Thought for the Day: The Importance of תפילה, as Evidenced by the Very Specific Placement of הבדלה in שמונה עשרה
My son (who was working as a -- ahem, quite upscale -- clothing salesman at the time) got a thank you email from a client whom he had helped pick just the right business suit for the occasion. The outfit was very smart and professional and helped to give her the confidence she needed for that occasion. The occasion? She was presenting a brief before the Supreme Court of the United States of America. The suit was just part of her preparation, and obviously not even the bulk of her preparation; but it was an important part of her preparation. If she spent that much effort on having just the right look, she obviously spent hours, days, maybe even weeks, preparing the brief itself and polishing her delivery.
That was just for a presentation to the US Supreme Court. The absolute worst that could happen to her would be to lose her case, be embarrassed and shamed in front of her peers and supervisors, lose her job, be black balled from the entire legal industry, lose her licence to practice law, serve time in jail and pay a fine for contempt of court, lose all of her friends, and end up as a cat lady sharing their food, drinking cheap wine and muttering to herself about opportunities missed; all the while wearing that once smart looking suit that is now all tatters and rags, of course.
We, on the other hand, stand before the Creator and Author of Reality -- the Holy One, Blessed be He, the King of kings -- thrice daily (four times on Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Rosh Chodesh) to present ourselves for judgement and sentencing, and to beg for mercy and "just one more chance" (again). What's the worst that could happen? You don't want to think about it; but you should, the multiply by 60 and you'll have a faint idea.
Fortunately, we do not have to write the presentation; we have a winning formula handed to us from the most capable prayer writers who ever lived. Fortunately, He is also our Father Who Art in Heaven; He knows us and cuts us lots (and lots and lots and ...) of slack. None the less, we really, really should at the very least try to pay attention to what we are saying and make our presentation as polished and professional as possible.
I bring this all up because there is a general attitude of "well, I made a mistake, I'll just have to repeat." For example, forgetting to mention rain the winter (or mentioning rain in the summer) or forgetting the ask for rain in the winter (or asking for rain in the summer) or forgetting the insertion for Chol HaMoed or Rosh Chodesh... no problem, just repeat. Or if I remember as I finish saying HaShem's name at the end of the bracha, then just finish with למדני חוקיך -- which converts it into a verse from Psalms and then just continue on our merry way. Or, if I forgot a request (for rain), just put into into שומע תפילה. What's the big deal?
Then you hit the laws of saying הבדלה in שמונה עשרה. The laws of הבדלה a discussed in siman 294, where we are told that they bracha of הבדלה goes in the the bracha of חונן הדעת. The Mishna Brura, sk 2, says this is because we are not permitted to make requests before making הבדלה. The Sha'ar HaTziun, also sk 2, says the reason for this placement is because it our request for wisdom, which is the first thing necessary to recognize the difference between the profane and the holy. In fact, the Gr'a explains that it goes after the words חונן הדעת to be in the midst or the bracha on wisdom, but before the rest of the bracha where we actually begin the request for wisdom. That way we fulfill both reasons given for the placement of הבדלה. (C'mon... that is so cool!)
If you forget, there is no remediation; you can't put it into שומע תפילה because it isn't a request. You can't finish with למדני חוקיך because you can (and will) say הבדלה later in a ceremony with wine. Apparently, then, those times when we are given a remediation... it is a big deal; a really big deal. Can you imagine our young lawyer holding up her hand and saying, "Oh... excuse me; I'll just start over." Or how about, "And so, your honors... uhh... umm... my, how dapper you all look in your robes. Now let me just back up a sentence or two and say something I forgot."
Perhaps that is another reason for the precise placement of הבדלה in שמונה עשרה: to remind us before Whom we are standing and the importance of making our words, presentation, attire, and attitude appropriate for the occasion.
That was just for a presentation to the US Supreme Court. The absolute worst that could happen to her would be to lose her case, be embarrassed and shamed in front of her peers and supervisors, lose her job, be black balled from the entire legal industry, lose her licence to practice law, serve time in jail and pay a fine for contempt of court, lose all of her friends, and end up as a cat lady sharing their food, drinking cheap wine and muttering to herself about opportunities missed; all the while wearing that once smart looking suit that is now all tatters and rags, of course.
We, on the other hand, stand before the Creator and Author of Reality -- the Holy One, Blessed be He, the King of kings -- thrice daily (four times on Shabbos, Yom Tov, and Rosh Chodesh) to present ourselves for judgement and sentencing, and to beg for mercy and "just one more chance" (again). What's the worst that could happen? You don't want to think about it; but you should, the multiply by 60 and you'll have a faint idea.
Fortunately, we do not have to write the presentation; we have a winning formula handed to us from the most capable prayer writers who ever lived. Fortunately, He is also our Father Who Art in Heaven; He knows us and cuts us lots (and lots and lots and ...) of slack. None the less, we really, really should at the very least try to pay attention to what we are saying and make our presentation as polished and professional as possible.
I bring this all up because there is a general attitude of "well, I made a mistake, I'll just have to repeat." For example, forgetting to mention rain the winter (or mentioning rain in the summer) or forgetting the ask for rain in the winter (or asking for rain in the summer) or forgetting the insertion for Chol HaMoed or Rosh Chodesh... no problem, just repeat. Or if I remember as I finish saying HaShem's name at the end of the bracha, then just finish with למדני חוקיך -- which converts it into a verse from Psalms and then just continue on our merry way. Or, if I forgot a request (for rain), just put into into שומע תפילה. What's the big deal?
Then you hit the laws of saying הבדלה in שמונה עשרה. The laws of הבדלה a discussed in siman 294, where we are told that they bracha of הבדלה goes in the the bracha of חונן הדעת. The Mishna Brura, sk 2, says this is because we are not permitted to make requests before making הבדלה. The Sha'ar HaTziun, also sk 2, says the reason for this placement is because it our request for wisdom, which is the first thing necessary to recognize the difference between the profane and the holy. In fact, the Gr'a explains that it goes after the words חונן הדעת to be in the midst or the bracha on wisdom, but before the rest of the bracha where we actually begin the request for wisdom. That way we fulfill both reasons given for the placement of הבדלה. (C'mon... that is so cool!)
If you forget, there is no remediation; you can't put it into שומע תפילה because it isn't a request. You can't finish with למדני חוקיך because you can (and will) say הבדלה later in a ceremony with wine. Apparently, then, those times when we are given a remediation... it is a big deal; a really big deal. Can you imagine our young lawyer holding up her hand and saying, "Oh... excuse me; I'll just start over." Or how about, "And so, your honors... uhh... umm... my, how dapper you all look in your robes. Now let me just back up a sentence or two and say something I forgot."
Perhaps that is another reason for the precise placement of הבדלה in שמונה עשרה: to remind us before Whom we are standing and the importance of making our words, presentation, attire, and attitude appropriate for the occasion.
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