193. King David has placed himself in four ways. He placed himself with the poor, he placed himself with the devout, he placed himself with the servants and he placed himself with those who are willing to sacrifice themselves and their souls for the sanctification of the name of Hashem. He placed himself with the poor, as it is written: "For I am poor and needy" (Tehilim 86:1). He placed himself with the devout, as it is written: "Preserve my soul; for I am pious" (Ibid. 2), since a person must not place himself as a wicked one. If you contemplate that in that case he will never confess and repent his sins, SINCE BY DOING SO, HE WILL SET HIMSELF UP AS AN EVIL ONE. It is not so. Rather if he confesses about his sins, then he is devout, since he approaches to do repentance and removes himself from the Evil Side, where he was in its filth until now. Now, he adhered to the uppermost right, WHICH IS CHESED, that is extended to receive him. AND BECAUSE HE ADHERED TO CHESED, HE IS CONSIDERED DEVOUT (HEB. CHASID).

194. Do not say that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not accept him until he specifies all his sins since the day he came to this world, or even those that have been hidden from him and that he can't even remember. IT IS NOT SO. Rather, he is only required to enumerate those SINS that he remembers and if he directs his desire TO BE REGRETFUL ABOUT THEM, DURING HIS CONFESSION, all the other SINS followed them. IT IS IN THE SAME WAY that we were taught that it is not necessary to check out, WHEN GETTING RID OF LEAVENED BREAD, either the household crevices above nor the house crevices down below. As soon as he checked out in accordance with his eyesight as much as he could see, all the rest follows and is voided with it.

195. We were similarly taught concerning plagues that there are 24 principal organs that do not cause uncleanness due to light cicatrization, where the priest does not bother himself TO OBSERVE THEM. This is what is meant by: "As far as the priest can see" (Vayikra 13:12). That is the area where the priest can see the plague AT ONCE in one glance, and does not need to bend himself and raise his eyes up or down or either way. Here too, he has no need to enumerate his sins from the day he was born, because it is LIKE the lower crevices of the house THAT REQUIRE NO EXAMINATION. Neither does he need to enumerate those sins that he has already forgotten, and can't remember, that are LIKE the upper house crevices above, only "as far as the priest can see," WHAT HE COULD OBSERVE WITH ONE GLANCE. All the rest followed them. In this way, David placed himself among the pious. HE CONFESSED HIS SINS AND ADHERED TO THE RIGHT, AS DEFINED.

196. FROM WHERE DO WE TAKE IT THAT he placed himself with the servants? It is written: "Behold, as the eyes of the servants look to the hand of their masters" (Tehilim 123:2) and: "O You, my Elohim, save Your servant" (Ibid. 86:2). FROM WHERE DO WE TAKE IT THAT he placed himself with those who deliver themselves to death for the sanctification of Hashem's name? That refers to what is written: "Rejoice the soul of Your servant: for to You, Hashem, do I lift up my soul" (Ibid. 4). King David made himself before his Master into all these four, WHICH ARE THE DESTITUTE, THE PIOUS, THE SERVANTS AND THOSE WHO ARE WILLING TO DIE FOR THE SANCTIFICATION OF HIS NAME.

197. Rabbi Elazar said, I have raised my hands in prayer before the Holy King, since we were taught that a person is not permitted to raise his hands upward, except at prayer, at blessings and at supplications to his master. It is written: "I have raised my hand to Hashem, the most high El" (Beresheet 14:23), which was translated into Aramaic as "I have raised my hands in prayer," since the fingers of the hand contain higher things. Now I practice that, RAISING MY HANDS AT PRAYER, and I say that whoever conforms to these four MENTIONED ABOVE, THE DESTITUTE, THE PIOUS, THE SERVANTS AND THOSE WHO SUFFER FOR HIS NAME'S SANCTIFICATION, before his Master and accomplishes himself with a willing heart in this appropriate preparation here with this manner, his prayers will not return unanswered.

198. At first, HE SHOULD PLACE HIMSELF as a servant that is to offer praises to his Master and sing for Him. That refers to the praises before the prayer service. Following this, HE SHOULD CONSIDER HIMSELF a servant after he finished saying his standing prayer. He is the servant who offers prayer to his Master. Following this, HE SHOULD CONSIDER HIMSELF a servant after he completed his entire prayer, and went his way. That is why David considered himself a servant three times in this prayer, as it is written: "O You, my Elohim, save Your servant" and "Rejoice the soul of Your servant." It is also written: "Give Your strength to Your servant" (Tehilim 86:16). We have here three occasions where one should consider oneself a servant. THAT IS BEFORE THE PRAYER, AFTER THE AMIDAH PRAYER AND AFTER THE WHOLE PRAYER SERVICE AS MENTIONED.

199. Then, HE NEEDS to place oneself among those who have risked their lives for the sake of sanctifying the Holy Name. That is accomplished at the unification of the Sh'ma Yisrael, for whoever concentrated on it at this verse, it is considered as if he risked his life for the sanctification of Hashem's name.

200. Then he must place himself in the place of the poor, since during the time when he enters and knocks at the doors of the most high up, when he finished saying 'true and certain,' and he has joined 'who has redeemed' to the Amidah prayer, he shall reach the Amidah prayer broken at heart, poor and destitute. And he shall place his will to be included among the poverty-stricken with a broken heart and humility of soul.

201. Following this, HE NEEDS to place himself among the devout before 'who hears prayer' to elucidate his sins, because this is what an individual should do when reciting 'who hears prayer' in order to adhere to the right, THAT IS CHESED, which is extended to receive the penitent. And then he is considered pious (Heb. chasid). Here we have the four, as is appropriate.

202. HE INQUIRES: Whoever combines all those MENTIONED ABOVE? HE RESPONDS: The one who should include them is the servant that combines all the rest, THOSE SANCTIFYING THE HOLY NAME, THE POOR, AND THE DEVOUT. "Servant" is found three times at three places and all are one. About them, it is written: 'Behold, as the eyes of the servants look to the hand of their masters.' Between each 'servant' ARE all the others, from the first servant, THAT IS BEFORE THE PRAYER SERVICE, to the last servant, AFTER THE AMIDAH PRAYER; he needs to deliver his soul for the sake of sanctifying Hashem's name. He also needs to feel himself as the poor and destitute at the Amidah prayer and place himself among the pious at 'who hears prayer.' The third servant follows after he completed and offered the entire prayer, MEANING AFTER THE COMPLETION OF THE WHOLE PRAYER.