Tefillah Tips - Ahava Rabbah 4

Lehaveen Ulehaskil, Lishmoa, Lilmod Ulelamed Lshmor Velaasot Ulekayem et kol divrei Talmud Toratechah Beahavah – Vehaehr Eynaynu Bitoratecha Vedabek Leebaynu Bemitzvotechah, Veyached Levavaynu………We ask Hashem to help us understand, to listen, to learn, to teach, to guard and to do and fulfill all the words of His Torah with love. May our eyes become opened to Torah that our hearts shall cling to the Mitzvoth…..

The commentators are troubled with the apparent repetitiveness of this prayer. At the end of the paragraph, we ask G-d to help us open our eyes and attach our hearts to Torah and Mitzvoth. Well isn’t this a prerequisite before one is able to understand, listen, learn, learn…….. Why only afterwards does the Tefillah mention opening our eyes and hearts to Torah?

I would like to answer the question by sharing with you one of the most asked questions to rabbis by those investigating Judaism – “Rabbi – the Torah is wise and insightful but how do you know it is true?”

There are two parts of the answer – #1) Because our parents did not lie to us. The fact is that every one of our ancestors stood at Sinai over 3300 years ago and have been sharing the story with their children ever since. Jews from Yemen and Yosemite, Burlington and Berlin all tell the same story on Passover night. We have an unbroken chain from the Exodus of Egypt until today. B) The other reason we know that the Torah is true is by experiencing the genius, relevance and eternity during Torah study.

Anyone can read the Bible, just as they read the newspaper. One can even study the Bible in college and divinity schools. Nevertheless, there is something unique and special, uplifting and eternal about true Torah study. When we peel away the layers of meaning and understand some of the depths of the Torah, it is like entering a palace and proceeding deeper and deeper into chambers that are more beautiful.

Now we can understand the flow of the prayer. First we pray to be able to simply study and teach the Torah, and then we ask to penetrate the glory of the Torah so that we can learn it, live it and understand it to the fullest.

Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Ephraim Epstein