וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה. וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶגַע תּאבֵד. וְכָל אויְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵתוּ. וְהַזֵדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, שׁובֵר אויְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים:

This bracha was not originally part of the Shemona Esrei, the eighteen brachos of the Amida. This was added by Rabban Gamliel who lived just after the destruction of the Second Beis HaMikdash, in response to the difficult conditions of his time. The Jews in Israel were heavily oppressed by the Roman conquerors, heretical sects in the community were eroding from within, among which the Saducees were very vocal, and Christianity had not become an independent religion yet. The opening word, וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים, varies according to different customs, but revolve around this central theme. The bracha remains to this day, as there are always people seeking to destroy us from within.

The bracha was inserted as the twelfth bracha – this parallels the twelve shevatim of Bnei Yisrael. With twelve tribes, we are a unity. The parallel runs deep – the history of the twelve tribes shows the danger of what takes place when they were fragmented. The split between the brothers is described in Bereishis 37:17 – the pasuk tells us that Yosef was told נָסְעוּ מִזֶּה – “They have traveled away from here” – Rashi remarks that the deeper meaning of the brothers having travelled from there is that they had left where Yosef was – הסיעו עצמן מן האחוה – “they had taken themselves from brotherhood”. (We can further add that they departed from זֶּה – which has the value of 7+5=12. They had left the idea of twelve brothers). Troubles begin when the idea of unity fragments.

וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים

On the most basic level, וְלַמַּלְשִׁינִים meaning “informers” in most of its variants, and variants appeared due to censors, or fear for their lives if they were to leave the original word in. Sefardim did not have to fear references to Christianity, due to their living in Islamic countries.
On a deeper level, it is directed to the accusing angels too; who prosecute and ask Hashem to punish is, in keeping with our behavior.

It can even mean that when we become מַּלְשִׁינִים, when we speak Lashon Hara about people, let it not be believed, and therefore ignored. If we do say something wrong, then let it not be damaging or harmful.

We ask that informers be unsuccessful in their attempts to harm.

אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה

The Satan, and the accusing angels prosecute, they are only able to do so because we open our mouths for evil too. We pray they don’t have the opportunity, or rather, that we don’t give them the opportunity. The Satan should have no hope of accusing us, because we will be so careful with this.
An informer does not do so for altruistic reasons – there is generally a reason why someone will inform, either they want something, or they are promised a reward of some kind. We therefore ask אַל תְּהִי תִקְוָה – let informers not want anything, so that they have no reason to inform.
*****TIKVA DRASHA********

וְכָל הָרִשְׁעָה כְּרֶגַע תּאבֵד

Various commentaries explain that the wickedness we discuss here is evil that results from a lack of belief in Hashem. This is especially relevant in the world we live in today. We ask Hashem to make the world a place where we can practice and retain our faith and beliefs without being compromised by those around us.

However, this רִשְׁעָה also refers to ourselves, somewhat. Every time a person sins, they are in essence denying, or part-denying, God’s authority to command us. We therefore ask that that the wickedness within ourselves be removed too.

We ask that it be destroyed כְּרֶגַע – in an instant. This is not a unit of time, rather, that in the same way an instant passes and is lost forever, and the רִשְׁעָה in life should just disappear too.
וְכָל אויְבֵי עַמְּךָ מְהֵרָה יִכָּרֵתוּ

On a simple level, אויְבֵי means enemies who seek our destruction, and they should be stopped instantly in their tracks, “cut off”. On a deeper level, it includes the Yetzer Hara that entices us to sin, and the accusing angels who act as a result of our wrongdoings.

The next phrase discusses זֵדִים – this would seem to be the same as אויְבֵי, as both mean “enemies”. At face value, they do, but אויְבֵי doesn’t just mean “enemies”, it really means enemies who are hidden. Such enemies covertly plot our destruction, and act behind the scenes, persuading others to destroy us. These ought to be more alarming, as we do not see these people, or know who they are.

On an individual level, אויְבֵי means ourselves too – sometimes we can become our own worst enemies. When a classmate or colleague achieves better than ourselves (jealousy is only permitted with regard to Torah achievements), we may become upset or angry at this. But whatever the initial reason, this also means that we are angry that the achiever has gotten closer to Hashem – and in so doing, we become an enemy of Hashem, almost.

We can also say that we our own laziness is a manifestation of אויְבֵי – when we are lazy, we do not fulfill our potential. Our own laziness therefore becomes our stumbling block, our enemy.
We ask Hashem to help us by cutting out the things that hold us back.

(We said that אויְבֵי are our own enemies and difficulties, it may seem odd that we follow this with עַמְּךָ – Your nation. There is no difficulty in this – what we ask for ourselves, we request the same for everyone else – that everyone’s personal barriers be lifted.)

וְהַזֵדִים מְהֵרָה תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר וְתַכְנִיעַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ

The זֵדִים are those who openly seek our downfall or destruction. We ask for them to be uprooted, broken, cut down, and subdued. The last one, וְתַכְנִיעַ, that they should be subdued, seems odd. It serves to illustrate how the תְעַקֵּר וּתְשַׁבֵּר וּתְמַגֵּר could not have meant total destruction, (unlike we said previously, with תּאבֵד,) or otherwise we could not ask that they be “subdued”– if we had asked for them to be destroyed, implying that they be removed – “subdued”, meaning that whatever is being subdued still remains in a smaller way, does not fit.

The answer lies in the function and purpose of evil. Evil in all its shapes and forms is there to challenge us. When we rise to the challenge presented, we become better Jews. Avraham became Avraham Avinu by passing tests and obstacles. We cannot ask Hashem to remove the challenges in life, or there can be no growth. We may, however, ask that the challenges we face become smaller, broken up, cut down to size, and subdued. We can use the evil to grow, transforming the evil into good. If we are able to pass the tests and challenges Hashem sends us, we are capable of attaining greater reaches and foster a greater closeness to Hashem. This goes from the Yetzer Hara to Ahmadinejad.

We are asking Hashem that we be able to rise to the challenge of passing the tests in our everyday lives.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, שׁובֵר אויְבִים וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים

We conclude the bracha with the acknowledgement that Hashem will take care of us, without necessarily making things easy for us. We say that Hashem is שׁובֵר אויְבִים – He will break the hidden, but וּמַכְנִיעַ זֵדִים, He will belittle the overt.

Hashem ensures that we can handle everything we face.

תְּקַע בְּשׁופָר גָּדול לְחֵרוּתֵנוּ. וְשא נֵס לְקַבֵּץ גָּלֻיּותֵינוּ. וְקַבְּצֵנוּ יַחַד מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפות הָאָרֶץ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל

תְּקַע בְּשׁופָר גָּדול לְחֵרוּתֵנוּ -

To understand this bracha, we need to understand the function of the Shofar, and what it represents. It is first and foremost a wake up call. Moshiach’s arrival is heralded by a Shofar blast, around which all the Jews will unite and rally, after which we will be truly free, to serve Hashem as we were meant to, as one nation – this is the Shofar we pray for.

Secondly, the Shofar here parallels the Shofar of Ellul, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. The Shofar is a wake up call about the urgency of the time. Here, we pray for the great Shofar sound, so that everyone, including those who are hopelessly far away from finding the right path, return. The further they are, the greater the need and the greater the Shofar have to be.
The Shofar is therefore the uniting tool of Moshiach that brings all the Jews back to Teshuva.

וְשא נֵס לְקַבֵּץ גָּלֻיּותֵינוּ

Flags, crests and banners all convey an identity and a meaning. A national flag represents a country, a sports team badge represents the team, a logo represents a company, and Moshiach’s will represent a united Jewry. It will identify and distinguish us for ourselves, but it will also be the beacon that we hope our distant fellow Jews will be drawn back into us, and out of exile. If everyone leaves exile, we will have inherently begun the redemption.

Flags are also placed as indicators – some are used to show wind direction, and others positions indicate the mood – a flag at half-mast is a symbol of sadness or mourning. People who observe it can respond accordingly. We hope to be able to see the flag of Moshiach, which is ultimately the flag of Hashem, and it will direct us in how to serve Hashem properly. R’ Shimshon Pinkus says that at all times during davening, one must pray with the fervor and meaning as they would were a sword at their neck. This flag is the same as the sword – what Hashem wants is for us to serve him the way He has commanded, and in the same way we cannot ignore the sword, we cannot ignore the flag.

The purpose of this “banner” is to direct us to Hashem.

וְקַבְּצֵנוּ יַחַד מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפות הָאָרֶץ

The idea that a prayer is never lost appears frequently. It is never ignored, and never goes away. All prayers fuse into a collective prayer that finds its’ way to where it’s needed, when it’s needed. This is one part of the global gathering.

Another part is that the gathering is not the same as before – earlier we had asked that the exiled and distant return – we are now asking Hashem that on their return, we, all of us, gather as יַחַד – one people, one nation. Additionally, earlier we were asking for Hashem to help them, the distant, return – but here we are asking on behalf of ourselves too, let us all be united.
It is not enough for people to return – we pray that we once again become a united Bnei Yisrael, all of us together.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מְקַבֵּץ נִדְחֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל

There are two types of people who are pushed away. There is someone who is not serving Hashem properly, either through choice or circumstance. But there is also the second type, those who are pushed away by us. It is essential that we analyze ourselves to ensure that we aren’t helping push people away – otherwise, how can we ask that Hashem bring them back? For a chance of redemption, not only must we not alienate or build a distance between us, but more than that, there must be people who actively seek out those who are lost.

Whenever we ask for anything, it is imperative to perform the hishtadlus, the requisite effort required – for example, we cannot ask for health if we do not take care of our bodies, etc.

שְׁמַע קולֵנוּ. ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ. וְקַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצון אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ. כִּי אֵל שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלּות וְתַחֲנוּנִים אָתָּה. וּמִלְּפָנֶיךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ. רֵיקָם אַל תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ. כִּי אַתָּה שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלַּת עַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל בְּרַחֲמִים. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלָּה

This Tefila is in a sense, a prayer about prayer. We are asking that the prayer that we may not have not fully understood so far to become as perfect as it might have been, just because we have tried.

שְׁמַע – Listen

To listen is deeper than to hear – to listen is to focus attention and feel what is going on, to empathize almost. The contrast is stark – hearing is something external, which travels from the outside in, whereas listening is something internal, drawing something in.

We are asking Hashem to feel for us.

קולֵנוּ – to our voices

The voice is the way in which we say something. There is a story told by R’ Schwab, about a gentleman whose estranged son sent him a letter asking for money. The man went to R’ Schwab and lamented that his son was so detached and rude. R’ Schwab explained that the man had read the letter wrong – it was his son crying out for his father’s aid, and not an ungrateful demand as the man had thought.

The same is true of ourselves – we need to express ourselves in the proper manner to be accepted in the proper manner. If we do not do so, we cannot expect Hashem to accept our requests.

The קולֵ – the voice, is not limited to the words said. There are certain prayers we wish, but cannot put into words. When we say שְׁמַע קולֵנוּ, this is even a request for the things we are not saying at all. This can be a double-edged sword however; we need to be careful that the things we want are all in the right mind.

We are asking Hashem to listen to how we feel.

ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ – Hashem our God

We say ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ in most brachos. This should seem odd, as they are opposites – ה is an expression of Midas HaRachamim (mercy), whereas אֱלהֵינוּ is an expression of Midas HaDin (judgement). Why do we invoke the name of judgment, when we surely want Hashem’s mercy and kindness?

When the Jews were enslaved in Egypt, they groaned from suffering and desperation, and Hashem heard this. This was an act of mercy. Conversely, when Yishmael was dying of the thirst in the desert, Hashem heard this too, in spite of how he was not righteous, nor have righteous descendants. This was mercy, but with judgment as a result.
Hashem hears us when we need Him.

חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ – take pity and have mercy on us

Our bodies are given to us, and we have a responsibility to Hashem to use it properly, but He does not ever want it back. Not so with our soul; we are entrusted with it, and Hashem does want it back eventually.

The pity we ask for, חוּס , is for our bodies. It is like a defective handmade gift from someone you love; you don’t know what to do with it, and you can’t get rid of it as it was made personally for you.

We are asking for Hashem to have pity on our bodies as our Maker, to guide us.

The mercy we ask for, וְרַחֵם , is for our souls. The soul is dynamic – it constantly and perpetually changes. We are the ones empowered with the ability to effect this change, due to our free will.

We are asking Hashem to have mercy on our souls, as we have not utilized our ability to change it.

וְקַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצון אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ – And accept our prayers with mercy and wanting

The mercy, בְּרַחֲמִים, we are asking for is that in spite of the fact we don’t deserve it, it should be accepted. If a child tries to draw a picture of a beautiful sunset, and just scribbles some colors, the parent will still hang up the picture and display it. It’s not a good picture, and not actually close to being a picture of anything at all, yet the parent wants and cherishes it. This is how our prayers are – lacking in depth and form, but we are asking that we’ve tried, and hope that this be enough.

The wanting, בְרָצון, is that we ask that each prayer be viewed subjectively. Hashem desires the prayers of tzaddikim; this is בְרָצון as opposed to בְּרַחֲמִים – if our prayer is worthy, we want Hashem to accept it because He wants it, and not out of pity. If someone were to tell a bad joke, the right thing to do would be to laugh so the joke teller doesn’t feel bad. However, if he were to tell a great joke, someone who laughs out of pity didn’t get the joke at all.

We are asking that our prayers be accepted because they are wanted, and if they aren’t, then at least out of mercy.

כִּי אֵל שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלּות וְתַחֲנוּנִים אָתָּה -

תְּפִלּות are the spoken prayers, the words we say and the way formulate them. תַחֲנוּנִים are the emotions we use and how we express them.

We are confirming our belief that Hashem really understands us.

וּמִלְּפָנֶיךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ. רֵיקָם אַל תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ – and before Your Face, our King, don’t send us empty handed.

The answer to prayer can sometimes be “no”. We are asking that the prayers to which we receive such an answer do not go to waste, that they be used for something else. This can be that we find the resolve to accept the thing we are praying for will remain how it is or deteriorate, or that the prayers help someone else. We use the phrase אַל תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ – don’t send us empty handed – we ask that if our prayers aren’t going to help ourselves, then let it help the collective people.

We are asking that our prayers for things that cannot happen do not go to waste, that they instead be utilized for another purpose.

כִּי אַתָּה שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלַּת עַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל בְּרַחֲמִים -

We use the phrase תְּפִלַּת עַמְּךָ, which is singular, the prayer of your nation, as opposed to the plural תְּפִלּות. This is revealing – the nation is a collective that becomes a singular, and the prayers are united by this to form one body of prayer. This further develops the idea that if one person cannot have his prayers answered in the way he desires, then let the prayer aid someone else in need. This is not a “transfer” – the prayer is part of the collective, as are all the members of the nation, so if one person cannot use the prayer, another can.
We are asking again that our prayers aid our nation.

כִּי אַתָּה שׁומֵעַ….בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, שׁומֵעַ תְּפִלָּה -

This is our final plea for mercy. Why should Hashem accept our prayers at all? כִּי אַתָּה שׁומֵעַ – because You are the one who hears prayers – there is no one else who can help us.

The process of prayer is that we are lacking something that G-d is withholding from us. We ask for it, and hopefully, we achieve it. When challenged why we deserve anything at all, our answer is simple – this is what we know how to do, this is what we were told to do. We turn to Hashem because that is what we know – Hashem can hear our prayers.

We must take note that we said שְׁמַע קולֵנוּ, that Hashem should hear us, and וְקַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצון, that our prayers should be accepted; at no point do we mention results. This too is revealing – we must have faith in Hashem that He knows, and moreover, will do, what is right and best for us and Klal Yisrael.

סְלַח לָנוּ אָבִינוּ כִּי חָטָאנוּ. מְחַל לָנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כִּי פָשָׁעְנוּ. כִּי אֵל טוב וְסַלָּח אָתָּה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. חַנּוּן הַמַּרְבֶּה לִסְלחַ

סְלַח לָנוּ אָבִינוּ-

The worst mentality of non-Teshuva is referred to as אחטא ואשוב – “I’ll sin and I’ll repent,” It would seem that by saying this bracha three times a day that one would fit into this category of אחטא ואשוב, yet obviously we don’t, so why not?

The Gemara explains that Teshuva existed before the world was created. This seems odd – was a verb created before the existence verbs need to function? Both our questions stem from a misconception as to what Teshuva is. It does not mean repentance. The idea of Teshuva is to have the capability for a reality in which people can exist. If the world operated on דין, strict justice, everyone would be guilty, and life and existence was ceased to be. In the previous bracha, we closed with saying that Hashem “desires Teshuva”, rather than is appeased by it. It comes first, and must be this way for creation to exist.

So back to the initial question, how can we say it three times a day? To demonstrate our humanity. The root of our being is perfect and good, and it is in this way that we want Hashem to think of us. We say it three times a day because we can always turn it around – achieving perfection requires constant monitoring and vigilance.

We call Hashem our Father because it is characteristic in a parent to see what’s good in their child. Love is to judge someone by their positive actions, so we ask Hashem to forgive us in this vein.

כִּי חָטָאנוּ -

When we say חָטָאנוּ, it is like we are saying we have missed our target. The target is to be perfect in the way we ought to be. Teshuva is the other side of this – it too shows that we are human.

We ask Hashem not to see us as sinners, rather, that He sees us as having tried and missed.

מְחַל לָנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כִּי פָשָׁעְנוּ -

This is discussing an intentional sin. A repeatedly performed sin is an act of rebellion, in that the desire to perform it stems from within the person. The desire to do as one chooses is a rebellion against Hashem’s authority, and affirmation of his self-desire to not subjugate himself to Hashem.

The desire comes from within, so it cannot relate to Hashem as a Father, and can only be forgiven by Hashem as our King.

כִּי אֵל טוב וְסַלָּח אָתָּה -

We ask Hashem to forgive us because that is who He is, and what He does. We relate to Hashem as a forgiver – if He that is what He does, He can forgive us too! But there is more to it than that – Hashem is the forgiver – there is no one greater to seek forgiveness from, Hashem’s forgiveness supersedes all others.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. חַנּוּן הַמַּרְבֶּה לִסְלחַ

As we said with the previous bracha, we don’t say that Hashem is appeased through Teshuva; rather, He “desires it”. Hashem’s love for us is not restored so much as it is increased – if the relationship survives the ups and downs, it becomes fortified and more precious. Hashem creates sin to allow us to transcend it – we will become closer to Hashem when we rise above it.

The reason is חַנּוּן הַמַּרְבֶּה לִסְלחַ – because Hashem forgives exceedingly. A person will be better off for having done Teshuva than where they were before.

רְצֵה ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ בְּעַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל וְלִתְפִלָּתָם שְׁעֵה. וְהָשֵׁב אֶת הָעֲבודָה לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ. וְאִשֵּׁי יִשרָאֵל וּתְפִלָּתָם. מְהֵרָה בְּאַהֲבָה תְקַבֵּל בְּרָצון. וּתְהִי לְרָצון תָּמִיד עֲבודַת יִשרָאֵל עַמֶּךָ. וְתֶחֱזֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ בְּשׁוּבְךָ לְצִיּון בְּרַחֲמִים:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. הַמַּחֲזִיר שְׁכִינָתו לְצִיּון

רְצֵה ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ בְּעַמְּךָ יִשרָאֵל -

We begin this Tefila by asking Hashem to want our prayer. This indicates we can create a desire for our prayers. How does this work?

We say the phrase “אבינו מלכינו – our Father, our King” many times over the course of the year. The reason we refer to Hashem as both our Father and our King, is that during a period where we serve Hashem properly, we are His sons, and (ch”v) in a time where the Jews do not serve Hashem properly, the Jews are downgraded to the status of servants.

It would seem illogical for our status to be subject to change, but it isn’t. Our status is the characterization of the way a son or a servant behaves. A servant works for reward, and is motivated by economics. He does nothing extra, and earns nothing extra. A son, however, does as his father tells him out of love. And in turn, the father loves the child. But the child has a further ability. When the son enjoys or loves something, the father takes care to ensure his son has access to the thing he loves, and to a large degree, the father then cares for something, not because he values it, but because his son does. The son can create this feeling in the father, and in a very real way, we can create a desire in Hashem.

We must note however, that it is only once the son acts like a son that the father cares for him. If we expect Hashem to want what we want because He is our Father, we must indeed be His son and do His will.

We are requesting that Hashem have desire for what we have to say, because we are His people.

וְלִתְפִלָּתָם שְׁעֵה – and our prayers

The “and” adds something that was not said previously.

We are asking Hashem to not only want us as a people, but to want a connection with us, and our prayers, that are our connection with Him.

וְהָשֵׁב אֶת הָעֲבודָה לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶךָ – and return the service

עֲבודָה classically means the Korbanos, the animal sacrifices, but it also means prayer, which is called עבודת הלב. So on a basic level, this means that we are asking for Hashem to return the daily sacrifices to His house, the Beis HaMikdash. But why would we ask for our prayers to return to the Beis HaMikdash?

In this prayer, we request that our prayers be more easily answered. We ask Hashem to take our prayers to the Beis Hamikdash because this is where Heaven and Earth meet, where physical and spiritual merge. The אבן השתיה – the Foundation Stone, after which the Dome is named, is where Creation started from. It is where Akeidas Yitzchak occurred, and the Kodesh HaKadoshim was located on it. This is where the Gates of Prayer are located.

We ask that all our prayers, whether we were concentrating or otherwise, whether they were strong or weak, spoken or thought, that they all group together, and Hashem take them where they need to go.

וְאִשֵּׁי יִשרָאֵל וּתְפִלָּתָם -

As with עֲבודָה, this classically means Korbanos. Today, it is forbidden to offer animal sacrifices, so this does not mean Korbanos, but it too, means prayer. This fits in two ways; the first is thatוּתְפִלָּתָם is our prayers, and וְאִשֵּׁי יִשרָאֵל is our passion and fervor; the second is that וּתְפִלָּתָם are the set prayers of Shacharis, Mincha and Maariv, and וְאִשֵּׁי יִשרָאֵל are the spontaneous prayers we all make in the middle of our days.

מְהֵרָה בְּאַהֲבָה תְקַבֵּל בְּרָצון -

We request Hashem’s love before Hashem’s desire, even though it would seem that desire must come before love. The reason we ask in this order is that love can be broken. Desire runs deeper than love. Desire lingers and remains, and when someone desires something or someone, it causes love. Even when the love is not deserved, desire causes the one seeing to find something they love, for example, in the father-son relationship. In this way, desire is a more powerful expression of love than love itself, and this is why we request them in this order.

We are asking Hashem that as His children, even when ch”v we are undeserving of His love, that Hashem maintain a desire to want to love us.

וּתְהִי לְרָצון תָּמִיד עֲבודַת יִשרָאֵל עַמֶּךָ – And may you always want the service of your people

There are two ways to read this too. The first is that we want Hashem to always want us, His people’s, work; the second is that we want Hashem to want our עבודת הלב, because we are his people. It is a fine line, but the difference is whether the subject is our prayers or us a nation.

וְתֶחֱזֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ בְּשׁוּבְךָ לְצִיּון בְּרַחֲמִים – May our eyes see as you return to Zion.

Over time, everything that happens must eventually bring Moshiach, and Hashem, closer to Yerushalayim.

We are asking Hashem to show us how His plan unfolds and develops, and how events bring us closer.

הַמַּחֲזִיר שְׁכִינָתו לְצִיּון – Who cause his presence to return to Zion.

Why does Hashem “cause” his presence to return?

Hashem “forces Himself” to be in places He does not want to be in, for example, with people or in places that are טמא, impure. Hashem’s Shechina is with us in Exile, it is in Jerusalem, and it is the Makom HaMikdash. A very beautiful and key point must be noted – when a person is not worthy of Hashem’s closeness, Hashem is not any further away or less accessible than He was. He isn’t further away from the person; rather, it’s the person who sees himself as being further away from Hashem.

We are asking, just as in וְתֶחֱזֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ, that Hashem strengthen our resolve, which we see and feel Him in our lives, in the same way He is הַמַּחֲזִיר שְׁכִינָתו.

רְאֵה בְעָנְיֵנוּ. וְרִיבָה רִיבֵנוּ. וּגְאָלֵנוּ מְהֵרָה לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ. כִּי גּואֵל חָזָק אָתָּה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, גּואֵל יִשרָאֵל

ראה בענינו – see our affliction

The concept of עניות – poverty, is a sense of lacking, in any sense of the word. We are asking Hashem to see our suffering the way we see it. The suffering doesn’t have to be physical – it can be when something doesn’t go our way, or we don’t get the outcome we want.

What we ask Hashem to see is בענינו – into our suffering. There can be suffering that a person does not acknowledge or is not aware of, and it is still a perfect prayer as all people want to be better, and this is what the prayer is requesting. Furthermore, בענינו encompasses our deepest yearnings, even the ones we dare not ask for fear of sounding silly. בענינו – we are asking to Hashem to analyze us to our cores, plumbing our depths, and stop our pains.

We ask Hashem to see the pain we go through fighting our battles for Him, and that He help us.

וריבה ריבנו – and fight our battles

We are eternally at war, and our enemy is the Yetzer Hara. It stands for everything the Torah does not, and it is overrunning each of us. It is essential that we recognize that this is a battle – there are battle lines, distinctions between the warring factions. Just as in a battle, we can reinforce areas isolated for attack by the enemy. It extends beyond the Yetzer Hara though – by asking us to help us in the real fight, by default the reverse reaction is that we are also asking Hashem to help us abandon our pointless fights – be they with parents, teachers, siblings, and friends.

We are asking Hashem to aid us in our fight against the Yetzer Hara and help us fight where we ought to.

וּגְאָלֵנוּ – and redeem us

The concept of גלות – exile, is that it is foreign – it’s not where we’re supposed to be or where we belong. When a person is occupied with the Yetzer Hara one way or another, he’s not where he’s supposed to be, by nature of what the Yetzer Hara is.

We are asking Hashem to remove the Yetzer Hara from us, in order to return us to where we ought to be.

מְהֵרָה לְמַעַן שְׁמֶךָ – speedily, for Your Name’s sake

Much like with an individual prayer versus a group prayer, when a person prays on his own behalf, Heaven weighs up this person’s merits and evaluates his worthiness to receive his request. But what this bracha is about is strongly weighted towards the spiritual angle – we are not in this fight for ourselves, we are “holy warriors” – we fight our every day struggles for Hashem, and this removes the evaluation process that an individual on his own behalf would go through.

We have to mean this when we say it – we are asking for aid to be a Kiddush Hashem.

כִּי גּואֵל חָזָק אָתָּה – because you are the Mighty Redeemer

Hashem is גּואֵל חָזָק because this is Hashem’s creation – as such, when we face adversity of any kind, Hashem has caused one part of creation to battle another – the mightiness is that this situation is sustained. This is the might – the redemption is mightier as this situation can be stopped – when there is no reason to. We can be entirely undeserving, and Hashem can still have mercy on us.

In effect, this bracha has two parts to it. The first is that we are requesting something, and the second is that we are recognizing Hashem’s ability to do anything in our lives and everyone else’s, and part of the recognition is that we are undeserving of being sheltered from this ability.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, גּואֵל יִשרָאֵל – who redeems of Israel

This is written in the present tense, and is the key to the whole bracha. Hashem is always and continually redeeming. Consistent redemption on the spiritual side from the Yetzer Hara; and constant redemption from dangers that we may or may not know of. As we say in והיא שעמדה on Pesach, in every generation we are saved from genocide, and we are protected from it.

We are meant to recognize that if nature took its course, and survival of the fittest was in effect, we could not possibly be here. We are being perpetually sustained by Hashem.

רְפָאֵנוּ ה` וְנֵרָפֵא. הושִׁיעֵנוּ וְנִוָּשֵׁעָה כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה. וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּותֵינוּ. כִּי אֵל מֶלֶךְ רופֵא נֶאֱמָן וְרַחֲמָן אָתָּה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה`, רופֵא חולֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל

רְפָאֵנוּ ה’ וְנֵרָפֵא -

We say use a double expression, to reflect the two types of healing a person needs. The first is where the body and medicine can resist a medical condition. The second is where, Heaven forbid, the doctors are unable to help a person. We recognize that in the first instance, it is only because Hashem empowers them that doctors can heal, so we recognize that רְפָאֵנוּ ה – it is Hashem that will ultimately heal.

The name of Hashem that we do not pronounce is a construct of the word “to be”. We can gain an insight through this into how Hashem heals. Every moment Hashem re-creates existence, and no new moment is like the previous. It is a new world in every sense – Hashem can change anything at anytime, nature can be different to before. There are countless stories of diseases and conditions disappearing without clear reason, or where doctors and medicine have given up hope.

We then ask וְנֵרָפֵא – and we will be healed. This is not the same as רְפָאֵנוּ. Doctors can provide a cure, an antidote or a solution, but there are sicknesses and diseases that aren’t so curable, such as many mental conditions, depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s. When a doctor heals, the healing is partial. When Hashem heals, we are restored – וְנֵרָפֵא.

הושִׁיעֵנוּ וְנִוָּשֵׁעָה

The nature of the salvation here reflects the meaning of the healing we requested just above. It is not enough to be physically better – Hashem is capable of granting healing above and beyond the nature of what exists in this world. We said Hashem can change the world – this is הושִׁיעֵנוּ וְנִוָּשֵׁעָה.

כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה

We can understand the world as a stage, with everyone acting their part and no two people having the same role. The point of it all is to see that behind everything, absolutely everything is Hashem. If we can see beneath the façade, we can develop a relationship with Hashem. If we can do this, then we can ask Hashem to break the laws of nature that He wrote, כִּי תְהִלָּתֵנוּ אָתָּה – because when we see Hashem in our lives, in everything, we are breaking the rules of our own
Natures.

We ask Hashem to violate nature to help us, because we violate our own natures to find Him.

וְהַעֲלֵה רְפוּאָה שְׁלֵמָה לְכָל מַכּותֵינוּ

This re-emphasizes the need for a full recovery from everything beyond the actual problem – there should not be a partial recovery, only a full one; there should be no after-effects, no psychological problems, and no financial woes.

We ask Hashem once more to heal us beyond what actually needs to be healed.

כִּי אֵל מֶלֶךְ רופֵא נֶאֱמָן וְרַחֲמָן אָתָּה

Hashem is our king – that is to say that as a king, Hashem has the ability to grant anything. Hashem is merciful because Hashem desires to give. There is strength in kindness – אֵל מֶלֶךְ.This is the merciful way for a patient to be taken care of – with kindness. This in turn is רופֵא נֶאֱמָן וְרַחֲמָן. Sometimes it seems that fates our sealed, and life looks bleak. We can turn to the One who wrote the laws, to break the laws.

We pronounce that Hashem has the capacity and kindness to heal us.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה`, רופֵא חולֵי עַמּו יִשרָאֵל

The conclusion of the bracha parallels the beginning – we re-emphasize that although we know we consult doctors and take medicine, it is ultimately Hashem who heals us. This can be compared to a registration at a doctor – by affirming that we turn to Hashem for healing, we are “signing up” to be healed by Hashem.

When we pray for others, it can be likened to a referral. We have the best doctor. If, Heaven forbid, a person is sick, you can utilize your own relationship with Hashem as the doctor to make the introduction, and the sick person can take full advantage of it. We can use our own relationship to the benefit of someone else.

אָבִינוּ לְתורָתֶךָ. וְקָרְבֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ לַעֲבודָתֶךָ וְהַחֲזִירֵנוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. הָרוצֶה בִּתְשׁוּבָה

Teshiva, literally, returning, is a process:
We need to want to do Teshuva
We need to do Teshuva – which consists of regretting past actions, and setting barriers to refrain from repeating said action
Hashem needs to accept it
But there is one step that actually comes before all these – that is
4. Hashem needs to cause us to want to do Teshuva.

הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ

The Chafetz Chaim in the Mishna Berura explains that the request here is that Hashem belittle the Yetzer Hara so that our eyes are opened to Teshuva. The Gemara in Sukah 52 quoting Tehillim 37:32 explains that were it not for Hashem’s assistance and guidance, the Yetzer Hara would win every time.

הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ is therefore the recognition that without Hashem, doing Teshuva would not be possible. We need Hashem to grant us that initial feeling.
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ
אָבִינוּ

We can explain this in three ways. The first is that this is our Father’s inheritance to us, our ירושה. This would further explain הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ – it’s already ours, and it’s already who we are, there is nothing embarrassing about asking for it.

The second is that the Abudraham explains that we say אָבִינוּ because we have the prestige and position of being Hashem’s children. Ostensibly, we point this out because we are in the middle of not acting towards our Father the way a child ought to. When thinking about how amazing our parents are, it makes us want to treat them and their instructions better.

The third is that we say in Shema ושננתם לבניך ודברת בם – we should teach them to our children and talk about them. We are almost saying that Hashem has to help us! There is a popular saying, “Don’t tell God how big your problems, instead, tell your problems how big your God is!”

לְתורָתֶךָ

We ask to be returned to the Torah before we ask to be returned to the Avoda and Teshuva. The implication seems obvious – first we must immerse ourselves in learning, followed by a strengthening of action, which in turn leads to Teshuva. We say on Shabbos סור מרע ועשה טוב – but the ועשה טוב actually precedes the סור מרע. Until we have become the new people we want to be, and have steadied our feet, we can’t beat ourselves up over how we used to be, because if it’s not how we used to be, it’s how we still are and we won’t progress.

There is a saying in Chazal בראתי יצר הרע בראתי תורה תבלין- Hashem says “I created the Yetzer Hara, and I created the Torah as an antidote,” The first step of Teshuva is immersion in learning and Torah. The Chida wrote that there is no such thing as a pious layman. Torah is before Avoda and Teshuva.

The Sfas Emes wonders how it is that we can ask for Teshuva to happen, because if it happens as a result of the prayer, it is not a result of the choice to do Teshuva, so ought not to be a Teshuva at all!
He explains that either the choice to pray for the inspiration was the act of Teshuva, or we can choose to act upon the feeling, once we get it.

וְקָרְבֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ לַעֲבודָתֶךָ

We transition from אָבִינוּ to מַלְכֵּנוּ, our Father, to our King. A father has the requisite love and kindness to give us what he wants, but not necessarily the ability. The king does have the ability. Hashem is both our Father and our King, and can give us whatever we ask for.

We ask Hashem for וְקָרְבֵנוּ – it is easy to be close to the father figure of אָבִינוּ. But everyone has mitzvos they don’t enjoy doing, this is the difficulty of וְקָרְבֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ. We ask Hashem to help us want to do these mitzvos and serve Him, our King, the way we ought to. עֲבודָתֶךָ means both Tefila and Mitzvos, and it is telling that we use the term עֲבודָתֶךָ in the context of מַלְכֵּנוּ – mitzvos aren’t a voluntary choice – that Hashem is our King and not just our Father illustrates the seriousness and urgency of each instruction.

וְהַחֲזִירֵנוּ בִּתְשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵמָה לְפָנֶיךָ

A full Teshuva is one of three things; either resolving a method a never do something again; or doing something wholeheartedly without ill feeling about it. The third is that it stems from love of Hashem, not fear of punishment. Whichever way, a person is acting לְפָנֶיךָ, out of the recognition that mitzvos are performed before Hashem – it is easy to do mitzvos when you can feel Hashem, so really, a full Teshuva brings you back into Hashem’s presence.

The לְפָנֶיךָ is the recognition that this is where mitzvos are performed, but it is also the breaking down of the distance we have built between ourselves and Hashem, and it is also that our Teshuva should be so powerful it should be before Hashem, as if Hashem were testifying that He can see that a Teshuva is whole.

It is worth noting that Teshuva isn’t a change. It’s almost an un-change. At root, we are perfect in every way and only want to what is right and good. That we have altered that course is the change; so really, returning isn’t the change from the original state.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. הָרוצֶה בִּתְשׁוּבָה

It is worth noting that we don’t say that Hashem is appeased through Teshuva, rather, He “desires it”. Hashem’s love for us is not restored so much as it is increased – if the relationship survives the ups and downs, it becomes fortified and more precious. This serves to demonstrate how Hashem creates sin to allow us to transcend it – we will become closer to Hashem when we rise above it.

אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ. וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ. כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום . בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. מַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן יְשׁוּעָה

אֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד עַבְדְּךָ מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיחַ

This bracha is about the yearning for Mashiach, who is a descendant of the House of David. King David’s entire life is very unlikely. He was a shepherd boy, he was persecuted and chased until he became king, once he became king he was subject to multiple wars and attempted revolutions, and his health deteriorates significantly as he ages. Nonetheless, he perseveres, and authors Tehillim, the book of Psalms. He is called the sweet singer of Israel. He made Israel sing so sweetly, and he accomplished this by living for others. He suffered so much, yet through the strength of his belief and prayer, he still just wanted people to praise Hashem. Mashiach, his descendant, inherits this ability, to live for others and make them better.

We believe that Mashiach always can and always could have been sent at any moment – this means that in every generation, Mashiach was on the cusp of arrival, and had the generation deserved it, he’d have arrived. We ask that the generation grow, quickly, that Mashiach can just arrive already. We need Mashiach on a national level, but we all need our own Mashiach on a personal level too. אֶת צֶמַח means we are asking for the growth we require to get what we want – as individuals and a as a nation. King David is the messenger for this because he lived for others – Tehillim was written with all Jews in mind – this is the power of saying it, even when someone doesn’t understand what they are saying – they are tapping into a greater consciousness. This is also how David was called עַבְדְּךָ – he was a servant in the truest sense – he just wanted Hashem to be served. The Rambam says that we don’t know for certain that someone is Mashiach until we can look at the work he has done and conclude he is indeed Mashiach, which includes rebuilding the Beis HaMikdash! He has to prompt service of Hashem to be recognized as what he says he is. We ask for that last spurt of growth, מְהֵרָה תַצְמִיח, which gets us where we need to be.

We are asking that Mashiach, the descendant of King David, who is the quintessential servant of Hashem, come quickly and save us. We acknowledge that it is a slow process, but we ask that we get that final impetus to get where we need, on a personal and national level.

וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ – and raise his horn through Your salvation

The horn is the Shofar, the symbol of Mashiach. But it is more than that too. The horn is the strongest and most prized part of an animal – it is the essence of what the animal is, e.g. an elephant’s tusks. So וְקַרְנו תָּרוּם means that we become raised through the essence of what Mashiach is, and we request a part in the eventual redemption.

We ask that this take place through Hashem’s salvation – we can understand this in two ways. The first is that Hashem’s salvation is ours – this means that Hashem has thrown His lot in with us. Hashem didn’t need to, but Hashem has chosen to stick with us, and this is why Hashem will save us, out of an abundance of love for all of us.

The second is that Hashem saves us of His own ability and choice – even if we don’t deserve it, Hashem will send Mashiach, for no reason other than to save us. It is בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ – Your salvation, and we play no role in it.

כִּי לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּום – for we hope for Your salvation

Even if we don’t deserve Mashiach out of merit, the wishing and hoping for his arrival alone counts a long way towards it. We have faith that he will come, and we have hope in our faith – but faith is not knowledge that Hashem will send Mashiach, but more than that. Hoping for Mashiach is living each and every day to its optimum, that every day that passes us by; we are actively bringing Mashiach closer.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’. מַצְמִיחַ קֶרֶן יְשׁוּעָה

We all have mitzvos and other things we try but don’t succeed at. On a personal level, we say to Hashem that we lay the groundwork, but we ask that Hashem nurture it and help us – because as we said, we can’t help Hashem save us, and He doesn’t need us to. We can’t do everything on our own, on a personal level, or on a national level to bring Mashiach.

We can’t do it on our own. We need Hashem.

בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ אֶת הַשָּׁנָה הַזּאת וְאֶת כָּל מִינֵי תְבוּאָתָהּ לְטובָה. וְתֵן (בקיץ – בְּרָכָה) (בחורף – טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה) עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וְשבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבָהּ. וּבָרֵךְ שְׁנָתֵנוּ כַּשָּׁנִים הַטּובות. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מְבָרֵךְ הַשָּׁנִים
בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ

It is important to note that although this is a bracha for parnassa (personal finances), we do not say the word בָּרְכֵנוּ – bless us – rather, we say בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ – bless on us. We do not ask to be blessed with money, because money does not define someone, it is not a part of what makes a person human. A person’s job is not meant to define them, it is not who they are, rather, it’s what they do – it is something about the person, but not the person himself. This is בָּרֵךְ עָלֵינוּ – it is less direct that בָּרְכֵנוּ. This bracha is for things we need to get by – there is a clear distinction between living and making a living – this is the latter.

A key part of this bracha is acknowledging that everything comes from Hashem – this bracha

אֶת הַשָּׁנָה הַזּאת

It would seem odd that we ask Hashem to help us utilizing a unit of time. This is not correct – the year is not an arbitrary amount of days, giving an arbitrary total – this is the שָּׁנָה that was decided on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. So in reality, we are not being vague – we are appealing to Hashem that the year that was decided for us on Yom Kippur be rectified. And why shouldn’t it be? We say that Teshuva, Tefila, and Tzedaka remove the evil of a decree.

Additionally, the שָּׁנָה can mean that we ask that although we may not have the merit at the time of asking, as an isolated day, when placed in the context and framework of a year, we hope that perhaps we will have the merits.

We ask that the year that was inscribed to us on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur be modified to allow greater parnassa.

וְתֵן (בקיץ) – בְּרָכָה (בחורף) – טַל וּמָטָר לִבְרָכָה

Blessing is always relative, with the exception of dew. Rain is a relative bracha. If it rains sporadically, then plants and crops start to grow – but without enough rain, they’ll die. If it rains too heavily, there floods, things drown, or get washed away. Dew is never harmful, and there is never too much.

In the context of parnasa, we ask for a distribution that regulates our parnasa in a good way, that it is a bracha.

עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וְשבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבָהּ

We reiterate our desire that Hashem’s bracha not be overwhelming, that it doesn’t ruin us. The parnasa should be distributed on the face of earth, but not consume and encapsulate. We want to be satisfied, rather than drown, in kindness.

We emphasize that we do not seek parnasa that will take control of us – it should be subtle.

וּבָרֵךְ שְׁנָתֵנוּ כַּשָּׁנִים הַטּובות

Further from what we said above with הַשָּׁנָה הַזּאת, that the “year” we refer to is the year we were assigned on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, we request that שְׁנָתֵנוּ, this current year, may be blessed that in the future we can look back on this time and perceive it as having been one of the good years.

People can be tormented by bad memories – we ask that this year go down as a good memory.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מְבָרֵךְ הַשָּׁנִים

This ending really hits home the magnitude of the bracha as a whole. Why do we say that Hashem “blesses” years? Doesn’t Hashem decide them on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur?
This is not accurate. A “blessing” adds something which was not present before. Hashem is capable of “blessing” a year that is not going right – Hashem can change all the variables, and prayer enables that.

It is telling that this bracha – however personal our parnasa may seem – is in the plural. We say it for everyone! This is because we recognize that our parnasa and money are only the means to being Hashem’s people, and not the end itself. Granted, it is strange to ask for everyone to have the same ends – but we’re not. To ask that everyone has the means they need from Hashem makes perfect sense, and we wish this on all our brothers and sisters.

אַתָּה קָדושׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ וּקְדושִׁים בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ סֶּלָה, בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, הָאֵל  הַקָּדושׁ

אַתָּה קָדושׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ – You are Holy, and Your Name is holy.

The word קָדושׁ is always translated as “holy”. But what is “holy”?

The concept of קָדושׁה, of holiness, is one of separation, uniqueness, and it distinguishes between different things. This is what הקדש, donations to the Beis HaMikdash are. They are קָדושׁ – they are set aside from your other possessions.

We describe Hashem as קָדושׁ. It is clear why – he is infinitely separate from us and our existences. He is distinctly beyond anything we can understand or imagine. He is different. This is אַתָּה קָדושׁ.

But we also say וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ – Your Name is holy. A Hebrew name describes the inner being of a person or thing. When parents are naming a child, they get the briefest hint of ruach hakodesh to decide their child’s name. This is also what the pasuk means when it describes Adam naming all the animals. He did not formulate sounds and noises that were different – anyone could have done that. He had an extra ability – he could see the inner being in an animal, and decide that the word that fit was ari if it were lion, etc.

It follows that if a name describes the inner being, since Hashem is beyond our understanding, we would not understand his name. And we don’t really – it too is separate from us. Hashem has many names, but none describe the “inner being” of Hashem. Hashem’s name that we do not pronounce simply means “Is, was, and will be” – a description of His nature, but not Hashem Himself. This is וְשִׁמְךָ קָדושׁ – it is beyond us.

Hashem is different from us for reasons beyond the fact we don’t understand His being. We are created beings, and we exist within the sphere of creation. But Hashem is the Creator – He is outside of our experience.

וּקְדושִׁים – and holy ones

There are different degrees of קָדושׁה, and therefore, different קְדושִׁים. The basic level is Yisrael – the Jewish nation is קָדושׁ because we are the am hanivchar – the chosen people. The act of choice separates us from other nations. As Jews, we have the ability to connect with Hashem.
וּקְדושִׁים also means tzaddikim. They have an influence on how things on Earth result from things decided in Heaven. The קְדושִׁים are the ones who consistently see Hashem in everything, be it good or bad.

בְּכָל יום יְהַלְּלוּךָ סֶּלָה – praise You every day

A מסלה is a path. סלו are the people who walk the path. This is סֶּלָה – it is the process of how to praise Hashem. To be קָדושׁ, our service to Hashem must be a journey. The קְדושִׁים are the ones who discover new things every day as they advance along the path. This is why people are judged subjectively – there is no specific milestone on the path where one can say they have become something; rather, every person is travelling their own path.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, הָאֵל  הַקָּדושׁ – Blessed are You, the God Who is holy.

הָאֵל הַקָּדושׁ is a fascinating phrase. הָאֵל is an expression of רחמים, of mercy, and yet at the same time, Hashem is קָדושׁ, separate. This is because however separate Hashem is from us at any time, He will still interact with us. What makes a great person great is that they make other people feel great too, and not make them feel small to make the distinction. Hashem loves and cares for each of us. In spite of being entirely קָדושׁ, Hashem is הָאֵל, He is merciful, and is involved with each of our lives.

הָשִׁיבָה שׁופְטֵינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁונָה. וְיועֲצֵינוּ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה. וְהָסֵר מִמֶּנּוּ יָגון וַאֲנָחָה. וּמְלךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה ה’ לְבַדְּךָ בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים. וְצַדְּקֵנוּ בַּמִשְׁפָּט. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מֶלֶךְ אוהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט

הָשִׁיבָה שׁופְטֵינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁונָה – Return our judges like at the start

The Riva explains that the first of the 6 personal brachos are truly personal, and the next 6 correlate to them but in a broader sense. This bracha, where we ask for everyone to receive help to do Teshuva, correlates to Hashivenu, where we ask for help for ourselves to do Teshuva.

When we say הָשִׁיבָה שׁופְטֵינוּ, this means that our former, greater leaders and judges should return to guide us back to Teshuva, but it also means that our leaders and judges of today go back to how judges used to be. This does not mean we can or should disregard our friends, leaders or judges today – the Torah forbids this. Instead, what we ask is for a return to כְּבָרִאשׁונָה – a return to the state where Hashem is everything. We ask for the assistance to return to such a state of purity – that the people who influence us understand us, be good for us, and give us the strength to rise to challenges we face.

We grow from overcoming adversity – we ask Hashem that the people who guide us be capable of the aiding us in our challenges.

וְיועֲצֵינוּ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה

We already said שׁופְטֵינוּ, our leaders, so וְיועֲצֵינוּ is different – it includes our friends, colleagues, and peers. A good friend doesn’t accept us as who we are because they see who and what we can be – they encourage us and stand by us even in tougher times to help us get through it.

We ask that they aid us כְּבַתְּחִלָּה. When a child is born, they have no Yetzer Hara, and are therefore free from sin. Not only can friends see how we can be, they can see how we were – כְּבַתְּחִלָּה – they have the capability of correcting us.

We ask Hashem that our friends help us become everything we can be.

וְהָסֵר מִמֶּנּוּ יָגון וַאֲנָחָה – and remove sorrow, sadness and groaning.

The function of friends and mentors is to aid us, to help advance spiritual growth. If we don’t have friends or mentors who can help us achieve this, we are left with יָגון וַאֲנָחָה – sorrow, sadness and groaning.

We need our friends and mentors to want us to become better people and Jews.

וּמְלךְ עָלֵינוּ אַתָּה ה’ לְבַדְּךָ בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחֲמִים

We began by acknowledging the significant input that influential people put into each of us. But we know that it is Hashem alone – אַתָּה ה’ לְבַדְּךָ – that is the source of everything. The judges, leaders, mentors, friends, are all Hashem’s messengers of the expressions of Hashem’s kindness in our lives – but Hashem ultimately runs the show.

We can further explain that this is also a call to Teshuva – we are enslaved to our bodies, desires, and the Yetzer Hara. We ask that we be free to serve Hashem alone – אַתָּה ה’ לְבַדְּךָ – with nothing holding us back.

וְצַדְּקֵנוּ בַּמִשְׁפָּט

Where does judgment come into any of this?

Among our friends, we are their friends and confidantes, their וְיועֲצֵינוּ. If we don’t do our jobs correctly, the way we ask that they do, then we are responsible for their failure or lack of success. This is a huge responsibility incumbent on each of us, that we will ultimately be answerable for our friends actions – if we succeed though, it is a kindness to them and ourselves.

If we fulfill our role of encouraging our friends to greater and better things, then we need not be judged at all.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מֶלֶךְ אוהֵב צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט – Blessed are You, Hashem, King that loves justice and judgments.

At face value, justice and judgment don’t really seem to work together at all. This is incorrect.

Judgments are justice and ultimately for the good. Given a long enough timeframe, we see the eventual good that results from difficulty, and we can recognize that the initial judgment that may have been tough stemmed from love. To love is to give something new, or create something that becomes a part of someone. When Hashem tests us and we succeeds, we have grown – that growth is because Hashem love us – He has given us a new capacity to become closer to Him.

When King David judged in favor of a rich man over a poor man, he would lend the poor man the money to pay the debt on the spot.

In reality, judgment and justice are the same. We ask in this bracha that when we are judged, and we face obstacles, challenges, and adversity, that we have the tools and capacity at our disposal through our friends and mentors to accept and deal with it.

וְעַל כֻּלָּם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְרומַם שִׁמְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ תָּמִיד לְעולָם וָעֶד: וְכל הַחַיִּים יודוּךָ סֶּלָה. וִיהַלְלוּ אֶת שִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. הָאֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵנוּ וְעֶזְרָתֵנוּ סֶלָה. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, הַטּוב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהודות

וְעַל כֻּלָּם יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְרומַם שִׁמְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ תָּמִיד לְעולָם וָעֶד -

When something does what it was supposed to, the act expressed appreciation for the command and the person who gave it. In this way the entire Creation demonstrates it’s thanks to Hashem. The Creation being put to work fulfills its purpose, and is its way of expressing gratitude to Hashem. All of nature reflects this – when a tree grows, it’s leaves change color, fall, and bloom again, it is working the way a tree works, and it is what trees were created to do. It is fulfilling its function.

The same is true of ourselves – each of us is put on earth to fulfill a particular mission, and we are built with everything we need to perform our mission. For example – Yishmael’s name is a portmanteau of the words ישמע אל – God will listen. Yishmael’s role was to introduce prayer to the world. He did not do this by being a holy person. He became a murderer. Nonetheless, his existence had a purpose, to introduce prayer to the world. When his mother, Hagar, was sent away with Yishmael, they found themselves in a desert, and Yishmael was dying of the thirst. His mother could not bear to see her son die, so abandoned him.

The pasuk says: וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱ־לֹהִים אֶת קוֹל הַנַּעַר וַיִּקְרָא מַלְאַךְ אֱ־לֹהִים אֶל הָגָר מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ מַה לָּךְ הָגָר אַל תִּירְאִי כִּי שָׁמַע אֱ־לֹהִים אֶל קוֹל הַנַּעַר בַּאֲשֶׁר הוּא שָׁם – And God heard the lad’s voice, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What is troubling you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the lad’s voice in the place where he is”. (Bereishis 21:17)

He brought prayer into this world, even if he had not tried to.

The same is true of Yishmael’s descendants. They can either be holy people, who pray, or they can choose not to, and every terror attack, gunfight and war causes others to pray. (What is frightening is when Yishmael prays and fights, as we say today). But there must be prayer in the world instigated by Yishmael. The Creation must fulfill its purpose. It is worth noting that the use of the bechira – the free will, is to go against this purpose, but that the natural course would be to fulfill the mission the correct way. When a machine is perfect at serving a function, the right thing to do would be to switch it on, although we can choose not to.

This is why we say that everything will thank Hashem forever. The Creation “wants” to fulfill its purpose and is geared towards doing so. This is the ultimate expression of thanks.

וְכל הַחַיִּים יודוּךָ סֶּלָה – gggg

We can understand “הַחַיִּים” in three ways, and they are not mutually exclusive.

The first way is that we thank Hashem for every breath we take. Every breath sustains life, and life is a gift worth thanking Hashem for, whether in good times or bad times. We thank Hashem for חַיִּים.

The second is that a person is meant to pray with life – that is, with their entire body. (This is the source of swaying or shaking during prayer). We thank Hashem with חַיִּים.

The third is that all living things thank and praise Hashem, ie Perek Shira goes through all the praises for each animal. There are two ways to understand this; that the animal’s noises are the thanks they give; or that when we see the beauty of the animals, the praise we say is for the animal. Or in other words, everything that is חַיִּים thanks Hashem.

וִיהַלְלוּ אֶת שִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת – and they will praise Your Name with truth

The way to praise Hashem is with באמת. This is commonly translated as “Truth”, but is better translated as “reality”. We say that קרוב ה’ לכל קוראיו, יקראוהו באמת – Hashem is close to those who call him with reality. If a person calls out to Hashem with their entire being, that becomes their reality. This is how to pray. This is also the way to praise Hashem, that the person’s reality should be consumed with the need to praise Hashem.

We are saying that the way to praise Hashem is with our very being.

הָאֵל יְשׁוּעָתֵנוּ וְעֶזְרָתֵנוּ סֶלָה -

Why do we say that Hashem both saves us and helps us? There are several ways to explain why Hashem is both.

They are different characteristics, used in different situations. This means that Hashem is not both at the same time, but both are His characteristics.

In a different vein, perhaps we are asking that although being saved from a situation is one option, we would prefer to be helped so that we can persevere and grow from such situations.

The third explanation is that the two are parts of the same thing. We can give an analogy of a child learning to ride a bike. At first, the child needs a parent to hold him, and maybe even extra wheels. If the parent lets go, the child will fall and hurt himself. But eventually, the child is comfortable enough to try riding on his own, and once he can, he has learnt to ride a bike.

The same is true of ourselves – Hashem saves us when we are unable to help ourselves. But gradually, Hashem loosens his hold on us, until we are capable of facing adversity without needing direct intervention. When we are capable of doing so, we will have succeeded and passed our test.

This is why we say סֶּלָה – a מסלה is a path. סלו are the people who walk the path. This is סֶּלָה – it is the process of how to praise Hashem. Hashem is always looking to help us in the long term, in order for us to grow and succeed. Once we have grown, He holds back from direct intervention because we are better off – and we can therefore praise Him more for it having grown.

In the bracha נשמת כל חי we say that it is impossible to thank Hashem enough for what He has done for us, because He has done so much. Yet we go on to thank Him anyway, and this should be educative to us. We go on to discuss all the organs Hashem gave us – that is to say that whatever it is we were given must be enough to do what we have to do. So this is not just to praise Hashem, but to tell us that no matter how distant we may feel, Hashem will always hear us because wherever we are, we are fully equipped with all the tools that we need to do what we need to, and if what we need to do is to thank Hashem, we are capable.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה – zzzz

When we say בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה, we bend our knees and bow slightly. There are two ways to recognize someone’s greatness; that whatever you may be, the other person is greater; or that you are nothing in comparison to the other person. This shows our subservience and deference to Hashem – also known as שפלות האדם.

We straighten up when we say Hashem’s name though. In the morning, we say זוקף כפופים – that Hashem straightens the bent. We recognize that the ability to stand is from Hashem – this is why when we stand, a sign of strength, and therefore possibly arrogance, we only stand at Hashem’s name.

When we bend and stand, we are recognizing Hashem’s greatness, and our own insignificance in comparison.

הַטּוב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהודות –

When we say וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהודות – to Hashem it is fitting to praise. It is a wonderful midda to be grateful, but what we are saying is that every kindness that someone shows us is not really theirs – the kindness they showed, and the fact they were kind at all, is from Hashem. Hashem is the source of all kindness; it is good to give thanks to people who are kind, but the only one to whom it is fitting to show thanks, is Hashem. A person’s kindness is a manifestation of Hashems kindness, and one must thank them for choosing to be kind, but we must recognize that Hashem was truly kind and sent the kindness our way.

This is why we say וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהודות – to You it is fitting to praise.

וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ בְּרַחֲמִים תָּשׁוּב. וְתִשְׁכּן בְּתוכָהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ. וּבְנֵה אותָהּ בְּקָרוב בְּיָמֵינוּ בִּנְיַן עולָם. וְכִסֵּא דָוִד מְהֵרָה לְתוכָהּ תָּכִין. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, בּונֵה יְרוּשָׁלָיִם With most of our prayers, we are lacking something, but we have a clear picture in our mind’s eye what we are requesting, and in this way we connect with Hashem over our deficiencies. However, when we pray for Yerushalayim to be rebuilt, we don’t know how it was, or how it will be – we only understand the concept, that a rebuilt Yerushalayim is where we are meant to be, physically and spiritually. This Tefila is a perfect proof that all our prayers join together. This prayer and its variants have been said for nearly two thousand years by our ancestors. Their prayers cannot be said to go to waste – the Ge’ula is monumentally massive, one prayer will not bring it; it will be the sum-total of all the thousands of years of prayers. It is not just the prayers that join – we may not understand what Yerushalayim is or was, but along the way, there were people who did – our tefillos merge with these. וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ – And Yerushalayim Your city The first letter, the vav, means “and” – it connects what precedes to what follows. There are several explanations of what this is connected to. The first is that it is related to תְּקַע בְּשׁופָר גָּדול – where we ask Hashem to bring an end to the Exile so all the people can return to Israel, and we are now asking for the place to which we return, ירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ, to be rebuilt. The second explanation is that ירוּשָׁלַיִם is a plural word. This is because there are two Jerusalem’s. There is the ירוּשָׁלַיִם של מעלה – the Heavenly Jerusalem, in addition to the ירוּשָׁלַיִם של מטה – the Jerusalem on Earth. When we are worthy of it, the two Yerushalayim co-exist together, which is what occurs in times of peace and harmony. So we daven וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם – we want Hashem to reside in both, the של מעלה and the של מטה. There third explanation, by R’ Yisroel Reisman, that וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם continues from עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים. The Yerushalayim of today, of bars, restaurants, and shopping, is not the Yerushalayim we daven for. We want the Yerushalayim of tzaddikim back. בְּרַחֲמִים תָּשׁוּב – Return with mercy Mashiach can come at different times, under different circumstances. We ask Hashem that whenever the time of Mashiach arrives, it should always be through רַחֲמִים, mercy, and not anger, even if we don’t deserve it. We are asking that the Exile end through רַחֲמִים and not דין. וְתִשְׁכּן בְּתוכָהּ – And reside within it. The Vilna Gaon explains that we can ask for וְתִשְׁכּן בְּתוכָהּ without necessarily having וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ. Even if we may not be worthy of having Mashiach and the rebuilt Jerusalem today, it does not stop Hashem from being felt there. Obviously, we would prefer וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ וְתִשְׁכּן בְּתוכָהּ, but וְתִשְׁכּן בְּתוכָהּ does not have to be the result of וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם עִירְךָ. So we are asking that if we cannot have our prayer answered fully, that they be answered somewhat anyway. We ask Hashem to rebuild Yerushalayim, not for us to be safe, but so we can be close to Him. כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ – as You told us We affirm that Hashem told us He would rebuild Yerushalayim, and we depend on this. It is not possible that Hashem would not keep His word. We are saying that we have perfect faith in what Hashem told us. וּבְנֵה אותָהּ בְּקָרוב בְּיָמֵינוּ – and build it soon within our days We ask Hashem that Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash be rebuilt בְּיָמֵינוּ. The Beis has a double meaning – it can mean with, and within (inside). So we are asking that Yerushalayim be rebuilt not just within our days, but בְּיָמֵינוּ – with our actual days. The mitzvos and merits we earn each day will be the building blocks of the Ge’ula. We should take heed that each day has a new power and potential to do so. We are asking that our days be fit to use to help rebuild Yerushalayim and the Beis HaMikdash. בִּנְיַן עולָם – an eternal building This too has a double meaning – it is a בִּנְיַן that is לעולם, a building that is forever, but it is also a בִּנְיַן for the עולָם – the Beis HaMikdash is a building that rebuilds the world. וְכִסֵּא דָוִד מְהֵרָה לְתוכָהּ תָּכִין – and the throne of David speedily return within it Apart from returning the Kingdom of David to Israel and Jerusalem, we asking for the “throne” to return to the Beis HaMikdash. Only one person is allowed to sit in the Beis HaMikdash, the king. We want a full restoration of how things were meant to be; Yerushalayim, the monarchy, the Beis HaMikdash, and the fusion of them all – the king sitting in the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim. We can also look at this as a metaphor. In a time where people daven to Hashem, Hashem is close to us, His כסא הכבוד is closer to us, it is in this world. In a time where people are distant from Hashem, Hashem is distant from us, and the כסא הכבוד is missing from this world. We ask Hashem that the כִסֵּא, the throne, both His own and that of David, return to this world. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, בּונֵה יְרוּשָׁלָיִם – Blessed are You Hashem, who builds Jerusalem The bracha of וְלִירוּשָׁלַיִם ends in the present tense. This is because every day, we get closer to the Ge’ula, not just in time, but in merit as well. The more mitzvos we do, the closer get to Mashiach.

עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים וְעַל הַחֲסִידִים. וְעַל זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל. וְעַל פְּלֵיטַת סופְרֵיהֶם. וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק. וְעָלֵינוּ. יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ. וְתֵן שכָר טוב לְכָל הַבּוטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת. וְשים חֶלְקֵנוּ עִמָּהֶם לְעולָם וְלא נֵבושׁ כִּי בְךָ בָטָחְנוּ. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מִשְׁעָן וּמִבְטָח לַצַּדִּיקִים

עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים

The basic outline of this Tefila is that we ask for good things for great people. The word צדקִ means “justice”- standing up for what is right and just. A tzaddik is someone who pursues righteousness and justice. Chabakuk 2:4 says that צַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה – a tzaddik lives with his faith. A tzaddik is not perfect – but in the moment someone accesses their אמונה they are a tzaddik – which doesn’t necessarily have to mean that haven’t sinned. A tzaddik is someone trying their best, because it is the right thing to do.

At various junctures in the Gemara, we are taught that Talmidei Chachamim (rabbis, elders and sages) must be respected as they are smaller reflections of Hashem. These are people who devote their entire lives to the people they help, through Torah and their own faith. We ask Hashem that these people, these צַּדִּיקִים, be looked after and taken care of, because of the faith they have.

וְעַל הַחֲסִידִים

A חֲסִיד is someone who goes beyond the letter of the law. There are defined parameters for this – for example, if a man sees a woman drowning but won’t save because he is particular not to touch women, he is called a רשע. There is a time and a place for being a חֲסִיד and this is not such a time. The Gemara tells us אין עם הארץ חֲסִיד – There is no saintly layperson. When someone is a חֲסִיד, they must know how to behave under all parameters. There is a risk that being careful with one mitzvah may lead to a lost opportunity for another. A חֲסִיד runs the risk of trying to fulfill the law but may end up doing something wrong.

We ask Hashem for mercy with people who try to go the extra mile, because it is sometimes dangerous.

וְעַל זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל

This literally means the Talmidei Chachamim. But it further means all those who take responsibility for the community. On Shabbos, we say a bracha for the עוסקין בצרכי צבור באמונה – the people who involve themselves in the needs of the community with faith – that is even if the community don’t know or appreciate them. The people behind the scenes, teaching, raising money, organizing, distributing charity, all these people are included in זִקְנֵי עַמְּךָ בֵּית יִשרָאֵל.

וְעַל פְּלֵיטַת סופְרֵיהֶם

The word פְּלֵיטַת literally means “rescued” – the people who work in conversion, Kirov, or helping people with their problems and challenges are all “rescuers”. The סופְרֵיהֶם are literally the “counters”. More loosely, it is the people who structure and simplify Torah study for their students. This includes people who teach children, people who write books and speakers too. These jobs and roles are difficult, and not always satisfying, but they “rescue”, and are therefore vital to our continuity. We ask that these people be looked after too.

וְעַל גֵּרֵי הַצֶּדֶק

A convert is someone who has changed their entire life to walk a new path. The very concept is automatically called צֶּדֶק, because a convert has had to go further than most people in pursuit of their religiosity. Included in the concept of גֵּר is anyone who is missing a support structure – a Jew in need, older people and the like. By taking care of these people one also fulfills the mitzvah to love a גֵּר. All these people require assistance, and we ask Hashem to ensure they are looked after.

וְעָלֵינוּ. יֶהֱמוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ ה’ אֱלהֵינוּ

This seems like this is thrown in as a freebie, and it actually sort of is. We care for and look up to all the people we mentioned, but what about everyone else? The above people are on the right track, and are doing something. But some of us need help a nudge in the right direction. The less someone has, the more people want to give such a person. We compel Hashem to help us because we are desperate.

We are asking Hashem to look after all the above people who help develop and contribute to society, but that we not get left behind.

וְתֵן שכָר טוב לְכָל הַבּוטְחִים בְּשִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת

The way reward works is that it in principally set aside for the World to Come. Our journey in this world is like a very expensive hotel. We set the value of mitzvos very low – how many of us would work for a few extra hours and miss out on x many mitzvos? And in the long run, how valuable were those extra few fours? Not very. We don’t value our mitzvos the way we ought to. But when we do have something, what do we use it for? If used for selfish reasons, it comes out of the principal reward that was set aside, but if we use what we have to serve Hashem, it doesn’t and actually adds to our reward.

We therefore ask for a “good reward” – that it be because we used our time and tools correctly here.

וְשים חֶלְקֵנוּ עִמָּהֶם לְעולָם

When we choose to become more righteous, we all want to be our own person. No one wants to lose their self identity, like a clone. We want to hold on to who we are when we change for the better. For people in positions of influence, we must be careful to draw people close to Torah, and not draw them close to ourselves – making them lose their identity.

We want to ensure that when we become the tzaddikim we want to be, there should always remain חֶלְקֵנוּ, a part of ourselves, in who we will be.

וְלא נֵבושׁ כִּי בְךָ בָטָחְנוּ

We don’t want to be embarrassed of ourselves at the end of our lives – we all want to have accomplished something, to be proud of something we were part of. Everything we do has root in the tools and skills we were born with – and we can transcend and supersede our environments, and become something better. We will be embarrassed if we leave the world the way we found it.

This also means that we cannot “embarrass” Hashem – the way people perceive us is the way people perceive Hashem. We must be careful to set good examples.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, מִשְׁעָן וּמִבְטָח לַצַּדִּיקִים

We say that Hashem is מִשְׁעָן – leans, ie supports, prevents tzaddikim from falling – and מִבְטָח – gives reassurance.

When we look up to our Roshei Yeshiva, rabbis, community leaders, the people who make our communities tick, we may feel intimidated, that there is a distance between us, that maybe we can’t be righteous like them. This entire bracha assures us this is not the case. Every single person on this list – great as they may be – needs Hashem’s help, just as everyone else does. This shows that there is no real difference between us or them – we are equally capable of their achievements – we just need to get moving. They are not superhuman – they are humans doing superhuman things, which means they’re not really superhuman at all – so why can’t we be like that?

We can.