Concerning
Prayer
Article
10,
1986
Our
sages
said
in
Masechet
Taanit
(p
2):
“To
love
the
Lord
your
God
and
to
serve
Him,
this
is
a
prayer.
You
say,
‘This
is
prayer,’
or
is
it
only
work?’
We
should
say,
‘with
all
your
hearts.’
Which
is
work
in
the
heart?
It
is
prayer.”
We
should
understand
why
prayer
is
regarded
as
work.
Is
it
work
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
grant
our
wishes
and
requests?
And
if
our
sages
said
so
then
they
want
to
imply
to
us
that
there
is
a
special
meaning
to
the
prayer—that
it
is
work
and
not
simply
a
prayer.
Thus,
what
is
the
issue
to
which
our
sages
imply?
Indeed,
it
cannot
be
said
that
a
person
prays
and
asks
to
be
given
something
if
he
has
no
desire
for
it.
Only
when
a
person
feels
he
lacks
something
does
he
go
and
ask
for
that
filling,
related
to
the
lack,
from
the
one
who
can
fulfill
it,
since
one
asks
only
from
one
who
has
what
he
needs,
and
he
also
knows
that
he
wants
to
give
and
to
do
good
to
others.
Accordingly,
when
a
person
comes
to
pray
and
ask
the
Creator
to
satisfy
his
need,
his
prayer
should
be
clear.
That
is,
he
should
clearly
know
what
he
needs.
That
is,
when
he
comes
to
ask
from
the
Creator
he
should
picture
himself
speaking
to
the
King,
and
the
King
can
make
him
the
happiest
man
in
the
world
at
once
because
nothing
is
missing
in
the
King’s
house.
Thus,
first
one
must
carefully
examine
before
the
prayer
so
he
knows
what
he
really
needs,
that
if
the
King
fulfills
his
lack
he
will
not
need
anything
more
and
will
be
the
most
complete
man
in
the
world.
According
to
what
we
learned—that
the
purpose
of
creation
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations—it
follows
that
on
the
part
of
the
Creator
there
are
no
hindrances
on
bestowing
delight
and
pleasure
upon
the
creatures.
This
means
that
the
reason
why
the
Creator
created
in
the
creatures
a
lack,
called
“desire
to
receive,”
was
in
order
to
satisfy
the
deficiency.
As
we
explained,
a
lack
is
called
torment
and
affliction
if
he
cannot
satisfy
his
need.
Therefore,
all
the
lack
that
was
created
was
with
the
intention
to
feel
pleasure
through
it,
since
the
lack
is
included
in
the
intention
to
do
good.
This
follows
the
rule
that
the
craving
for
something
gives
the
pleasure
from
satisfying
it.
It
is
known
that
even
when
we
give
to
a
person
a
meal
fit
for
kings,
if
he
has
no
desire
for
the
meal
he
cannot
enjoy
it.
Therefore,
when
a
person
feels
a
lack
and
has
no
satisfaction
for
it,
he
comes
to
ask
the
Creator
to
grant
him
his
wishes.
In
general,
a
person
asks
only
for
delight
and
pleasure.
As
we
learned,
on
the
part
of
the
Creator,
a
person
does
not
need
to
pray
that
the
Creator
will
give
him
delight
and
pleasure
because
His
wish
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
Therefore,
no
one
should
be
asked
for
anything
if
the
Giver
wishes
to
give.
It
follows
that
before
one
goes
to
ask
of
the
Creator
to
grant
his
wishes,
he
should
first
examine
what
he
needs.
This
is
what
he
should
ask
of
the
Creator.
It
seems
as
though
the
Creator
does
not
give
to
a
person
without
a
person
asking
first.
This
means
that
because
asking
is
not
included
in
the
purpose
of
creation,
which
is
to
do
good
to
His
creations,
but
is
something
that
emerged
later,
from
the
creature,
for
this
reason
the
creature
must
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him.
But
we
should
not
ask
that
the
Creator
will
want
to
give
delight
and
pleasure
because
this
is
His
wish,
as
said
above,
that
His
wish
is
to
give
delight
and
pleasure
to
the
lower
ones.
However,
we
should
know
that
since
there
was
the
matter
of
the
Tzimtzum
[restriction],
called
“correction
of
creation,”
as
it
is
known
that
it
is
so
that
the
Creator’s
gift
will
not
be
unpleasantness,
called
“bread
of
shame.”
And
since
we
attribute
this
correction
to
the
lower
one,
called
Malchut
de
Ein
Sof,
who
is
called
“the
Kli
[vessel]
that
received
the
upper
light,”
and
once
this
receiver
received
the
abundance,
a
craving
for
equivalence
of
form
awakened.
This
is
why
she
did
the
Tzimtzum.
He
says
in
The
Study
of
the
Ten
Sefirot
(p
9,
“Inner
Reflection”):
“The
upper
light
does
not
stop
illuminating
to
the
creatures
for
even
a
minute,
and
the
whole
matter
of
Tzimtzum
and
Histalkut
[departure]
of
light
that
are
mentioned
here
relate
only
to
the
impression
and
reception
of
the
Kli,
meaning
the
middle
point.
This
means
that
although
the
upper
light
does
not
stop
illuminating,
the
Kli
still
does
not
receive
any
of
its
illumination
because
it
diminished
itself.”
As
said
above,
not
receiving
in
order
to
receive
does
not
relate
to
the
purpose
of
creation.
Rather,
it
is
attributed
to
the
correction
of
creation.
It
is
an
act
of
the
lower
one
who
strives
for
equivalence
of
form.
It
follows
that
the
lower
ones
cannot
receive
delight
and
pleasure
although
the
upper
one
wants
to
give
because
they
need
vessels
of
bestowal,
and
this
pertains
to
the
receiver
and
not
to
the
giver,
as
we
said,
that
the
lower
one,
called
Malchut
de
Ein
Sof,
made
the
Tzimtzum.
This
is
why
this
Kli
relates
to
the
lower
one,
meaning
that
the
lower
one
will
want
to
receive
only
if
it
can
aim
in
order
to
bestow.
For
this
reason,
when
a
person
comes
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
give
him
what
he
needs,
we
should
say
that
he
actually
needs
something
that
does
not
come
from
the
purpose
of
creation.
Rather,
what
he
needs
is
something
that
comes
from
the
lower
ones.
That
is,
Malchut,
who
is
called
the
“lower
one”
because
she
receives
abundance
from
the
upper
one,
made
a
new
Kli
to
receive
abundance
only
in
this
Kli
called
“vessel
of
bestowal.”
Therefore,
all
he
should
pray
for
is
that
the
Creator
will
give
him
this
Kli
because
this
is
all
he
needs.
However,
here
there
is
room
for
scrutiny.
If
the
lower
one
must
make
this
Kli
because
it
pertains
to
the
lower
one,
as
we
said
above
that
Malchut
did
it,
then
why
does
a
person
not
make
this
Kli
by
himself,
but
must
ask
the
Creator
to
give
him
this
Kli?
Moreover,
we
say
about
this
Kli
that
the
lower
one
must
make
it.
We
tell
him
that
this
is
all
he
needs
to
ask
from
the
Creator,
but
if
this
pertains
to
man’s
work
then
why
does
he
need
to
ask
the
Creator?
The
matter
is
clarified
more
in
the
words
of
our
sages
who
said
(Berachot
33b),
“Rabbi
Hanina
said,
‘Everything
is
in
the
hands
of
the
Creator
except
for
fear
of
the
Creator,
as
it
was
said,
‘And
now,
Israel,
what
does
the
Lord
your
God
ask
of
you
but
fear?’”
RASHI
interprets
“Everything
is
in
the
hands
of
the
Creator”
as
follows,
“Righteous
and
wicked
do
not
come
by
heaven.
He
has
given
this
to
man
and
has
placed
before
him
two
ways,
and
he
must
choose
fear
of
heaven.”
The
matter
of
fear
is
explained
in
the
Sulam
[Ladder
commentary
on
The
Zohar]
(“Introduction
of
the
Book
of
Zohar,”
item
203):
“Indeed,
both
the
first
fear
and
the
second
fear
are
not
for
his
own
benefit,
but
only
out
of
fear
that
he
will
lessen
bringing
contentment
to
his
Maker.”
According
to
the
above,
it
means
that
fear
is
that
person
must
aim
everything
he
does
to
be
in
order
to
bestow
contentment
upon
the
Creator.
We
asked,
if
this
is
so,
and
bestowal
is
something
that
man
must
do,
why
did
we
say
that
he
should
ask
this
from
the
Creator,
since
it
was
said,
“Everything
is
in
the
hands
of
the
Creator
except
for
fear
of
the
Creator”?
We
should
know
that
man
cannot
go
against
the
nature
with
which
he
was
created.
Since
the
Creator
created
man
with
a
nature
of
wanting
to
receive,
as
we
said
that
it
is
impossible
to
enjoy
the
pleasures
without
a
desire
for
the
pleasure,
and
we
learned
that
the
essence
of
creation,
regarded
as
“existence
from
absence,”
is
the
will
to
receive,
hence
when
one
wants
to
do
something
in
order
to
bestow
it
is
considered
going
against
nature.
This
is
why
we
cannot
change
our
nature.
Accordingly,
if
man
cannot
change
nature,
why
did
our
sages
say,
“Everything
is
in
the
hands
of
the
Creator
except
for
fear
of
the
Creator?”
This
implies
that
man
does
have
the
strength
to
change
it.
We
can
interpret
that
there
are
two
things
here:
1)
a
desire,
regarded
as
only
a
potential,
that
he
wants
to
bestow;
2)
that
he
also
has
the
ability
to
carry
out
his
thought
in
actual
fact.
Therefore,
we
should
interpret
that
the
demand
from
man
to
choose
to
walk
in
ways
of
bestowal,
he
should
know
that
this
is
the
Kli
to
receive
the
purpose
of
creation—to
receive
the
delight
and
pleasure—and
if
he
hasn’t
these
Kelim
he
will
remain
in
darkness
without
light.
Once
he
knows
this
in
complete
certainty
and
begins
to
intend
to
carry
out
acts
of
bestowal,
he
sees
that
he
cannot
go
against
nature.
Here
comes
the
time
of
prayer,
and
not
before,
since
there
is
no
such
thing
as
asking
for
urgent
help—asking
for
vessels
of
bestowal,
which
are
Kelim
in
which
he
can
receive
life
and
without
which
he
is
regarded
as
dead,
as
our
sages
said,
“the
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
‘dead.’”
This
is
because
by
nature,
man
asks
for
help
only
when
he
cannot
obtain
what
he
wants
by
himself,
since
prior
to
this
there
is
the
matter
of
shame,
as
our
sages
said
about
the
verse,
“Chrome
gorges
for
the
sons
of
men.”
“When
man
needs
people,
his
face
changes
to
be
as
chrome.
What
is
chrome?
There
is
a
bird
in
the
cities
near
the
sea,
whose
name
is
Chrome.
When
the
sun
shines
on
it,
it
turns
into
several
colors”
(Berachot,
p
6).
It
is
known
that
the
corporeal
nature
that
we
were
given
is
such
that
through
it
we
learn
spiritual
matters.
Therefore,
before
one
knows
that
he
cannot
obtain
the
vessels
of
bestowal
by
himself,
he
does
not
ask
the
Creator
to
give
them
to
him.
It
follows
that
he
does
not
have
a
real
desire
for
the
Creator
to
answer
his
prayer.
For
this
reason,
one
must
work
to
obtain
the
vessels
of
bestowal
by
himself,
and
after
all
the
work
that
he
has
put
into
it
without
obtaining
it
begins
the
real
prayer
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart.
At
that
time
he
can
receive
help
from
above,
as
our
sages
said,
“He
who
comes
to
purify
is
aided.”
But
since
this
prayer
is
against
nature,
since
man
was
created
with
a
desire
to
receive,
which
is
self-love,
how
can
he
pray
to
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
force
of
bestowal
while
all
the
organs
oppose
this
desire?
This
is
why
this
work
is
called
“prayer,”
meaning
he
must
make
great
efforts
to
be
able
to
pray
to
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
force
of
bestowal
and
annul
man’s
force
of
reception.
This
is
why
our
sages
said,
“‘And
you
shall
work’
is
prayer,
the
work
in
the
heart.”
By
this
we
will
understand
why
they
refer
to
prayer
as
“work
in
the
heart.”
It
is
because
one
must
work
a
lot
on
himself
to
cancel
self-love
and
assume
the
work
of
obtaining
vessels
of
bestowal.
It
follows
that
on
the
desire
to
have
vessels
of
bestowal
he
must
work
with
himself
to
want
to
pray,
to
be
given
the
force
of
bestowal.