A Prayer of the Lowly When He Joins in Her Sorrow
by tillerofthesoil
“If the prayer is not whole many demons pursue it, as is written: All her persecutors overtook her in her distress (Lamentations 1:3). This is why people pray: Yet He is compassionate… (Psalms 78:38). [He atones for] Crime (ibid.)—Samael, who is the Serpent; and does not destroy (ibid.)—the Angel of Destruction; and abundantly takes back His wrath and does not arouse all His fury (ibid.). And we pray that these four [namely: crime, destruction, wrath, and fury] do not pursue the prayer, as many demons are attached to these. There are seven ministers, who have seventy more attached to them. Those seventy bring allegations in each and every firmament through which the prayer passes and seven-hundred myriad demons are attached to them.
If the prayer ascends whole, with the mitsvah of wrapping tallit and tefillin of the head and of the hand, it is said of them: And all the peoples of the earth will see that the name of YHWH is called over you and they will fear you (Deuteronomy 28:10). The name of YHWH—this has already been explained as tefillin of the head. Whoever sees the name יהוה (YHWH) over the head in prayer, which is the name אֲדֹנָי (Adonai), shall immediately flee, as is written: A thousand fall at Your side (Psalms 91:7).
Because Jacob saw through the Holy Spirit the oppression of the last exile, in the end of days, it is said of him, And Jacob was greatly afraid, and he was distressed (Genesis 32:8). As a result, he divided the holy nation in exile into three parts, as is written: And he placed the slavegirls and their children first (ibid. 33:2). This means at first in the exile of Edom: and Leah and her children after them, and Rachel and Joseph last (ibid.). Because he saw their eventual poverty and suffering, he prayed for them: if… I return safely to my father’s house (ibid. 28:21), so that they may have the merit to be redeemed and return to the Temple. He said in prayer: and give me bread to eat and clothing to wear (ibid.).
Because of this exile, David described Shekhinah as hungry and exhausted and thirsty in the wilderness (2 Samuel 17:29), because he saw Shekhinah desolate and withering and then joined in Her sorrow. After he saw that the children of Israel repented with joy, he composed ten types of psalms [cf. Zohar 3:283a (RM); TZ Haqdamah, 3a–b]. At the end of them all, he said: A prayer of the lowly when he grows faint (Psalms 102:10). This prayer encompasses all other prayers and ascends before all other prayers [see Vayiqra Rabbah 3:2; Zohar 3:195a]. The other prayers, sung with a melody, are delayed in being presented before the King, and do not enter, until the prayer of the poor does.
Which is the prayer of the lowly? It is the evening prayer. Since She is without Her husband She is lowly and faint and may be taken freely by anyone. The Righteous One is withered and lowly under the rule of all peoples of the world, every people enslaves them and rules over them. This is similar to the evening prayer, because it is the aspect of the night of exile.
The prayer of Sabbath is a charity given to the lowly as the Masters of Mishnah explained that the sun during Sabbath is charity given to the poor [see BT Ta’anit 8b: ‘Rabbi Yitsḥaq further said: Sunshine on the Sabbath is an act of kindness towards the poor, as is said, But unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and you shall go forth, and grow up like calves of the stall (Malachi 4:2)’]. Therefore, on every weekday a person should make himself a pauper at the gate of the King during the prayer of Amidah for the sake of Shekhinah, that he participate in the sorrow of Shekhinah as did David. He should cover himself with the proper vestments, namely tallit with tassels, as a poor man stands at the gate to the palace of the King, Adonai, because אֲדֹנָי (Adonai) is numerically equivalent to that of הֵיכָל (heikhal), palace. This is why it is said [at the beginning of the Amidah prayer:] Adonai open my lips (Psalms 51:17).
When a person opens his lips during the weekdays at Arvit [the evening prayer], an eagle descends to carry the prayer of the night upon its wings. This eagle is called Nuriel. It is called Uriel from the aspect of Ḥesed and Nuriel from the aspect of Gevurah, which is a burning fire about which is written: A river of fire was flowing and went out before Him (Daniel 7:10) [cf. BT Ḥagigah 13b ad loc.].
During Shaḥarit (Morning Service), the lion descends to receive the prayer with its arms and wings—every living being has four wings—this is the angel Michael. During Minḥah (Afternoon Service), the ox descends to receive the prayer with its horns and wings, and this is the angel Gabriel.
On Sabbath, the blessed Holy One descends with the three Patriarchs [Ḥesed, Gevurah, and Tif’eret] to receive His only Daughter [Shekhinah] through them. This is the secret of the Sabbath which consists of ש (shin) and בַּת (bat), daughter. The three lines of ש (shin) refer to the three Patriarchs. Through them, the blessed Holy One receives the prayer of Sabbath. At that time, the celestial living beings that are called by the name יהוה (YHWH) say, as is written: Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift up, eternal portals, that the King of glory may enter (Psalms 24:9).
At this time, seven הֵיכָלִין (heikhalin), chambers, are opened. The first chamber is the chamber of Love, the second is the chamber of Fear, the third is the chamber of Compassion, the fourth is the chamber of Prophecy from the aspect of the speculum that shines, the fifth is the chamber of Prophecy from the aspect of the dim glass, the sixth is the chamber of Justice and the seventh is in the chamber of Judgment. These chambers correspond to the seven sefirot. The chamber of Love is Ḥesed, Fear is Gevurah, Compassion is Tif’eret, the speculum that shines is Netsaḥ, the dim glass is Hod, Justice is Yesod and Judgment is Malkhut.
Of them is written: בְּרֵאשִׁית (Bereshit), In the beginning, which consists of בָּרָא שִׁית (bara shit), created six; אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) is in the seventh chamber. There are seven chambers below, and seven chambers above. The seven voices that correspond to them appear in the psalm, Grant to YHWH (Psalms 29:1), which includes eighteen [iterations of] יהוה (YHWH). By these the blessed Holy One sails through eighteen worlds according to the mystery of: The chariots of Elohim are myriads, thousands of thousands (Psalms 68:18) and there are 18,000 worlds [see BT Avodah Zarah 3b]. Many guardians of the gates stand before the chambers to receive the prayers and no prayer enters without being measured and weighed.
None can stand before the gate of prayers and prevent any prayer from entering. Of such a one is written: [Like arrows in the warrior’s hand, thus are sons born in youth. Happy the man who fills his quiver with them.] They shall not be shamed when they speak with their enemies at the gate (Psalms 127:5). This is the gate of the King. Since the prayer is a mitsvah and Shekhinah and Torah is the blessed Holy One they must not be separated. Torah and the mitsvah should be elevated with Love and Fear.
There are the 248 words in the recitation of Shema that were given in love and fear, and that are contained in the ה (he) of יהוה (YHWH). Therefore, the blessing: ‘He Who chooses His people Israel with love,’ is recited before the recitation of Shema to indicate that we draw solely from the aspect of Love, which is the mystery of the 248 positive mitsvot. These 248 positive mitsvot are included within Abraham [because אַבְרָהָם (Avraham), Abraham, is numerically equivalent to 248, and his is the quality of Loving-kindness]. It is written of him: The seed of Abraham My friend (Isaiah 41:8).
Tefillin are strength, as they were given from the aspect of Fear, which is the left. This is the Terror of Isaac, because all the prosecutors ascend to demand all the Judgments throughout the worlds. Thus, it is written: And by the arm of His strength (Isaiah 62:8). This is why it is written: Love אֶת יְהוָה (et-Adonai), YHWH, all His faithful (Psalms 31:24). But Tif’eret of יהוה (YHWH) comprises all, as it is the middle pillar. Hence it says of Jacob, And, look, YHWH was poised over him (Genesis 28:13). This was not mentioned in relation to Abraham or Isaac, because Jacob is the aspect of Tif’eret, which includes all, since it is the middle pillar. When called by the name Jacob, He includes the quality of Abraham, וה (vav, he), and the 248 positive mitsvot. Later, when he was called Israel, he rose by יוֹד הֵא וְאוֹ הֵא (Yod He Vav He). The mystery of יוֹד הֵא וְאוֹ הֵא (Yod He Vav He) appears in the expression ‘Israel arose in thought’ (Bereshit Rabbah 1:4) to be created because מַחֲשָׁבָה (maḥshavah), thought, consists of: מַה חַשָׁב (mah ḥashav), ‘What thought.’ מַה (Mah)—יוֹד הֵא וְאוֹ הֵא (Yod He Vav He) [numerically equivalent to מַה (mah)], in which the Holy Name lies. Because of Jacob, who is called Israel, it is written: And Elohim created the human in his image (Genesis 1:27) after the likeness of his Master.
Sons, life and sustenance are drawn down to the lower beings only through the aspect of the middle pillar, of which is written: My son, My firstborn is Israel (Exodus 4:22) [on ‘sons, life, and sustenance,’ see BT Mo’ed Qatan 28a]. This is the Tree of Life, as is written: The tree [grew and became mighty, and its top reached the heavens and its branches to the end of all the earth. Its foliage was lovely and its fruit great, and there was] food for all [in it] (Daniel 4:8–9). As for Shekhinah—Israel below are Her life; Torah—Her sustenance; and prayer—an offering which offers Shekhinah for coupling [with Ze’eir Anpin]. During the exile, it is said that Shekhinah said to Her husband: Give me sons, for if You don’t, I am a dead woman! (Genesis 30:1).
Shekhinah is an offering for the blessed Holy One which He receives with both the right and the left arm, and with the body. His coupling with Her is accomplished by the Righteous One [Yesod, called ‘sign’]. This is the sign of the tefillin, of Sabbath and of the holidays. So when prayer [Shekhinah] ascends [to Ze’eir Anpin] She should be joined with Him with all ten sefirot [because there can be no holiness with fewer than ten] which is His own holiness, His blessing and unity. Therefore, when a person wishes his prayer to ascend, he should raise it with all its movement, the musical intonations and the vowels, since the letters are horses, the vowels horsemen, and the musical intonations weapons. If the serpent aims to seize the prayer, one must prepare a sling against it, and the mystery of the matter lies in זַרְקָא (zarqa), מַקַּף (maqqaf), שׁוֹפָר הוֹלֵךְ (shofar holekh), and סְגוֹלְתָּא (segolta)” (Zohar 1:23a, Tiqqunei ha-Zohar, cf. Zohar 2:86b).
הַתְפִלִין (Ha-tefillin), the tefillin, oppose יֵצֶר הָרָע (yetser ha-ra), the evil impulse, since they are numerically equivalent (Rabbi Avraham Abulafia, Ḥayyei ha-Nefesh, cf. Natan ben Sa’adia Har’ar, Sha’arei ha-Tsedeq).
“[ה (He):] Why does she have a תַּגָּא (tagga), coronet? Because the blessed Holy One, says, If one returns I bind [a coronet] upon him” (BT Menaḥot 29b).
“Rabbi Amora sat and expounded: Why is it written סְגוֹל (segol)? Because סְגוּלָּה (segullah), ‘treasure,’ is her [proper] name, as it is [she] on top, following זַרְקָא (zarqa). What is zarqa? Just like its name it is (1 Samuel 25:25) נְבָרֵך (nevarekh), ‘blessed’ [possibly a euphemistic antonym for ‘cursed,’ see 1 Kings 21:13; Job 1:5, 11; 2:9; M Sanhedrin 7:5. Cf. Bahir §133]. Like something נִזְרַק (nizraq), thrown away, but in its wake comes, סְגֻלַּת (segullat), the treasure, of kings and provinces (Ecclesiastes 2:8). But what is zarqa? It is written: Blessed be YHVH’s glory from His place (Ezekiel 3:12), because there is none who knows His place. [Sandalfon says:] We recite a name over the coronet, and She goes and rests on the head of the Owner, as is written, Possessor of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19). As She goes She is like a zarqa with a segullah, treasure, following Her, and She comes to be head of all letters. And why is [the zarqa written] at the end of a word and not at its beginning? To teach that this תַּגָּא (tagga), coronet, ascends above, above. And what is the import of this coronet? She is a precious stone, set and adorned, as is written, The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone (Psalms 118:22). She ascends to the place from which She was hewn, as is written, from שָׁם (sham), There, feeds Israel’s Stone (Genesis 49:24)” (Bahir §89–§91).
“He is called סַנְדַּלְפוֹן (Sandalfon)—[for he selects] סֵנְדַלְכִין (sendalkhin), corals, the goodly objects within prayer; פוֹן (fon), is after, He פָּנָה (panah), has turned, to the prayer of the desolate [and has not despised their prayer] (Psalms 102:18), but his rule is in the שְׁחָקִים (sheḥaqim), skies, the place where song is recited. This means that no song is acceptable to God like the song of Israel; the letters of יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra’el), Israel, are שִׁיר אֵל (shir el), Song of God. Since God is one, Israel is one nation, and Sandalfon is called one wheel upon the earth (Ezekiel 1:15); let that one receive the prayers of this one toward the One. Sheḥaqim is an honored firmament, and Sandalfon rules over it….
Behold they [also] said: ‘Sandalfon stands behind the Chariot, binding crowns’ (BT Ḥagigah 13b). Why does he stand behind the Chariot? So that if a person prays without intention, שְׁמוּעִיאֵל (Shemui’el) the Gatekeeper and the other gatekeepers will not allow that prayer to rise upward. But a prayer [spoken] with intention of the heart comes before Him, as it says, My outcry before Him came to His ears (Psalms 18:7). So prayer is there before Glory. Since it is deserving, it has come by way of behind the Glory to Him [or: him]. Sandalfon selects the prayer the way that a person selects among silver, gold, and precious stones to make a crown. Thus he selects that which is proper; this is He has turned to the prayer of the desolate. If the gatekeepers and angels see that the prayer is worthy, they open the gate of prayer, and it comes before the [Throne of] Glory. He causes it to pass on from before Him and dresses it in light. [The prayer descends] from chamber to chamber until it reaches Sandalfon. He receives it and knows on which side of the crown to affix it: whether it should go in front, as it says, Pour out your heart like water before the presence of YHWH (Lamentations 2:19), or whether it should go behind the Glory, as it says, My outcry before Him came to His ears, meaning [that it should go] near the ears. When the blessed Holy One finds that prayer worthy, He adds to it light, brilliance, and beauty. An angel receives it and leads it to Sandalfon. Since it is crowned with beauty and brilliance, he fixes it in the crown before the face of the Glory. Sandalfon discerns which prayer is whose, this is, attend to my utterance (Psalms 5:2). This is, That which came out of my lips has come forth in Your presence (Jeremiah 17:16)” (Rabbi El’azar of Worms, Sodei Razaya 89).
Thus says YHWH; For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away its punishment; because they sold the righteous for silver, and the poor [Shekhinah] for a pair of shoes (Amos 2:6, cf. Proverbs 30:21–23).
בַּעֲבוּר נַעֲלָיִם (Ba’avur na’ala’im), a pair of shoes, is a euphemism for לילית (Lilit), indicated by their being numerically equivalent.
“For You hear the prayer of every mouth among Your people Israel in compassion” (Shemoneh Esrei). This seems perplexing: first we say, “For You hear the prayer of every mouth”—even an unworthy mouth, the blessed Holy One still hears. Afterwards it says, “Your people Israel in compassion”—specifically a prayer that is with compassion. Otherwise it is not heard.
The thing is that we must know all the heaviness in the service of the blessed Holy One is because of the resistance in every step. For example, there is a rule that man must be humble. But if we follow this end, although our sages said, “Be very, very humble,” still this does not mean that it should be a rule. This is because it is known that one should go against the whole world, and not be annulled before the proliferation of views that abound in the world, as is written, And his heart was lifted up in the ways of YHWH (2 Chronicles 17:6). Hence, this rule is not a rule that we can call comprehensive.
And if we go to the opposiste extreme, which is pride, that, too, is wrong, since “All who is proud,” says the blessed Holy One, “he and I cannot dwell in the same abode” (BT Sotah 5a). And we can also see resistance in the matter of suffering. That is, if the blessed Holy One sends suffering to a person and we believe that the blessed Holy One is benevolent, then the suffering He sent is necessarily to that person’s benefit. Thus, why do we pray that the blessed Holy One remove the suffering from us?
And concerning suffering, we should know that sufferings only come to restore us, that we merit to receive the light of the blessed Holy One. The purpose of the suffering is only to cleanse the body, as our sages said, “As salt sweetens meat, suffering cleanses the body.” With the matter of prayer, [the sages] made an adjustment that it replace suffering. Thus, prayer, too, cleanses the body.
However, a prayer is called “the path of Torah.” This is why the prayer is more effective in sweetening the body than suffering. Therefore, it is a mitsvah to pray for the suffering, since additional benefit stems from that to the individual and to the whole.
Because of this, the resistance burdens him and interrupts his service of the blessed Holy One, and he cannot continue to serve, and feels bad. It seems to him that he is unworthy of assuming the burden of the Kingdom of Heaven, “As an ox to the burden and as a donkey to the load.” Thus, at that time he is called “rejected.”
However, one’s sole intention is to expand faith, called Malkhut, meaning to raise Shekhinah from the dust. One’s aim is to glorify His Name in the world, meaning His greatness, so that the Holy Shekhinah will not assume the form of lowliness and poverty. Thus, the blessed Holy One hears “the prayer of every mouth,” even of one who is not so worthy, who feels that he is remote from the service of the blessed Holy One.
This is the meaning of “for You hear the prayer of every mouth.” When does He hear every mouth? When the people of Israel pray with compassion, meaning simple compassion. When one prays to raise Shekhinah from the dust, to receive faith.
It is similar to one who has not eaten in three days. Then, when he asks of another to be given something to eat, he is not asking for any luxuries or extras; he is simply asking to be given something to revive his soul.
Similarly, in the service of the blessed Holy One, when he finds himself standing between heaven and earth, he is not asking for something redundant of Him, but only for the light of faith, that the blessed Holy One will open his eyes so he can assume the aspect of faith. This is called “raising Shekhinah from the dust.” And this prayer is accepted from “every mouth.” That is, in any state a person is in, if one asks to revive one’s soul with faith, this prayer is answered.
And this is called “with compassion,” when one’s prayer is only to be pitied from above so he can sustain his vitality. And this is the meaning of what is written in the Zohar, that a prayer for the lowly is immediately accepted. That is, when it is for the Holy Shekhinah, it is immediately accepted (Rabbi Barukh Ashlag, Shamati, 113, [Sabbath, 15 Kislev]).
“He rides a cherub of light, and sails through 18,000 worlds; for it is said, The chariots of God are myriads beyond count, אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן (alfei shinan), thousands repeated (Psalms 68:18). Do not read שִׁנְאָן (shinan), repeated, but שֶׁאֵינָן (sheinan), which are lacking (i.e., 18,000 and not 20,000 as the verse may seem to indicate)” (BT Avodah Zarah 3b, cf. Sanhedrin 97b; Sukkah 45b).