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Is it allowed to ask HaShem to make the price of a stock go down so someone can buy it cheaper?

shlonkbonk
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    I guess I just feel disrespectful asking for it – shlonkbonk Dec 03 '17 at 02:55
  • Welcome to Mi Yodeya. This is an interesting question. As far as I know, technically, one can pray for anything at all, with a few exceptions (e.g., one cannot pray that G- d change the gender of a fetus after a certain time in pregnancy. Also, you can't request some event change after it has already reached its outcome.) But, while it may not be proper, one can and in fact in a large sense, one DOES pray to become rich. One shouldn't be greedy, but, technically, if one is rich, I think he can still pray to be richer. So, your case, doesn't seem to be any problem. – DanF Dec 04 '17 at 01:26
  • Why do you think such a prayer would be forbidden? – ezra Dec 04 '17 at 03:18
  • I can't think of, nor have I read or heard that there is any better source for help than HaShem anywhere at all. Just go directly to HaShem. If anyone has any sources that have been proved to be better than this, please show where you found them and give proofs please. – gamliela Dec 04 '17 at 23:27

2 Answers2

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Chovos hA'levovos in Shaar ha'Bitachon in the introduction reads as follows (translated by Feldheim):

But one who trusts in God is assured of his sustenance by any one of the means available in the world as it says in scripture (Devarim 8:3): "In order to teach you that not on bread alone can man live; rather man can live on anything that proceeds out of the mouth of God". For at no time and in no place are the means of obtaining his livelihood withheld from him etc.

Thus we can certainly say that one may daven that the stocks go down for his benefit as no one is losing out over here being that Hashem has no shortage of tactics to assure the other one with his sustenance.

mbloch
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Avraham Yakov Silverstein
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  • This would only show that one's sustenance can be made through the buying and selling of stocks, not that praying for them specifically would do so. If anything, this passage suggest that actually praying for the price of a stock to go down shows a diminished trust in God's willingness to assure one's sustenance, or in His choice of what means to do it through. (The beginning of the verse quoted says that God gave Benei Yisra'el the manna, that they previously didn't know of, to teach that point. In Shemot 16:3, they were asking for bread, when manna was given to them.) – Tamir Evan Dec 05 '17 at 13:04
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  1. We are not advised to ask Hashem anything particular, as we don't know Hashem's plans and our limited reasons might make situation worse, like by helping one to buy shares, you cause other to loose. This is shown nicely in "Bruce Almighty" (2003).

  2. We are refrained from ask for a particular Shudduch to succeed, or a car to buy, or lottery to win.

  3. We pray for general wellbeing in different areas: health, wealth, spirituality etc for ourselves and the rest of the Jewish people in whole.

  4. You can surely daven for another person to succeed in any area, and sages praise it very much, but not at the expense of other people.

(Sources needed)

Al Berko
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    Al Berko, let me tell you a bit how this site works. This site is for sourced answers, and it's not just a discussion site or overglorified Yahoo answers. Before answering, your claims should have sources. So I think you should delete this answer, and instead of asking for sources, find the sources and repost the answer! This will limit your downvotes. Thank you. – ezra Dec 04 '17 at 22:39
  • @ezra strictly speaking, sources aren't universally necessary. It's just that without sources users have no reason to agree, and if they disagree, might down vote. At the minimum, users should clarify why they think what they think. – mevaqesh Dec 05 '17 at 00:20
  • @mevaqesh That's why I said it would limit downvotes on one's answers. – ezra Dec 05 '17 at 00:48
  • @ezra you said: "This site is for sourced answers" that isn't, strictly speaking, true. – mevaqesh Dec 05 '17 at 00:49
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    You might have seen this already but, just in case, see here for a guide which might help understand the site. – mbloch Dec 05 '17 at 04:28
  • All these would be powerful statements if you could source them, esp. 1, 2, 4 (the last part of the statement) – mbloch Dec 05 '17 at 04:29
  • Thank you all. Why won't we split the work. Some will bring the ideas and others will find the sources that speak of it. Seriously, I don't suspect myself for making things up, everything I say is backed by Rabbis and traditions. But finding clear sources would take days and I don't have that time. Also many times people ask for a direction to research, not who said what. I suggest, that people who look for sources mention it explicitly, otherwise I understand it as mere direction of answer. – Al Berko Dec 05 '17 at 13:10
  • @mbloch We hold חצי שיעור מהתורה, half the answer is an answer :). I'm sure you can ask Rabbis to find you clear sources for those statements. – Al Berko Dec 05 '17 at 13:11
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    (1) You may not suspect yourself for making things up, but others only have what you say, and how you back it up, to judge your answers by. (2) If someone is going to go ask Rabbis for sources to support your statements (assuming they're correct), why bother with your answer, when they can get from those Rabbis the answer itself? – Tamir Evan Dec 07 '17 at 15:59