A
Prayer
of
Many
Article
No.
15,
1986
It
is
written
in
The
Zohar
(Beshalach
(When
Pharaoh
Let),
and
in
the
Sulam
Commentary,
Item
11),
“And
she
said,
‘I
dwell
among
my
own
people.’
He
asks,
‘What
does
that
mean?’
He
replies,
‘When
Din
is
present
in
the
world,
one
should
not
part
from
the
collective
and
be
alone
because
when
the
Din
is
present
in
the
world,
those
who
are
noticed
and
are
noted
alone
are
caught
first,
even
if
they
are
righteous.
Hence,
one
should
never
retire
from
the
people
because
the
mercy
of
the
Creator
is
always
on
the
whole
people
together.
This
is
why
she
said,
‘I
dwell
among
my
own
people,’
and
I
do
not
wish
to
part
from
them.’”
“When
Din
is
present
in
the
world”
refers
to
the
desire
to
receive,
which
is
self-love,
the
nature
in
which
the
creatures
are
born,
due
to
His
will
to
do
good
to
His
creations.
And
because
there
was
a
desire
for
equivalence
of
form
so
there
would
not
be
the
bread
of
shame,
a
sentence
[Din]
was
passed
that
it
is
forbidden
to
use
the
vessels
of
reception,
except
when
one
knows
that
he
can
aim
for
the
reception
to
be
in
order
to
bestow.
Then,
one
is
permitted
to
use
the
vessels
of
reception.
Accordingly,
the
meaning
of
“When
Din
is
present
in
the
world”
is
that
when
the
whole
world
is
immersed
in
self-love,
there
is
darkness
in
the
world
because
there
is
no
room
for
the
light
to
draw
the
creatures
down
due
to
the
disparity
of
form
between
the
light
and
the
creatures
who
receive
the
light.
It
is
on
this
disparity
of
form
that
the
sentence
was
passed
that
the
upper
abundance
will
not
be
given
to
the
creatures.
Therefore,
when
a
person
awakens
and
wishes
for
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer,
meaning
give
him
vessels
of
bestowal,
which
is
called
“bringing
closer,”
he
asks
the
Creator
to
help
him.
However,
it
is
known
that
the
help
that
comes
from
the
Creator
is
called
“upper
abundance,”
which
is
called
Neshama,
“a
soul.”
It
is
as
The
Zohar
says,
that
the
aid
received
from
above
is
in
a
holy
soul.
For
this
reason,
when
a
person
comes
to
ask
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer
to
Him,
but
he
is
seen
alone,
it
means
that
he
understands
that
the
Creator
must
bring
him
closer
personally.
Yet,
why
does
he
think
that
the
public
can
remain
in
its
current
state
and
that
only
he
should
be
treated
differently
by
the
Creator?
It
is
because
he
understands
that
he
has
merits
that
others
do
not.
And
although
these
are
individuals
who
do
not
belong
to
the
collective
because
they
understand
that
they
deserve
to
draw
near
the
Creator
more
than
others
and
consider
themselves
righteous,
they
are
caught
first.
In
other
words,
the
Din,
which
is
self-reception,
is
present
in
them
more
than
in
all
the
others,
and
they
become
worse
than
others
in
the
qualities
of
self-love.
This
is
so
because
he
thinks
that
he
deserves
more
than
other
people.
In
other
words,
it
is
enough
for
other
people
to
have
what
they
have,
but
when
he
considers
himself,
he
deserves
more
than
the
rest
of
the
people.
This
thought
is
considered
actual
reception,
meaning
100%
self-love.
It
follows
that
self-love
begins
to
develop
in
him
more
than
in
others.
It
therefore
follows
that
he
is
constantly
working
in
self-love.
And
yet,
to
his
own
eyes,
he
seems
righteous,
since
he
wishes
to
work
as
a
giver.
He
tells
himself
that
his
request
of
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer
is
right
because
what
is
he
asking?
For
the
Creator
to
give
him
strength
to
keep
Torah
and
Mitzvot
in
order
to
bestow.
And
what
fault
could
there
be
in
wishing
to
serve
the
King?
With
that,
we
can
interpret
the
words
of
The
Zohar.
It
advises
those
people
with
an
inner
demand,
who
cannot
accept
the
state
they
are
in
because
they
do
not
see
any
progress
in
the
work
of
God,
and
believe
what
is
written
(Deuteronomy
30:20),
“To
love
the
Lord
your
God,
to
listen
to
His
voice,
and
to
cleave
unto
Him;
for
this
is
your
life,
and
the
length
of
your
days.”
They
see
that
they
lack
love
and
Dvekut
[adhesion/cleaving],
and
they
do
not
feel
the
life
in
the
Torah
or
know
how
to
find
counsel
for
their
souls
to
come
to
feel
in
their
organs
that
which
the
text
tells
us.
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.
Therefore,
it
makes
no
difference
to
me
if
the
Creator
takes
pleasure
in
me
or
can
receive
the
same
pleasure
from
others.
In
other
words,
he
asks
the
Creator
to
give
us
such
an
understanding,
which
is
called,
“entirely
for
the
Creator.”
It
means
that
he
will
be
certain
that
he
is
not
deceiving
himself
that
he
wants
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator,
that
perhaps
he
is
really
thinking
only
of
his
own
self-love,
meaning
that
he
will
feel
the
delight
and
pleasure.
Therefore,
he
prays
for
the
collective.
This
means
that
if
there
are
a
few
people
in
the
collective
who
can
reach
the
goal
of
Dvekut
with
the
Creator,
and
this
will
bring
the
Creator
more
contentment
than
if
he
himself
were
rewarded
with
nearing
the
Creator,
he
excludes
himself.
Instead,
he
wishes
for
the
Creator
to
help
them
because
this
will
bring
more
contentment
above
than
from
his
own
work.
For
this
reason,
he
prays
for
the
collective,
that
the
Creator
will
help
the
entire
collective
and
will
give
them
that
feeling—that
they
receive
satisfaction
from
being
able
to
bestow
upon
the
Creator,
to
bring
Him
contentment.
And
since
everything
requires
an
awakening
from
below,
he
gives
the
awakening
from
below,
and
others
will
receive
the
awakening
from
above,
to
whomever
the
Creator
knows
will
be
more
beneficial
for
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
if
he
has
the
strength
to
ask
for
such
a
prayer,
then
he
will
certainly
face
a
true
test—if
he
agrees
to
such
a
prayer.
However,
if
he
knows
that
what
he
is
saying
is
only
lip
service,
what
can
he
do
when
he
sees
that
the
body
disagrees
with
such
a
prayer
to
have
pure
bestowal
without
a
hint
of
reception?
Here
there
is
only
the
famous
advice—to
pray
to
the
Creator
and
believe
above
reason
that
the
Creator
can
help
him
and
the
whole
collective.
And
he
should
not
be
impressed
if
he
sees
that
he
has
already
prayed
many
times
but
his
prayer
was
not
answered.
This
brings
one
to
despair
and
the
body
mocks
him
and
tells
him,
“Can’t
you
see
that
you
cannot
do
a
thing?
And
as
if
you
are
completely
hopeless,
you
are
now
asking
of
the
Creator
to
grant
you
things
that
are
unacceptable
to
reasonable
people.”
At
that
time,
the
body
argues,
“Do
tell
me,
who
among
the
pious
and
practical
people
wish
for
the
Creator
to
give
them
something
that
is
completely
unreasonable?
Moreover,
you
can
see
for
yourself
that
you
were
not
granted
even
smaller
things
than
the
demand
you
are
making
now
of
the
Creator
to
help
you,
even
though
you
asked
the
Creator
to
help
you.
And
now
you
say
that
you
want
to
ask
the
Creator
to
grant
you
something
great.
It
is
indeed
a
very
important
thing
because
there
aren’t
many
prayers
in
the
world
that
ask
the
Creator
to
give
them
strength
to
do
things
for
the
collective,
that
the
whole
public
will
be
rewarded
with
delight
and
pleasure
by
your
labor.
This
is
called
‘pure
and
clean
bestowal
without
a
hint
of
self-love.’
“And
you
think
that
your
prayer
for
small
things
was
not
granted,
but
great
and
important
things
are
certainly
priceless.”
For
example,
we
might
say
that
it
is
worthwhile
to
go
to
a
certain
person
who
has
such
precious
paraphernalia
that
you’d
have
to
search
the
entire
world
to
find
such
objects,
since
they
are
found
only
among
a
chosen
few.
And
a
person
from
the
middle-class
came,
who
barely
had
the
usual
paraphernalia
in
his
house,
and
it
suddenly
occurred
to
him
that
he,
too,
should
try
to
obtain
those
objects,
too,
which
are
found
among
the
chosen
few.
Certainly,
if
someone
heard
about
it
he
would
laugh
at
him.
It
is
the
same
for
us.
When
a
person
is
not
educated,
but
is
below
average,
yet
wishes
to
ask
the
Creator
for
Kelim
[vessels]
that
are
found
with
a
chosen
few
in
the
world,
here
the
body
itself
mocks
him.
It
tells
him,
“You
fool,
how
can
you
even
think
of
asking
the
Creator
for
something
that
even
learned
people
do
not
have?
How
can
I
give
you
strength
to
work
on
such
nonsense?”
And
here
begins
the
real
work,
since
man’s
work
in
this
world
is
to
exit
the
domain
of
the
evil
inclination,
which
is
called
“receiving
in
order
to
receive.”
And
now
he
wishes
for
the
Creator
to
help
him
walk
on
the
path
of
pure
and
clean
bestowal
without
a
hint
of
self-reception.
It
follows
that
this
work
is
truly
against
the
evil,
since
he
does
not
wish
to
leave
any
possessions
with
it.
Rather,
now
he
wants
his
work
henceforth
to
not
be
for
the
will
to
receive.
Rather,
he
asks
the
Creator
that
even
what
he
worked
for
before,
and
what
was
registered
in
the
domain
of
the
will
to
receive,
will
all
be
moved
from
its
authority
to
the
authority
of
the
Creator.
It
follows
that
now
he
prays
for
the
Creator
to
give
him
the
strength
to
repent.
That
is,
the
Creator
will
give
him
the
strength
to
bring
all
the
deeds
that
were
for
the
will
to
receive
back
to
the
Creator’s
domain,
both
those
of
the
past,
and
those
of
the
future.
It
is
as
Maimonides
says
(Laws
of
Repentance,
Chapter
2),
“Repentance
must
be
for
the
past,
as
well.”
He
writes,
“What
is
repentance?
It
is
for
the
sinner
to
leave
his
sin
and
remove
it
from
his
mind,
and
resolve
in
his
heart
never
to
do
it
again,
as
it
is
written,
‘Let
the
wicked
forsake
his
way.’
And
he
should
also
regret
the
past,
as
it
is
said,
‘For
after
I
turned
back,
I
repented,’
and
He
who
knows
all
mysteries
will
testify
that
he
will
never
return
to
this
sin.”
Now
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.
For
this
reason,
one
must
ask
for
the
whole
public,
since
any
abundance
that
comes
from
above,
always
comes
for
the
whole
people.
This
is
why
he
says,
“The
mercy
of
the
Creator
is
always
on
the
whole
people.”
Thus,
there
are
two
meanings
to
that,
since
to
have
pure
bestowal,
it
would
have
been
enough
to
pray
for
only
one
person
besides
himself.
But
there
is
another
issue
here—a
person
must
ask
for
a
whole
thing
because
it
is
a
rule
in
spirituality
that
what
comes
is
always
a
complete
thing,
and
all
the
observations
are
only
in
the
receivers.
For
this
reason,
one
should
ask
for
the
whole
collective.
And
since
the
abundance
comes
to
the
whole
collective,
and
since
there
is
no
light
without
a
Kli
[vessel],
meaning
it
is
impossible
to
receive
fulfillment
if
there
is
no
vacancy
for
it
where
the
filling
can
enter,
he
is
therefore
answered
for
that
prayer
that
he
was
making
for
the
public.
It
is
as
our
sages
said
(Baba
Kama,
92),
“Anyone
who
pleads
for
mercy
on
his
friend
is
answered
first,
since
he
needs
the
same
thing.”
It
means
that
although
the
abundance
comes
to
the
collective,
the
collective
lacks
the
Kelim.
In
other
words,
the
abundance
that
comes
from
above
is
enough
for
the
whole
people,
but
without
Kelim—deficiencies,
so
they
can
fill
the
cavities—the
public
does
not
attain
the
abundance
that
comes
from
above.
Rather,
he
who
has
deficiencies
is
answered
first.