284. Whenever a man prays, it behooves him to include himself within the multitude, among the crowd. Come and behold, Elisha said to the Shunamite woman, "Would you be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?" (II Melachim 4:13). "Would you be spoken for to the king" means that it was the holiday of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year), when the kingdom of heaven sits in judgment on the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, is then called "the King of Judgment." Therefore, he asked her, "Would you be spoken for to the king?" THIS IS A REFERENCE TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, AS A KING.