Description: Belief in the Creator 04
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 50 – 51
If we pay a little attention to the way Chazal organized our day – we can see that they made every effort that the knowledge of Hashem’s existence should be on our mind in everything we do.
We wake up in the morning, hit the snooze button. Ok. We wake up, rub our eyes groggily. What do we think? What are we meant to think at that moment? Oh no! It’s so late! I have to rush to daven, school, work, wake up my kids, etc.! We are taught from the youngest age what has to occupy our mind at the very first moment of the day. Modeh ani lifanechah Melech chay v’kayum, she’hechzartah bi nishmasi. I acknowledge and am aware of the fact that I exist only ‘before you’ lifanechah! I live before you, I breathe before you, and I am getting up, before you. I recognize that You, the King of the world, who is alive – ‘chay,’ and exists – v’kayum!
When else do we say these words, ‘chay v’kayum?’ On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur! We say ‘Chay v’kayum norah marom v’kadosh!’ That’s the power of this awareness of Hashem – it carries with it the greatest recognition of Hashem’s holiness and awesomeness. He exists!
Chazal wanted our very first waking moments of the day, when our mind hasn’t been clouded by anything else, to be full of this thought – Hashem is alive. Hashem exists. He is the King of the world, and I live before Him. The rest of the day now has a foundation to build upon. We can go from thing to thing, from mitzvah to mitzvah, tefillah to tefillah, our work and lives – incorporating this realization and thought into everything we do – we are doing it ‘lifanecheh,’ in front of Hashem.
What Chazal wanted to happen next, is that a logical train of thought should develop – each and every day. Who woke me up from my sleep? You Ribono Shel Olam! Who gave me the strength, health, working back and spine, strong muscles, to be able to get up and stand? You Ribono Shel Olam! These all are addressed in the brachos Chazal have us say every day. We say them all together, but if you look at the source in the Gemarah, they were originally said as we did each thing. We get up – we say ‘hamaichin mitzadei gaver.’ We woke up? We say, ‘Hanosain lasechvi binah!’ Think how meaningful these brachos are when they are made as we are appreciating the fact we can stand!
Truth is, we don’t appreciate the fact we can stand. If we would make the brachah then – we would begin to notice it, appreciate it, recognize this is Hashem making me stand – and then it would be a brachah! I heard from Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen shlitah, a Rav in Lakewood who is a grandson of Rabbi Avigdor Miller, how someone who had temporarily lost his eyesight told him, his brachah of ‘pokaich ivrim,’ is simply a different brachah. When people are, lo alainu, laid up, or they have chronic back pain, or are recovering from a surgery – when they can finally stand unsupported, and can walk without pain – what a different world it is!
We are meant to see Hashem in every step we take. Chazal instituted these brachos as guidelines, to start the day off properly – with the hope that this thought would accompany us throughout the day. Hashem exists – He is ‘chay v’kayum.’ Hashem is fueling my strength, Hashem is giving me balance, giving me eyesight. He is here and I feel it and live it!
Why does Hashem do all this? Because He wants us to be able to serve Him – the greatest privilege, zchus, and enjoyment possible. We then utilize this thought to go into davening – our first service to Hashem of the day. But our davening is now a different davening. We are not merely davening. We are davening ‘in front of Hashem.’
Of course, you’d think that at least by davening that should be a given – the bare minimum requirement, acknowledging that we are standing in front of Hashem. Truth is, that it is the bare minimum requirement, but as we know, that doesn’t mean we think that, feel that, live that, or even daven that way.
These are the methods we can adapt to bring this thought into our lives, day in and day out. They have already been put into place for us, through Modeh Ani and brachos. What a wonderful place to start – right in the beginning of the day. From there we can build, and add piece by piece, so that our davening is suffused with this thought, our eating, our bentching, our working, and our whole day should be living before Hashem.
Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh
Volume I Pages 50 – 51
If we pay a little attention to the way Chazal organized our day – we can see that they made every effort that the knowledge of Hashem’s existence should be on our mind in everything we do.
We wake up in the morning, hit the snooze button. Ok. We wake up, rub our eyes groggily. What do we think? What are we meant to think at that moment? Oh no! It’s so late! I have to rush to daven, school, work, wake up my kids, etc.! We are taught from the youngest age what has to occupy our mind at the very first moment of the day. Modeh ani lifanechah Melech chay v’kayum, she’hechzartah bi nishmasi. I acknowledge and am aware of the fact that I exist only ‘before you’ lifanechah! I live before you, I breathe before you, and I am getting up, before you. I recognize that You, the King of the world, who is alive – ‘chay,’ and exists – v’kayum!
When else do we say these words, ‘chay v’kayum?’ On Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur! We say ‘Chay v’kayum norah marom v’kadosh!’ That’s the power of this awareness of Hashem – it carries with it the greatest recognition of Hashem’s holiness and awesomeness. He exists!
Chazal wanted our very first waking moments of the day, when our mind hasn’t been clouded by anything else, to be full of this thought – Hashem is alive. Hashem exists. He is the King of the world, and I live before Him. The rest of the day now has a foundation to build upon. We can go from thing to thing, from mitzvah to mitzvah, tefillah to tefillah, our work and lives – incorporating this realization and thought into everything we do – we are doing it ‘lifanecheh,’ in front of Hashem.
What Chazal wanted to happen next, is that a logical train of thought should develop – each and every day. Who woke me up from my sleep? You Ribono Shel Olam! Who gave me the strength, health, working back and spine, strong muscles, to be able to get up and stand? You Ribono Shel Olam! These all are addressed in the brachos Chazal have us say every day. We say them all together, but if you look at the source in the Gemarah, they were originally said as we did each thing. We get up – we say ‘hamaichin mitzadei gaver.’ We woke up? We say, ‘Hanosain lasechvi binah!’ Think how meaningful these brachos are when they are made as we are appreciating the fact we can stand!
Truth is, we don’t appreciate the fact we can stand. If we would make the brachah then – we would begin to notice it, appreciate it, recognize this is Hashem making me stand – and then it would be a brachah! I heard from Rabbi Simcha Bunim Cohen shlitah, a Rav in Lakewood who is a grandson of Rabbi Avigdor Miller, how someone who had temporarily lost his eyesight told him, his brachah of ‘pokaich ivrim,’ is simply a different brachah. When people are, lo alainu, laid up, or they have chronic back pain, or are recovering from a surgery – when they can finally stand unsupported, and can walk without pain – what a different world it is!
We are meant to see Hashem in every step we take. Chazal instituted these brachos as guidelines, to start the day off properly – with the hope that this thought would accompany us throughout the day. Hashem exists – He is ‘chay v’kayum.’ Hashem is fueling my strength, Hashem is giving me balance, giving me eyesight. He is here and I feel it and live it!
Why does Hashem do all this? Because He wants us to be able to serve Him – the greatest privilege, zchus, and enjoyment possible. We then utilize this thought to go into davening – our first service to Hashem of the day. But our davening is now a different davening. We are not merely davening. We are davening ‘in front of Hashem.’
Of course, you’d think that at least by davening that should be a given – the bare minimum requirement, acknowledging that we are standing in front of Hashem. Truth is, that it is the bare minimum requirement, but as we know, that doesn’t mean we think that, feel that, live that, or even daven that way.
These are the methods we can adapt to bring this thought into our lives, day in and day out. They have already been put into place for us, through Modeh Ani and brachos. What a wonderful place to start – right in the beginning of the day. From there we can build, and add piece by piece, so that our davening is suffused with this thought, our eating, our bentching, our working, and our whole day should be living before Hashem.