Description: Pegiah 03
She’arim BiTefillah
Pegiah 3
Its important to realize with this form of tefillah, and every form of tefillah, that even if we ask for something, and we beg for something, we have to do it in the right way.
We are very distant from knowing what is truly a good thing for us. We might want wealth, or some other item, and even if what we want is tremendous wisdom, its not necessarily a good thing for us. We can all identify times when we really wanted something, and after we got it, eventually we came to the realization that we would have been better off without it.
The best approach is to always daven in a more general manner. The language of the tefillah should always be that our will should be whatever Hashem’s will is, for us. If we daven for a shidduch, it should be that we should find the shidduch that Hashem wants for us. If we daven for parnassah we should daven that Hashem should provide for us what He knows is good for us. The concept is, we are davening that Hashem should have mercy on us and not allow our avairos or lack of zchus get in the way of granting our needs.
Even when we are davening for the Geulah, which we already know from Chazal that this is Ratzon Shamayim, the language we use has to be in that manner.
Its also important to realize that we have an obligation of Yirah – awe and fear of Hashem as much as we have an obligation to love Hashem. Hashem is our father, and we address Him as such, Avinu, but we also say Malkainu, which is the level of fear and respect we have to have in conjunction with the closeness of a father. We don’t speak to Hashem as a friend – the fact that we can relate to Hashem as a father is because that is what Hashem desires ‘bi’rov anvisanuso,’ with His great humility, to relate to us from His position as Melech Malchei Hamelachim. Every tefillah has both aspects to it, built into the language that Chazal made for us, like Avinu Malkainu, and both those concepts have to guide us in our davening.
Nonetheless, when we are in great need, the best thing to do is to daven and daven, to great measure, take out that Tehillim and give it all we’ve got.
Another thing to be very careful about, is not to allow the fact that we are davening so much cause us to have a complaint, so to speak against Hashem. It’s a very easy pitfall to stumble into. We daven and daven and daven, and put all our energy into it – and Hashem didn’t listen. Why not?! It can be a very bitter pill to swallow. We can’t let our effort in davening work against us! We both have to not allow these thoughts to creep into our minds and subvert us – and at the same time – we can’t give up! We have to keep on davening – as Chazal say, Kavai el Hashem, chazaik vi’yamaitz libechah, vi’Kavai el Hashem. Hope or pray to Hashem, strengthen your heart – and then – keep on davening!
Look how Moshe Rabbeinu davened 515 tefillos – yet was not answered – but he wasn’t going to stop! Only Hashem commanded him ‘rav lach,’ it is enough. Even Moshe can daven so much and not be answered for reasons known to Hashem.
She’arim BiTefillah
Pegiah 3
Its important to realize with this form of tefillah, and every form of tefillah, that even if we ask for something, and we beg for something, we have to do it in the right way.
We are very distant from knowing what is truly a good thing for us. We might want wealth, or some other item, and even if what we want is tremendous wisdom, its not necessarily a good thing for us. We can all identify times when we really wanted something, and after we got it, eventually we came to the realization that we would have been better off without it.
The best approach is to always daven in a more general manner. The language of the tefillah should always be that our will should be whatever Hashem’s will is, for us. If we daven for a shidduch, it should be that we should find the shidduch that Hashem wants for us. If we daven for parnassah we should daven that Hashem should provide for us what He knows is good for us. The concept is, we are davening that Hashem should have mercy on us and not allow our avairos or lack of zchus get in the way of granting our needs.
Even when we are davening for the Geulah, which we already know from Chazal that this is Ratzon Shamayim, the language we use has to be in that manner.
Its also important to realize that we have an obligation of Yirah – awe and fear of Hashem as much as we have an obligation to love Hashem. Hashem is our father, and we address Him as such, Avinu, but we also say Malkainu, which is the level of fear and respect we have to have in conjunction with the closeness of a father. We don’t speak to Hashem as a friend – the fact that we can relate to Hashem as a father is because that is what Hashem desires ‘bi’rov anvisanuso,’ with His great humility, to relate to us from His position as Melech Malchei Hamelachim. Every tefillah has both aspects to it, built into the language that Chazal made for us, like Avinu Malkainu, and both those concepts have to guide us in our davening.
Nonetheless, when we are in great need, the best thing to do is to daven and daven, to great measure, take out that Tehillim and give it all we’ve got.
Another thing to be very careful about, is not to allow the fact that we are davening so much cause us to have a complaint, so to speak against Hashem. It’s a very easy pitfall to stumble into. We daven and daven and daven, and put all our energy into it – and Hashem didn’t listen. Why not?! It can be a very bitter pill to swallow. We can’t let our effort in davening work against us! We both have to not allow these thoughts to creep into our minds and subvert us – and at the same time – we can’t give up! We have to keep on davening – as Chazal say, Kavai el Hashem, chazaik vi’yamaitz libechah, vi’Kavai el Hashem. Hope or pray to Hashem, strengthen your heart – and then – keep on davening!
Look how Moshe Rabbeinu davened 515 tefillos – yet was not answered – but he wasn’t going to stop! Only Hashem commanded him ‘rav lach,’ it is enough. Even Moshe can daven so much and not be answered for reasons known to Hashem.