Lesson 5: A Prayer from within the Ten
Lesson article : Rabash. Article No. 15, 1986. A Prayer of Many > >
Additional source excerpts as preparation for Lesson 5
1. RABASH, Article 17 (1984), Part 2, “The Agenda of the Assembly"
At the very beginning of the assembly, when gathering, we should praise the friends, the importance of each of the friends. To the extent that one assumes the greatness of the society, one can appreciate the society.
“And then pray” means that everyone should examine himself and see how much effort he is giving to the society. Then, when he sees that he is powerless to do anything for society, there is room for prayer to the Creator to help him and give him strength and desire to engage in love of others.
2. Rabbi Nachman of Breslev, Likutei Halachot
The house of prayer is called “the house of assembly,” for all the souls gather there through the prayer that they pray there, since the prayer is regarded as the soul. Hence, the prayer is mainly in the house of assembly and in public, since the ascent of the soul and its wholeness are mainly when all the souls are mingled and become one, for then they rise to the holiness, for holiness is one. For this reason, the prayer, which is regarded as the soul, depends mainly on the unity of the souls. Therefore, prior to the prayer, one must assume the commandment to-do of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” for it is impossible to say the words of the prayer unless through peace, when one unites with all the souls of Israel. Hence, the prayer is mainly in public and not alone, so that one will not be isolated, by himself, as this is the opposite of holiness. Rather, we must only unite together the holy congregation and become one. This prayer is in public and specifically in the house of assembly, for there, the souls gather and unite. This is the completeness of the prayer.
3. Rav Chaim Vital, Shaar HaGilgulim, Introduction, 38
My teacher cautioned me and all the friends who were with him in that society to take upon ourselves the commandment to-do of “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and to aim to love each one from Israel as his own soul, for by this his prayer would rise comprising all of Israel and will be able to ascend and make a correction above. Especially, our love of friends, each and every one of us should include himself as though he is an organ of those friends. My teacher sternly cautioned me about this matter.
4. Rav Menachem Mendel of Kosov, Love of Peace
One who prays for his friend becomes a pipeline of bestowal to bestow upon his friend. And since the abundance flows through him, he is answered first. By this we can understand the verse, “He who blesses is blessed,” since one who blesses becomes a pipeline of bestowal and is therefore blessed. This is so because bracha [blessing] comes from the word brecha [pool], namely a pipeline of good bestowal. This is so specifically if the blessing and the blessed love one another and have true unity and are in wholeness. At that time, they awaken the upper pipeline which can impart through the righteous, who is the trail.
5. RABASH, Article No. 15 (1986), "A Prayer of Many"
We can understand the importance of a prayer of many, as it is written, “I dwell among my own people.” The Zohar says, “One should never retire from the people because the mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people together.” This means that if one asks the Creator to give him vessels of bestowal, as our sages said, “As He is merciful, you be merciful, too,” one should pray for the whole collective. This is because then it is apparent that his aim is for the Creator to give him vessels of pure bestowal, as it was written, “The mercy of the Creator is always on the whole people together.” It is known that there is no giving of half a thing from above. This means that when abundance is given from above to below, it is for the whole collective.
6. RABASH, Article No. 15 (1986), "A Prayer of Many"
The advice is to ask for the whole collective. In other words, everything that one feels that he is lacking and asks fulfillment for, he should not say that he is an exception or deserves more than what the collective has. Rather, “I dwell among my own people,” meaning I am asking for the entire collective because I wish to come to a state where I will have no care for myself whatsoever, but only for the Creator to have contentment.
7. Baal HaSulam, "Not The Time For The Livestock To Be Gathered"
This is the meaning of a prayer in public, that one must not exclude oneself from the public and ask for oneself, not even to bring contentment to one’s maker, but only for the entire public […]
One who departs from the public to ask specifically for one’s own soul does not build. On the contrary, he inflicts ruin upon his soul, as it is written, “All who is proud,” etc., for there cannot be one who retires from the public unless with an attire of pride. Woe unto him, for he inflicts ruin on his soul.
8. RABASH, Article No. 7 (1986), "The Importance of a Prayer of Many"
A prayer of many rises before the Creator and the Creator crowns Himself with that prayer because it rises in several manners: One asks for Hassadim [grace], another for Gevurot [strength], and another for Rachamim [mercy]. It consists of several sides—the right side, the left side, and the middle. And because it consists of several sides and manners, it becomes a crown and is placed on the head of the Righteous One who lives forever, meaning Yesod, who imparts all the salvations to the Nukva, and from her to the entire public.
9. Zohar for All, Introduction of The Book of Zohar, "Torah and Prayer", Item 183
The prayer that we pray is the correction of the holy Shechina, to extend abundance to her, to satisfy all her deficiencies, for hence, all the requests are in plural form, such as “And grant us knowledge from You,” or “Bring us back, our Father, into Your law.”
This is so because the prayer is for the whole of Israel, since all that there is in the holy Shechina exists in the whole of Israel. And what is lacking in her is lacking in the whole of Israel. It follows that when we pray for the whole of Israel, we pray for the holy Shechina, since they are the same. Thus, before the prayer, we must look into the deficiencies in the Shechina, to know what needs to be corrected and filled in her.
10. RABASH, Article No. 7 (1986), "The Importance of a Prayer of Many"
When a person comes to purify, when he wishes for the Creator to bring him closer and give him the vessel of bestowal by which to be rewarded with Dvekut, all the upper bounty that will be revealed will be in order to bestow. In other words, he wishes to be given strength from above to have the ability to always be in Kedusha, which is Dvekut.
Then a crown is made of his prayer, the King’s crown, since then the importance of the King is recognized. And this is the meaning of what The Zohar says, that the prayer “Becomes a crown and is placed on the head of the Righteous One who lives forever, meaning Yesod, who imparts all the salvations to the Nukva, and from her to the entire public.” This is so because through the prayer, the upper abundance is given to the lower ones, at which time the delight and pleasure are revealed. This is called “a crown,” the King’s crown, the importance of the King.