Trust as the heart of true prayer

במדרש בזאת יבא אהרן.

In the Midrash on "With this Aharon shall come" (Vayikra 16:3):

The Midrash on the avodah of Yom Kippur opens by drawing a connection between Aharon's entry to the holiest place and the theme of trust.

ה' אורי וישעי בים ע"ש כל הענין עד בזאת אני בוטח.

"Hashem is my light and my salvation" (Tehillim 27:1); see the whole matter there, until "in this I trust."

The Midrash links the word "with this (b'zos)" to the psalm of bitachon — "in this (b'zos) I trust" — tying Aharon's entry to the theme of trust in Hashem.

והנה אח"כ נאמר בפסוק אחת שאלתי מאת ה' כו' שבתי בבית ה' כו'.

And behold, afterward it is said in the verse, "One thing I ask of Hashem… that I dwell in the House of Hashem…" (Tehillim 27:4).

That same psalm continues to the single request to dwell always in Hashem's house — the goal toward which trust leads.

אמונה ובטחון הוא הכנה אל התפלה השלימה.

Emunah and bitachon are the preparation for complete tefillah.

Faith and trust are the necessary groundwork before one can pray with wholeness.

ולכן מקדימין השירה בכל יום קודם התפלה כדאיתא במד' בשלח כמו שהם הקדימו האמונה כן צריך אדם לטהר לבו קודם התפלה.

Therefore we recite the Shirah (Song at the Sea) each day before the tefillah, as is brought in the Midrash on Beshalach: just as they put emunah first, so must a person purify his heart before tefillah.

We say Az Yashir daily before Shemoneh Esrei because Bnei Yisrael first attained faith and only then sang. Likewise one must first cleanse the heart with emunah before praying.

דכתי' לא חמס בכפי ותפלתי זכה.

As it is written, "no violence is in my hands, and my prayer is pure" (Iyov 16:17).

Pure prayer depends on clean hands — a life free of dishonest gain.

וכי יש תפלה עכורה כו' מי שידיו מלוכלכות בגזל אין תפלתו נשמעת.

"Is there then a 'murky' prayer?" — whoever's hands are soiled with theft, his prayer is not heard.

Chazal explain that "pure prayer" implies prayer can be murky: when a person's hands are dirtied by robbery, his tefillah is not accepted.

נקי כפים ובר לבב ישא ברכה מאת ה' ע"ש.

"He of clean hands and a pure heart shall bear a blessing from Hashem" (Tehillim 24:4-5); see there.

Two conditions for blessing are named: clean hands and a pure heart — the Sefas Emes will now explain each.

והענין הוא כי התפלה היא לקבל השפעת הקב"ה וצריך להיות עיקר המבוקש לקבל השפעתו ית' בדבקות האמת בשורש העליון.

And the matter is that tefillah is to receive the influence (hashpa'ah) of the Holy One, blessed is He, and the main object of one's request must be to receive His influence through true dveikus to the supernal root.

The real purpose of prayer is not merely to obtain things but to receive Hashem's flow through genuine attachment to its higher Source.

וזה פי' נקי כפים ולהיפוך נק' ידיו מלוכלכות בגזל מאחר שאינו מקבל כפי רצונו ית'.

And this is the meaning of "clean hands," and the opposite is called "hands soiled with theft," since he does not receive in accordance with His will.

"Clean hands" means receiving only in line with ratzon Hashem; taking outside His will is itself a kind of "theft" that dirties the hands.

ואם האדם זוכה לאמונה ובטחון כראוי אז לבו בטוח כי כל הנהגה שלו מהקב"ה.

And if a person merits emunah and bitachon properly, then his heart is confident that all of his conduct is from the Holy One, blessed is He.

True trust brings the inner certainty that everything in one's life is directed by Hashem.

והכל הוא כפי הטוב ונצרך לו ע"צ היותר טוב מכל הטובות שבעולם.

And everything is according to what is good and needed for him, in the very best manner of all the goods in the world.

Whatever Hashem sends is precisely calibrated for one's ultimate good — better than anything one could have chosen.

כמו שביאר בס' חובת הלבבות באר היטב.

As is well explained in the sefer Chovos HaLevavos.

The Sefas Emes points to the classic treatment of bitachon in Chovos HaLevavos.

ואז אחת שאלתי ופונה לבו מכל דבר כמ"ש ואותו תעבוד אם אתה פונה עצמך ואין לך עבודה אחרת אלא זו.

And then "one thing I ask," and his heart turns away from everything else, as it says, "and Him you shall serve" — if you turn yourself away from all else, and you have no other avodah but this one.

With such trust, a person's heart clears of every other concern and focuses on the single request: to serve Hashem alone.

וזה נק' בר לבב.

And this is called "a pure heart."

This singular focus on Hashem is the meaning of "bar levav" — purity of heart.

והקב"ה הקדים לבנ"י הנסים ונפלאות ביצ"מ ועל הים כדי להיות מובטחים בו כראוי ולא ידאגו על שום דבר רק אחת שאלתי.

And the Holy One, blessed is He, sent Bnei Yisrael the miracles and wonders at Yetzias Mitzrayim and at the sea beforehand, so that they would be properly trusting in Him and would not worry about anything — only "one thing I ask."

The open miracles of the Exodus and the sea were meant to instill such trust that Bnei Yisrael would be free of all worry, devoted to one request alone.

וכן צריכין לסדר שבחו של מקום ואח"כ יתפלל כדאיתא במד' אל הרנה ואל התפלה. רנה זה סידור שבחו.

And so one must first arrange the praise of the Omnipresent and afterward pray, as is brought in the Midrash on "to the joyous song (rinah) and to the prayer" (Melachim I 8:28): "rinah" is the arranging of His praise.

The proper order is to praise Hashem first and only then to make requests — "rinah" before "tefillah."

וכ"כ ויאמינו בה' אז ישיר.

And so it is written, "and they believed in Hashem… then Moshe sang (az yashir)."

The Torah's own sequence — first belief, then song — models faith preceding praise.

ובמד' אין אז אלא בטחון כמ"ש אז תלך לבטח.

And in the Midrash, "az (then)" denotes nothing but bitachon, as it says, "then (az) you shall walk securely" (Mishlei 3:23).

The word "az" introducing the Shirah hints at trust — the song flows from the security of bitachon.

והבוטח בה' הוא מלא שמחה.

And one who trusts in Hashem is full of joy.

Genuine bitachon naturally produces simchah, for the trusting person is at peace.

והגם כי נזכרו בשמ"ע כל בקשות הנצרכים לאדם.

And although all the requests that a person needs are mentioned in the Shemoneh Esrei —

The Amidah does contain many specific petitions for one's needs.

אך באמת המכוון לקשר כל הדברים הנצרכים לו אל הבורא ית'.

— yet in truth the intent is to bind all the things one needs to the Creator.

The real purpose of those requests is to connect every one of one's needs back to Hashem as their source.

וזה הברכות שבכל הבקשות להיות הפרנסה והרפואה והמשפט הכל מקושר אליו ית"ש.

And this is the blessings within all the requests: that parnassah, healing, and justice should all be bound to Him.

Each berachah of the Amidah ties livelihood, health, and justice back to Hashem, so the petitions become a means of attachment, not mere requests.

וזה אחת שאלתי כו' שבתי בבית ה' כל ימי חיי.

And this is "one thing I ask… that I dwell in the House of Hashem all the days of my life."

Beneath all the varied requests lies one unified desire: to remain always connected to Hashem, "dwelling in His house."

וזה הרמז אל יבא בכל עת כי לכל זמן ועת כו'.

And this is the hint in "let him not come at all times" — for "to everything there is a season and a time."

The Kohen Gadol may not enter the Holy of Holies at just any moment, for there is a fixed proper time for each thing.

אבל בנ"י ואני תפלתי כו' עת רצון ובזאת יבא אל הקודש:

But of Bnei Yisrael it says, "and as for me, my prayer… is at a time of favor (eis ratzon)," and "with this (b'zos) he shall come to the holy place."

Through prayer rooted in trust, Bnei Yisrael reach an eis ratzon — and it is "with this," with that trusting tefillah, that one may enter the holiest place.

Summary: Emunah and bitachon are the indispensable preparation for true tefillah. One who trusts that everything Hashem sends is for his ultimate good purifies his heart of every other concern, so that his single request becomes to dwell always close to Hashem. All the petitions of the Amidah serve to bind one's needs back to their Source — and it is "with this" trust, like Aharon's, that one may enter the holy place at a time of favor.