Daf 169a (דַּף קס״ט ע״א)

Rabbi El'azar said (אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר): The prayer of the Righteous is joy to Knesset Yisrael (צְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָיא חֶדְוָותָא לִכְנְסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל), to be adorned before Kudsha Berikh Hu (לְאִתְעַטָּרָא קַמֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). Therefore, it is especially beloved to Kudsha Berikh Hu (בְגִין כָּךְ חֲבִיבָא הוּא יַתִּיר קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). Thus Kudsha Berikh Hu desires the prayers of the Righteous in their time of need (וּבְגִין כָּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תָּאִיב לִצְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לוֹן), since they know how to appease their Master (בְּגִין דְּיָדְעֵי לְרַצּוּיֵי לְמָארֵיהוֹן). What is written regarding Ya'akov (מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּיַעֲקֹב)? "God of my father Avraham and God of my father Yitzchak, Hashem who said to me, return..." (אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי אַבְרָהָם וֵאלֹהֵי אָבִי יִצְחָק יְיָ הָאוֹמֵר אֵלַי שׁוּב וְגו'). He adorned and bound one binding within another fittingly (אִעֲטַר וְאִקְשַׁר קִשּׁוּרָא בְּקִשּׁוּרָא חַד כְּדְקָא חָזֵי). "God of my father Avraham" to the right (אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי אַבְרָהָם לִימִינָא), and "God of my father Yitzchak" to the left (וֵאלהֵי אָבִי יִצְחָק לִשְׂמָאלָא). "Who said to me"—here he suspended the word, adorning himself in his rightful place between them (הָאוֹמֵר אֵלַי, הָכָא תָּלֵי מִלָּה לְאִתְעַטְּרָא לְאַתְרֵיהּ בֵּינַיְיהוּ). "Return to your land and birthplace, and I will do good with you" (שׁוּב לְאַרְצְךָ וּלְמוֹלַדְתְּךָ וְאֵיטִיבָה עִמָּךְ).

"I am diminished by all the kindnesses" (קָטֹנְתִּי מִכֹּל הַחֲסָדִים). Why was this phrase necessary together with the previous (אַמַּאי הֲוָה אִצְטְרִיךְ הַאי עִם הַאי)? Rather, Ya'akov said, "You promised me that You would do good with me (אֶלָּא אָמַר יַעֲקֹב אַתְּ אַבְטַחְתְּ לִי לְאוֹטָבָא עִמִּי), but I know that all Your actions are conditional (וְאֲנָא יְדַעְנָא דְּכָל עוֹבָדָךְ כֻּלְּהוּ עַל תְּנַאי). Behold, I have no merit, for I have become small through all the kindnesses and truth You have done for Your servant (הָא אֲנָא לֵית בִּי זְכוּתָא דְּהָא קָטֹנְתִּי מִכֹּל הַחֲסָדִים וּמִכָּל הָאֱמֶת אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ אֶת עַבְדֶּךָ). And everything You did for me until now was not due to my merit but only for Your sake (וְכָל מַה דַּעֲבָדַת לִי עַד יוֹמָא לָאו בְּגִין זְכוּתָאי הֲוָה אֶלָּא בְּגִינָךְ הוּא דַּעֲבָדַת לִי). That kindness and truth was purely for Your sake (וְהַהוּא טִיבוּ וּקְשׁוֹט בְּגִינָךְ הֲוָה). For when I first crossed, fleeing from Esav, I crossed that river alone (דְּהָא כַּד עָבַרְנָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא דְּהֲוֵינָא אָזִיל מִקַּמֵּי דְעֵשָׂו, יְחִידָאי עֲבַרְנָא לֵיהּ לְהַהוּא נַהֲרָא), and You performed kindness and truth for me (וְאַנְתְּ עָבְדִית עִמִּי טִיבוּ וּקְשׁוֹט). And now, behold, I cross it divided into two camps (וְהָא אֲנָא הַשְׁתָּא מַעֲבַר לֵיהּ בִּתְרֵי מַשִּׁירְיָין), these two divided camps (אִינוּן תְּרֵין מַשִּׁירְיָין דְּפָלִיג). Up to this point was the arrangement of praise to his Master (עַד הָכָא סִדּוּרָא דְּשִׁבְחָא דְמָארֵיהּ); from here onward he asked for what he needed (מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה בָּעָא מַה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ). This is to teach all people (לְאַחֲזָאָה לְכָל בְּנִי עַלְמָא) that a person should first arrange praises of his Master (דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְסַדְּרָא שְׁבָחָא דְמָארֵיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא), and afterward present his request (וּלְבָתַר יִבָּעֵי בָּעוּתֵיהּ). Thus Ya'akov acted (דְּהָכִי עֲבַד יַעֲקֹב): first he arranged the praise of his Master (בְּקַדְמִיתָא סִדֵּר שְׁבָחָא דְמָרֵיהּ), and after arranging praise, he stated his request which he needed (וּלְבָתַר דְּסִדֵּר שְׁבָחָא אָמַר בָּעוּתֵיהּ דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ). This is what is written (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב), "Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esav, for I fear him, lest he come and strike me, mother with children" (הַצִּילֵנִי נָא מִיָּד אָחִי מִיַּד עֵשָׂו כִּי יָרֵא אָנֹכִי אֹתוֹ פֶּן יָבֹא וְהִכַּנִּי אֵם עַל בָּנִים). From here we learn that one who prays should explicitly clarify his words properly (מִכָּאן, מַאן דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ דְּבָעֵי לְפָרְשָׁא מִלּוֹי כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). "Deliver me, please"—if you say, "but You have already saved me from Lavan," thus he clarified further, "from the hand of my brother" (הַצִּילֵנִי נָא, וְאִי תֵימָא דְהָא שֵׁזַבְתְּ לִי מִלָּבָן. מִיַּד אָחִי). And if you say perhaps this means other relatives, as all kin can be called brothers, thus he clarified, "from the hand of Esav" (וְאִי תֵימָא קְרִיבִין אוֹחֲרָנִין סְתָם, אַחִין אִקְרוּן. מִיַּד עֵשָׂו). Why all this detail? To clarify the matter precisely (מַאי טַעֲמָא, בְּגִין לְפָרְשָׁא מִלָּה כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). And if you ask, "Why must I clarify so much?" thus he said, "For I fear him, lest he come and strike me" (וְאִי תֵימָא אֲנָא אַמַּאי אִצְטְרִיךְ, כִּי יָרֵא אָנֹכִי אֹתוֹ פֶּן יָבֹא וְהִכַּנִי). All this is to make the matter known clearly Above and express it correctly, not leaving anything hidden (בְּגִין לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא מִלָּה לְעֵילָא וּלְפָרְשָׁא לָהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת, וְלָא יַסְתִּים מִלָּה). "And You said, 'I will surely do good with you,'" (וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ הֵיטֵב אֵיטִיב עִמָּךְ). Why specifically "And You"? (מַאי וְאַתָּה). Just as it is said (Nechemyah 9), "And You sustain them all" (כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כֻּלָּם), so too here, "And You said" (אוּף הָכָא וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי), King David said (Tehillim 19), "May the words of my mouth be acceptable" (דָּוִד מַלְכָּא אָמַר יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי)—these are words clearly expressed (אִלֵּין מִלִּין דְּאִתְפָּרְשָׁן). "And the meditation of my heart"—these are hidden words which a person cannot utter with his mouth (וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי, אִלֵּין מִלִּין דִּסְתִימָן דְּלָא יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְפָרְשָׁא לוֹן בְּפוּמֵיהּ). This is the meditation that remains in the heart and cannot be openly expressed (דָּא הוּא הֶגְיוֹן דְּאִיהוּ בְּלִבָּא דְּלָא יָכִיל לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא). Therefore, the word must be explicitly expressed by the mouth (וְעַל דָּא אִצְטְרִיךְ מִלָּה לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא בְּפוּמָא), and there is a word that depends upon the heart (וּמִלָּה דְתַלְיָא בְּלִבָּא), and all is a single secret (וְכֹלָּא רָזָא אִיהוּ). One corresponds to the lower level (חַד לָקֳבֵל דַּרְגָּא תַּתָּאָה), and one corresponds to the higher level (וְחַד לָקֳבֵל דַּרְגָּא עִלָּאָה). The explicitly spoken word corresponds to the lower level, which needs to be clearly expressed (מִלָּה דְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא לָקֳבֵל דַּרְגָּא תַּתָּאָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא). That which depends on the heart corresponds to a deeper, inner level (הַהוּא דְתַלְיָא בְּלִבָּא אִיהוּ לָקֳבֵל דַּרְגָּא פְּנִימָאָה יַתִּיר), and all is one unity (וְכֹלָּא כְּחֲדָא אִיהוּ). Therefore it is said: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before You," etc. (וְעַל דָּא אָמַר יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ וְגו׳).

In this manner Ya'akov spoke: first explicitly expressing the word as fitting (כְּגַוְונָא דָא אָמַר יַעֲקֹב, בְּקַדְמִיתָא פָּרִישׁ מִלָּה כְּדְקָא יְאוּת), and afterward concealing a word dependent upon the meditation of the heart that does not need explicit expression (וּלְבָתַר סָתִים מִלָּה דְּאִיהִי תַּלְיָא בְּהֶגְיוֹנָא דְלִבָּא דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְפָרְשָׁא). As it is written (Bereshit 32): "And I will make your seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted for multitude" (וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת זַרְעֲךָ כְּחוֹל הַיָּם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִסָּפֵר מֵרֹב). Here, it is a word dependent upon the heart, not needing explicit expression (הָכָא אִיהוּ מִלָּה דְּתַלְיָא בְּלִבָּא דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְפָרְשָׁא). And yet both are necessary, as we have stated, to unify the complete Union as is proper (וְכֵן אִצְטְרִיךְ כִּדְקָאֲמָרָן, בְּגִין לְיַחֲדָא יִחוּדָא שְׁלִים כְּדְקָא יְאוּת). Fortunate are the Righteous who know how to properly arrange praises of their Master and to request their needs (זַכָּאִין אִינוּן צַדִּיקַיָא דְּיָדְעֵי לְסַדְּרָא שְׁבָחָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן כְּדְקָא יְאוּת וּלְמִבְעֵי בָּעוּתְהוֹן). Therefore, it is written (Yeshayah 49): "And He said to me, you are My servant, Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified" p3-18(וַיֹּאמֶר לִי עַבְדִּי אָתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר). (Some say: It is written, Also the second, also the third, etc.—the threefold repetition of “also” is a hint. (ס״א כְּתִיב: גַּם אֶת הַשֵּׁנִי, גַּם אֶת הַשְּׁלִישִׁי וְגוֹ', הַשָּׁלוֹשׁ פְּעָמִים "גַּם", רֶמֶז).