RAMBAM's Aristotelian views are unknown alien to the Talmud. There are even passages which show the rabbis' contempt for Greek philosophy. The view of G-d in the sayings of our Sages is one of a loving Father, on the one hand, and a great King on the other. G-d is approachable, and can be addressed directly by all. He cares, and feels our pain. However, like a merciful Father, He knows things to which we are not privy. A request from an individual or a community may very well be rejected, as the request may be improper, or not at the right time, or simply not accepted because of the unworthiness of the one making the request, or because there is a bigger plan unfolding,of which the person is totally unaware. We should note that when G-d made the Covenant between the Pieces with Abraham, promising to give him the Land of Israel, G-d adds that this will only happen only after several generations.In the mean time, his children will suffer in slavery. Sadly for us, when we go through those kinds of experiences, we receive no Divine assurances, and we are left to ponder alone the meanings of events. We must rely on Faith that somehow, our suffering is for a greater good. On the other hand, when G-d tells Abraham that Yishmael will not inherit him, Abraham prays "Would that Yishmael will live before You!". G-d tells him that Yishamel will be a great nation, but Isaac will be Abraham's heir. The rabbis say (particularly in the Zohar) that all of the suffering our people have endured at the hands of the Yishmaelites , resulted from Abraham's prayer! (The recent statement by a certain rabbi, who fancies himself an historian, that the Jews never suffered at the hands of the Arabs until the rise of Zionism, leads me to wonder what he has been smoking. Forced conversions, kidnapping of Jewish children, living as inferiors in society (dhimmi), as well as outright martyrdom, have been the hallmarks of Jewish life in Arab countries, with rare exceptions)) The Zohar states that the domination of the Jews under Yishmael, is by far the worst exile we have endured, It says that this is the result of Abraham's prayer, as well as Yishmael's willingness to be circumcised at age thirteen. All this is a direct result of a loving father's prayer! An answer of "No" to that prayer would have apparently made a much better world! If Abraham could not foresee this, what shall WE say? The rabbis were careful to supplicate in prayer, but would always include "May it be Your Will", implying that if is NOT Your will, please do what is best, even if I do not understand. In the Talmud it is clear that besides the formal, fixed form of prayer, the rabbis would supplicate in their own words as well. We find many of these supplications quoted in the Talmud, and some have found their way into the prayer book.. How and why this practice died out among most Jews is seen by some to be a great tragedy and error, by others as a result of the amidah being the prayer "par excellence", with our feeble knowledge unable to even come close. One twentieth century Hassidic Rebbe stated that individual, spontaneous prayer can only be said by Tzaddikim, who know what to say, as well as what "aspect" of their soul is praying. Ordinary Jews may be saying prayers that emanate from dark places. Rabbi Nachman, however, taught that this type of prayer, done throughout the day, whenever needed, is, in fact, our primary way to connect to G-d. Personally. although I scrupulously recite the fixed prayers, I spend much more time each day talking to G-d in English, about everything happening to me, my family, the Jewish People, and the world. Nothing I do brings me closer to G-d than this practice. Yes, many people tell me that "G-d only hears prayers in Hebrew". But I put that in the same category with the statement of a famous Pastor in about 1980, that G-d does not hear the prayers of the Jews. I do not see this as a deviant practice, but rather as reclaiming the practice of our ancestors.(Rabbi Nachmasn called it "a new way, that is, in fact, very old". In short, the Talmud, as well as most rabbis in subsequent centuries, saws prayer as a connection with a loving, responsive G-d, active in the history of the world, as well as the history of every individual. Next time, I will deal with the concept of prayer in Kabbalah.