What
Is
the
Difference
between
the
Gate
of
Tears
and
the
Rest
of
the
Gates?
Article
No.
3,
1989
Our
sages
said
(Berachot
59),
“Rabbi
Elazar
said,
‘Since
the
day
of
the
ruin
of
the
Temple,
the
gates
of
prayer
have
been
locked.
Although
the
gates
of
prayer
have
been
locked,
the
gates
of
tears
have
not
been
locked.’”
People
ask,
If
the
gates
of
tears
were
not
locked,
why
are
gates
needed,
if
they
are
not
locked?
We
see
that
when
little
children
cry
when
they
want
something,
or
when
a
person
sees
children
playing
with
games
and
one
child
snatches
something
from
another
and
the
child
cries,
when
people
pass
by
them,
who
pays
attention
to
this?
Everyone
knows
that
although
now
they
are
squabbling,
later
they
will
make
up.
Therefore,
no
one
pays
attention
to
the
weeping
of
children.
But
when
a
grownup
walks
on
the
street
and
people
see
that
he
is
crying,
it
captures
the
attention
of
those
who
pass
by
him
to
know
why
he
is
crying,
because
certainly,
a
grownup
does
not
cry
over
nothing.
Therefore,
the
crying
of
a
grownup
causes
interest;
perhaps
he
can
help
him.
It
is
likewise
in
the
work.
There
are
people
who
observe
Torah
and
Mitzvot
[commandments/good
deeds]
with
all
the
details
and
consider
themselves
complete
and
with
fear.
But
since
we
must
observe
what
our
sages
said,
“Be
very,
very
humble,”
this
causes
them
a
lot
of
work
since
they
must
search
within
them
for
some
flaw
that
will
enable
them
to
say
that
they
are
lowly.
For
example,
I
heard
of
a
person
who
asked
a
wise
disciple
how
come
he
says
that
he
is
lowly
and
has
transgressions,
when
he
sees
for
himself
that
not
many
people
in
the
world
are
as
wise
and
God
fearing
as
he.
It
follows
that
by
saying
that
he
is
lowly,
he
is
lying.
He
replied
to
him
that
he
believes
in
our
sages
who
said,
“No
person
is
saved
from
the
dust
of
slander.”
Therefore,
he
already
has
a
flaw.
A
person
like
him,
who
knows
about
himself
that
he
is
a
complete
person,
when
he
cries
for
the
Creator
to
give
him
strength
to
engage
in
Torah
and
Mitzvot,
is
not
crying
over
an
essential
matter—that
the
Creator
will
bring
him
closer
to
Torah
and
Mitzvot.
Rather,
he
lacks
some
supplement
to
the
completeness
that
he
has.
Although
he
cries
bitterly,
no
one
looks
at
his
cries
since
he
is
crying
over
luxuries.
It
follows
that
there
are
gates
of
tears
before
this
person,
but
they
are
closed
and
do
not
let
his
prayer
enter
for
the
same
reason
as
in
corporeality,
one
does
not
cry
over
luxuries,
but
over
necessities.
This
is
similar
to
the
allegory
about
a
person
who
came
from
abroad
and
went
to
a
certain
town
or
a
small
settlement.
The
secretariat
of
the
settlement
wanted
to
charge
him,
say,
$10,000
in
order
to
give
him
a
place
to
stay
at
the
settlement.
But
that
Jew
did
not
have
the
required
amount.
He
went
to
the
rabbi
and
poured
his
heart
out.
The
rabbi
promised
him
that
on
Shabbat
[Sabbath],
before
the
reading
of
the
Torah
[the
highlight
of
the
Shabbat
service],
he
would
speak
to
the
congregants
and
they
will
certainly
donate.
So
it
was.
The
rabbi
raised
his
voice
wailing
about
how
a
man
tending
to
children
came
from
Russia
and
suffered
a
great
deal,
now
he
has
no
place
to
live
and
no
job,
and
we
can
save
this
person.
The
rabbi’s
wailing
impressed
the
congregants
and
they
gave
him
the
required
sum.
Six
months
later,
the
rabbi
came
to
the
congregants
once
more
and
started
wailing
and
crying
out
once
more:
“Compassionate
Jews,
now,
too,
I
need
$10,000.
My
wife
was
at
a
wedding
and
another
rabbi’s
wife
came
from
America,
and
wore
a
diamond
ring
worth
$10,000.
Now
my
wife
wants
me
to
buy
her
such
a
ring,
as
well.
The
rabbi
raised
his
voice
weeping,
but
no
one
in
the
crowd
would
donate
for
the
rabbi's
wife’s
ring.
As
the
rabbi
began
to
wail
more
loudly,
the
crowd
began
to
laugh
at
his
weeping.
He
complained
to
the
congregants,
“Why
when
I
came
to
collect
money
for
an
ordinary
person,
each
gave
according
to
his
heart’s
desire,
and
now
that
I
am
asking
for
money
for
a
wise
disciple,
who
is
a
rabbi,
too,
you
are
not
helping
me?
Where
is
the
glory
of
the
Torah?”
The
lesson
is
that
when
a
person
cries
and
his
tears
are
over
necessities,
meaning
that
he
cries
out
and
wails
to
the
Creator
to
help
him
be
a
simple
person,
not
even
a
wise
disciple,
but
simply
a
Jew
who
believes
in
the
Creator,
and
to
be
able
to
observe
“And
you
shall
love
the
Lord
your
God
with
all
your
heart
and
with
all
you
soul,”
and
that
he
will
not
be
immersed
in
self-love,
but
wants
to
be
a
simple
person,
meaning
to
always
want
to
love
the
Creator
and
not
work
for
his
own
sake,
yet
he
sees
that
he
has
no
power
to
overcome
the
self-love,
and
everything
he
does
is
for
his
own
sake,
so
what
makes
him
be
regarded
as
a
Jew
when
he
cannot
even
observe
the
Shema
reading
[a
key
section
in
every
Jewish
prayer],
and
when
he
says,
“And
you
shall
love
the
Lord
your
God,”
he
sees
how
far
he
is
from
it.
He
cries
over
this
and
sees
that
he
has
already
done
everything
in
order
to
be
rewarded
with
anything
that
is
true,
and
he
has
already
been
to
all
the
gates
with
his
prayer,
but
saw
that
all
the
gates
are
locked.
Then,
in
his
anguish,
he
begins
to
cry.
When
these
tears
come
to
the
gate
of
tears,
he
sees
that
this
gate
was
not
locked,
since
he
is
not
asking
for
luxuries,
for
supplements
to
the
possession
of
Torah
and
Mitzvot
that
he
already
has.
Rather,
he
is
asking
only
to
be
a
simple
Jew,
to
believe
in
the
Creator
and
to
love
Him,
and
not
be
immersed
in
self-love.
But
since
he
cannot
do
anything
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator,
he
feels
that
he
is
simply
not
a
Jew.
That
is,
he
asks
himself,
“I
believe
in
the
Creator,
and
He
is
very
great,
yet
He
sees
that
I
cannot
relinquish
my
self-benefit
before
the
benefit
of
the
Creator.”
Therefore,
he
yells
and
cries
simply
that
he
lacks
faith,
to
truly
believe
in
the
Creator,
and
not
as
lip-service.
This
is
similar
to
a
person
whispering
that
he
is
taking
upon
himself
faith
in
the
Creator,
when
in
fact,
he
is
not
impressed
when
he
says,
“I
hereby
take
upon
myself
the
burden
of
the
kingdom
of
heaven,”
and
he
does
everything
for
his
own
sake,
and
has
no
strength
to
work
for
the
sake
of
the
Creator.
It
is
said
that
before
such
a
person,
the
gates
of
tears
were
not
locked,
since
he
is
asking
for
necessity
and
not
for
luxury,
as
in
the
above
allegory
about
the
wise
disciple
rabbi
who
asked
to
be
given
money
for
a
diamond
for
his
wife.
It
follows
that
saying
that
the
gates
of
tears
were
not
locked,
and
we
asked,
“If
they
were
not
locked,
why
is
a
gate
required
in
the
first
place?”
The
answer
is
that
the
gate
of
tears
was
locked
before
those
who
cry
over
luxuries.
Their
tears
are
as
the
tears
of
a
child
crying
over
nothing,
or
as
in
the
allegory
about
the
rabbi.
This
is
not
so
for
those
who
cry
over
necessity,
which
are
things
that
concern
every
person
who
sees
that
he
is
standing
between
life
and
death,
since
he
believes
what
our
sages
said,
“The
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
‘dead,’”
since
they
have
no
Dvekut
[adhesion]
with
the
Creator
and
are
immersed
in
self-love,
which
is
considered
separation
from
the
Life
of
Lives,
and
this
is
why
they
are
called
dead.
It
follows
that
he
is
crying
simply
to
be
given
life.
Certainly,
one
who
prays
for
life,
who
is
afraid
of
death,
cries
from
the
bottom
of
the
heart,
and
his
prayer
is
not
mere
weeping.
But
on
the
surface,
a
person
cannot
tell
if
one
is
crying
over
nothing,
the
way
children
cry,
or
like
the
rabbi
allegory.
However,
above,
it
is
known
what
a
person
is
asking
for
so
that
his
request
will
be
answered,
since
luxuries
are
not
given
from
above,
as
he
is
certain
not
to
keep
what
he
is
given
and
the
Sitra
Achra
[other
side]
will
receive
it
all.
Therefore,
if
a
person
sees
that
his
prayer
was
not
accepted,
he
must
go
over
the
request
that
he
is
making
and
see
whether
he
really
needs
heaven’s
mercy,
or
if
what
he
is
lacking
is
a
mere
luxury.
A
person
should
believe
that
when
he
prays
for
necessity,
his
prayer
will
be
answered,
as
was
said,
“The
gates
of
tears
were
not
locked,”
when
a
person
asks
for
his
life
to
be
saved
and
not
to
remain
in
a
state
of
“The
wicked
are
called
‘dead.’”
Instead,
he
will
be
rewarded
with
Dvekut
with
the
Creator.
This
is
similar
to
what
Baal
HaSulam
explained
about
the
words,
“When
the
gates
of
prayer
were
locked,
the
gates
of
tears
were
not
locked.”
That
is,
when
were
the
gates
of
tears
not
locked?
It
is
when
a
person
has
been
to
all
the
gates
and
saw
that
they
were
all
locked
before
him.
In
that
state,
the
wailing
and
the
tears
burst
from
his
heart,
when
he
sees
that
all
the
gates
were
locked
and
he
has
no
hope
of
approaching
the
Creator.
These
tears
cause
the
gates
of
tears
not
to
be
locked.
But
mere
tears,
before
a
person
sees
that
all
the
gates
were
locked,
these
tears
cannot
be
accepted
at
the
gate
of
tears.
For
this
reason,
before
him,
the
gate
of
tears
is
locked,
since
he
still
does
not
have
a
real
desire
for
the
Creator
to
bring
him
closer.
Rather,
he
thinks
that
he
can
approach
the
Kedusha
by
himself,
as
well.
As
a
result,
his
prayer
is
incomplete,
so
he
really
needs
the
Creator
to
help
him.
Accordingly,
we
can
interpret
what
we
ask
(at
the
Yom
Kippur
closing
prayer),
“Open
a
gate
for
us,
when
a
gate
is
locked.”
We
should
understand
why
specifically
when
a
gate
is
locked,
we
need
a
gate
to
open
up
to
us.
After
all,
we
have
been
praying
all
day,
so
why
is
it
not
enough
for
our
plea
to
be
accepted,
and
we
ask
that
only
now,
when
a
gate
is
locked,
it
will
open
for
us,
as
though
only
now
we
can
pray
and
before,
our
prayers
were
not
enough?
The
thing
is
that
we
should
pray
two
kinds
of
prayers:
1)
When
a
person
comes
to
pray
to
the
Creator
for
his
needs,
he
still
does
not
know
what
he
needs.
He
might
be
crying
bitterly
to
the
Creator
to
grant
his
wish,
but
he
is
praying
for
trivialities,
such
as
in
the
allegory
about
the
children
or
the
allegory
about
the
wise
disciple
rabbi.
Therefore,
a
person’s
first
prayer
is
that
the
Creator
will
let
him
know
what
he
really
needs,
so
he
will
know
what
to
ask.
In
the
Rosh
Hashanah
[beginning
of
the
year]
prayer,
and
in
the
Musaf
[supplemental]
prayer
on
Yom
Kippur
[Day
of
Atonement],
we
say,
“Be
the
mouths
of
Your
people,
the
house
of
Israel,
who
are
poised
to
ask
for
prayer
and
litany
before
You
for
Your
people,
the
house
of
Israel.
Instruct
them
what
to
say;
make
them
understand
what
they
will
say;
answer
what
they
will
ask;
make
them
know
how
to
glorify.”
It
is
known
that
in
terms
of
the
work,
every
person
is
a
small
world.
Therefore,
“Your
people,
the
house
of
Israel,”
means
the
person
himself.
“The
messenger
of
Your
people,
the
house
of
Israel”
means
that
the
person
prays
and
asks
that
the
Creator
will
save
him.
The
one
who
prays
is
called
a
“messenger”
for
the
person
himself,
and
the
person
himself
is
regarded
as
“Your
people,
the
house
of
Israel.”
We
must
pray
that
our
messenger
will
know
what
to
pray
for,
since
one
does
not
know
what
he
really
needs.
Rather,
the
Creator
should
notify
a
person
what
is
important
and
what
is
unimportant,
meaning
what
is
regarded
as
necessity,
and
what
is
considered
luxury.
This
is
why
we
are
told
to
pray
for
those
who
pray,
“Instruct
them
what
to
say;
make
them
understand
what
they
will
say;
answer
what
they
will
ask.”
We
pray
that
the
Creator
will
let
us
know
what
to
pray.
At
the
time
of
the
locking
of
a
gate,
we
believe
that
we
already
have
the
knowledge,
meaning
we
already
understand
what
to
pray
for
because
we
already
know
how
to
pray
for
the
main
thing
we
need.
2)
At
that
time
begins
the
second
kind
of
prayer,
where
He
sheds
real
tears,
meaning
for
a
real
need.
It
is
about
this
that
we
pray,
“Open
a
gate
for
us
when
a
gate
is
locked.”
When
a
gate
is
locked,
we
believe
that
we
already
received
the
knowledge
from
above
what
to
pray
for.
For
this
reason,
we
say,
“Do
not
close
the
gate,”
as
though
now,
at
the
end
of
the
day
of
all
the
prayers,
we
can
ask
on
a
real
prayer.
By
this
we
can
interpret
what
we
say
on
Rosh
Hashanah
and
Yom
Kippur,
“And
all
believe
that
He
answers
the
anxious,
opens
a
gate
to
those
who
knock
in
repentance.”
We
should
understand
why
we
need
to
pray
to
open
the
gate
if
the
gate
is
open.
That
is,
why
do
we
need
to
pray
that
He
will
open
the
gate
if
there
is
a
very
simple
way—to
shed
tears
in
the
prayer
he
is
praying?
It
is
known
that
the
gate
of
tears
was
not
locked,
so
a
person
has
the
option
of
crying
and
he
does
not
need
to
ask
for
a
favor,
that
the
gate
will
be
opened
for
him.
Thus,
why
does
one
need
to
believe
this,
as
it
is
written,
“And
all
believe
that
He
answers
the
anxious,
opens
a
gate
to
those
who
knock
in
repentance”?
After
all,
he
has
a
good
solution—that
the
person
making
repentance
will
cry
with
tears
and
that
gate
will
not
be
locked.
However,
a
person
must
pray
first,
in
order
to
know
what
he
really
needs.
Then,
he
is
notified
from
above
that
he
does
not
need
luxuries,
but
as
The
Zohar
says
about
the
verse
“Or
make
his
sin
known
to
him,”
the
Creator
makes
him
know
the
sin.
At
that
time
he
knows
on
what
he
needs
to
repent,
meaning
to
restore
what
he
is
lacking.
It
follows
that
when
a
person
knows
that
he
is
wicked,
as
in
“the
wicked
in
their
lives
are
called
‘dead,’”
when
he
has
come
to
realize
that
the
fact
that
he
is
placed
under
the
control
of
the
will
to
receive
separates
him
from
the
Life
of
Lives,
he
knocks
about
this
and
wants
to
repent.
That
is,
he
wants
to
be
given
help
from
above
so
he
can
emerge
from
self-love
and
be
able
to
love
the
Creator
with
all
his
heart.
Thus,
he
feels
that
he
is
wicked,
since
where
he
should
love
the
Creator,
he
loves
himself.
It
follows
that
his
knocks,
we
understand
that
he
does
what
he
can
to
make
the
Creator
bring
him
closer
and
take
him
out
of
the
control
of
his
own
evil.
This
is
called
“real
tears.”
This
is
the
meaning
of
what
we
explained,
“Open
a
gate
for
us,
when
a
gate
is
locked.”
That
is,
since
he
sees
that
all
the
gates
are
closed,
he
begins
to
knock.
It
follows
that
at
the
time
of
the
locking
of
the
gate,
when
he
has
already
prayed
and
was
notified
the
reason
for
the
sin,
he
begins
to
shed
the
real
tears,
meaning
at
that
time
he
simply
wants
to
be
a
Jew.
At
that
time,
his
knocks
are
regarded
as
tears,
and
this
is
the
meaning
of
“Who
opens
a
gate
to
those
who
knock
in
repentance.”