Tefillah Flowing From Daas
ברש"י אע"פ שיש לצדיקים כו'
In Rashi's comment: "Even though tzaddikim have [a claim on Hashem based on their own good deeds, they ask of Him only an undeserved gift]."
Rashi teaches that even tzaddikim, who could rely on their merits, instead ask Hashem only for an undeserved gift. The Sfas Emes uses this as his opening to explore the nature of true tefillah.
הענין הוא כי א"י בהמ"ק ותפלה הכל א' דלית לי' מגרמי' כלום
The matter is this: Eretz Yisrael, the Beis HaMikdash, and tefillah are all one and the same, for each of them has nothing of its own.
Eretz Yisrael, the Beis HaMikdash, and tefillah share one essence: each has no independent existence of its own and draws everything from Hashem.
ובאמת עיקר התפלה חשובה כשהיא באה מתוך הדעת
And in truth, the essence of tefillah is held to be of true worth specifically when it comes from out of da'as (true understanding).
Real tefillah is precious specifically when it flows from genuine da'as, an awareness of truth, rather than only from raw need.
כמ"ש אדם ובהמה תושיע ערומין בדעת כאדם ומשימין עצמן כבהמה
As it is written, "Man and beast You save" (Tehillim 36:7) — they are clever in da'as like a man, yet they make themselves like a beast.
The pasuk "Man and beast You save" hints at one who is sharp in understanding like a man yet humbles himself like a beast before Hashem.
שכשזוכין לדעת האמת רואין שפלת האדם
For when one merits the da'as of truth, he sees the lowliness of man.
True da'as leads a person to recognize his own lowliness, and that recognition is what makes his tefillah real.
וכן ראינו הסדר שנהג הקב"ה אותנו אחר קבלת התורה הכניסנו לא"י
And so too we find the order which the Holy One, Blessed is He, conducted with us: after the receiving of the Torah He brought us into Eretz Yisrael.
Just as Hashem first gave the Torah and only afterward brought Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael, there is a deliberate order of Torah first, then tefillah.
וכן הרמז בכל יום ק"ש קודם תפלה
And so too is the hint in our reciting Krias Shema each day before tefillah.
The same order is reflected daily, when we recite Krias Shema (Torah) before beginning Shemoneh Esrei (tefillah).
והם ב' הבחי' תורה ותפלה ועל ב' אלו כתי' מי גוי גדול כו' אלקים קרובים כו' בחי' תפלה
These are the two aspects — Torah and tefillah — and concerning these two it is written, "For what great nation is there [that has Elokim so close to it]" (Devarim 4:7) — "Elokim so close," the aspect of tefillah.
Torah and tefillah are the two aspects praised in the pesukim, and "Elokim so close" corresponds to tefillah, where Hashem is near to those who call out.
ומי ג"ג א"ל חקים כו' צדיקים כו' בחי' תורה והקדים התפלה איידי דחביבא לי' שהרי בא בלשון תחנונים מטעם הנ"ל
And "what great nation is there that has [such righteous] chukim [and ordinances]" (Devarim 4:8) — the "righteous ordinances," the aspect of Torah — and he placed tefillah first because it was dear to him, for it comes in a language of supplications, for the reason stated above.
"Righteous ordinances" corresponds to Torah, yet the pasuk mentions tefillah first because it is dear to Hashem, coming in the humble language of supplication.
שהגם שהוא הי' שורש התורה
For even though he was the very root of the Torah,
Although Moshe Rabbeinu was the very root of the Torah,
השתוקק לא"י שהיא בחי' התפלה
he yearned for Eretz Yisrael, which is the aspect of tefillah.
he still yearned to enter Eretz Yisrael, which embodies the aspect of tefillah and dependence on Hashem.
וזה עצמו ענין התפלה אתה החלות כו' שמסתמא תפלה זו לכל איש ישראל כאשר למדונו רבותינו מכאן דיני תפלה
And this itself is the matter of tefillah: "You have begun [to show Your servant Your greatness]" (Devarim 3:24) — for presumably this tefillah belongs to every man of Bnei Yisrael, just as our Rabbeinu taught us the laws of tefillah from here.
Moshe's plea "You have begun" is itself the model of tefillah, and Chazal derived the laws of tefillah from his words, showing it belongs to every Jew.
והענין הוא דיש ב' מיני תפלה א' בעת צרה כמו שהי' במצרים שצעקו בנ"י לה' וכן בכל נפש ישראל שצריך תפלה להוציא ממסגר נפשו ולתקן נפש הבהמיות ואח"כ כשזוכין לגאולה ולבוא לבחי' הדעת אז צריך להיות עיקר התפלה כנ"ל אדם ובהמה
And the matter is that there are two types of tefillah: one is in a time of distress, as it was in Mitzrayim when Bnei Yisrael cried out to Hashem — and so too within every neshamah of Yisrael, which requires tefillah to bring his soul out of confinement and to repair the soul of the beastly nature; and afterward, when one merits the geulah and to come to the aspect of da'as, then there must be the essence of tefillah as stated above, "man and beast."
There are two kinds of tefillah: one born of distress, like the cry in Mitzrayim and the soul's plea to escape its confinement; and a higher one that comes after redemption, once a person attains da'as.
וזה י"ל ענין סמיכות גאולה לתפלה כעין מ"ש במד' בשלח בפ' השמיעני את קולך כו' שכביכול השתוקק הקב"ה לשמוע צעקת בנ"י אחר הגאולה וע"י שלא צעקו הביא עליהם חיל פרעה כדי שיצעקו ע"ש
And this, one may say, is the matter of joining geulah to tefillah, similar to what is said in the Midrash on Beshalach, on the verse "Let me hear your voice" (Shir HaShirim 2:14) — that, as it were, the Holy One, Blessed is He, yearned to hear the cry of Bnei Yisrael after the geulah; and because they did not cry out, He brought upon them the army of Pharaoh in order that they should cry out — see there.
This explains why we join geulah to tefillah: the Midrash says Hashem yearned to hear Bnei Yisrael cry out even after the splitting of the sea, and brought Pharaoh's army so they would call to Him.
מכלל שיש תפלה אחר הגאולה שלא מתוך הצרה רק מתוך הגאולה דוקא
From this it is implied that there is a tefillah after the geulah which is not out of distress, but specifically out of the geulah itself.
This proves there is a form of tefillah that arises not from trouble but specifically from the state of redemption itself.
וז"ש אתה החלות כו' על ישועה ראשונה שעובר על איש ישראל
And this is what is meant by "You have begun" — referring to the first salvation that passes over a man of Yisrael,
"You have begun" refers to the first salvation that every Jew experiences, the initial deliverance from his lower state.
עד שבא לכלל דעת וזוכה לראות ולהשיג חסדי ה' וגבורותיו
until he comes to the level of da'as and merits to see and to grasp the kindnesses of Hashem and His mighty acts.
That first salvation leads a person to attain da'as and to perceive and grasp Hashem's kindnesses and mighty deeds.
אעברה נא כו' הוא התפלה אחר הדעת כמ"ש א"י אחר קבלת התורה
"Let me please cross over [and see the good land]" (Devarim 3:25) — this is the tefillah that comes after da'as, just as Eretz Yisrael came after the receiving of the Torah.
Moshe's request "Let me please cross over" represents the elevated tefillah that follows da'as, paralleling how Eretz Yisrael followed the giving of the Torah.
אדם ובהמה כנ"ל:
"Man and beast," as stated above.
The closing phrase "man and beast" recaps the theme: combining the understanding of a man with the self-effacing humility of a beast.
Summary: The Sfas Emes teaches that Eretz Yisrael, the Beis HaMikdash, and tefillah share one essence: each possesses nothing of its own and draws everything from Hashem. True tefillah, he explains, is precious specifically when it flows from da'as, the clear awareness that leads a person to recognize his own lowliness, combining the sharpness of a man with the humility of a beast. Just as Hashem gave the Torah first and only then brought Bnei Yisrael into Eretz Yisrael, and just as we recite Krias Shema before Shemoneh Esrei, the order of Torah followed by tefillah is built into our avodah. Drawing on Moshe Rabbeinu's plea "You have begun" and the Midrash that Hashem yearned to hear Bnei Yisrael cry out even after the geulah, the Sfas Emes distinguishes two forms of tefillah: one born of distress, and a higher one that rises specifically from the state of redemption and attained da'as. Moshe's request to enter the land embodies this elevated tefillah that follows true understanding.