Tefillah 1

Good afternoon. We'll b'ezras Hashem explore the inyanay tefillah. Gemorrah in Brachos למד ב עמוד ב going over to למד ג עמוד א tells the story

מעשה בחסיד אחד שהיה מתפלל בדרך. בא שר אחד ונתן לו שלום ולא השיב לו שלום. המתין עד שסיים תפלתו. לאחר שסיים תפלתו אמר לו ריקה והלא כתוב בתורתכם רק השמר לך ושמור נפשך וכתיב ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם שנתתי לך שלום למה לא החזרת לי שלום אם הייתי חותך ראשך בסייף מי היה תובע את דמך מידי. אמר לו המתן לי עד שאפייסך בדברים. אמר לו אילו היית עומד לפני מלך בשר ודם ובא חברך ונתן לך שלום היית משיב לו?

Amar lo lav.

ואם היית משיב לו מה היו עושים לך? אמר לו היו חותכים את ראשי בסייף. אמר לו והלא דברים קל וחומר. ומה אתה שהיית עומד לפני מלך בשר ודם שהיום כאן ומחר בקבר כך אני שהייתי עומד לפני מלך מלכי המלכים הקדוש ברוך הוא שחי וקיים לעדי עולמים על אחת כמה וכמה. מיד נתפייס אותו השר ונפטר אותו החסיד לביתו לשלום.

So from this Gemorrah emerges that the definition with which we're all familiar that tefillah is a person is omeid lifnay hamelech. That's the basic definition of tefillah, to be omeid lifnay hamelech. And that has implications and applications. For instance, in different areas in halachos, so we have to define what constitutes a shikkor. At what point is the kiddushin of someone who's a shikkor invalidated? So in that context, the definition we operate with is keshichruso shel Lot. That the person is so intoxicated that he doesn't know what he's doing, ולא ידע בשבתו ובקומו keshichruso shel Lot. The Rambam and Shulchan Aruch quote from the Gemorrah in Eiruvin, I think, that l'gabei tefillah the definition is כל שאינו יכול לדבר לפני המלך. That even b'diavad we say that tefillaso to'eiva and that he has to daven again when his mind clears. The famous definition of Reb Chaim in the sefer commentary on the Rambam Hilchos Tefillah that

אם אין לבו פנוי ואינו רואה את עצמו שעומד לפני השם ומתפלל אין זה מעשה תפלה והרי הוא ככל מתעסק.

That kavana here is integral to the maiseh because the definition of tefillah is that a person is omeid lifnay Hashem. And it's clearly that definition which underlines the first mishnah ein omdin

אפילו נחש כרוך על עקבו אפילו המלך שואל בשלומו לא יפסיק.

A person is omeid lifnay Hashem. Now this idea, hopefully experienced, of omeid lifnay Hashem certainly one aspect of it is that the Torah is concerned, Chazal are concerned that we should experience Hakadosh Baruch Hu as a real and immediate and living presence within our lives. It's possible if one doesn't daven properly, it's possible to go through life being medakdeik b'kalla k'vachamura and Hakadosh Baruch Hu is sort of just a remote mechokeik u'metzaveh ultimately provider of schar. And what tefillah is intended to accomplish is a person is supposed to feel and experience that he's talking to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. To talk to someone means you're talking to someone who's a real living presence in your life, someone with whom you have... The Sefer Da'as Tefillah quotes an Igros Chazon Ish. First he gives an introduction. The first sentence is his, the second sentence is from the Chazon Ish.

תכלית כוונה זו היא ההכרה המלאה בדרגת נוכח באלוקותו יתברך הכרה בתחושת הוויית שיא של חיים.

Now the quote from the Chazon Ish:

עבודה נאצלה בתפילה לצייר כמו חי איך שהקדוש ברוך הוא שומע שיח שפתותינו ומאזין הגיון לב.

If a person is talking to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, if a person is engaging Hakadosh Baruch Hu, it means that Hakadosh Baruch Hu is, again, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not an idea, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is not a source of mitzvos. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is a reality in a person's life, hopefully the ultimate reality in a person's life. However, as central and profound as that experience is, it certainly doesn't exhaust or even identify what's unique about tefillah, because l'maiseh, every time we make a bracha, Baruch Atah Hashem, belashon nochach, we address Hakadosh Baruch Hu in the second person, as the Rashba in the Teshuvah Kayaduah discusses, you address Hakadosh Baruch Hu belashon nochach. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is here, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is here, you're talking to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. It's not just a declaration, not just an acknowledgment, not just an affirmation. We address ourselves to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, Baruch Atah Hashem, you, Hakadosh Baruch Hu, talking to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. So that again, hopefully not only notion but experience of engaging Hakadosh Baruch Hu, of experiencing Hakadosh Baruch Hu as a living reality within our lives, not just as a remote idea, mechokek or metzaveh, but as a reality in our lives, lichora, that resonates or should resonate every time we make a bracha. So as central and profound as this is, lichora, this doesn't really distinguish tefillah. And in fact, for this reason, because of this commonality between bracha and tefillah, they share certain features. For instance, you have the Rabbeinu Yonah in the first perek in Maseches Brachos in the sugya on daf yud-bais of where a person takes beer and thinks it's wine, takes wine and thinks it's beer. So in that context, Rabbeinu Yonah says that even if you hold

כל התורה כולה במצוות אינן צריכות כוונה זה רק במצווה שיש בה מעשה אבל במצווה שתלויה באמירה ודאי צריכה כוונה שהאמירה היא בלב וכשאינו מכוון באמירה ואינו עושה מעשה נמצא כמי שלא עשה שום דבר מהמצוות.

Very similar to Rav Chaim's svara by tefillah. If a person says the words, but he doesn't feel that he's omeid lifnei Hashem, that wasn't the mitzvah. If a person says the words, but doesn't have kavana of what he's saying when he makes the Shehakol Nihiyeh Bidvaro, so that's not a bracha. And yet, we don't fully identify bracha and tefillah. For instance, in Siman Tzadik Tes where the Mechaber paskens the definition that if a person davened when he was a shikur, so tefillaso toeivah. So there is a difference then between bracha and tefilla. So clearly there's more to tefilla than again engaging Hakadosh Baruch Hu and relating to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Let's try to understand at least one aspect of what that is, just very briefly tonight. The lashon HaRambam in Perek Dalet of Hilchos Tefilla when he defines kavana:

כיצד היא הכוונה הלכה ז שיפנה לבו מכל המחשבות ויראה עצמו כאילו הוא עומד לפני השכינה. לפיכך צריך לישב מעט קודם התפילה כדי לכוון את לבו ואחר כך יתפלל.

The Rambam says יראה עצמו כאילו הוא עומד לפני השכינה. Interesting. Doesn't say

כאילו הוא עומד לפני המלך. כאילו הוא עומד לפני השכינה.

So what is כאילו הוא עומד לפני השכינה express which omeid lifnei hamelech doesn't express? So what does the term Shechina mean? What does the term Shechina mean? So there's a teshuva in Noda BiYehuda in Mahadura Tinyana. Noda BiYehuda was asked: what does Shechina mean? What does Shechinta b'Galusa mean? What does it mean when you say לשם יחוד קודשא בריך הוא ושכינתיה? So the Noda BiYehuda says he doesn't like the saying lesheim yichud, so he dismisses that question. And then he says: But Shechina, Shechinta b'Galusa, that's a lashon Chazal, so that we have to understand. And he quotes that the Rambam says in Moreh Nevukhim—this is the Noda BiYehuda quotes this—Rambam writes in Moreh Nevukhim in Perek Aleph in חלק א פרק כה. This is the part of Moreh Nevukhim where the Rambam explains what all the anthropomorphisms mean when we apply them to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Obviously they can't be understood literally. So what does it mean when we talk about the Shechina? So he says that what the term Shechina means—I guess in English it means to reside in the sense that if a person comes into a room for two minutes, you wouldn't say, you wouldn't express that in Lashon Hakodesh that hu shochein shama. No, Shechina, to be shochein, implies an extended presence. ענין זאת המלה היא התמדת העומד במקום אחד. An extended, ongoing presence in a certain place. והוא שוכן באלוני ממרא. If you live for an extended period in a certain place, so then you'll then be described as הוא שוכן באלוני ממרא. He says then by extension it's used for things which aren't necessarily physical or corporeal.

ולפי זאת ההשאלה הושאל הבורא יתעלה כלומר להתמדת שכינתו או השגחתו באיזה מקום שהתמידה בו השכינה או לכל דבר שהתמידה בו ההשגחה. ונאמר וישכון כבוד ה' ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל.

So the Rambam says that Shechina means one of two things when we speak of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Either it refers to kevod Hashem, the Shechina, which he then defines:

בענין התמדת שכינתו כלומר אורו הנברא במקום או התמדת ההשגחה בדבר אחד כל מקום כפי ענינו.

So Shechina means either the presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's hashgacha. The Rambam says when it says ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל, it means that Hakadosh Baruch Hu will exercise a special hashgacha over. Or, and it's the second meaning which is relevant to us now, or Shechina means Ohr HaNivra. What does Ohr HaNivra mean? So the meforshim all explain that it's something which can be tangible and apprehended with the physical senses. And וישכן כבוד ה' על הר סיני means that it was something which even with the physical senses that HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence, which again HaKadosh Baruch Hu is eino guf, but sometimes HaKadosh Baruch Hu will allow His presence, which is omnipresent, which is everywhere in certain places that HaKadosh Baruch Hu singles out for kedusha, so then HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence is revealed. And HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence is something which can be apprehended even to the hamon am, even without nevuah, that a person can see the reflection of HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence. And the Rambam refers to this as an ohr nivra. Sometimes it means according to the Abarbanel,

האור הנברא רצונו לומר המוחשי והוא האש הנגלה לעיני בני ישראל.

Sometimes it expressed itself as the esh which the Torah tells us about, this tangible, visible reflection or expression of HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence. So when the Rambam defines, again, at least in one context the understanding is going to have to be a little bit different, but when the Rambam tells us that kavana means that a person doesn't just see himself as omed lifnei hamelech, but sees himself as omed lifnei haShechina, so what that means is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu is everywhere. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is everywhere. When we make HaKadosh Baruch Hu is מלא כל הארץ כבודו. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is everywhere. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is not physical that He's circumscribed to a certain place. HaKadosh Baruch Hu is everywhere. And in that sense when you make a bracha, so yeah, Baruch Atah Hashem. How do I address HaKadosh Baruch Hu? HaKadosh Baruch Hu is here. Tefilla is a higher darga. Tefilla means that a person is in a place, he enters a place where HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence is revealed. That a person is not only engaging HaKadosh Baruch Hu, but יראה עצמו כאילו עומד לפני השכינה means that a person sees himself as being in the presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu revealed, in the presence of HaKadosh Baruch Hu's revealed presence. Where HaKadosh Baruch Hu's presence is revealed, it means it affords us the possibility of experiencing that presence to a greater degree. Now in light of this, the whole din of nocha haMikdash takes on a new meaning. I think that it's quoted b'shem the Rav that he in turn quoted b'shem Reb Chaim that if you look in the opening halachos in hilchos tefilla the mashma'us in the Rambam is that nocha haMikdash is a d'Oraisa. That the Rambam mentions davening nocha haMikdash towards the Mikdash in the context with those one or two dinim such as the structure of tefilla, shevach, bakasha, and hoda'ah, which are d'Oraisa. That nocha haMikdash is a din d'Oraisa. It's interesting. I don't know, you have to, you have to check, to check in, in a concordance of the Rambam, but, but at least offhand, two places in where the Rambam uses the lashon shechina, the Rambam uses it here in Hilchos Tefilla by defining what the kavana is. יראה עצמו עומד לפני השכינה, again, not lifnei hamelech, because lifnei hashechina in this context expresses more than that. It means, again, not only that a person is engaging Hakadosh Baruch Hu, not only that a person is engaging Hakadosh Baruch Hu as an immediate and live and real presence in his life, but that that presence of Hakadosh Baruch Hu is revealed to him. כאילו עומד לפני השכינה, again, the same way, same way Klal Yisrael when, when they saw the eish, when they were traveling in the midbar, it was a tangible, physical reflection of Hakadosh Baruch Hu's presence. So that's what a person, that's the יראה עצמו כאילו עומד לפני השכינה that a person is supposed to have when he davens. The Rambam also mentions shechina when he talks about why he paskens that kedushas mikdash was lesha'aso ule'asid lavo because the Rambam says שהשכינה אינה בטלה לעולם. Also, the source of kedushas mikdash is shechina also. So there is an equation here between tefilla, between tefilla and between mikdash. In fact, the Shulchan Aruch mentions that a person sees himself standing in the Beis Hamikdash. And it's that which distinguishes tefilla from, from brachos and from everything else, that a person enters, again, we're always, always in Hakadosh Baruch Hu's presence. When a person stands up to daven, so a person enters Hakadosh Baruch Hu's revealed presence. כאילו עומד לפני השכינה. The gemara talks about if, if, if it's נזדמן לו רוק בתפלתו. A person has to spit during, during tefilla. Whether he's hopped up phlegm or what, whatever it is, a person has to spit during tefilla. So the gemara talks about that a person has to spit in such a way he's not spitting but the shechina's in front of him. He, he turns to the back. The Sfas Emes says in a different context, when Chazal say about Torah that בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים, so the Sfas Emes says, so what? The Torah wants us to play let's pretend? Really the Torah was given a few thousand years ago. But you should make believe, let's make believe, let's all be little kids again and let's make believe that בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים. So says the Sfas Emes, no. בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים because it is, because it is new every day, because what's, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is eternal, so what's eternal doesn't age. Only something which has a beginning ages. If a person is born in time, so then he's five years old, he's ten years old, he's twenty years old. What's not born in time, what's eternal, there's no, there's no notion of age by what's eternal. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu is, is forever, forever chadash. And, and Hakadosh Baruch Hu's Torah has that quality as well. So when Chazal say that a person should see ke'ilu, they're not saying that we should, we should have dimyonos. No. A person should see ke'ilu because that's the reality. That's why the person should see ke'ilu. So יראה עצמו כאילו עומד לפני השכינה because a person taki is omeid lifnei hashechina. And, and that is one of the defining and unique elements of tefilla that a person... stands again, not just in the presence of Hakadosh Barukh Hu because we always stand and live in the presence of Hakadosh Barukh Hu, but a person stands in the revealed presence of Hakadosh Barukh Hu in a bechinah of Mikdash.