Close To Torah

In the last essay we described how King David turned towards Hashem in all situations in life. This psalm continues that same theme. David states that the only way that the Jewish nation will receive a salvation is through prayer to Hashem. “Hashem will answer you when you call in distress (verse 2).”

In Davening

The previous psalm ended with the famous verse of “yihyu l’ratzon imrey fi, may the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor in Your eyes (tefillah).” This psalm 20 which follows immediately after those words opens with a mention of redemption (geula). The Gemara Berachos (4b) learns from this (see Rashi there) that when one prays in the morning and evening, Shachris and Maariv, he must juxtapose the geula, redemption (in Shema we mention how Hashem took us out of Egypt), to the tefillah, Shmoneh Esrei prayer (which is the ultimate expression of requests and prayers to Hashem).

Two Questions

Firstly, what is the theme of juxtaposing geula and tefillah all about? Secondly, the proof brought from David’s words seems off. When we pray we first state how Hashem took us out of Egypt (last paragraph in the shema prayer) which is geula and then we daven Shmoneh Esrei which is tefillah. In the psalms, David reverses the order placing tefillah before geula. What is this about?

Connection

Rabbi Eliyahu Eliezer Dessler zt”l (1892 – 1953) explains that when one prays the most important aspect is that he connects with Hashem in the deepest and most intimate way. In order to connect with Him, we must contemplate all of the Greatness and Kindness which He possesses. Thus, when we begin to talk about our geula, our redemption from Egypt and establishment as a nation with great love and fanfare, we must not get distracted. We must carry that feeling of gratitude and respect and immediately begin our tefillah process where we ask Hashem for our needs while close to Him. This is why it is so important not to interrupt between geula (appreciation) and tefillah (requests from a place of connection).

David’s Message

David mentioned tefillah before geula to stress a vital point. The most important part of davening is the tefillah part in which we put in our requests and connect deeply to Hashem. The pesukei dzimrah, introductory verses at the beginning of Shachris, and the geula all lead up to the climax of the prayer service which is Shmoneh Esrei. David wished to clarify and stress the vitality of Shmoneh Esrei. Our hearts must be filled with gratitude towards Hashem and our loved ones, but the most important part of the relationship is the present, the bonding time together. Thinking about the past and being filled with gratitude is what geula is all about and it serves to build the relationship, but being connected to one another in the moment is what tefillah is. This is why David placed tefillah, the here and now of the relationship, first!

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