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Insights into Parshat Devarim of Mr. Ben Cohen of Yeshivat Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.
“Va’etchanan el Hashem ba’et hahi l’emor” (Deut. 3:23) (And I implored to Hashem at that time). Moshe ‘implored’ Hashem to let him into Eretz Yisrael. In the Midrash Rabbah on this week’s parsha we find that there are 10 leshonot (terms for) of tefila (prayer). Tachanunim is one of them which is learnt out from the word Va’Etchanan. Chazal explain that Moshe requested a ‘free gift’ from Hashem to let him enter into the land. So to on the general scale we are encouraged to daven to Hashem and to request from Him all our needs from His infinite storage supply, a storage supply of free gifts.
Shaarim b’tefillah goes through all of the leshonot mentioned above in the Midrash. In my view there is a clear link between this expression of chinun (imploring) and that of bitzur (distress). In times of need we call out to Hashem. Rav Pincus brings the Midrash near the end of Dvarim in which the awesome power of Moshe’s tefila is brought down, where he beseeched Hashem to grant him this free gift of entry to the land. The Midrash recounts that Moshe davened until he shook the heavens and the order of creation to the point Hashem called out to all the angels telling them to lock the gates to shamayim, but Moshe persisted and his tefila is compared to a sword which sliced through all these blockades. Up until the point where Hashem had to tell Moshe to stop or else he would have had to overturn His decree. Moshe agreed, and as they say, the rest is history.
Rav Pincus though goes on to teach a vital lesson. The Zohar on Parashat Balak says: ‘There are three people who are written about concerning tefila: Moshe, David and an Ani (a poor person). The tefila of Moshe, the Man of G-d, was like no other of man. The tefila of David was like no other of any king, but the tefila of the Ani, out of these three, is the most important of them all. It is greater than any tefila in the world.’ This begs the question why?! Because the Ani’s heart is broken and it says ‘Hashem is close to all the broken hearted.’ When the Ani prays he opens up all the windows of Shamayim.
Rav Pincus delivers a fascinating insight, it is not only the Ani but our tefilot too can be ‘more’ powerful than those of Moshe; whose tefilot broke through like a sword the very gate that Hashem declared must be locked. To achieve this great level, we must develop within ourselves the emotions of an Ani. That is to say a true understanding of how much we depend on Hashem for absolutely everything and anything and that without His aid we are totally helpless. Rav Yammer teaches his Talmidim to stop for a few moments at the beginning of the Amidah to just think and recognize how all the things that we value as most important in our lives are totally dependent on Him. Through developing this mental state we will nurture this feeling of an Ani and please G-d merit that our Tefilot will also have the power of the Ani as described in the Zohar above.
To strengthen this idea that we see ourselves as poor people dependent on Hashem for all our needs we can find proof in the way that davening is set out. Siftei Chaim explains that 1st bracha (blessing) of the Amidah is me’akev (invalidated) if you have no kavana (thought or intention) and given a higher importance for this very idea. Before we set out to make all our requests we are required to recall all the praises of Hashem, not for His sake, but for ours. Before asking for anything, we are obligated to understand this idea that Hashem has control of everything and if we are to succeed we need to engender this mindset within ourselves. Hence the Talmud in Brachot 31a, that we must precede our requests with a praise of Hashem.
Perhaps we can stretch this idea to Tehilim 102:1, King David declares “A prayer for the Ani when he swoons”. The Radak, the Sforno and the Malbim all describe that King David is talking about the tefila of the Jews at the time of the salvation. Now we can understand why David chose to describe the tefila of Ani rather than anyone else in the world. Possibly he too was teaching us that the Ani is the one who possesses the greatest power through his tefila. (Maybe this explains the mourn full Ani like dirge that often accompanies these words!).
Finally perhaps this is also why the Talmud in Brachot 30b requires that we daven b’cavod rosh (with a heavy head) – which is brought down as halacha (Jewish Law) – which Rashi teaches means to approach daven with a sense of submissiveness.