Binding Oneself To Tefillah

במדרש דיני תפילה לא ישמיע קולו כו' ערב ובוקר וצהרים כו' סימן לתפילה אם כוון אדם לבו לתפילה כו' עשרה לשונות כו'

In the Midrash, regarding the laws of tefillah: "One should not raise his voice..." "evening and morning and afternoon..." this is a sign for tefillah; "if a person directs his heart in tefillah..." "ten expressions..."

The Sfas Emes opens by citing the Midrash's teachings on the laws and times of tefillah, including not raising one's voice and davening evening, morning, and afternoon.

אף כי פשוט נראה שיש לאדם להתפלל בשעה שנצרך לבקשה

Now, though it appears plainly that a person ought to daven at the time when he is in need of making a request,

On the surface, it would seem that a person davens specifically when he has a need to ask for something.

אבל באמת עיקר מעלת התפילה היא שיכוון לתפילה עצמה לא לעשיות בקשתו

in truth the essential greatness of tefillah lies in directing oneself toward the tefillah itself, and not toward the fulfillment of one's request.

But the deeper truth is that the real value of tefillah is connecting to the act of davening itself, not merely to getting what one asks for.

כי אף כשהאדם מבקש על איזה דבר

For even when a person is asking for some particular thing,

Even when one does have a specific request he is praying for,

מ"מ בעמדו להתפלל יש לו לשכוח צרכיו ולהתפעל בשבחו של מקום

nevertheless, when he stands to daven he ought to forget his own needs and become aroused with wonder over the praise of the Omnipresent.

the moment he stands to daven he should set aside his own needs and be swept up in wonder at Hashem's praise.

ויוכל להיות נענה בתפילתו ע"י שבקשתו גרם לו לבוא לתפילה

And he can come to be answered in his tefillah precisely because his request brought him to come to tefillah.

Ironically, he ends up being answered precisely because his need was the thing that brought him to daven in the first place.

וז"ש ביצור נק' תפילה בצר לי אקרא כו' שכיון שע"י הצרה בא אל התפילה הוא מחובר להתפילה

This is the meaning of what is said about a person in distress, who is called "one who davens": "In my distress I call out..." (Tehillim 18:7) — that since through the distress he came to tefillah, he is bound to the tefillah,

This explains why a person in distress who cries out is bound to tefillah: the distress is what drew him close to Hashem.

ועי"ז נענה

and through this he is answered.

And it is through that bond to tefillah that his prayer is answered.

והענין לסדר שבחו של מקום תחילה נראה כי לכאורה מה ענין תפלה מאחר שע"פ משפט ה' בא לאדם כל הסיבות

As for the matter of arranging the praise of the Omnipresent first, it appears that, on the face of it, what place does tefillah have, seeing that by the judgment of Hashem all the circumstances come upon a person?

The Sfas Emes asks why we open tefillah with praise at all, since whatever befalls a person already comes by Hashem's just decree.

רק בהתבונן האדם גודל שבחו של מקום וגבורותיו והוא כל יכול

Rather, when a person contemplates the greatness of the praise of the Omnipresent and His mighty deeds, and that He is all-capable,

The answer is that contemplating Hashem's greatness and might brings one to recognize that He is all-capable.

אף שהמשפט נותן להעניש להאדם מ"מ יכול להשתנות המשפט לטוב ברצון עליון והוא דבר שאינו מושג לנו רק כי הוא כל יכול

then even though the judgment dictates that the person be punished, nevertheless the judgment can be changed for the good through the Supernal Will — and this is a thing not grasped by us, only that He is all-capable.

Even a deserved punishment can be overturned for the good by Hashem's Will, since He is beyond the limits of strict judgment in a way we cannot grasp.

וזהו הענין בתפילת מרע"ה אף כי בוודאי ידע והבין גם הוא כי א"א שיבא לא"י

And this is the matter in the tefillah of Moshe Rabbeinu: even though he surely knew and understood, too, that it was impossible for him to come into Eretz Yisrael,

This is illustrated by Moshe Rabbeinu, who knew with certainty he would not enter Eretz Yisrael,

ועכ"ז לא הניח מלהתפלל

even so he did not refrain from davening,

yet still did not stop davening.

כאמרם ז"ל אפי' חרב כו' לא ימנע מן הרחמים

as Chazal said: "Even if a sharp sword rests upon a person's neck, he should not hold himself back from begging for mercy."

Chazal teach that even a sword at one's throat is no reason to give up pleading for Hashem's mercy.

והוא הוראת אמונה שאדם מאמין בהש"י כי לא יפלא ממנו כל דבר

And this is a demonstration of emunah — that a person believes in Hashem Yisbarach, that no thing is beyond Him.

This persistence expresses emunah: the belief that nothing is impossible for Hashem.

וכענין במקום שאתה מוצא גדולתו שם ענותנותו

And this is along the lines of "In the place where you find His greatness, there you find His humility."

It connects to the principle that Hashem's greatness and His humility are found in the same place.

ולכן ע"י סידור שבחו יכול להתעורר רחמים

Therefore, through arranging His praise, mercy can be aroused.

Therefore, by arranging Hashem's praise, a person can arouse His mercy.

וענין הזה נראה כי כן יסד המלך להיות במקום גדולתו יותר ענוות

And as for this matter, it appears that the King so established it, that in the place of His greatness there is all the more humility,

The King established that the greater the place, the more humility is found there.

אף כי אין להש"י להיות עניו כי הכל שלו

even though it is not fitting to speak of Hashem Yisbarach as needing to be humble, for everything is His,

This is not because Hashem has any need to be humble, since all of existence belongs to Him,

ורק להורות לבנ"י כי כך המדה שבמקום גדול יותר

rather it is only to teach Bnei Yisrael that such is the proper measure — that in a greater place there is

but rather to teach Bnei Yisrael the proper trait: the higher one's station,

יש ענוות יותר

all the more humility.

the more humility is called for.

וכך הוא סדר הראוי כי מדותיו ית' שמנהיג בהם בעולם הם כפי המדות שצריכין להיות לבני אדם כדכתיב הדבק במדותיו

And so is the fitting order, for the middos of Hashem Yisbarach by which He conducts the world are in accordance with the middos that human beings must have, as it is written, "Cleave to His ways."

This is the fitting order, since Hashem conducts the world through the very middos that people are meant to embody, as the Torah commands us to cleave to His ways.

והנה התפלות שמסודרין בכל יום הם עדות שבנ"י מעידין שהכל שלו ושאליו ית' יש לבקש כל דבר ועי"ז מעוררין עת רצון ומתחדש חיות העולמות על ידיהם

And behold, the tefillos that are arranged each day are a testimony, in which Bnei Yisrael testify that everything is His, and that from Him Yisbarach one must request every thing; and through this they arouse an eis ratzon, a time of favor, and the vitality of the worlds is renewed through them.

The daily tefillos are Bnei Yisrael's testimony that everything belongs to Hashem and all requests are directed to Him alone, and through this testimony they awaken a time of favor that renews the life of the worlds.

כדאיתא במדרש עת רצון כשהציבור מתפללין

As is brought in the Midrash: "a time of favor" — when the community davens,

The Midrash teaches that this time of favor occurs specifically when the community davens together.

דכתי' ורצה בנו פי' שבנ"י מעוררין רצונו ית' כדמיון בן חביב שבא לפני אביו מתעורר בו תענוג ורצון

as it is written, "and He desires His people" — meaning that Bnei Yisrael arouse His desire, Yisbarach, in the likeness of a beloved son who comes before his father and arouses within him delight and desire.

Like a beloved son arousing his father's delight, Bnei Yisrael arouse Hashem's desire, as the verse says He desires His people.

וכמו כן כשבנ"י נגשין אליו בתפלה מתעורר עת רצון

And likewise, when Bnei Yisrael draw near to Him in tefillah, a time of favor is aroused.

So too, whenever Bnei Yisrael approach Hashem in tefillah, a time of favor is awakened.

וזהו שכנ"י משבחת עצמה ואני תפלתי כו' עת רצון

And this is that Knesses Yisrael praises herself: "But as for me, my tefillah..." — a time of favor.

This is why Knesses Yisrael declares that her very tefillah comes at a time of favor.

ולזאת כשהאדם כולל תפלה הצריכה לו בתפלה הקבוע בכל יום

And for this reason, when a person includes the tefillah that he needs within the tefillah that is fixed each day,

Therefore, when a person folds his personal request into the fixed daily tefillah,

יוכל להיות נענה יותר

he can come to be answered all the more.

he is all the more likely to be answered.

וז"ש ערב ובוקר כו' [וכן לא ישמיע קולו כנ"ל שממילא יהי' נשמע בקשתו

And this is the meaning of "evening and morning..." — and likewise "he should not raise his voice," as above, for then his request will be heard of itself,

This is why the verse mentions davening evening and morning, and why one need not raise his voice, for the request will be heard on its own.

כי האדם אין לו לזכור בקשתו בשעת התפלה כנ"ל

for a person ought not to call his request to mind at the time of tefillah, as above.

A person should not be preoccupied with his specific request during tefillah itself.

ויש להבין בזה אמרם ז"ל המשמיע קולו הוא מקטני אמנה]:

And with this one can understand what Chazal said: "One who raises his voice is of those of little faith."

With this, Chazal's statement becomes clear: one who raises his voice in tefillah shows he is of those of little faith.

Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that the true purpose of tefillah is not to secure a specific request but to bind oneself to the act of davening itself, becoming absorbed in wonder over the praise of the Omnipresent. Paradoxically, a person is answered precisely because his need is what drew him to come before Hashem, just as one in distress becomes bound to tefillah through his very distress. We open with praise to recognize that Hashem is all-capable and can overturn even a deserved decree, as Moshe Rabbeinu showed by continuing to daven though he knew he would not enter Eretz Yisrael, and as Chazal teach that even a sword at one's throat is no reason to abandon hope for mercy. This connects to the principle that Hashem's greatness and His humility dwell together, a middah Bnei Yisrael are meant to emulate, since Hashem conducts the world through the very traits man must embody. The daily tefillos are Bnei Yisrael's testimony that all is Hashem's, awakening an eis ratzon that renews the vitality of the worlds, so that when one quietly folds his personal need into the fixed tefillah he is all the more readily answered.