Rabbi Yonatan Eybeschutz
As we prepare for prayer, we must know well how to make it pleasing to the Almighty, and this applies especially to the “Shemoneh Esrei” prayer. I do not intend to discuss here the meaning of the smallest details, each of which is filled with the hidden meaning of the Torah, the mysteries of the Holy Chariot, and combinations of the Almighty’s Names from all the worlds, whose purpose is to open the gates so that our prayer may ascend and have its effect on high. Here we will discuss only the plain meaning of what is said in each blessing, what we should focus on when reciting it—things accessible to everyone.
When reciting אד' שפתי תפתח – “L-rd, open my mouth (more precisely, my lips)”, one should remember that the Almighty appointed our lips as guards over our mouth and tongue, so that they do not utter idle words and remain securely closed—just as a person posts a guard where he keeps what he treasures most—and does he have anything more precious than the tongue, on which life and death depend?
The lips stand guard—and they should never open at all, for “I have found nothing better for the body than silence” (Pirkei Avot, 1:17). They are like closed doors that should open only in accordance with the Almighty’s will: for Torah and everything pleasing to Heaven.
If this is so, can a person with even a drop of sense fail to have this thought arise in his heart: “In order to pray to the Almighty and thank Him, I must ask Him in prayer to open my mouth! How, then, do I open my mouth all day in idle conversation, foul language, mockery, lies, defaming my fellow, malicious speech, and gossip, striking my fellow with harsh words that inflict wounds like a sword!” Woe to anyone who does this! What will he answer (in judgment), and what will the ministering angels say to him? They will laugh at him and say: “He has no heart! When he needs to pray, he asks the Almighty to ‘open his lips.’ But all day his lips are like a broken fence, with a smooth-talking mouth and a deceitful tongue that never falls silent all day!”
Therefore, let him pledge in his heart that his lips will move only for words pleasing to the Almighty, and then he will rightly and truthfully say: “L-rd, open my mouth,” for then they will truly be gates of righteousness and will open to give thanks to the Almighty.
The blessing מגן אברהם – “Who shields Abraham”
One bows, bending the knees, when saying ברוך – “Blessed”; in general, the plain meaning of all bows is to lower oneself to the dust of the earth, for the Almighty humbles the proud and raises up. Therefore, one straightens when pronouncing His Name. One must establish humility in one’s heart while bowing.
הא-ל הגדול הגיבור והנורה – “The great, mighty, and awesome G-d.” When saying this, one should turn one’s heart to the thought of how fitting it is for a person to be merciful in deeds and pious in ways, emulating the Creator in these qualities at least a little: remembering the good another person has done and not remembering the wrongs—just as the Almighty remembers fulfilled commandments, overlooks sin, and bears with it. One should make the qualities of our father Abraham one’s own: he did good to everyone and made the Almighty’s qualities and goodness known to the world, proclaimed His unity, and spread true knowledge of Him among people; it is fitting for everyone to act this way.
How can a person dare to say מגן אברהם – “who shields Abraham,” without a heartfelt intention to follow in his footsteps?
To have compassion for the outcast and take under one’s care anyone who has suffered a setback, and to accept with love from the Almighty everything that happens to oneself, even when one must wander the earth and many troubles befall one, as was the case with Abraham—yet despite everything, he remained with the Almighty with all his soul, truly and with all his heart! One should keep all this in mind during the first blessing.
[For in the words “who shields Abraham,” spoken in the present tense, we mean that the Almighty also shields us—the descendants of Abraham who continue to follow his path. (Here and below, square brackets contain the editor’s notes.)]
The blessing מחיה המתים – “Who revives the dead”
The acceptance of a sinner returning to the Almighty falls within the concept of “resurrection of the dead,” since a transgressor is called dead even while alive, and when he returns, this is a resurrection; a person should therefore pray that the Almighty revive him and accept his prayer.
And when a person sins, his soul becomes separated, and he must pray that the Almighty revive him with the dew of the resurrection of the dead, for the Almighty sends down dew without an “awakening from below”—and we mention dew so that He will send it down upon us and revive us through the outpouring of His holiness.
Therefore, in the blessing of the “resurrection of the dead,” a person should focus on his life both in this world and in the world of resurrection; he must establish wholehearted faith in this resurrection in his heart, for the Almighty’s word is not spoken in vain—He has promised to awaken us in our graves, and then the world will be rectified and its purpose fulfilled.
And this encourages a person to believe in the creation of the world from nothing, which resembles resurrection from the dead.
In the beginning, the Almighty intended to make man the foremost of all created beings, but because of sin, he was told, “You shall surely die,” and he lost his exalted standing. But the Almighty’s plan will be fulfilled despite everything, and therefore, at the resurrection of the dead, man will return to his former standing and be above all the heavenly angels, as it is said: “In due time, the angels will ask Jacob and Israel: What is G-d doing?” (that is, man will reveal the greatest mysteries to the angels) (Bamidbar, 23:23).
Every person should hope for this perfection [constantly, and particularly when reciting this blessing] with the greatest joy, and improve himself in every way possible so as to merit it.
The blessing אתה קדוש – “You are holy”
During this blessing, one should sanctify oneself and take to heart the turmoil, trembling, and awe that the ministering angels experience before proclaiming that the Almighty is קדוש – “Holy”; how can a word about His holiness pass a person’s lips without fear, without trembling—and without understanding! And how the ministering angels prepare before this word passes their lips; how, then, can a person fail to purify and sanctify himself before uttering it!
And when he says it, he must intend to sanctify this great Name in the presence of the congregation of Israel and to give his life for the holiness of His Name and His Torah.
And he must desire to sanctify His Name as the ministering angels do—with fear, awe, and joy—and let him awaken joy within himself at having reached the level of sanctifying the Almighty’s Name! In this way, he will merit being one of the ministering angels, having sanctified the Almighty’s Name at the cost of his soul and blood, and become a faithful witness that G-d is truth and His Torah is truth!
And he must also intend to sanctify [restrain] himself in matters that are permitted [see Rashi and Ramban at the beginning of the portion Kedoshim].
The blessing אתה חונן – “You bestow”
When reciting these words, which begin the part of Shemoneh Esrei in which we present our requests, one should bear in mind that this part begins with a request for wisdom. Man was created for the sake of his wisdom and understanding; in them lies the very reason for his existence. And therefore [the prophets and sages who composed the prayer] said: “You bestow wisdom upon man”—upon man specifically, giving it to him as a gift.
For what else could the Creator have intended when He gave wisdom to man, fashioned from the earth, if not to grant him knowledge of what is in the heavens above, and to give him as an inheritance knowledge of all the ofanei ha-merkavah and the kisei ha-kavod (literally, “the wheels of the chariot and the Throne of Glory”), and knowledge of all the combinations of His Names with which He created the world?
And His granting us all this is nothing other than boundless grace and mercy; a person must shed rivers of tears and ask the Almighty for the privilege of attaining wisdom!
How deeply one must concentrate, especially young people studying Torah, when asking Him to give them a heart that understands Torah, a heart open to its truth, rather than to empty matters serving pride and mockery, G-d forbid!
For how can one ask the Almighty for something that does not accord with His will? Does one ask someone for something that will later displease him?
Can a person ask someone else for money to buy a hammer and millstones that would keep the giver awake all night?
So it is with prayer: can a person really ask, “Give me wisdom that will eventually make me arrogant and lead me to seize power over the community for an impure purpose, and I will rejoice that my fellow lacks wisdom and elevate myself by humiliating him”? It is impossible to pray to acquire Torah knowledge in order to declare what is impure to be pure and make it appealing, for all these things are abhorrent in the Almighty’s eyes!
Therefore, in his wishes and intentions, a person must bear in mind that the knowledge and wisdom he requests must be for the sake of Heaven, and the wisdom must be true wisdom. He must also desire that all his sons and descendants be bnei Torah (people devoted to Torah). And if he has been privileged to have students, he should desire that they have sound, wholehearted beliefs and fear of G-d, so that they do not study for purposes other than the sake of Heaven, to mock their fellow, G-d forbid.
And he must pray that wisdom increase in the world and that there be many sages among the people of Israel.
The blessing השיבנו – “Bring us back”
When reciting it, one must earnestly beseech the Almighty to shed His light upon us and inspire us to return to Him. For one created from dust cannot master his evil inclination without the Almighty’s help, and this applies all the more to someone returning to Him who has already stumbled once, fallen under the evil inclination’s sway, and become its captive.
And the Almighty is the “Redeemer of captives,” and this is precisely what one must pray for—for oneself and for all Israel—that He give Israel a pure heart and renew a steadfast spirit within it, for He opens the gates to those who knock on them in order to return.
And this is what usually happens to those who return: at the beginning of their repentance, the Almighty pours a spirit of purity upon them—far more than before—to bring about their return; afterward, as if to test them, He hides His face from them and withdraws the hand He extended to bring them back (and therefore many retreat and return to their sins; but someone truly returning must examine himself and eagerly follow the Almighty with all his heart, without yielding in any way, even if suffering befalls him afterward).
Therefore, in this blessing, one must pray that the Almighty extend His right hand to him to accept him upon his return; this is the golden scepter that the king extends to a person, who thereby merits life [as recounted in Megillat Esther].
And even if the Almighty withdraws His right hand, a person must remain steadfast in his return with an upright soul; this should be the focus of his thoughts! And not of his alone, but of all Israel.
The blessing סלח לנו אבינו כי חטאנו, מחל לנו מלכנו כי פשׁענו – “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed”
In this blessing, a person must awaken remorse in his heart for his sins and transgressions, and acknowledge the justice of the Almighty’s judgment—with all the suffering that he will have to endure.
For there is no one who does not have to experience suffering; he simply does not think that it comes as punishment, and regards it as “chance.” When a person sins once or twice, he still remains a “son” to the Almighty. But if he multiplies his sins, then, were he still a “son,” he would now be subject to judgment as a בן סורר ומורה – “wayward and rebellious son” (see Devarim, 21:18), who is warned once and then again, and on the third occasion is put to death by sekilah by order of the court.
But the Almighty, out of compassion for us, lowers us from the status of a “son” to that of a “slave,” and a slave who disobeys his master does not necessarily have to be put to death; he is bound in iron chains or subjected to other similar punishments—and this is precisely what has happened to us because of our many sins.
And it is known that someone who repeats his sin twice or three times is called פושע – a “transgressor.” This is what we mean when we say, “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned”—this refers to a situation in which we still have the status of sons of our Father, whereas the words “pardon us, O our King, for we have transgressed” refer to a situation in which we have already fallen to the status of slaves, and the Almighty is our King and Master, but not our Father.
There is a distinction between the words סליחה – “forgiveness” and מחילה – “pardon”
(this does not mean that the same distinction exists in Russian between the Russian words used here—purely as convenient equivalents—for translation. Translator’s note).
“Forgiveness” means the complete removal of sin, whereas after “pardon,” suffering is still necessary. And therefore, in this blessing, we must shed rivers of tears before the Almighty so that He will increase His forgiveness and erase our offenses—but not through severe suffering, and without impairing our Torah study and prayer.
Translation by Rabbi P. Perlov.