Fixed Times Of Tefillah

במדרש ערב ובוקר וצהרים כו'

In the Midrash: "Evening and morning and noon" (Tehillim 55:18), etc.

The Sfas Emes opens with a Midrash on the verse from Tehillim about davening evening, morning, and noon, setting up that tefillah has fixed times.

דכתיב בעת ההוא משמע שיש עת מיוחד לתפלה כמ"ש שערי תפלה פעמים פתוחים כו' ועת ההיא הוא התקשרות הזמן בשורש העליון הנסתר

For it is written, "At that time" (Devarim 3:23), which implies that there is a special, designated time for tefillah, as Chazal said that the gates of tefillah are sometimes open and sometimes closed; and "that time" refers to the binding of a moment of time to its hidden supernal root.

The phrase "at that time" in the passuk teaches that there are designated moments when tefillah is accepted, because these moments connect to a hidden supernal root.

ונק' ההוא

And it is called "that" (hahu) — referring to the concealed supernal source.

The word "that" (hahu) hints at this concealed upper source from which the special time draws.

והם זמני תפלה שגילה השי"ת לבנ"י דכתיב מחדש בכל יום מ"ב וזהו ענין שאמרו חכמים יסדר שבחו של מקום ואח"כ יתפלל

These are the times of tefillah which Hashem revealed to Bnei Yisrael, as it is written that He renews each day, constantly, the act of Creation (Maaseh Bereishis); and this is the meaning of what the Chachamim said, that a person should first arrange the praise of the Omnipresent and only afterward daven.

These set times correspond to Hashem's daily renewal of Creation, which is why Chazal taught us to praise Hashem before we daven.

וסידור שש"מ הוא בירור ההתחדשות שמבררין בכל יום ע"י הברכות וק"ש שבחו ש"מ שמחדש ומחי' את כולם ועי"ז נפתחין שערי תפלה

And this arranging of the praise of the Omnipresent is the clarifying of the renewal that we clarify each day through the berachos and Krias Shema — the praise of the Omnipresent who renews and gives life to them all — and through this the gates of tefillah are opened.

Arranging Hashem's praise through berachos and Krias Shema is how we recognize and clarify the daily renewal, and that recognition is what opens the gates of tefillah.

והגם כי בכל עת צרה צריכין להתפלל להבורא ית' ונק' תפלה לעני כענין שאמרו שערי דמעות לא ננעלו אף לשפלים שא"י לסדר שבחו ש"מ כראוי

And although in every time of distress one must daven to the Creator, may He be blessed — and this is called "a tefillah of a poor man" (Tehillim 102:1), in the sense of what Chazal said that the gates of tears are never locked, even for the lowly who are unable to arrange the praise of the Omnipresent properly —

Even one too lowly to arrange praise properly can still cry out to Hashem in distress, because the gates of tears are never shut.

אבל תפלה למשה היא לכוון פתיחת שערי תפלה כנ"ל ובוודאי לא הי' תפלת מרע"ה לשוא אך הי' הכנה ומתנה טובה לבנ"י בגלות ללמדם סדר תפלה

nevertheless, "a tefillah of Moshe" (Tehillim 90:1) is the directing toward the opening of the gates of tefillah as above; and certainly the tefillah of Moshe Rabbeinu was not for naught, but rather it was a preparation and a good gift for Bnei Yisrael in galus, to teach them the order of tefillah.

But "a tefillah of Moshe" is on a higher level — Moshe's tefillah aimed to open the gates, and it served as a gift teaching Bnei Yisrael how to daven in galus.

וע"י הכנה זו פתח כח לכל בנ"י בגלות כי הנה הפצרת מרע"ה לכנוס לארץ הי' בעבור כי ידע אם הוא יכניסם לארץ לא היו באין לידי חטא וגלות כלל

And through this preparation he opened up a power for all of Bnei Yisrael in galus, for behold, Moshe Rabbeinu's pleading to enter the Land was because he knew that if he were to bring them into the Land, they would never come to sin and galus at all.

Moshe's preparation opened a spiritual power for all Bnei Yisrael in galus; he longed to enter Eretz Yisrael because his bringing them in would have prevented all future sin and exile.

וכיון שלא הכניסם לארץ הניח לנו סדר תפלה שהוא במקום הקרבנות והוא כנ"ל לכוון פתיחת שערים עליונים כענין התמידין כמ"ש בפ' פנחס להקריב לי במועדו כו' ואח"כ מוספין שבתות ויו"ט

And since he did not bring them into the Land, he left us the order of tefillah, which stands in place of the korbanos, and this is as above — to direct toward the opening of the supernal gates, like the matter of the temidin, as it is written in Parshas Pinchas, "to offer to Me at its appointed time" (Bamidbar 28:2), etc., and afterward the musafin of Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim.

Since he could not bring them in, he gave us the order of tefillah, which replaces the korbanos and directs toward opening the supernal gates, like the daily temidin offered at their appointed time.

ופרשנו כי כמו בכל יו"ט יש הארה מעולם העליון כמ"ש בזוה"ק שנק' יום טוב ע"ש אור הצפון כו' ע"ש פ' אמור

And we explained that just as on every Yom Tov there is an illumination from the supernal world, as it is written in the Zohar HaKadosh that it is called "Yom Tov" on account of the hidden light, etc. — see Parshas Emor —

Just as every Yom Tov carries an illumination from the upper world, as the Zohar explains regarding the name "Yom Tov," so too there is something parallel each day.

כמו כן בכל יום יש התחדשות מ"ב ובזמן המקדש בכל קרבן הי' כמו יו"ט כידוע

so too in every single day there is a renewal of Maaseh Bereishis; and in the time of the Beis HaMikdash, with every korban it was like a Yom Tov, as is known.

Each day brings a fresh renewal of Creation, and in the time of the Beis HaMikdash every korban functioned like a Yom Tov.

וכמו כן בבוקר יש התחדשות ונק' במועדו

And likewise, in the morning there is a renewal, and it is called "at its appointed time."

So too the morning carries its own renewal, which the Torah calls offering "at its appointed time."

ובשבתות ויו"ט יש תוספות על זה אבל כתי' על עולת התמיד יעשה כו'

And on Shabbosos and Yamim Tovim there is an addition beyond this, but it is written, "upon the olah of the continual offering (olas hatamid) shall it be done" (Bamidbar 28:24), etc.

Shabbos and Yom Tov add a musaf offering on top, yet the Torah specifies it is done "upon the olas hatamid."

משמע שיסוד הקרבנות הם התמידין וכמו כן עתה בתפלות שבמקום תמידין תקנום כנ"ל

Which implies that the foundation of the korbanos are the temidin; and likewise now, the tefillos which were instituted in place of the temidin, as above.

This shows the tamid is the foundation upon which all other korbanos rest, and correspondingly our tefillos were instituted in place of the temidin.

וזה הכח נתן מרע"ה לבנ"י במתנה כמ"ש שם וידבר משה את מועדי ה' אל בנ"י וז"ש שם רש"י המשל שא"ל הקב"ה עד שאתה מצוני צוה את בני עלי ומסר להם הסדר הזה כנ"ל:

And this power Moshe Rabbeinu gave to Bnei Yisrael as a gift, as it is written there, "And Moshe spoke the appointed times (moadei) of Hashem to Bnei Yisrael" (Vayikra 23:44); and this is what Rashi says there with the mashal, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu said to him, "Before you command Me, command My children concerning Me" — and he handed over to them this order, as above.

Moshe gave this power to Bnei Yisrael as a gift, as seen in the passuk and Rashi's mashal where Hashem tells Moshe to command His children about the offerings before commanding Him — Moshe thereby handed down this order of avodah.

Summary: The Sfas Emes explains that tefillah has designated times because each moment binds to its hidden supernal root, corresponding to Hashem's daily renewal of Creation. We access these times by first arranging Hashem's praise through berachos and Krias Shema, which recognizes that daily renewal and opens the gates of tefillah; while a broken person can always cry out, since the gates of tears never close, "a tefillah of Moshe" aims higher, at opening those gates. Moshe Rabbeinu, knowing that entering Eretz Yisrael would have spared Bnei Yisrael from all sin and galus, left us instead the order of tefillah as a gift in galus, standing in place of the korbanos and directing toward the supernal gates. Just as the daily tamid is the foundation upon which the musafin of Shabbos and Yom Tov rest, our daily tefillos were instituted in place of the temidin. This entire order of avodah is the gift Moshe handed down to Bnei Yisrael, as Rashi teaches in his mashal of Hashem telling Moshe to command His children about the offerings.