Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 09

7/30/2019 Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 09

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T H E P I R C H E I SH O SH A N I M R O A D M A P T O P R AY E R PR O JE C T

The Roadmap to Prayer

Lesson 9

Pirchei Shoshanim 2005Th is shiur m ay not be reproduced in any form wit hout perm ission of the copyright holder


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Concentration in Prayer

Before we proceed with the main section of the daily prayer, let us examine some

laws regarding the prerequisites for Prayer.

The Mechaber in O rach Chaim, Simon 5 seif 1 states:

A person must concentrate on the simple meaning of the words when

recit ing blessings. When one mentions Hashems Divine Name one must have

in mind the meaning of the Name as we read it (i.e. Adonoy) which means

Master over al l existence, as well as i ts meaning according to the w ay i t is

spelled with the letters yud and hey etc. The meaning according to the

spelling is that G-d alw ays existed, exists now and w ill alw ays continue to

exist. When reading the Divine Name Elokim, one should concentrate that

Hashem is the Master of all pow ers.

HH aa ll aa cc hh aa

P r e f a c e : W h e n e v e r r e f e r r i n g t o G -d s N a m e , o n e m u s t

t a k e c a r e n o t t o r e c i t e t h e n a m e i n v a i n ( i . e . ou t s i d e o f

a b r a c h a , p r a y er o r e n t i r e v e r s e ) . C o m m o n l y , o n e

s u b s t i t u t e s t h e l e t t e r H e y o r Y u d w i t h s o u n d o f t h e

l e t t e r K . E .g . K a h i n s t e a d o f Y a h . El o k i m i n s t e a d o f

E l o h i m . A d o n o y i s r e f e r r e d t o a H a s h e m .

The Names of G-d (A part ial list )

Tetragrammaton (H ashem): (Y ud ' Kaye ' V av ' Kaye ' ) Pronounced A donoy.

Contemplate that G -d always existed, exists and wi ll cont inue to exist. H e is

M aster of all existence

Adonoy () - Concentrate H e is M aster of all existence

Lesson

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P I R C H E I S H O S H A N I M R O A D M A P T O P R A Y E R P R O J E C T

A N A T T A C H M E N T O F T H E S O U L L E S S O N 9

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Elokim - All Powerful G-d

Y ( k )ah, (K)ell , T zeva(k )os, are a few more ex amples of D ivine N ames1.

The Tetragramm aton

G -ds N ame of Four L etters is writ ten with the letters Y ud and H ey and V av and

H ey (Sheim H avayah - " )2. One must never pronounce it the way it is written.

Rather, the correct pronunciation is A donoy. Even this pronunciation of G-ds

N ame may never be said in vain. I t may only be recited in the context of a blessing

or a prayer.

Whenever one pronounces G -ds N ame (Tetragrammaton) one must meditate on

two thoughts.

1) Adone hakole - M aster of A ll existence

2) Hayah, Hoveh veYihyeh - G -d always existed, H e exists and H e will

always cont inue to exist. In H ebrew this translates H ayah (was) H oveh (is)

and Y ihyeh (will be), each word being from the letters of the

Tetragrammaton.

The B iur H aG r a maintains that it is only necessary to meditate on both meanings

of H ashems N ame when reading the fir st verse of Shema. O therwise, it is suff icient

just to meditate on the meaning of the way we pronounce H ashems N ame

(A donoy). The M ishna Berura in Orach Chaim 3 agrees with the G ras interpretation

of this law.

When G-ds N ame is written with the letters A lef, D aled, N un and Y ud, )( -

N ame of A dnus )( it is pronounced as it is written A donoy. Only the first

meaning A done hak ole M aster of A ll existence must be meditated.

When uttering G -ds N ame E lok im )( , one must meditate that G-d is All-

powerful and omnipotent.

1 The k sound is inserted to avoid reading H ashems N ame in vain.

2 We refer to it as such in order not to say H ashems N ame in vain

3 Simon 5 k 3


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One who finds it difficult to always keep in mind these meditations should at least

declare at the beginning of each day that he means to have these meditations

whenever he utters the N ame of G -d. (Introduction sefer A fi k ei Y am)4

When fulfil l ing a Mitzvah

One must have specific intent when fulfilling a Torah obligation that he is doing it

in order to fulf ill his obligation (L otzeis yedei chovasso).

There is an argument on this point in the Gemora whether one can fulfill a mitzvah

without specific intention. There is no clear conclusion as to the final ruling on

this matter. Therefore, the H alacha is to be strict with regard to Torah obligations

(mitzvos deoraissa) while for Rabbinic instituted mitzvos (mitzvos deRabbanan) one

fulfills the mitzvah even if one forgot to do it specifically for the purpose of

fulf illing ones obligation .

Pract ic al Applicat ions

The mitzvah of Krias Shema is a mitzvah deoraissa (a Torah command)5 to recite the

Torah portions once in the morning and again in the nighttime. Since it is a

mitzvah deoraissa, one must have specific intent when reciting it, that it is for this

purpose that he is reciting it. O n the other hand, A midah Shemoneh E srei is a

mitzvah deRabbanan (a Rabbinic statute) according to some opinions. Therefore, if

one davens without specific intent to fulfill his obligation, he fulfills it nonetheless.

The M ishna Berura adds that many tim es it is obvious that one performs the mitzvah

solely for the purpose of fulfilling ones obligation. In such situations the very factthat one goes through the eff ort o f perform ing the mitzvah show s that one is doing

it to fu lfi ll the ob ligation. H ence, no explicit intent is necessary in order to f ulf ill

the mitzvah obligation.

For example, if one wears Tefillin, it is obvious that one is doing so in order to

fulfill the obligation; especially since one recites the blessing A sher k idshanu

bemitzvosav vetzivanu lehaniach Tefillin (Who sanctified and commanded us to don

Tefillin). In such a case, one fulfills his mitzvah obligation automatically even

4 Rav Shlomo Z alman A uerbach ztl is quoted in the Sefer H ali chos Shlomo as saying that nowadays that manypeople do not have proper kavanah when reciting H ashems N ame, it is very reasonable to rely on the condit ionset forth by the A fik ei Y am as well as by the A ishel A vraham of B utchatch. This ruling relies on the opinion of theG ra that doesnt require one to concentrate more than that G -d is the M aster o f all and not the specific in tentthat G-d existed always, now and forever.

5 See Magen Avraham Simon 63: 8 for dif ferent opinions on t his matter


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without explicit intent to fulfill his obligation. Likewise, by Shemoneh E srei anyone

praying is presumably doing so because in order to fulfill the mitzvah obligation.

H owever, the mitzvah of the Shema Reading (krias Shema) is different. Krias Shema

is many times recited not for the sake of the mitzvah as when it is read when its

not the proper time fo r its recital. When M aariv prior to the correct time for Krias

Shema of the evening; we recite the Shema even though its not the proper time

for the mitzvah. Thus, its never obvious by M aariv that we are reciting it for the

purpose of fulfilling the mitzvah obligation. Additionally, the blessings for Krias

Shema are not specifically for the mitzvah of Krias Shema. As the Rashba puts it,

we dont say a blessing stating A sher k idshanu bemitzvosav vetz ivanu li k ros ess Shema.

Technically, one can recite the blessings and omit Krias Shema enti rely if one said it

beforehand6. Therefore it is imperative to have specific intention when reciting

Krias Shema to f ulfill ones mitzvah obligation.

If one did not have intent to fulfill the mitzvah obligation by a mitzvah deoraissa(Torah command) where the intent is not obvious, one must perfor m the mitzvah

again; this time with intent to fulf ill the mitzvah obligation.

Shemoneh Esrei

As for Shemoneh E srei; there is another important aspect. Since during this prayer

we are considered to be speaking directly to G -d and standing before H im in

prayer, there are two addit ional aspects to keep in mind. O ne must bear in m ind -

1. That one is standing in prayer in front of G -d

2. That one needs to understand the words hes praying to G-d

Rav Chaim Soloveitchik ztl of Brisk explains that the first k avanah is to have an

awareness that one is standing in front of his Creator in prayer. This awareness is

necessary to continue throughout the prayer of Shemoneh E srei, for w ithout it one

is not considered doing an act of prayer at all; it s considered just a rehearsal of

words.

On the other hand, the second level of Kavanah is to understand the words of

prayer. This is only absolutely necessary during the first bracha of Shemoneh E srei.Rav Chaim derives this from the Rambam who rules that the latter Kavanah is

6 We recite the Birchas Krias Shema even past the time for the mitzvah to read Shema


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necessary only during the first bracha of Shemoneh E srei while implying that the

former Kavanah is necessary during the entire Shemoneh E srei.

The Chazon Ish in his notes to Rav Chaim ztl essay suggests that the Rambam

maintains that if one just starts the prayer of Shemoneh E srei with the awarenessthat one is about to be standing before G -d in prayer and beseeching H im, it is

sufficient Kavanah (intent) to consider his prayer valid even if one loses this

concentration during the course of the prayer of Shemoneh E srei.

The Chazon Ish concludes that his own point of view is that the Rambam just

means to stress the importance of Kavanah (concentration) during pr ayer and does

not mean to imply that ones prayer is invalid without it. Rather, we assume that

every Jew that prays has at least a subconscious level of awareness that he is

praying to his Creator , which is suff icient to validate the Shemoneh E srei.

Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ztl also has a difficulty understanding this concept

of considering the entire Shemoneh E srei as having Kavanah, of standing before G-d

in prayer, just because one started with that intent . H e doesnt understand why

when someone recites Shemoneh E srei by rote while thinking about other things we

still consider the prayer valid? By all other mitzvos we consider someone who is

performing it without deliberation to fulfill ones obligation as not performing it

all. For example, if someone performs the mitzvah of ritual slaughter (shechita) while

his mind was totally preoccupied with another issue, the shechita is invalid. Why

then should davening be any di ff erent? N onetheless, we find references where the

Gemora mentions that it was common for people to daven by rote, and yet their

T efilos were not invalid. The Y erushalmi 7 (Jerusalem T almud) in Rosh H ashanah

mentio ns that Rebbe M asnaya said: Lets thank our head for know ing to bow

upon reaching M odim8. Likewise, the Gemora in Berachos9 mentions that someone

who is not sure where he reached up to in Kr ias Shema, if he already started

reciting L emaan yirbu, we assume that he said everything up to that point without

omitting anything. V etzarich iyun - th is requires further study.

7 Berachos D af 17b

8 Tosefos Rosh Hashanah 16b

9 D af 16a


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concentrate on prayer? H e suggests that apparently, the Shulchan Aruch maintains

that even if one cannot concentrate properly on his prayer of Shemoneh E srei, one

is permitted nowadays to proceed to pray as usual. This is based on the Gemora

that puts forth an argument to exempt us from prayer altogether, since the

troubles of living in Exile make it difficult to concentrate. Although this is not

reason enough to exempt us from prayer, it may be the reason why we pray even

when we dont concentrate properly. V etzarich iyun this requires further study.

Modim Giving Thank s

The prayer of M odim thanks G-d for providing for us and sustaining us every day

of our lives. I t is very im por tant to specifically concentrate when saying this prayer

since one who gives thanks without sincerity is insulting H ashem; not praising.

Hearing Ones Ow n PrayerThe Gemora in Berachos12 deduces from the prayer of H annah that one should not

raise ones voice when praying Shemoneh E srei. The H alacha is that one must at

least hear oneself when praying; only it should not be so loud that others will hear

him.13

If one finds it difficult to concentrate without raising ones voice louder, one may

raise his voice as long as one is careful not to disturb others. Therefore, at home

one may definitely pray (daven) in a loud voice if necessary. Also one may raise his

voice a little louder when davening Shemoneh E srei at home if he wishes to teach

his children how to daven.

A Time t o be Loud; A Time t o be Quiet

The H alacha of being quiet applies specifically to the A midah Shemoneh E srei which

is derived from H annahs prayer. H owever, when reciting other prayers or w hen

reciting verses of praise to G-d, it is appropriate to raise ones voice to daven

loudly.

The A ruch H ashulchan14 explains that when one is davening Shemoneh E srei it is as if

one is standing before G -d. Therefore, it is considered inappropr iate to raise ones

12 D af 31a

13 Magen Avraham 101: 3

14 Simon 102:3


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voice; acting as if H ashem cant hear him. O n the other hand, the Ramban writes

that when we pray we should specifically raise our voices to beseech G-d for our

needs as the pasuk states V ayikrau el E lok im bechazak a (A nd

they called out to G-d, forceful ly15 ). This refers to personal prayers which require more

emotion and passion. Likewise, when we exalt H ashem with words of praise, we

also should raise our voices, demonstrating our excitement and joy.

Cleanliness and Hygiene

There are specific rules of cleanliness and hygiene necessary for prayer. Some are

strict that they actually invalidate the prayer while others do not invalidate the

prayer.

If one prays in the proximity of excrement, the prayer is invalid16.

I f one prays in the proximity of one who is in the midst of passing water,

the prayer is invalid.

I f one prays in the presence of an unclad indiv idual, the prayer is invalid.

If one prays with excrement on ones body, even if when covered by

ones clothing, the prayer is invalid.

A ddit ional laws are:

One should not pray without washing ones hands in the morning.

One should not pray without washing ones hands after defecating,

urinating, bathing, manicuring etc.

One should not pray where there is urine on the floor.

One should not pray where there is a foul odor.

15 Y onah 3: 8

16 Unless it was totally unexpected to be there.


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Ritva21

The Ritva also follows the opinion of the Tosefos Yeshanim. H e says that one

should wash his hands even on Y om Kippur before engaging in Torah study or in

preparation of Prayer. This is permitted just as one is allowed to wade through a

stream of water to greet his Rebbe (Torah teacher), despite the general proh ibit ion

of bathing and washing on Yom Kippur. Although only a moist towel or moist

fingertips are used on Yom Kippur to wipe ones eyes clean in the morning, in this

case one may wash h is hands completely as usual, since its done as a fulf illm ent of

H eek one; not for ones own pleasure which would be forbidden on Yom Kippur.

The Ritva in M esechta T aanis22 writes that both on Tisha B A v and on Yom Kippur

one may wash ones hands after passing water because of H eek one. One does not

have to resort to using some other means to cleanse his hands. Since one does this

only for H eek one, its permissible, as it is not done for personal pleasure.

(See Shulchan A ruch O rach C haim Simon 613 seif 3 and related commentaries wherethis H alacha is discussed23).

Pri Megadim 24

The Pri Megadim in Simon 725 concludes (pask ens) that after relieving oneself,

even if one didnt touch any excrement or other unclean things, one still may not

recite the bracha of A sher yotzar (the blessing said after relieving oneself) unless one

f irst washes his hands. H owever, when just passing water outside of a bathroom 26,

according to strict H alacha one is allowed to recite A sher yotzar without washing

ones hands. Its only because of H eekone that it is preferable to wash ones hands

21 Ritva R Yom Tov Ben Avraham Ashbili -Born: Seville, Spain, 1250. Died: Seville, Spain, 1330.Notes: Talmudist. Student of the Raah and the Rashba. Author of a very concise commentary on the

Talmud, Chidushei HaRitva. Author ofSefer HaZikaron/The Book of Remembrance in defenseof the Rambam.

22 D af 30b

23 The Shulchan A ruch H arav 613: 4, 5 brings that there is a distinction if he needs to daven or if its at nightand he w ill not be returning to davening. If he didnt t ouch anything dirty and hes not returning to davening hemay recite A sher Y otzar withou t washing. However if he will return to his davening he should wash up unt il hisknuckles in order to ful fill H eek one.

24

Pri M egadim R Yoseph Ben Meir Teomin - Notes: Author ofPri Megadim a two-part commentaryincluding Mishbatzos Zahav, commentary to the Taz and Eshel Avraham, commentary to the MagenAvraham. Author ofRosh Yosef, Chidushim on several Talmud treatises.

25 E ishel A vraham Sk 1

26 If he were in a bathroom, he would be required to wash his hands, even if he just enters without using thefacilities.


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before reciting any bracha. The Shulchan Aruch H arav also mentions just the

reason of H eekone with regard to this H alacha.

One Should Wash Ones Hands

The Rama states in Simon 47:13 that one should preferably wash ones hands

prior to reciting the Birchos haT orah and before engaging in T orah study. H owever,

if one doesnt have water, one may study T orah even w ithout washing.

The Biur HaGra explains that this H alacha is based on the concept of H eekone. In

order to prepare oneself for the lofty mitzvah of Torah study, one needs to wash

ones hands in honor o f the mitzvah. The Gra cites that the source for this H alacha

is from Simon 7 seif 2.

Understanding the Concept of Heekone

I n Simon 7 seif 2 the Mechaber writes:

I f one passes water but does not wipe oneself , although one is required to say the

blessing of A sher yotzar one doesnt need to wash h is hands. H owever i t is stil l

preferable to do so

1. because of cleanliness or

2. because of H eekone.

The Biur H alacha rules that if one wipes oneself by hand in middle of a meal,

one would have to wash that hand according to the H alacha of washing for a meal

of bread as mentioned in the Gemora Yoma27 . H e would then only need to wash

the second hand before resuming the meal because of H eek one.

Aruch Hashulchan

The Aruch Hashulchan28 explains that the two reasons given by the Mechaber

are similar in nature. He says:

3. The fi rst reason is because of sensitivity to human dignity.

27 D af 30 T annu Rabbanan H alacha baseudah etc.

28 Simon 7: 3


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4. The second reason that the Mechaber gives about H eekone is

explaining that the need to wash is because our sensitivity to act

dignified when davening to H ashem.

Both of these ideas are extr apolated from the G emora in Shabbos29 that one needsto don appropriate attire before proceeding to daven as the Gra also points out.

The Biur H alacha30 points to the Mechaber in Simon 91: 2, which states that a

man must wear a belt f or davening, but it is not necessary f or reciting brochos. This

seems to contradict the H alacha here that one should wash for brochos too because

of H eek one.

The Aruch Hashulchan explains that although the Gemora in Shabbos is only

speaking with regard to Tefilla, we apply it to brochos in general. Thats because the

Gemora in Shabbos is discussing the law of presenting oneself in a dignified

manner when beseeching H ashem in prayer. H owever, here were discussingmatters that are repulsive such as uncleanliness which falls into another aspect of

H eekone that applies to all brochos as well as to Torah study.

29 D af 10a

30 Simon 7 d h O h mishum H eekone


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Questions:

1. What is the difference between the Tetragramm aton and the N ame ofA dnus i.e. Lordship (A donye31 )?

2. What doers the N ame Elok im represent?

3. I f one performs a mitzvah deoraissa without specific intent to fulfill his

Torah obligation, when m ust he redo the mitzvah and when not?

4. What two thoughts must one keep in mind when praying Shemoneh

E srei as explained by Rav Chaim Soloveitchik ztl of Brisk?

5. What does the Chazon Ish maintain regarding about the way one startShemoneh E srei?

6. What is the significance of the number 113 in Shemoneh E srei?

7. From where do we learn that its better not to raise ones voice during

Shemoneh E srei and why is it inappropriate part icularly then?

8. What types of uncleanliness invalidates ones prayer?

9. G ive two examples for the need to wash ones hands before Prayer.

10. What type of required dress is import ant particularly for a man f or

Prayer?

31 This N ame should only be pronounced when reciting a verse in fu ll or w hen reciting a blessing. O therw isewe refer to it as N ame of A dnus.


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Answers:

1. When uttering the Tetragramm aton one should concentrate that G -dis the M aster over everything and that H is existence spans from

eternity to eternit y. Whi le saying the N ame of A dnus, it is sufficient

just to have in m ind th at G -d is the M aster over everything.

2. E lok im represents that G -d is All-powerful.

3. If it is self evident that the mitzvah deoraissa is being performed only

for the sake of the mitzvah, it is valid even when there was no specific

intent to fulfill the mitzvah. If however the mitzvah is sometimes

performed when one is not fulfilling a Torah command then one is

required to repeat the mitzvah with the appropriate intent.

4. (1) That he is standing now in front of G -d

(2) That he should understand the words of h is prayer to G -d

5. The Chazon Ish maintains that as long as one starts Shemoneh Esrei

with the intent that he is standing before G-d in Prayer that is

sufficient even if he forgets this while reciting the rest of Shemoneh

E srei.

6. There are 113 words in the endings of the brochos of ShemonehEsrei corresponding to the 113 words in H annahs heartfelt prayer to

G-d for a son. There is also 113 times that the word L ev (heart)

appears in the Torah.

7. We learn this from the quiet but verbalized prayer of H annah for a

son. Since during Shemoneh E srei one is considered to be standing in

front of H ashem, one need not raise his voice.

8. I f there is excrement, flowing urine or someone that is unclad.

9. O ne is when ones hands touched something unclean, after wakingup in the morning, after bathing or m anicuring.

10. A belt.

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Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 09