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Moses' statements are difficult to understand. Why did Moses have to pray to G-d not to accept the offering of Korach? Inasmuch as Moses knew that Korach was defying the Divine will, was it not self-evident that G-d would not accept this offering? Certainly, the reason that Moses gave for his asking G-d to reject Korach's offering seems irrelevant. What difference would it have made if Moses had received some slight personal benefit or had offended one of them? The simple fact was that Korach was rebelling not against Moses and Aaron, but against the word of G-d, and Moses knew this to be the fact, as he stated, "Therefore you and your community have assembled against G-d"(16:11) This was more than ample reason why Korach's offering should be rejected.

The effectiveness of prayer is something which is not easily explained. It is indeed a mitzvah to pray, but how and why does prayer work? If it is the will of G-d, say, that a person be afflicted with illness, will someone's praying for him cause G-d to change His mind? Or will my asking G-d for success cause Him to give me something which He might not have given me otherwise? Is the Divine will subject to change due to someone’s intervention? These questions abound in the works of philosophy of religion.

While some aspects of prayer may be beyond our grasp, one of the explanations is that prayer is not intended to bring about a change in G-d, but in the supplicant. When we relate to G-d in prayer, we may undergo salutary changes. For example, one woman who was bitterly disappointed when her newborn child turned out to have Down’s Syndrome, related that she had prayed fervently, "Please G-d, You have performed so many miracles, do just one more. Change him." She then went on to say, "One day the mirace occurred: G-d changed me." What she was really saying was that ulimately her prayers helped her accept the will of G-d.

The Talmud states that prayers on behalf of another person, for the very thing that one needs oneself, are quickly answered. Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk explains this as follows: Suppose, for whatever reason, the Divine judgment decreed a certain amount of distress for A. If B now empathizes with A so profoundly that he suffers because of A's distress, the G-d will relieve A of his distress because Divine justice will not permit B to endure suffering that was not ordained for him. Thus, by sharing another person's distress, we can relieve him of it, and if it affects us so deeply that we accord it priority over our own needs, that prayer is quickly answered. This is one way in which prayer is effective.

Furthermore, fulfilling the mitzvah of prayer should stimulate one to think, "What right do I have to approach G-d, and particularly, how do I merit that my prayers be answered?" This should lead one to reflect on oneself, and doing a thorough soul searching should bring about constructive changes in one's character, rendering one more receptive to the Divine bounty. G-d's benevolence is constantly emanating from Him, but we are not always in a state of receptivity. Achieving this condition of receptivity can be accomplished by sincere prayer.

We can now understand that Moses, finding himself in a state of distress, did what the Torah prescribes: He prayed for Divine assistance. His prayer resulted in a soul-searching inventory, and in his profound humility, Moses did not find any virtues to merit his requesting Divine assistance. All he could say was that he had not been remiss; he had not done anything to provoke the rebellion. Moses' prayer, like all sincere prayer, was thus not intended to bring about any changes in G-d, but in himself. That is what all prayers should do.

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