last of the generation of the sin of the spies were destined to die. But a miracle occurred and no one died. On the eve of the 15th of Ab (Tu B’Ab), they realized the decree was finally over. Seeing this moment of immense mercy, Moshe began his passionate campaign of 515 prayers a short time later, hoping this new era of forgiveness would include him as well.
After 515 prayers, though, G-d’s response was swift and absolute: “Enough for you! Do not speak to Me further on this matter” (Debarim 3:26). Moshe immediately ceased praying for his request.
This raises two questions. First, why did G-d stop him so forcefully? And second, what happened to those 515 prayers? Were they simply erased?
Here, our Rabbis reveal a key principle of Jewish faith: no prayer is ever lost. The Gemara (Yerushalmi Berachot 4:4) teaches that every prayer has an effect, even if the specific request is not fulfilled; no tefillah is ever in vain. G-d stopped Moshe because, as the Midrash explains, one more prayer, the 516th, would have irrevocably tipped the scales, and G-d would have been, so to speak, “forced” to nullify His decree and allow him entry to the Land of Israel.
So, what became of his prayers? They were not discarded. They were placed in the heavenly treasury, waiting for a moment when the Jewish Nation would desperately need them.
Centuries later, during the time of Purim, that moment came. Haman had issued his decree of total annihilation, and the Jewish Nation was on the brink of extinction. Esther, knowing she was risking her life, asked the entire nation to fast and pray for three days. Then, she went to face King Ahashverosh.
How was Esther’s one time prayer so effective? A Midrash explains that G-d took the 515 prayers of Moshe, which had been waiting in reserve, and combined them with the one prayer of Esther. Together, they totaled 516; the number needed for automatic acceptance. Moshe’s seemingly unanswered request became the very vehicle for salvation for his descendants.
This story speaks directly to you. You may pray for something with everything you’ve got, for a sick friend, for a problem to go away and it feels like you get nothing back. It’s so easy to lose hope and just think the answer is a hard ‘no.’
But this story teaches us our prayers don’t just disappear; they just work in ways we might not see right away. Maybe your prayer to heal a friend doesn’t cure them, but it gives them a moment of peace that day. Maybe your prayer for money doesn’t win the lottery, but you find twenty dollars in an old coat pocket right when you really need it. Every single tefillah counts.
And if you know that, it changes everything. It means you can learn to pray out of happiness and not despair. You can actually thank G-d for those things you’re missing and ask for those things you desire, trusting that your words are being put to good use somewhere. You may see the answer now and you may not. But just like Moshe’s prayers combined with Esther’s ended up saving the Jewish Nation from extinction, keep praying, because even if something looks like it won’t be possible, your prayer today might be what tips the scales. Every word matters. Every prayer is kept safe, waiting for its perfect moment.