This week’s Parsha tells an incredible story about the power of prayer and the difference each person can make.

Hashem sends angels to inform Avraham that He plans to destroy Sodom and the entire surrounding area due to their wickedness. Avraham, known for his compassion and righteousness, pleads with Hashem to save the cities.

He negotiates, “If there are 50 righteous people, will You spare them?” Hashem agrees. Avraham continues, lowering the number to 45, then 40, 30, 20, and finally, 10. Hashem agrees not to destroy the area if even 10 righteous people can be found.

Meanwhile, the angels go to Sodom to save Lot, Avraham’s nephew. They urge Lot to escape to the hills, but Lot asks Hashem to spare the small town of Tzoar instead, so he can flee there. Surprisingly, Hashem agrees, and Tzoar is saved.

This prompts a powerful question: how is it that Avraham, the most righteous person in the world, prayed and was not fully successful, yet Lot, with just one request, was?

I once heard an insightful answer from Rabbi Avraham Chaim Feuer. He explains that Hashem listens to every tefillah (prayer), and no tefillah is ever wasted.

Imagine each tefillah like a drop of water filling a cup. When the cup overflows, Hashem answers. Avraham’s heartfelt prayers filled the cup almost to the brim. Lot’s single prayer was the last drop that made the cup overflow.

This teaches us a profound lesson. When we daven (pray) and don’t immediately see results, we shouldn’t think Hashem has ignored us. Every tefillah is precious, adding to the cup, bringing it closer and closer to overflow.

Even if we don’t see the outcome, our prayers are making a difference. So we keep praying, knowing that any one of our tefillot could be the drop that causes Hashem to respond.

This message also sheds light on a famous question: if generations of great tzaddikim (righteous people) couldn’t bring Mashiach, what hope do we have?

The answer is that the tzaddikim of past generations have already filled the cup. It’s up to us to add the final drops through our own prayers and mitzvot, to finally tip make the cup overflow.

May we all merit to see our tefillot and mitzvot overflow our cups of tefillot and mitzvot, and may our generation be blessed to overflow the cup of Mashiach and let us greet Mashiach very soon.

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