Shemoneh Esrei 40: Don't Sweat The Small Stuff - But Do Ask For It

שמע קולנו

Bar Kapara refers to the pasuk “בכל דרכיך דעהו...–B’chol d’rachecha da’eihu…” (Mishlei 3:6) as “parshah k’tanah she’kol gufei Torah t’luyin bah (a short verse upon which all the fundamentals of Torah depend)” (B’rachos 63a).  Rabbeinu Yonah, on this pasuk, tells us that many people turn to Hashem when it comes to “big stuff.”  However, for the “small stuff,” they feel they can manage on their own, or perhaps they feel the need is so insignificant in the grand scheme of life that they feel awkward asking Hashem for help.  Some may even feel it would be a chutzpah to ask for a small personal request.  This feeling would certainly be even stronger when deciding whether to ask in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei!  However, Rabbeinu Yonah teaches us that “b’chol” – in ALL matters – we must turn to Hashem.

We now present excerpts from Yaaros Devash, which speak louder than anything we could write:

בו ישים כל מגמותיו לה' להתפלל לו על כל צרכיו (רבינו יונה משלי ג:ו "בכל") אפילו דבר קטן או גדול, לא יבצר דבר מה שלא יתפלל בו לה', אם צריך לעשות שדוך...יתפלל לה', לסחורה יתפלל לה'...  כללו של דבר, אין דבר מה שרצונו לעשות בו ביום, מה שלא יתפלל לה' להצליחו...  ואין צריך לאמר אם יש לו חס ושלום איזה צרה בתוך ביתו, שצריך להתפלל

In it he should put all of his intentions to Hashem, to daven to Him for all of his needs, whether small or large.  Nothing should be held back from being davened for to Hashem – if one has to find a shidduch, he should daven to Hashem, for merchandise, he should daven to Hashem…  The principle of the matter is that there is nothing that one needs to do on a given day, that he would not need to daven to Hashem for help to succeed…  And he should not have to say that [only] if, chas v’shalom, there is trouble in his home that he should [therefore] daven…

ועל כל ענין מה שעוסק, יתפלל בלשונו, ואף כי לשונו לשון עלג ואינו יכול להתפלל בלשון עברי כראוי, הוא חביב לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא כאלו הרבה להתפלל בלשון רחבה שפה ברורה ונעימה וצחה.

And on every matter that he deals with, he should daven in his language, and even if his language is inarticulate and he cannot daven properly in the Hebrew language, he is beloved before Hashem just as if he had davened broadly and at length with language that is clear, pleasant, and pure.

ועל ידי תפלה זו, ישמע ה' לקולנו ויצא לנו תועלת, כי תפלה זו ודאי בכונה...

And by virtue of this tefilah, Hashem will hear our voices and there would be value for us coming from it, because this tefilah is surely performed with kavanah (intent)…

אם מתפלל בכל יום דבר חדש מה שצריך לו באותו זמן ועת, וגם מסדר תפלתו בפיו, אם כן לזה צריך כונה ודאי ואי אפשר להתפלל בלי כונה מיוחדת, ואם כן יוצא ידי תפלה גמורה, כי זהו העקר, התפלה הבאה ממעמקי הלב...

If, every day, one will daven for a new matter that he needs at that very time, and he also will arrange [in advance] his tefilah as to how he will utter it, therefore for this he certainly requires kavanah, for it is impossible to daven without individualized kavanah, and if so, he fulfills his responsibility for complete tefilah, because it is the essence [of tefilah] that it comes from the depths of the heart…

It is beyond the scope of this forum to discuss halachah.  Any time we mention halachah, it is to make a point and not to be relied upon without asking your rav for his p’sak.  As seen in the Yaaros Devash above, we are permitted, and even encouraged, to verbally ask for any personal needs in any language (It is best to ask in lashon kodesh if one is capable) in the middle of Shema Koleinu.*  In order to fully appreciate the magnitude of what Chazal are encouraging us to do, let us think about the contrast between this halachah and the halachah that states that one may not verbally respond to ANY דבר שבקדושה–davar she’bi’k’dushah – even “Amein, Y’hei Sh’mei Rabba” anywhere in Shemoneh Esrei (until one says “Yihyu l’ratzon”).  On the one hand, in the middle of Shemoneh Esrei, in this brachah, we very literally SHOULD verbally ask to do well on a routine test, or do a good job today at work, or make a sale today; but on the other hand, we may not respond with what the Gemara tells us is one of two things that cause the world to endure!  Contemplate for a moment this contrast, together with the teaching of Rabbeinu Yonah with which we began: It would seem that Hashem is even more interested in our turning to Him for help in every facet of our lives than in our reciting “Amein, Y’hei Sh’mei Rabba”!  We see how crucial Chazal felt it was for us, to ask Hashem for all of our personal needs.

The question that needs to be asked and answered is, Why?  Hashem obviously does not need our requests or our praises.  Why is it to our benefit to make requests to Hashem?  If it is simply to get what we desire, doesn’t Hashem already know what we desire, and more importantly, doesn’t He know what is truly best for us, regardless of what we desire ?

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* When one davens with a minyan, the Mishnah B’rurah suggests delaying our personal tefilos until after “Yihyu l’ratzon” so that we may be able respond to certain divrei k’dushah such as “Amein, Y’hei Sh’mei Rabba.”  However, even he would seem to agree that when davening without a minyan, one can and should make the requests within the Shemoneh Esrei.