Banging on Hashem’s Door
During these days we find ourselves being more concerned with our connection to Tefillah. Reflection on life bears out mortality and vulnerability with each passing year. When money can’t buy eternity then we turn to prayer and our relationship with the Almighty. Hence, shul attendance, more attention to proper tefillah and greater concentration become priorities at least during the days of judgement and atonement.
In this light, it’s worthwhile to understand the perspective of the Avot, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov when they instituted the concept of formal prayer every morning, afternoon, and night. Not only did they institute prayer, but they also provided the tone and tenor of what prayer is supposed to be like.
If we look at the introductory paragraph to Selichot we find the phrase, …like an impoverished person and like a destitute person we bang on your door. The Chafetz Chaim, Z”l explained that if a person would only be poor, he has something small in his pocket, he would not be going door to door begging for food. Banging on a door and begging is very degrading and people would prefer having barely enough instead of putting themselves through that experience. However, and impoverished and destitute person has absolutely nothing. Without a handout death is imminent. Said the Chafetz Chaim, that is the type of person we should be emulating during these days, begging Hashem for our lives.
Where do we see that the Avot had the same mindset for the tefillot that they established? In the Torah narrative of the Nation of Israel becoming trapped between the raging sea in front of them and the mighty Egyptian army in hot pursuit behind them, the people cried out to Hashem to be saved from complete annihilation. Rashi commented on this crying out from despair that the people grabbed on to the crafts of their fathers. Rashi completes his comment by quoting the passages in the Torah that bear out that each patriarch established one of the three daily prayers.
HaRav Yeruchom Levovitz, the Mir Mashgiach in pre-war Europe, asked a great question on Rashi’s comment. How was it possible that Rashi would consider the type of prayer emanating from the mouths of the Bene Yisrael at the sea be the same tefillah that the Avot are given credit for establishing? A close analysis of the pesukim describing the establishment of the three prayers will reveal that the lives of the Avot were not in imminent danger. It appears that the prayers of the Avot and those of the Bene Israel at the sea are distinctively different.
HaRav Yerucham answered, Rashi is providing us with a keen insight into what daily tefillah is supposed to be. Each one of our prayers during the week, Shabbat and Yomtov, should be recited as if we are standing between the raging sea and the mighty Egyptian army, pray as if our lives depend on it. Because in truth, our lives do depend on our prayers. None of us know what tomorrow will bring.
The deeper thought that we are hearing in these messages is the need to infuse in our communication with Hashem our emotions. Our sages tell us, in our days, the gate of prayer is closed, but the gate of tears is open. It means, our tears will escort our prayers directly to Hashem’s Holy throne.
From a Mishna in Pirkei Avot we come to understand how important the infusion of emotions in our service to Hashem are to Him. Let’s look closer at the words of this Mishna to see this point. “Be-loved are the people of Israel, for they are described as children of Hashem; even more beloved are they because it was made known to them that they are children of Hashem; As it says in the Torah, you are children of Hashem…”
Why was it even a greater show of love to Israel by telling them they are Hashem’s children? This is answered from two stories involving Rebbe Akiva and Rebbe Eliezer. During the time that he was one of the Rabbinical leaders of Israel, there was a famine that was devastating the people and the land. Rebbe Eliezer stood up as the chazan and led the congregation in the tefillot for a famine, 24 berachot. Their effort did not bring rain. Rebbe Akiva stepped up next and he cried out two statements, “Our Father our king, there is no other King except for you. Our Father our King, for Your sake have mercy on us.” The rain began to fall. What happened?
Another example, again a famine and Rabbi Eliezer decreed 13 fasts. On the day of the last fast when the rain still had not fallen, the people began to leave the shul as if they had given up. Rebbe Eliezer called out, “are you going to prepare your graves?!” The comment pierced their hearts, and the community began to cry, and the rain came down.
The commonality of these stories is, those who comported themselves like children speaking with their father full of emotion, were successful in their service to Hashem. In each instance, behaving like a child with a parent, to beg for their needs, brought the result.
This is the reason why Jews feel even more loved by Hashem because he told us that we are his children, and we can certainly act that way when need be.
HaRav Shimon Schwab, the former leader of the German Jewish community in the last generation, was a student of HaRav Yerucham Levovitz. He heard this insight firsthand from him. He commented, it is necessary to pause and reflect on what Rav Yerucham said prior to the Amida to fill ourselves with emotions as we enter prayer.
He pointed out an appropriate phrase we say just before we stand for the Amida in the morning prayer, “The One Who answers His nation in a time they cry out to Him.” Rav Schwab sees in the words, “cries out”, a hint of the Jews crying out to Hashem at the splitting of the sea, because these words of tefilla are a lead up to the beracha, “…He redeemed Israel”, referring to that moment in history. This is the moment one should reflect on Rav Yerucham’s insight.
Continuing with Rav Schwab’s insight, we can find a place during the mincha prayer to also concentrate on this powerful idea. The prayer of Ashrei is recited prior to the Amida. Rashi comments in the Gemarah that besides a person concentrating intensively on the verse, “Open Your hand and satisfy the desire of all the living”, a person should also concentrate on two other verses. Both are prayer related. The first is, “Hashem is close to all who call (pray) to Him, to all who call to Him in truth (with kavanah).” The second one, “The desire of those who fear Him, He will fulfill, and their cries He will hear and save them.” It’s at this point a person should reflect on Rav Yerucham’s insight.
A good place for us to begin this practice is during the days of Awe. As we said, it’s during these days when we should be banging on Hashem’s door. Praying with emotion and intensity are adjectives describing a poor person at prayer.
So how should we prepare children for this approach to tefillah? Two effective strategies come to mind. The second most effective strategy is raising your children’s appreciation for Tefillah and how vitally important it is in the life of a Jew through Torah study. There is a direct correlation between success in Torah study and tefillah. Each one helps the other.
However, the most effective strategy for the education of a child in tefilla or any aspect of service to Hashem is the parent role model. Dear parents, consider your actions. Improve your tefilla, your relationship with Hashem, and your children will be eternally inspired.