The Avos and the three daily tefillos

בפסוק ויצא יצחק לשוח בשדה.

On the pasuk "And Yitzchak went out to converse (lasuach) in the field."

The Sefas Emes begins with the verse describing Yitzchak going out to the field, which Chazal read as tefillah.

דרשו חז"ל אברהם תיקן תפלת שחרית דכתיב וישכם אברהם וגו' אל המקום אשר עמד שם ואין עמידה אלא תפלה.

Chazal expounded: Avraham instituted Shacharis (the morning tefillah), as it is written "And Avraham arose early… to the place where he had stood (amad)," and "standing (amidah)" refers to nothing but tefillah.

Avraham established the morning prayer, derived from his rising early and "standing" before Hashem, since "standing" denotes prayer.

יצחק תיקן תפלת מנחה דכתיב לשוח ואין שיחה אלא תפלה.

Yitzchak instituted Minchah (the afternoon tefillah), as it is written "to converse (lasuach)," and "conversing (sichah)" refers to nothing but tefillah.

Yitzchak established the afternoon prayer, learned from his going out "to converse" in the field, since "conversing" denotes prayer.

יעקב תיקן ערבית דכתיב ויפגע כו' ובמדרש תנחומא בפרשה זו אין לך מי שכוין דעתו אל התפלה כאברהם דכתיב חלילה לך מעשות כו' ע"ש.

Yaakov instituted Maariv (the evening tefillah), as it is written "and he encountered (vayifga)" etc. And in the Midrash Tanchuma on this parsha: there is none who directed his mind to tefillah like Avraham, as it is written "Far be it from You to do [such a thing]" etc. — see there.

Yaakov established the night prayer, from "and he encountered the place." The Tanchuma adds that none focused his prayer as intensely as Avraham, evidenced by his bold pleading for Sedom.

והענין הוא כי אין מכוון התפלה כשחסר להאדם איזה בקשה רק כמ"ש ואני תפלתי לך ה' עת רצון פי' שיהי' בקשת האדם לעורר למעלה עת רצון ושיתפייס ושיתרצה הבורא יתברך אל התחתונים.

And the matter is that the [true] intent of tefillah is not [merely] when a person lacks some request, but rather as it is written "And as for me, my prayer is to You, Hashem, [at] a time of favor (eis ratzon)" — meaning that a person's request should be to arouse above an eis ratzon, that the Creator, blessed be He, be appeased and made favorable toward those below.

The deepest purpose of prayer is not to fill a personal lack, but to awaken a "time of favor" Above — to draw Hashem's goodwill toward the lower worlds.

ולפי שהאבות הי' כל מגמתם לזה.

And since the Avos — their entire aim was for this.

The Avos directed all their tefillah toward arousing this eis ratzon, not toward private needs.

פעלו כל אחד עת מיוחד להיות עת רצון לתפלה להיות פתוחים שערי שמים בג' זמנים הללו.

Each one accomplished a designated time to be an eis ratzon for tefillah, so that the gates of Heaven would be open at these three times.

Through their avodah, each Av fixed one of the three daily times as a permanent moment when the heavenly gates stand open for prayer.

וכל אחד כפי מדתו.

And each one according to his middah (attribute).

Each Av established his time in accordance with his particular spiritual trait.

אברהם אע"ה כתיב וישכם דאיתא הסימן לאהבת ה' מי שמקדים אהבתו ית' לכל הדברים כמ"ש ונשכים ונמצא ייחל לבבנו כו'

Of Avraham Avinu it is written "and he arose early (vayashkem)," for it is brought that the sign of ahavas Hashem (love of Hashem) is one who puts His love before all things, as it is said "and we shall rise early and find… our heart yearned" etc.

Avraham's trait was ahavah; rising early shows that love of Hashem comes first, ahead of everything else — the hallmark of the morning prayer.

ובחי' יצחק הוא כמ"ש רק ביראת ה' כל היום.

And the aspect of Yitzchak is as it is written "but [be] in the fear of Hashem (yiras Hashem) all day."

Yitzchak's trait was yirah; his Minchah, set in the midst of the day's activity, expresses fear of Hashem maintained throughout the day.

ובחי' יעקב הוא להיות דבר של קיימא דכתיב תתן אמת ליעקב.

And the aspect of Yaakov is to be an enduring thing (davar shel kayama), as it is written "Give truth to Yaakov."

Yaakov's trait was emes; truth is that which endures, which is why his contribution is permanence.

ושמעתי מפי מו"ז ז"ל כי דבר שאינו מתקיים נקרא כזב כמ"ש לא יכזבו מימיו מים המכזבים כו'.

And I heard from my grandfather, of blessed memory, that something which does not endure is called "kazav" (false), as it is written "its waters do not fail (yechazvu)," [referring to] "deceiving waters" etc.

The Chiddushei HaRim taught that whatever does not last is termed "false," just as a spring that dries up is called "deceiving waters" — so truth and endurance are one.

ולפי שיעקב הוא בחי' אמת תיקן תפלת ערבית והיינו שההארה שמשיג האדם בכל יום צריך להיות נשאר אצלו בקביעות עד שיחזיר נשמתו בלילה מתוך אותו ההארה.

And since Yaakov is the aspect of emes, he instituted Maariv — that is, the illumination a person attains each day must remain with him permanently, until he returns his neshamah at night from within that very illumination.

Because Yaakov embodies enduring truth, his night prayer ensures the day's spiritual light stays fixed within a person until he sleeps, so that he "returns his soul" still wrapped in that light.

ואז הוא דבר של קיימא.

And then it is an enduring thing.

Only when the day's illumination lasts into the night does it become truly permanent.

[והנה הג' זמנים אלו הם בלכתך בדרך דכתיב ויצא יצחק ובשכבך דכתיב ויפגע וישכב כו' ובקומך וישכם.

[Now these three times correspond to "when you walk on the way" — as it is written "and Yitzchak went out"; "and when you lie down" — as it is written "and he encountered… and he lay down" etc.; and "when you rise" — "and he arose early."

The three prayer-times map onto the phrases of Krias Shema: Yitzchak's going out is "on the way," Yaakov's lying down is "when you lie down," and Avraham's rising early is "when you rise."

ובשבתך בביתך אפשר שהוא בחי' דוד המלך עליו השלום].

And "when you sit in your house" — it is possible that this is the aspect of Dovid HaMelech, peace be upon him.]

The remaining phrase, "when you sit in your house," may correspond to Dovid HaMelech, who completes the pattern beyond the three Avos.

ובודאי כשאמרו חכמינו ז"ל תפלות אבות תקנום הם הדרכים שיכולין לבוא לתפלה על ידיהם.

And certainly when our Chachamim said "the Avos instituted the tefillos," [they meant] these are the pathways through which one is able to come to tefillah.

The Avos did not merely fix times; they opened the very avenues by which any Jew can reach genuine prayer.

דיש מחשבה דיבור ומעשה בעבודת ה'.

For there is thought, speech, and deed in the avodah of Hashem.

Service of Hashem operates through three faculties — machshavah (thought), dibbur (speech), and ma'aseh (action).

והם בחי' כהן לוי וישראל.

And these correspond to the aspects of Kohen, Levi, and Yisrael.

Thought, speech, and deed parallel the three groupings of Klal Yisrael.

והם הג' אבות כמ"ש אברהם יגל יצחק ירנן יעקב ובניו ינוחו.

And these are the three Avos, as it is said: "Avraham will rejoice (yagel), Yitzchak will sing (yeranen), Yaakov and his sons will rest (yanuchu)."

The piyut's three verbs assign each Av his mode — Avraham's joy, Yitzchak's song, Yaakov's rest — matching thought, speech, and deed.

וגילה זו תפלה והיא בחי' מחשבה בלב לכן כתיב בי' עמידה כמ"ש בעמדם תרפנה כנפיהן.

And "rejoicing (gilah)" is tefillah, which is the aspect of thought in the heart — therefore "standing (amidah)" is written of him (Avraham), as it is said "when they stand, they let down their wings."

Avraham's joy is inner, heart-based prayer, the realm of thought; hence "standing," like the angels who still themselves in silent contemplation when they stand.

ירנן בחי' יצחק דכתיב בי' לשוח והוא בחי' דיבור.

"Will sing (yeranen)" is the aspect of Yitzchak, of whom is written "to converse (lasuach)," and this is the aspect of speech.

Yitzchak's "conversing" is the realm of dibbur — prayer expressed through speech and song.

ודיברו הלוים בשיר.

And the Leviim spoke through song.

Speech as avodah is exemplified by the Leviim, whose service was song in the Bais Hamikdash.

וביעקב מצינו כמה דברים בעובדא.

And regarding Yaakov we find several matters [carried out] in deed.

Yaakov's avodah was marked by concrete actions — the realm of ma'aseh.

והאמת כי זה סוף התיקון כשיכולין להביא הארות עליונות בבחי' עובדא אז הוא דבר של קיימא.

And the truth is that this is the culmination of the tikkun: when one is able to bring supernal illuminations into the aspect of deed, then it is an enduring thing.

The final rectification is to draw lofty spiritual lights all the way down into actual deeds — only then does the illumination become permanent.

וזכות הג' אבות מסייעין לכל בנ"י להיות מוכן לתפלה בג' בתי' הנ"ל:

And the merit of the three Avos assists all of Bnei Yisrael to be prepared for tefillah in the three aspects mentioned above.

Through the zechus of the Avos, every Jew is enabled to approach prayer via all three faculties — thought, speech, and deed.

Summary: The three Avos instituted the three daily tefillos not to satisfy personal needs but to fix permanent times of eis ratzon when Heaven's gates open; each according to his middah — Avraham's ahavah (Shacharis), Yitzchak's yirah (Minchah), Yaakov's enduring emes (Maariv) — and these correspond to thought, speech, and deed (Kohen, Levi, Yisrael), whose merit empowers every Jew to reach true prayer, with the ultimate tikkun being to bring supernal light down into actual deed.