Handouts – Middos – Prayer

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    • Michal 2 years ago

      “ If you have learned much Torah, do not compliment yourselves for it, to say: “I have learned much Torah.” For you were created for this.”Rav Yochanan Ben Zakai[1]

      The Kedushas Halevi explains this concept as, “Man’s deeds ‎have one purpose and one purpose only, to provide delight ‎for the Creator who gave him life.”[2]  He  describes in detail how the middos, how we are measuring ourselves affect our prayer, and Torah learning, our very purpose in creation.

      As I understand him, the middah of “entitlement”, expecting something for nothing,  feeling a sense of being owed to, or waiting for handouts, is the  Middah that Rav Yochanan Ben Zakai strongly warns us against. It actually seems to  close the door Chas V’shalom to the flow of Brachos.

      This middah plays out even in how we Daven to Hashem!

      • Am I davening as a petitioner for Divine handouts?
      • Or is my  intention with my requests only to provide My Creator with joy?

      He identifies this middah when used properly , as KOH, (כה) the same middah used by the Kohanim to dispense Hashem’s Brachos on Klal Yisroel.[3]

      This is also the middah that the Imahos mastered to access brachah not only in their own tents, but the ability for example of Sarah Imainu to light candles from one Shabbos projecting to the next week, or Rivkah taking action paving the way for Klal Yisroel, or  perhaps even the transformation of Leah in her acknowledgement of  Hashem upon the birth of Yehudah opening the door to her becoming the mother of Moshiach..

      It is the very same middah Avraham Avinu chooses   at the Akeida. וַאֲנִ֣י וְהַנַּ֔עַר נֵלְכָ֖ה עַד־כֹּ֑ה (Genesis, 22:5).  He understood this was what was necessary in order to do overcome and do the Akeida fulfilling the Ratzon of Hashem.   I think it this Middah that opens the vision of Avraham Avinu, and opens the door for infinite Bracha in reciprocation. כִּֽי־בָרֵ֣ךְ אֲבָרֶכְךָ֗ (Genesis, 22:17)

      And, not coincidentally the Middah Hashem asks Adam to connect to to deal with his mistake, וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ל֖וֹ אַיֶּֽכָּה And He said to him where is your Koh? (Genesis, 3:9)

      This middah additionally clearly reaches beyond time, past, present and future as we have seen the ramifications both positive and negative of Adam, of Avraham and the Birkhat Cohanim.

      The Mishna lists the 5 students of Rav Yochanan Ben Zakai with a description of each including one named R. Yehoshua ben Chananiah which all said about him, “Happy is she who gave birth to him”

      Chazal explains this to mean that she was rendered happy by his good middos.  It is also said she was rendered happy because she caused him to be a Talmid Chacham.  She would make the rounds of all the houses of study in her city and say to them (the disciples): “Please, pray for this fetus in my stomach, that he be a Chacham!” And from the day that he was born, she did not remove his crib from the house of study, so that only words of Torah entered his ears.

      To me it seems as if  Rav Yeshoshua’s mother lived with this lesson of Rav Yochanan Ben Zakai and applied it to immediate action.  She existed with the sense of Koh as her reality and therefore her responsibility even before her child was born.

      The moment she understood she was carrying this child, she planted seeds of the highest purpose in her child, as a Baalas Tzedaka.  She understood the enormous gift and responsibility it was and began praying.  Praying to have a child who would serve The Ribono Shel Olam as described by the Kedushas Halevi.

      She toiled and took this so seriously to make Torah the priority as her way of giving to the Ribono Shel Olam, to his children and to the world.

      Her child was counted in one of the 5 greatest students of Rav Yochana Ben Zakai. It show how far a good middah stretches, from mother to child, and as far back as Avraham Avinu who was considered a Kohen too.

      Perhaps the root of all good middos is to live with this sense of “Koh”, measuring everything one does with the question, “Will this action provide delight ‎for the Creator who gave us life?

      It also speaks to me of the power of prayer, as a key to expand our middos so that we can serve Hashem as He wants us to.

      I therefore ask myself;

      Q: How am I praying?  Do I think I am entitled or do I recognize this precious gift of Prayer?

      Q: Am I appreciating the gift of prayer as a means to improve my middos?

      Q: Are my words planting seeds of light in the world, and for Hashem?

      Q: Am I incorporating the sense of Koh in each Tefillah , meaning how infinite each prayer is?

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      [1] Pirkei Avos, 2:8

      [2] Kedushas Levi, שיהיה המעשה של אדם רק כדי שיהיה להבורא תענוג מזה, on Pirkei Avos, 2:8 –

      [3] “The real interpretation of the verse: ‎כה תברכו את בני ישראל‎, is: ‎‎“thus you shall bless the Children of Israel in order that the ‎Creator shall have pleasure from them and in order that thereby ‎you will become dispenser of pleasure instead of remaining ‎petitioners waiting for a Divine handout.” As a consequence of ‎this, the Creator will feel encouraged to dispense all manner of ‎blessings on Israel. This is the meaning of the attribute described ‎here as ‎כה‎, i.e. just as Israel does something for the pleasure of ‎G’d, so He, in turn, will reciprocate by doing things for Israel, His ‎people”.‎ Kedushas Halevi

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