113. The Eighteen Prayer

I heard on Kislev 15, Shabbat

In the Shmone Esrei [eighteen] Prayer, “for You hear the prayer of every mouth in Your people, Israel, with mercy,” it seems perplexing since first we say, “for You hear the prayer of every mouth,” meaning even an unworthy mouth—the Creator still hears. It is written, “every mouth,” meaning even an unworthy one. Afterward, it says, “Your people, Israel, with mercy,” meaning specifically a prayer that is in mercy. Otherwise, it is not heard.

The thing is that we must know all the heaviness in the work of the Creator is because of the oppositeness that is in every step. For example, there is a rule that man must be humble. But if we follow this end, although our sages said, “be very, very humble,” this end still does not mean that it should be a rule, since it is known that one should go against the whole world and not be canceled by the many views that abound in the world, as it is written, “And his heart was high in the ways of the Lord.” Hence, this rule is not a rule that we can call complete.

And if we go by the other end, which is pride, that, too, is wrong, since “Anyone who is proud,” says the Creator, “he and I cannot dwell in the same abode.” And we can also see oppositeness in the matter of suffering. That is, if the Creator sends suffering to some person, and we should believe that the Creator is good and does good, then the suffering He sent is necessarily to that person’s benefit. Thus, why do we pray for the Creator to remove the suffering from us?

And concerning suffering, we should know that suffering only comes to correct us to be qualified to receive the light of the Creator. The role of the suffering is only to cleanse the body, as our sages said, “as salt sweetens meat, suffering cleanses the body.” In the matter of prayer, they constituted that it would be instead of suffering. Thus, prayer, too, cleanses the body.

However, a prayer is called “the path of Torah.” This is why prayer is more effective in sweetening the body than suffering. Therefore, it is a Mitzva [commandment] to pray over the suffering, since additional benefit stems from that to the individual and to the whole.

For this reason, the oppositeness causes one heaviness and cessations in the work of the Creator, and he cannot continue the work and feels bad. It seems to him that he is unworthy of assuming the burden of the kingdom of heaven “as an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” Thus, at that time, he is called “unwanted.”

However, since one’s sole intention is to extend faith, called Malchut, meaning to raise the Shechina [Divinity] from the dust, meaning that his aim is to glorify His Name in the world, His greatness, so the Shechina will not take the form of meagerness and poverty, so the Creator hears “the prayer of every mouth,” even of one who is not so worthy, who feels that he is still far from the work of the Creator.

This is the meaning of “for You hear the prayer of every mouth.” When does He hear every mouth? When Your people, Israel, pray with mercy, meaning simple mercy, when one prays to raise the Shechina from the dust, to receive faith.

It is similar to one who has not eaten in three days. Then, when he asks of another to be given something to eat, he is not asking for any luxuries or extras; he is simply asking to be given something to revive his soul.

Similarly, in the work of the Creator, when one finds himself standing between heaven and earth, he is not asking the Creator for something redundant, but only for the light of faith, for the Creator to open his eyes so he can take upon himself the quality of faith. This is called “raising the Shechina from the dust.” This prayer is accepted from “every mouth.” That is, whatever state a person is in, if he asks to revive his soul with faith, his prayer will be answered.

This is called “with mercy,” when one’s prayer is only to be pitied from above so he can sustain his vitality. This is the meaning of what is written in The Zohar, that a prayer for the poor is immediately accepted. That is, when it is for the Shechina, it is immediately accepted.