Hakhel Email Community Awareness Bulletin
FOCUS ON TEFILLAH ARCHIVE
10.
TEKA BESHOFAR
The Sefer Rinas
Chaim notes that in the first six Brachos of request, our request are
for individuals within the community--whereas the second group of six
Brachos--which commence with Teka BeShofar--are requests of and for the
entire community. The Kuntrus HisChaskus BiT’fillah
brings the following further parallel:
“The
Avudraham teaches that the first six Brachos of request in Shemone Esrei--commencing
with Atta Chonen-- correspond to
the second six, which commence with Teka
BeShofar. The first group begins with the prayer for intelligence,
without which a person has nothing, and in the words of the Shulchan Aruch
(115: 1) this is what distinguishes the human from the animal, and the
Mishnah Berurah (there) adds, that this should be one’s main request--that
Hashem should bestow upon us an upright and logical understanding. The
corresponding bracha in the second group is the one requesting the
ingathering of our exiles to Eretz Yisroel, as the Torah describes in
Parshas Nitzavim (Devorim 30), because the Galus degrades the spirituality
of our holy nation, and withholds from us the holiness of Eretz Yisroel and
Yerushalayim which have the power to rejuvenate us with powerful faith and
love of Hashem and His Torah and Mitzvos. Thus,
the ingathering of the exiles is similar to an injection of true spiritual intelligence into our entire nation.”
Additional
Note One:
The Sefer Mesilas Yeshorim (Chapter
19) writes that when we daven for the Geulah and the return of Kovod
Shomayim, we give Nachas to Hashem
just by showing we really care and make a sincere plea--and whether or
not Hashem immediately accedes to our request. We must really reJewvinate
ourselves for this Bracha--and give Hashem Nachas!
Additional Note Two:
What is the Shofar Gadol? The Kuntres Avodas
HaTefillah brings that it is GADOL BECHASHIVUS--it is not necessarily a
large Shofar but it is an extremely important one--picture the MILLIONS
AND
MILLIONS--from this and previous
generations--who will be so fully and finally overjoyed with the
news--speedily and in our day!
---------------------------
When we recite the three
key terms Shofar Gadol, Sa
Neis, and Kabbtzeinu
Yachad, we should put our
hearts into it, and visualize the enormity and significance of the
Geulah--which will come, but which we want to come now.
One reader commented that the Shofar Gadol may allude to the similar Kol
Gadol of the Shofar of Mattan Torah which did not weaken.
So too, the Geulah that the Shofar will herald will be forever and
ever--is there anything larger! Similarly,
the Neis, the banner will be high enough for the world to see as our
exiles are ingathered from
Johannesburg
and
Buenos Aires
, from
Vancouver
and
Stockholm
, and from
New York
and
London
as well. What
an event--what a happening--and
it could be before our very eyes! Finally,
we will be gathered Yachad, all
together--side by side in ultimate peace and harmony.
Let us focus on the sheer enormity of the event--and give these
unparalleled requests the heartfelt
clear Kavannah that they, very
literally, so greatly deserve!
----------------------------
HaRav
Eliyahu Munk in his Sefer Olam
HaTefillos writes that this Bracha is centrally
placed as the middle Bracha of Shemone Esrei because it bridges between
the requests we make for the individual and the upcoming requests that we
make for the community. In fact,
in the Bracha, we ask that Hashem actually
unite the individuals into a community--as the Mekabeitz
Nidchei Amo Yisroel.
The Sefer
Dover Shalom provides an outstanding insight for us in this regard.
He writes that the three stages of our uniting and Geulah are
represented in the three phrases of the Bracha prior to its conclusion:
First, there will be a Shofar Gadol L’Cheirusainu--i.e., we will be freed of our Shibud
Malchiyos, of our subjugation to the nations of the world.
Then, VeSah Neis, a banner
will be raised to gather us to one place, readying us for the Geulah.
Finally, Vekabitzeinu Yachad
MeiArbah Kanfos HaAretz--we will actually be ingathered
from everywhere and anywhere, the closest--and furthest--places on
earth. These
Three-Steps actually mirror the Three Steps of our Geulah from
Mitzrayim-- as we first stopped working for the Mitzriyim as the Makkos
continued, then were miraculously gathered to one central meeting place
where we all left together from (see Shemos 12:37)--and then we finally left
all together--as a united people! Every
time we recite Teka
B’Shofar, we plead with Hashem
that he begin now with the Shofar
Gadol L’Cheirusainu--first freeing us of the Shibud of Galus--and then
continue the process so that we can all--united and together--experience the
Geulah Sheleimah--speedily and in our day!
-------------------------
The
Sefer Seder HaYom writes that
there is something very special about this Bracha that goes even beyond the
previous Bracha of Go’el Yisroel, in that we ask for redemption not only
personally and in our current situations and environments--but this time we
seek “Hashkeit U’vitcha
B’Artzseinu Ka’asher Batechila”--for us to return to our original
wholeness and wholesomeness as we existed when the Bais HaMikdash was first
built. This means (as is brought
in the Siddur HaGra) that we are davening here that the Aseres HaShevatim,
part of whom disappeared into the dark mountains, and part of whom
disappeared beyond the Sambatyon River, will be brought together with us
once again. Even those who are
“Nidchei--dispersed or pushed away, will be brought back together!
Fascinatingly, the Seder HaYom
adds that the term Yisroel, the last word of the Bracha, does not only refer
to the people of Klal Yisroel, but to Yaakov Avinu, known as Yisroel.
How?! Yaakov had three
sons, each in a different kind of
Golus--Yosef, who everyone had given up on; Shimon, who was alone and in
trouble; and Binyomin, for whose life he very much feared.
It is from and for all of these different types of Golus that we
daven--so that we can come back B’Simcha Gedolah from each and every kind
of Golus--to a united Geulah! Remember--M’Kabeitz Nidchei Amo Yisroel!
------------------------
A.
The Art of Jewish Prayer
(Rabbi Yitzchok Kirzner, Z’tl, with Lisa Aiken), brings a Midrash (Pirkei
D’Rebbi Eliezer 31) which explains what we mean by Shofar
Gadol. The Midrash teaches
that no part of the Ayil that Avraham Avinu sacrificed was at all wasted,
because he sacrificed it with total dedication and devotion: “The left
horn of the Ayil was the Shofar that was blown when the Torah was given, the
sinews were made into strings for the Kinor that was used by Dovid HaMelech…the
right horn of this Ayil which was much larger than the left one is the
Shofar that will be blown by Eliyahu HaNavi at the ingathering of our
exiles.” This is what is meant
by the Shofar Gadol--it
is the Shofar that is larger
than the Shofar used at Matan Torah! We
must appreciate the enormity of the event--it is a culmination and epitome
of our Achdus, as demonstrated use the Shoresh of Kabeitz
(gathered together) used three
times during the course of the Bracha.
B.
The Sefer Acharis L’Shalom
writes that we conclude the Bracha with Amo
Yisroel--adding the word Amo
[in the previous bracha we mentioned Go’el Yisroel, without Amo],
because we--as His Nation want
to indicate our sincere and dedicated belief that we
can bring the Geulah not just because the time has come, but through our
own Ma’asim--our Torah, Tefillah, and Mitzvos.
One final incredible point: HaRav
Chaim Kanievsky, Shlita, notes the use of the Shoresh Kabeitz
in the bracha and adds that it derives from the Posuk in Yeshaya “Ne’um Hashem Elokim MiKabeitz Nidchei Yisroel Od Akabeitz Alav
L’Nikbatzav” (56:8). He
teaches that the last four words--Od
Akabeitz Alav L’Nikbatzav, indicate that not only will we be
ingathered ourselves, but that all of our possessions and belongings will
join us--Hashem making the experience all the more wonderful and all the
more enjoyable for us ! How can we not say Baruch
Atta Hashem with sincere meaning for all He gives us in this Bracha!!
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