Shemoneh Esrei 32: Enjoying Peace – Internally & Externally

השיבה שופטינו כבראשונה, ויועצינו כבתחלה, והסר ממנו יגון ואנחה, ומלוך עלינו אתה ה’ לבדך בחסד וברחמים, וצדקנו במשפט

Restore our judges as in earliest times, and our counselors as at first; remove from us sorrow and groan; and reign over us – You, Hashem, alone – with kindness and compassion, and justify us through judgment.

After requesting the ingathering of the exiles, which the previous brachah addressed, we now follow with the requests in this brachah.  We will base our explanation here on the Avnei Eliyahu, which are the words of the Gra and his son HaRav Avraham, found in the Siddur HaGra.

The evils that befall us are due to three causes: A. failed leadership; B. times of trouble and distress; and C. our yeitzer ha’ra, which causes a lack of d’veikus (attachment) to Hashem.

A.  We ask for the return of our judges and advisors.  Chazal teach that “judges” refers to Kings David and Shlomo, while “advisors” refers to Moshe and Aharon.  We ask to return to a time akin to the beginning of malchus (כבתחלה –k’vat’chilah) and even to a time that actually preceded that: the time akin to Moshe and Aharon (כבראשונה–k’va’rishonah).

In the time when we had prophets, we could go to see them and they would be able to tell us exactly what our purpose on this world was, and what we needed to correct in order to return to Hashem and achieve complete t’shuvah.  Our kings and judges will restore justice and eradicate the wicked who deter us from coming closer to Hashem.

B.  We ask Hashem to remove “יגון–yagon” and “אנחה–anachah.”  Yagon refers to mental anguish and depression, not necessarily brought about by any specific cause.  Anachah refers to physical pain and external tzaros.  We ask Hashem to remove yagon and anachah so that we may serve Him fully with joy.

C.  We ask Hashem to exclusively reign over us as King, so that we may serve Him purely, without ulterior motives, with total d’veikus.

Much can be written about each of these three requests.  Let us review an important principle in Tefilah, which is brought in HaRav Chaim Volozhin’s sefer on Avos, Ruach Chaim (perek 1, mishnah 2).  He says there that the Anshei K’neses HaG’dolah (the Men of the Great Assembly), many of whom were n’viim (prophets), formulated our T’filah to contain everything we need in it.  He writes that every individual can daven according to his or her understanding.  I believe the meaning of this is as HaRav Yechezkel Abramsky stated when an adam gadol shared with him that he had undergone a blood transfusion.  HaRav Abramsky responded that when he says the words, “v’na al tatzricheinu, Hashem Elokeinu, lo liydei matnas basar va’dam (Please make us not needful – Hashem, our G-d – of the gifts of those of flesh and blood)” in Birkas HaMazon, he has in mind this request of not having to receive a blood transfusion.  When questioned, he added: “דע לך, שאפשר לפעול אצל השם יתברך כל מה שמכניסים ומכוונים בתיבות התפלה–You should know that it is possible to utilize, when relating to Hashem, all that one inserts and has kavanah in the words of the tefilah!”

There is much that each of us can think about in each of the three requests within this brachah.  Perhaps it is best not to offer any more specifics here, and allow each of us to contemplate where our needs and understanding lead us.  For me, davening for the removal of yagon and anachah in today’s world, both on a communal level (especially with what is happening now in Eretz Yisrael) and an individual level (with therapists busier than ever), is particularly meaningful and important.