Shemoneh Esrei 43: Rachamim V’Ratzon

שמע קולנו ה’ אלקינו, חוס ורחם עלינו, וקבל ברחמים וברצון את תפלתנו

Hear our voice, Hashem our G-d, pity and be compassionate to us, and accept – with compassion and favor – our prayer

We are generally aroused to “רחמים–rachamim” (compassion and mercy) through one of three paths:

1.  We hear the sounds of individuals groaning or crying in pain.  Even though we have no idea why they are groaning or crying, we are aroused to feel rachamim.  This is what we mean when we say “Shema koleinu.”  We do not start out by saying, “Hear our words or tefilos,” but rather we start out by saying, “Hear the sounds of our voice.”

2.  Sometimes we may be aroused to feel rachamim merely because we understand and feel other people’s situations of hardship, although we do not ever hear them groan or cry.  This is what we mean when we say, “חוס ורחם עלינו–chus v’racheim aleinu.”

3.  Sometimes we may not have heard other people’s groaning or crying, and we may have had no knowledge or understanding of their situations of hardship, but they come and ask us for help, expressing to us their situations, thereby arousing us to feel rachamim.  This is what we mean when we say, “קבל ברחמים וברצון את תפלתנו–kabeil b’rachamim uv’ratzon es tefilaseinu.”

Certainly when all three of these come together, when we hear individuals groaning or crying and we understand their situations of hardship, and they ask us for rachamim, we will certainly be moved to rachamim.  This then is how we approach HaKadosh Baruch Hu to arouse His rachamim.  [Siach Yitzchak in Siddur HaGra, quoted by the sefer Tal’lei Oros]

Rachamim is compassion and mercy granted even though we are not deserving of it.  The Gemara in B’rachos (10a) tells us that one should not hold back from asking Hashem for rachamim, even when a sword is already on one’s neck, ready for his execution.  King Chizkiyahu said that he learned this from “his father’s father’s house” (David HaMelech).  David HaMelech, even after being told that it was decreed in the heavenly court that he had no hope, he nonetheless cried out to Hashem from the depths of his heart for Hashem to have rachamim upon him, even though he was unworthy.  [Pri Tzadik, quoted in the sefer Nafshi Cholas Ahavasecha]

“רצון–Ratzon” goes even one step beyond rachamim.  Ratzon is when a father does what he understands is the will of his son, even though the child has not asked the father.  So we are asking Hashem to accept with rachamim what we have asked for and, in addition, to grant us what our “ratzon” really is, even though we have not asked for it.  [Rav Avraham, son of the Gra]

Perhaps we can explain the word “ratzon” here as we did in our series on Ashrei.  We quote from our Ashrei writings:

We daven for something because we believe that it will be good for us.  What Hashem gives us is what He knows will, in fact, be best for us.  The word “ratzon” here (“R’tzon y’rei’av yaaseh...”), according to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, is understood in a similar fashion to the way we understood the word “ratzon” in the pasuk of “פותח–Posei’ach.”  Hashem gives those who fear Him their true desire (if they knew what Hashem knew), which is Hashem’s desire because He knows best.

May all of our tefilos be accepted ברחמים וברצון.