Description: Kriah 04
She’arim BiTefillah
Kriah 04
As we learned, there is different methods of calling out to Hashem, based on what position a person is in. Tzaddikim can rely on Hashem that He will provide his parnassah, because Hashem is ‘משביע לכל חי’ Hashem provides for every living thing. But a rashah can’t rely on that alone, that Hashem will provide for him just as He provides for every living thing. Reshaim aren’t included in that because they have lost that merit. They need to trust in Hashem’s endless mercy. Hashem is ‘maitiv la’raim vi’latovim.’ If he has that greater level of belief – then Hashem will certainly provide for him. The greater the need for mercy is, the greater level of Bitachon is required.
The ways of Hashem are varied and very deep, and there are different names of Hashem that refer to them. For a tzaddik, the middah that Hashem has mercy on all living things is the name that he would invoke. For a rashah, he would call to Hashem by the name that refers to the fact that He is merciful even to reshaim.
Calling the correct name of Hashem, means that someone has the full trust that Hashem will practice that middah – because he knows that Hashem relates to the world in that way. By virtue of that belief Hashem will listen to his call, and answer as Hashem sees fit.
We this in a most amazing way, in the story of Menashe, which we have mentioned before. Menashe was the son of Chizkiyahu Hamelech, and although Chizkiyahu was a great tzaddik, Menasheh was a great rashah, so much so, that his evil deeds sealed the fate of Klal Yisrael and brought on the chorban. He was guilty of killing innocent people, so much that the pasuk says he filled the streets of Yerushalayim with blood, he was guilty of Avodah Zarah, and closed down the Beis Hamikdash. Eventually he was captured by a foreign nation, and he was being given a slow death by cooking in a pot. As he was cooking, he called out to every Avodah Zarah he knew. None of them answered, understandably. He then said, ‘I remember my father taught me a pasuk:
בצר לך ומצאוך כל הדברים האלה ושבת עד ה' אלוקיך
When you are in trouble and all these punishments will happen to you, you should return to Hashem your God. I will call out to Him. If He answers, good, if not, He’s just like the rest of the Avodah Zarah’s chas v’shalom! What chutzpah!
The Malachim were trying to prevent this tefillah from entering the heavens. They said, ‘Someone who put an idol in the Heichal of the Beis Hamikdash, you will listen to him?!’ Hashem said, ‘If I don’t listen to him, all Baalei Teshuvah will give up hope!’ Hashem created a special tunnel for his tefillah, and he was saved.
Now, would it have been even a question in the most cynical, heretical person, why Hashem wouldn’t answer Menashe at that point? If anything, it created a tremendous question, why did Hashem answer him! But Menashe knew a secret, which he was taught by his father Chizkiyahu Hamelech. He knew that if you call out to Hashem with a secret name of Hashem, a name which even the Malachim don’t understand, a name which we refer to on Rosh Hashanah, ‘vi’ain leforaish ailom shemechah,’ we can’t explain the hiddenness of Your name, Hashem will answer. It is a middah of Hashem, which is what Hashem replied to the Malachim. Hashem said, I have to reply, if I don’t, it will close the door for all Baalei Teshuvah. If a rashah truly believes in Hashem’s middah to have mercy even on someone as evil and bad as Menasheh, to allow them a chance to turn their life around, Hashem will answer to that name. That’s the power of Kriah.
She’arim BiTefillah
Kriah 04
As we learned, there is different methods of calling out to Hashem, based on what position a person is in. Tzaddikim can rely on Hashem that He will provide his parnassah, because Hashem is ‘משביע לכל חי’ Hashem provides for every living thing. But a rashah can’t rely on that alone, that Hashem will provide for him just as He provides for every living thing. Reshaim aren’t included in that because they have lost that merit. They need to trust in Hashem’s endless mercy. Hashem is ‘maitiv la’raim vi’latovim.’ If he has that greater level of belief – then Hashem will certainly provide for him. The greater the need for mercy is, the greater level of Bitachon is required.
The ways of Hashem are varied and very deep, and there are different names of Hashem that refer to them. For a tzaddik, the middah that Hashem has mercy on all living things is the name that he would invoke. For a rashah, he would call to Hashem by the name that refers to the fact that He is merciful even to reshaim.
Calling the correct name of Hashem, means that someone has the full trust that Hashem will practice that middah – because he knows that Hashem relates to the world in that way. By virtue of that belief Hashem will listen to his call, and answer as Hashem sees fit.
We this in a most amazing way, in the story of Menashe, which we have mentioned before. Menashe was the son of Chizkiyahu Hamelech, and although Chizkiyahu was a great tzaddik, Menasheh was a great rashah, so much so, that his evil deeds sealed the fate of Klal Yisrael and brought on the chorban. He was guilty of killing innocent people, so much that the pasuk says he filled the streets of Yerushalayim with blood, he was guilty of Avodah Zarah, and closed down the Beis Hamikdash. Eventually he was captured by a foreign nation, and he was being given a slow death by cooking in a pot. As he was cooking, he called out to every Avodah Zarah he knew. None of them answered, understandably. He then said, ‘I remember my father taught me a pasuk:
בצר לך ומצאוך כל הדברים האלה ושבת עד ה' אלוקיך
When you are in trouble and all these punishments will happen to you, you should return to Hashem your God. I will call out to Him. If He answers, good, if not, He’s just like the rest of the Avodah Zarah’s chas v’shalom! What chutzpah!
The Malachim were trying to prevent this tefillah from entering the heavens. They said, ‘Someone who put an idol in the Heichal of the Beis Hamikdash, you will listen to him?!’ Hashem said, ‘If I don’t listen to him, all Baalei Teshuvah will give up hope!’ Hashem created a special tunnel for his tefillah, and he was saved.
Now, would it have been even a question in the most cynical, heretical person, why Hashem wouldn’t answer Menashe at that point? If anything, it created a tremendous question, why did Hashem answer him! But Menashe knew a secret, which he was taught by his father Chizkiyahu Hamelech. He knew that if you call out to Hashem with a secret name of Hashem, a name which even the Malachim don’t understand, a name which we refer to on Rosh Hashanah, ‘vi’ain leforaish ailom shemechah,’ we can’t explain the hiddenness of Your name, Hashem will answer. It is a middah of Hashem, which is what Hashem replied to the Malachim. Hashem said, I have to reply, if I don’t, it will close the door for all Baalei Teshuvah. If a rashah truly believes in Hashem’s middah to have mercy even on someone as evil and bad as Menasheh, to allow them a chance to turn their life around, Hashem will answer to that name. That’s the power of Kriah.