Moshe Rabbeinu told the people that crying was not the correct response to the present situation. Hashem asked Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me?” Apparently, this was a situation which did not call for prayer (cry out to me). It was a time for action, for an affirmation of one’s devotion to Hashem. In other words, when one is up against the Red Sea, with the Egyptian army bringing up the flank, one jumps into the water. Horav Shalom Arush, Shlita, explains that, on a deeper level, Hashem is actually teaching Moshe and Bnei Yisrael: “You do not have to cry out loudly to Me. I can hear a silent scream just as well.” Indeed, a silent scream emanating from the depths of one’s heart has incredible efficacy.
Rav Arush explains that, indeed, when one screams out to Hashem, he should not do so within earshot of his neighbors. Davening to Hashem should reflect an intimate relationship between man and the Almighty. A silent scream does not attract attention, and hence, is devoid of all vanity and externality. One cannot call attention to himself when he is quiet. A silent scream’s ascension to Heaven is meteor-like, without the impediments that hold back our regular prayers.
In his Sichos Horan, Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, writes, “One can shout loudly in a small, silent voice, without anyone hearing, because he does not emit a sound, but simply screams with a soundless voice. No one hears his scream other than Hashem. Anyone can do this by simply imagining the sound of the scream in his mind. As he depicts the sound with his imagination, he is able to elevate the decibel level until he is literally screaming at the top of his lungs – but no one hears him, only Hashem.” Is this not incredible? Can there be a more intimate form of communication? Rav Nachman explains that this is actually a scream and not mere imagination. Rather than the sound being carried from the lungs to the lips, the sound is instead carried by the nerves to the brain, so that one is shouting in his brain. One can picture the sound filling the inside of his brain. Thus, one can stand in a crowded room and scream in such a manner – yet no one will hear him, but Hashem.
The “sound” of the silent prayer is a cogent and effective manner of prayer. One utilizes this opportunity to express his deepest and strongest emotions and trepidations. The silent scream allows one to speak to Hashem and only to Hashem, for no one else hears – even the Angels are not privy to the “sounds” of the silent scream. This is the meaning of personal prayer, a device through which one expresses his innermost feelings to Hashem. It is just the individual and his Father in Heaven – no one else.
