“But three are called ‘prayer’: a prayer for Moses, the man of God, a prayer such as which exists in no other person; a prayer for David, such as which exists in no other king; a prayer for the poor, this is a prayer. Of those three prayers, which is the most important? It is a prayer for the poor. This prayer precedes the prayer of Moses and precedes the prayer of David and precedes all other prayers in the world.”

“He asks, ‘What is the reason?’ It is because the poor is brokenhearted, and it is written, ‘The Lord is near to the brokenhearted.’ The poor always quarrels with the Creator, and the Creator listens and hears his words, since when the poor prays, he opens all the windows of the firmament, and all the other prayers that rise up, the brokenhearted poor delays them, as it is written, ‘A prayer for the poor when he envelops.’”

It should have said, “when he is enveloped.” What does “when he envelops” mean? It means that he causes a delay, delaying all the prayers in the world, which do not enter until his prayer enters. Atufa means delayed, from the words, “the Atufim [enveloped] for Laban” (The Zohar, Balak, Items 187-188).

We have the prayers of Moses, David, the rest of the prayers, and the prayer for the poor. What is the difference? What are the answers that the poor quarrels with the Creator? What does it mean that he delays, as though there is a queue and one follows the other, or is there a mess before Him? 1) The difference between the prayers of Moses, David, the rest of the prayers, and the prayer of the poor. 2) What is the relation toward the poor because he quarrels with the Creator? 3) What does it mean that he delays all the prayers until his prayer is accepted, as though when the poor prays, only he should be treated, and it is impossible to answer the prayers of the rest of the people at that time?

Prayer is called “work in the heart,” meaning a lack—that which the heart feels that it is missing. Sometimes, a person feels that he lacks Torah, which is the quality of Moses, and sometimes he feels that he lacks the quality of the Messiah, meaning that he is concerned that redemption has not yet come to the whole of Israel, called “David, the King Messiah.” So it is with the rest of the prayers, each according to what he feels.

But there is a prayer when a person feels that he has nothing and he is just like a beast, without faith or fear of heaven, which are the whole basis of Judaism. For this reason, he quarrels with the Creator over why He created him as man, meaning making calculations about himself and he is worried and concerned over his situation, namely that he has no lack other than his self-benefit, and that he has no feeling of others except where it concerns his own benefit.

He is seemingly angry with the Creator about this, why He created him a man with a mind and heart that must yield some benefit to the world, while both the mind and the heart are preoccupied only with his own benefit. And if He did create him a man, why does he not feel the existence of the Creator?

He wants to believe but his heart is numbed and his faith brings him no sensation so he can know or feel, as our sages said, “Know before whom you stand.” When he speaks to people, even to beasts and animals and birds, he feels that he is speaking to someone, but when he speaks to the Creator or when he learns the teaching of the Creator, he does not feel the existence of the Creator.

It follows that he has nothing because he lacks the very basis, namely faith in the Creator, so he cannot aim in order to bestow for he does not feel the greatness of the Creator to make it worthwhile for him to annul himself and all his possessions before the Creator.

He is always angry and quarrels with the Creator over why the Creator hides Himself from him so he will not feel Him, and he is always angry over why the Creator has left him, meaning why the Creator allows him to say as though the Creator created him.

Afterward, when he comes to a state of birth, meaning when he comes to his own authority, when he feels that he is a separate being from the Creator and stands in his own right, he should believe that the Creator is standing near him but there is no such faith over him, and then he has grievances over why the Creator made it so he would not have the power of faith so he can believe that the Creator is standing next to him, as it is written, “For the matter is very close to you; it is in your mouth and heart to do it.”

Hence, before one is answered for this prayer of the poor, how can it be said that He will answer him the prayer of Moses, which is the Torah, before he has faith, which is the primary foundation? Also, when he prays for redemption, it is also impertinent to answer him, and likewise with the rest of the prayers before he has the basis that the Creator even hears a prayer. Hence, no prayer can be answered if the prayer for the poor has not been answered.

This is considered that it delays all the prayers, which means only that no prayer is accepted before his prayer is accepted, for it is the basis. Afterward, it is possible to be saved on other things, as well.