Ohr Hachayim Deuteronomy: Vaetchanan

 Too much prayer? 

“Longevity, Children and Livelihood are not dependant on Merit, but rather on Mazal (luck).” – Rava, Babylonian Talmud, Moed Katan 28a.

There is a commonly held belief in Judaism, propagated most popularly in recent generations by followers of some Hassidic groups, that wherever there is some lack or deficiency in human aspirations, it is due to a lack of prayer or righteousness. While this may be true for many people and in many cases, when this principle is taken to an extreme, it is not only wrong – it is dangerous.

[The rest of this Torah Insight is at http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/too-much-prayer/]