The merit of the Avos in tefillah

במדרש והיה ברכה אני קובע לך ברכה בשמ"ע ושלך קודם לברכתי מגן אברהם אחר כך מחי' מתים.

In the Midrash on "and you shall be a blessing" (Bereishis 12:2): "I establish for you a blessing in the Shemoneh Esrei, and yours precedes My own — 'the Shield of Avraham' comes first, and afterward 'who revives the dead.'"

Hashem grants Avraham that the first berachah of Shemoneh Esrei seals with his name ("Magen Avraham"), placed even before the berachah of Hashem's own might ("mechayeh meisim").

וצריך ביאור.

And this requires explanation.

Why should the merit of the Avos be set ahead of Hashem's own power? The Sefas Emes will explain.

והענין הוא כי האבות המשיכו אלקותו ית"ש על כל זרעם אחריהם כמ"ש ואעשך לגוי גדול שאומרים אלקי אברהם ומצד זה יכולין בני ישראל להתקרב בתפלה אל הקב"ה.

The matter is that the Avos drew down His Godliness, may His Name be blessed, upon all their descendants after them, as it is written, "and I will make you into a great nation" (Bereishis 12:2) — for we say "the God of Avraham"; and on account of this, Bnei Yisrael are able to draw close in prayer to the Holy One.

The Avos implanted a permanent connection to Hashem in their descendants; this inherited bond is what makes it possible for every Jew to approach Hashem in tefillah.

ואיתא במה שאומרים אלקינו ואלקי אבותינו כי צריך כל אחד למצוא אלקותו ית' מצד התבוננות בדעת את גבורת הבורא ית"ש כפי יכולתו.

And it is taught regarding our saying "our God and the God of our fathers," that each person must find His Godliness through his own contemplation, with understanding, of the might of the Creator, may His Name be blessed, according to his ability.

"Our God" refers to the recognition each person attains by his own intellectual effort and reflection — finding Hashem through his own da'as.

ומצד מה שהשרישו אבותינו הקדושים בנפשותינו וכ"כ בחובת הלבבות.

And "the God of our fathers" refers to what our holy forefathers implanted in our souls, as is also written in Chovos HaLevavos.

"God of our fathers" is the inherited faith rooted in us by the Avos — a foundation we possess even before our own reasoning, as the Chovos HaLevavos discusses regarding tradition and investigation.

וזה שהקדימו אבות לגבורות כי יותר פועל מעשה אבות מחלק שיכולין להתבונן בעצמינו כענין שנאמר טובה צפרנן של ראשונים מכריסן של אחרונים.

And this is why "Avos" (the first berachah) precedes "Gevuros" (the second) — because the deeds of the Avos accomplish more than the portion we are able to attain by our own contemplation, as in the saying, "the fingernail of the earlier generations is better than the belly of the later ones."

The inherited merit of the Avos outweighs what we achieve by our own effort, so "Avos" is placed first; even a small measure of the earlier generations surpasses the fullness of the later ones.

ואבות וגבורות וקדושת ה' הם ג' הבחי' מעשה דיבור ומחשבה.

And "Avos," "Gevuros," and "Kedushas Hashem" (the first three berachos) are the three aspects of deed, speech, and thought.

The opening three berachos of Shemoneh Esrei correspond to the three modes of avodah — action, speech, and thought.

להתבונן בדעת גבורת ה'.

To contemplate, with understanding, the might of Hashem.

"Gevuros" corresponds to thought — contemplating Hashem's power with one's da'as.

ובדיבור הוא כח התורה שהיא שמותיו של הקב"ה.

And in speech is the power of the Torah, which is the Names of the Holy One.

"Kedushas Hashem," corresponding to speech, is the power of Torah, since the whole Torah is composed of Hashem's Names — and we sanctify His Name with our mouths.

ובמעשה הוא מצד נפשות בנ"י דברא כרעא דאבוה ולכן חייב אדם לומר מתי יגיעו מעשי למעשי אבותי:

And in deed it is by way of the souls of Bnei Yisrael, for "a son is the thigh of his father"; therefore a person is obligated to say, "When will my deeds reach the deeds of my fathers?"

"Avos," corresponding to deed, flows through the souls of Yisrael who are an extension of the Avos like a limb of the body; hence a Jew must strive to make his own actions worthy of his forefathers'.

Summary: The Midrash teaches that the first berachah of Shemoneh Esrei seals with "Magen Avraham," placed even before "mechayeh meisim," because the Avos drew Hashem's Godliness down upon all their descendants, making every Jew's tefillah possible. We say "our God" (what each attains by his own contemplation) and "God of our fathers" (the faith the Avos implanted in us); the inherited merit of the Avos outweighs our own efforts, so "Avos" comes first. The opening three berachos — Avos, Gevuros, Kedushas Hashem — correspond to deed, thought, and speech, and a Jew must strive to make his own deeds worthy of the Avos.