Light Bending- Tefillah- Tzedakah

I  thought about the concept of refraction of light, or bending of light as it passes from one substance into another. And, how the light of high speeds bends, or slows down to interact with a substance of lower speed. Or when a  lower speed of light to interacts with a higher speed of light  and therefore refraction occurs.  When there is a change of speed it causes a change in direction of the light.

“When a wave moves into a slower medium the wavefronts get compressed. For the wavefronts to stay connected at the boundary the wave must change direction” (Wikipedia)

Could this be what a  “Tefillah”, Prayer serves to facilitate?

Is it possible that our tefillos acts as  the buffer or the bender of light  between the high speed  light being communicated to us from above, and then the tefillah intercepts the words or letters  and when we pray, we  express  the light in all different, permutations, and directions allowing us to see Hashem and His Kavod in infinite ways ?  Or that which allows us to see ourselves in brand new ways continually?

If this is correct, then it should also work in  the other way as well. Sometimes, through tefillah we access light from something that seems so mundane , like a rock, that is derived from a seemingly lower form,  slower ,and even appears as a  non-moving light and we can grab it and transform it to a higher speed light with prayer. With our tefillas we transform that light into High-speed gushing waters illuminating the world with Hashem’s glory. And this process works from both directions.

I see it being depicted in the words of Dovid Hamelech when he praises Hashem with these words:

^[2]הַהֹפְכִ֣י הַצּ֣וּר אֲגַם־מָ֑יִם חַ֝לָּמִ֗ישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ־מָֽיִם

Who turned rock into a pool of water, the flinty rock into a fountain.

The Lekutei Moharan, comments on these words and asserts this verse as a process of tefillah, by connecting  it to the words of Shlomo Hamelech in Mishlei of  “Pour out your heart like water before God”.   He equates this process to giving generous charity.

“Who turns the rock into a pool of water” (Psalms 114:8). The rock” corresponds to “the rock of my heart” (Psalms 73:26), for there is “a heart of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26)—i.e., “the hardhearted, who are far from charity” (Isaiah 46:12). Thus, this is the meaning of “Who turns the rock into a pool of water.” In other words, the heart turns soft, as in “pour out your heart like water before God” (Lamentations 2:19)—i.e., a soft heart able to give charity generously.^[3]

The idea of bringing the words of prayer to Hashem as an act of generous charity, is consistent with the Kedushas Halevi’s interpretations of  the words, ” If you have learned much Torah, do not claim credit for yourself, because for such a purpose were you created. ” said by Rav Yochanan Ben Zaki in Pirkei Avot^[4]; to ask of us to approach and serve Hashem not as one entitled to Divine handouts, and instead find ways to give joy to Hashem as one who generously gives charity.

The different perspectives, or the angle,  one applies to his or her tefillah; will allow for the degree of transformation of self and reality in the process, just as the degree, or angle of the light hitting the stone equates into a different reality.   The type of lenses used in refracting light impacts the multiple directions changed with the bending of light.  Is it clear or blurry… Are we having a tefillah filled with insights?

The example of “Who turns the rock into a pool of water”   demonstrates the power of transformation through tefillah.  “Pour out your heart like water before God” as the description of prayer with a generous heart, demonstrates how the seemingly impossible is possible when Prayer is coupled with the generous heart before Hashem.

When a person grows and transforms him or herself  in fulfilling the Will of Hashem, one  must pass to new boundaries .  The ability to reach different realms and the balancing of the two seems to require tefillah, or the introspective speech to be able to move with lightening speed to a new dimension.  For Example, a person can do teshuvah the moment he commits with sincerity of heart to become new.  The articulation of his or her soul’s true desire is part of the vidui aspect of  Teshuva , and certainly a tefillah therefore.  The ability to pass to a new existence can happen in an instant.   This example seems to support the idea of tefillah as the wave bender allowing a person to move from one existence to the next and allow for continual change.

When describing prayer as the buffer or softener between the two different wavelengths, it is  also called the process of   Kiddush Hashem, as he elevates himself from one level to the next fulfilling the Will of Hashem.

It is plausible to think that this is part of what Hashem wanted from Moshe Rabeinu when instructed to “speak” to the rock.  Meaning he had an opportunity to make a Kiddush Hashem  with the use his words, ^[5], as a tefillah,  as an act of Tzedakah, to plant seeds of light for the whole nation as a light bender for all the differences of the nation to be softened to allow for a process of elevating the nation and the revelation of Hashem’s Glory to be now accessed like never before.  .^[6]

Miriam is also the living breathing  light bender, as she represents this well of water from the rock as a symbol of the power of prayer, song, support, and Tzedakah in the desert. It is Miriam that can balance the decree of evil of Pharaoh and to then assuage her father to reunite with her mother Yocheved whose union brings forth Moshe Rabeinu.  Another example of the impossible possible with her ability to pray, hope in Hashem as a bender of light.

We also know that wells of water is associated with tzedaka with Yitzchak Avinu.  We find that idea when he dug and opened up the wells of water, as a planter of light seeds, of hope for the people of Pelishtim that gave up hope until he came.^[7]

I think the Prayer, or tefillah is the mechanism in which kedusha is possible, in which a human being can interact with The Ein Sof, The Infinite Being. Another example of no such a thing as Impossible with prayer.

May we all be Zoche to pour our hearts to Hashem as light benders allowing us all to move from a world of Galus to a world of Redemption Biezras Hashem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^[2] Tehillim 114:8

^[3] Lekutei Moharan

^[4] Kedushas Halevi, on Avos, 2:8

^[5] לְהַ֨קְדִּישֵׁ֔נִי לְעֵינֵ֖י בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, Numbers, 20:12

For had you spoken to the rock and it had brought forth water I would have been sanctified before the whole congregation, for they would have said: What is the case with this rock which cannot speak and cannot hear and needs no maintenance? It fulfills the bidding of the Omnipresent God! How much more should we do so? (Rashi, 20:12)

^[6] קַ֣ח אֶת־הַמַּטֶּ֗ה וְהַקְהֵ֤ל אֶת־הָעֵדָה֙ אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתֶּ֧ם אֶל־הַסֶּ֛לַע לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְנָתַ֣ן מֵימָ֑יו וְהוֹצֵאתָ֨ לָהֶ֥ם מַ֙יִם֙ מִן־הַסֶּ֔לַע וְהִשְׁקִיתָ֥ אֶת־הָעֵדָ֖ה וְאֶת־בְּעִירָֽם (Numbers, 20:8) “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water. Thus you shall produce water for them from the rock and provide drink for the congregation and their beasts.”

^[7] Shabbos class 2014, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n’’y