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16.
SHEMA
KOLEINU
We have now reached the Sixteenth Bracha of
Shemone Esrei--the milestone bracha of Shema
Koleinu--which encapsulates all of our previous requests.
The Sefer Ya’aros Devash
movingly writes on this Bracha as follows:
“Here, one should turn to Hashem with all of his needs, whether big
or small, and should leave out nothing, in his requests of Hashem.
There should be nothing that a person intends to undertake or
accomplish that day in which he does not ask for Hashem’s success, and one
should ask Hashem to place him on the proper and correct path.
It goes without saying that if c’v
a person has a t’zara in his house that he should daven here for its
successful quashing and removal, and that if a person is blessed with a
Simcha, he should daven that it should be a successful one--not causing any
kind of iniquity nor resulting in any negative impact or effect.
Before the concluding phrase of Ki
Atta Shome’ah, one should daven
in his own words--for it then per se will be Kava’anah-filled.
These Tefillos will be new and fresh, as they will relate to the
situations and events of the day, and should come from the depths of the
heart. Through sincere Tefillos
here, one can once and for all come to realize that his efforts and actions
are meaningless on their own--and are all subject to Hashem’s
determination and decree. Moreover,
anything he asks for Hashem here will be for a Kosher purpose--how would he
ask Hashem for wealth or anything else in a way which would anger Him?!
Accordingly, one who davens for his needs from Hashem here will not
readily sin--as he is asking Hashem Himself for the Bracha!
Additional Note One: We
can easily see how powerful this Bracha is in that five different names of
Hashem are used within the Bracha: Hashem, Elokeinu, Kel, Atta, and Malkeinu.
In Nusach Sefard there are actually seven Names of Hashem in the bracha, as
we begin with the terms Av and HaRachaman.
Additional Note Two: The
Mishna Berura (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 122, seif katan 8) writes that it
is better to daven the aforementioned Tefillos in Elokai
Netzor after Yehiyu L’Razton, so that you will be able to answer
Kaddish and Kedusha. Accordingly,
one must gauge his Tefillos, and the Minyan he is davening with,
accordingly. Additional Note
Three: In all events, the Kuntres
Avodah HaTefillah brings from the father of the Shelah HaKadosh that the
Bracha of Shema Koleinu should be
infused with more Kavannah than the preceding Brachos, as it is the conclusion of all of the Brachos of request--and
accordingly one’s heart and mind should be especially focused on asking
Hashem to listen to the kol of his Tefillah and accept his Tefillah B’Rachamim.
-------------------------
We begin (Nusach Ashkenaz) this bracha with the
phrase Shema Koleinu--Hashem
please hear, understand, and accept [similar to Shema Yisroel, in which we
proclaim “Hear, understand, and accept, Yisroel: Hashem is our G-d, Hashem
the One and Only.”]. What do
we want Hashem to hear, understand, and accept here?
Our Kol, our voices, even if our Kavannah has not necessarily been full and
complete. Just we recite in the
Haggada on Pesach (based upon Shemos 2:24)”Vayishmah
Hashem Es Koleinu, so too, do we ask Hashem to turn to our voice itself
and to hear,
understand and accept our
pleas for yeshuos--just as He understood it then and determined to
release us from Mitzrayim.” As
HaRav Chaim Friedlander, Z’tl, writes: the Anshei Kneses HaGedolah
especially chose not to use the term Shema Tefilaseinu,
but rather Shema Koleinu--for even
if we lack the merit, and even if we lack the good sense to daven in a
better manner--please consider our Kol
alone and respond to it without exacting a measure of strict justice.
In a similar vein, the Sefer Dover
Shalom writes that we ask Hashem to hear our Kol--our
groans and cries, even if they are inarticulate and not detailed or exact.
Finally, the Eitz Yosef writes that with the term Koleinu, we plead with Hashem that He recognize that we do not know
all of the Kavanos, Remazim, and Sodos--all of the deeper meanings and
powerful requests contained within the words of our Tefillos--but that
Hashem nevertheless considers as if we had included them all within the Kol
of our Tefillos. Then, with
the next phrase after Shema Koleinu--Hashem
Elokeinu--we use Hashem’s names of Mercy and Hashgacha Pratis to
emphasize the depths of our plea for compassion.
In fact, there are two different kinds of compassion for which we
plea--as we ask for Chus and for Racheim. What is the
difference between them? The
Artscroll Siddur, as well as Rav
Schwab on Prayer, and HaRav Friedlander, all bring the explanation of
the G’ra. As beautifully put
in the Artscroll Siddur: “The
term Chus, pity, refers to an artisan’s special regard for the product
of his hands; while Rachamim,
compassion, describes the emotion aroused by someone who is pathetically
helpless.” We therefore
exclaim--”Hashem Elokeinu, pity us because we are Your handiwork, and be
compassionate, because we need You so desperately!”
-----------------------------------
After asking Hashem to be “Chus V’Racheim Aleinu”--we further our request with the phrase
“V’Kabel B’Rachamim U’VeRatzon
Es Tefilaseinu.” In Nusach
Ashkenaz this is the second of three
times that we will mention the term Rachamim
in this one Bracha. Once
again, in asking for Rachamim we
indicate to Hashem that we know that we are unworthy of His granting our
requests and receiving His blessings. When
sincere, this expression constitute the optimum kind of Tefillah--Ke’Ani
BaPesach--as an indigent person who knocks on Hashem’s door.
To better help visualize the moment, one can actually put his hand
out in front of him as he recites these words.
We note that we not only ask Hashem for His Rachamim,
however, but also for His Ratzon.
By Ratzon, we mean to
indicate (at least) two points: Firstly,
we don’t want to act like mechutzafim, and that we are sincerely looking
for Hashem to accept our prayers ‘B’Nachas Ruach’ (Kuntres
Avodas HaTefillah). Moreover,
when something is done B’Ratzon,
with willingness, it is performed in a more complete and perhaps
more-than-complete way. We thus
respectfully ask Hashem to not only accept our Tefillos on a minimal basis,
but accept them with a ‘breite hant’--in
the most beneficial way possible--with a Ratzon
that Only Hashem is capable of!
------------------------------
The Bracha continues: Ki Keil Shomea Tefillos VeSachanunim Atta . The Kuntres
Avodas HaTefillah explains that Tefillos
refers to our set and designated Tefillos
such as Shemone Esrei, whereas Tachanunim
are our private prayers and pleadings for
our personal needs. We then continue with the phrase U’Milefanecha Malkeinu Reikam
Al Teshiveinu. The Sefer Baruch
She’Amar explains that we address Hashem here especially as Malkeinu--for
it is truly to the glory of a king--who is so powerful--that he can grant
requests that no one else can. Thus,
even if we are wholly unworthy--please do not send us away
empty-handed--please provide us with some of the relief and help we
need--because You are a King who knows, cares and loves His subjects!
---------------------------
Firstly, we note that the term Shome’ah
or Shema is mentioned four times (in Nusach Sefard five times!) within
the bracha. This may serve to
remind us that we should be careful in listening to others--so that we can
legitimately ask Hashem to listen to us.
In fact, the Sefer Avudraham
writes that the basis for our asking Hashem within the bracha for “Reikam Al Teshiveinu” (do not send us away empty-handed) is the
Posuk “Al Yashov Dach Nichlam”
(Tehillim 74:21). This is the
very same Pasuk which teaches us l’halacha that we should not turn away a
pauper begging for assistance. (There
are exceptions to the rule, which we will not delve into now.)
Thus, we must both listen to others if we want Hashem to listen to
us--and similarly if we want Hashem not to turn us away empty-handed, we
should endeavor to act in a like manner with others who need our help.
In many Siddurim one will find a Nusach of Vidui placed as a note
underneath the bracha of Shema Koleinu. This is
based on the Zohar in Parshas Balak, which teaches how important it is for
one to recite Vidui in Shema Koleinu.
The Mishna Berurah actually brings this concept in Shulchan Aruch,
Orach Chaim 119, Seif Katan 4. The
Mishna Berurah adds there that one should also ask for Parnassah in this
Bracha [before Ki Atta Shome’ah], even
if he is a wealthy person. We
conclude the bracha with the words “Baruch
Atta Hashem Shome’ah Tefillah”.
The bracha is in the present tense, like all of the other brachos of
Shemone Esrei, because we must realize that Hashem not only listened to our
forefathers and fathers--but wants to listen to us in the here and now as
well--and we must accordingly daven to Him in a manner which befits this
wonderful and wondrous reality!
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