The prayers of the righteous

43. "And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying: 'We came to your brother Esau, and he is also coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him'" (Beresheet 32:7). HE ASKS, After saying, "We came to your brother," do we not know they referred to Esau, as he had no other brothers? HE ANSWERS, "We came to your brother" MEANS THAT he did not repent and walk the path of righteousness, as may be thought, but remained the evil Esau as before. " ...Aand he is also coming to meet you..." does not mean, as you may say, by himself, but rather he has "four hundred men with him."

44. Why was all this specified? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, always longs for the prayers of the righteous and adorns Himself with them. As we have already said, the angel in charge of the prayers of Yisrael, whose name is Sandalphon, receives all their prayers and weaves them into a crown for the Life of the Worlds. The Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayers of the righteous all the more; they become a crown with which to adorn the Holy One, blessed be He. You may wonder why Jacob was fearful, since camps of holy angels accompanied him. He was fearful because the righteous do not rely on their merit, but on their prayers and supplications before their Master.

45. Come and behold, Rabbi Shimon said that the prayer of the congregation rises before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He is adorned by that prayer because it ascends in several ways, ONE ASKING FOR CHASSADIM, ANOTHER FOR GVUROT, AND THE THIRD FOR MERCY. IT consists of several sides, THE RIGHT SIDE, THE LEFT, AND THE MIDDLE, AS CHASSADIM ARE DRAWN FROM THE RIGHT, GVUROT FROM THE LEFT, AND MERCY FROM THE MIDDLE. Because it comprises several aspects, it is woven into a wreath and put on the head of the Righteous One, the Life of the Worlds - THAT IS, YESOD, WHICH GIVES SALVATION TO THE NUKVA AND FROM HER, TO THE WHOLE CONGREGATION. But a solitary prayer does not include all the sides; rather, it contains only one aspect. ONE CAN ONLY ASK FOR CHASSADIM, GVUROT, OR MERCY. Therefore, the solitary prayer is not prepared and accepted as is that of the congregation; IT IS NOT INCLUDED WITHIN ALL THE THREE COLUMNS AS IS THE PRAYER OF THE CONGREGATION. Come and behold, Jacob included all THREE COLUMNS, BEING THE CHARIOT OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH INCLUDES BOTH. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted his prayer TO BE PERFECTED BY ALL THREE COLUMNS. It is therefore written, "Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed." THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, DID ALL THAT TO ENCOURAGE JACOB TO PRAY, FOR HE YEARNED FOR HIS PRAYER.

46. Rabbi Yehuda began the discussion with the verse, "Happy is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart shall fall into evil" (Mishlei 28:14). Happy are Yisrael, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, desires and to whom He gave the Torah of Truth with which to attain eternal life. For whoever is occupied with the study of the Torah receives supernal life from the Holy One, blessed be He, and is ushered into the life of the World to Come, as it is written, "for He is your life, and the length of your days" (Devarim 30:20) and, "and through this word you shall prolong your days" (Devarim 32:47) - for it is life in this world and life in the World to Come.

47. Rabbi Elazar said, Whoever studies the Torah for its own sake does not die by the hand of the Evil Inclination, WHICH IS THE ANGEL OF DEATH, because he holds onto the Tree of Life and does not relax his grip. Therefore, the bodies of the righteous, who are occupied in the study of the Torah, are not defiled AFTER DEATH, because the Spirit of Defilement does not dwell with them.

48. HE ASKS, Why was Jacob, who was the Tree of Life, afraid OF ESAU even though THE OTHER SIDE cannot rule over him, since THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, SAID TO HIM, "And, behold, I am with you" (Beresheet 28:15), and since "angels of Elohim met him?" With all of these camps of holy angels, why was he afraid?

49. HE ANSWERS, It is all true THAT THERE WAS NO NEED TO BE AFRAID, but Jacob did not want to rely on a miracle from the Holy One, blessed be He, because he thought he was unworthy of such a miracle. Why? Because he was of no service to his father and mother, did not study the Torah DURING THE 22 YEARS HE SPENT WITH LABAN, and married two sisters. And although it was settled THAT JACOB DID NOT SIN AT ALL IN THAT, nevertheless, it behooves a man to be always afraid and ask in his prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "Happy is the man who fears always." This has already been explained.

50. Come and behold, the prayer of the patriarchs sustained the world. Upon their merit the people in the world survive and receive support. The merit of the fathers is never ever forgotten, because it supports the worlds above and below. The support from Jacob is more whole than that of the others, and because of this, when trouble comes to the children of Jacob, the Holy One, blessed be He, sees the image of Jacob before Him and takes pity upon the world, as it is written, "Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob" (Vayikra 26:42). The word Jacob is WRITTEN with a superfluous Vav, because it is the very image of Jacob.

51. Come and behold, whoever looked at Jacob beheld the shining mirror, ZEIR ANPIN. We learned that the beauty of Jacob was like the beauty of Adam. Rabbi Yesa said, I heard that whoever beholds Jacob in his dream, wrapped in his clothes, has his life prolonged.

52. Rabbi Shimon said, We have already learned that before King David entered the world, he had no life at all, except for the seventy years given him by Adam. So King David lived seventy years, and Adam lived a thousand years less seventy years. So Adam and David existed within the first millennium AFTER THE CREATION OF THE WORLD.

53. He began the discussion with the verse, "He asked life of you, and you did give it Him; length of days for ever and ever" (Tehilim 21:5). "He asked life of you" refers to King David, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, created The Garden of Eden and put the soul of King David in it, He looked at it and saw it had no life of its own. It thus stood before Him all day long. When He created Adam, He said, Here is life for David. From Adam came the seventy years that King David lived in the world.

54. Another explanation is that the fathers each gave him years from their own lives. Abraham gave him from his own life, as did Jacob and Joseph. Isaac did not give him anything, because King David belonged to the same side as he did.

55. Abraham surely gave King David five of his years, for he lived only 175 of his 180 years, five years less than his due, LIKE ISAAC. Jacob could have lived as long as Abraham, 175 YEARS, but he lived only 147 years -- 28 years less than his due. Thus, Abraham and Jacob gave King David 33 years of life. Joseph lived only 110 years, instead of 147, which is 37 years less than Jacob. TOGETHER WITH THE 33 YEARS FROM ABRAHAM AND JACOB, King David received a total of seventy years for his existence, and he lived all these years which the patriarchs left him.

56. You may wonder why Isaac did not leave him any of his years, as did ABRAHAM, JACOB, AND JOSEPH. HE ANSWERS, Because ISAAC represented darkness, THAT IS, THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH IS DARK BEFORE IT IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE RIGHT. David also came from the side of darkness, NAMELY, FROM THE LEFT SIDE, and whoever is in darkness has no light or life at all. David, therefore, had no life. But ABRAHAM, JACOB AND JOSEPH, BEING OF THE RIGHT, did have light and shone it on King David. From them, he had to illuminate and receive life, WHICH MEANS THAT HE HAD TO BE INCLUDED WITHIN THE RIGHT, for there is no life on the side of darkness, THE LEFT. Thus, Isaac did not join the reckoning.

57. Why, you may ask, did Joseph GIVE HIM MORE LIFE than the others? JOSEPH GAVE HIM 37 YEARS, WHILE THE OTHERS GAVE HIM A TOTAL OF 33. HE ANSWERS, Joseph, by himself, was THE EQUIVALENT of all the others, because he was called 'Righteous,' NAMELY YESOD, WHICH INCLUDES ALL THE SFIROT. He shines on the moon, THE NUKVA, more than everybody else, and therefore gave King David a greater share of life than all the others, as it is written, "And Elohim set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth" (Beresheet 1:17).

58. Come and behold, Jacob's prayer protected him from Esau, AND NOT HIS MERIT, because he wished to keep it in reserve for his descendants and not spend it to serve his own needs against Esau. He therefore prayed to the Holy One, blessed be He, and did not rely upon his merit for his rescue.

59. " ...And said, If Esau should come to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape" (Beresheet 32:9). Come and behold, it is written, "And he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two camps." HE ASKS, Why did he divide them into two camps? HE ANSWERS, Because, "If Esau comes to the one camp, and smite it, then the camp which is left shall escape." ONE MAY ASK, CANNOT ESAU SMITE BOTH CAMPS? WHEREFROM COMES THE CERTAINTY THAT ONE CAMP SHALL SURVIVE?

60. HE REPLIES, Come and behold. The Shechinah did not stray from the tents of Leah and Rachel. Jacob said, I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, protects them. SO, "he put the handmaids and their children foremost" (Ibid. 2), saying that if Esau will smite, he will smite these, but I am not afraid for the children OF THE LADIES, because the Shechinah is with them. ACCORDING TO THIS, "FOREMOST" MEANS THE FIRST TO ENCOUNTER DANGER. Thus, HE SAID, "then the camp which is left shall escape," BECAUSE THE SHECHINAH HOVERS ABOUT THEM. After the preparations, he prayed FOR THE HANDMAIDS AND THEIR CHILDREN, saying, "and Jacob said, Elohim of my father Abraham, and Elohim of my father Isaac, Hashem who did say to me, Return to your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you" (Ibid. 10).

61. Rabbi Yosi began the discussion with the verse, "A prayer of the poor, when he faints, and pours out his complaint before Hashem" (Tehilim 102:1). This verse has been explained several times. Yet King David said this when he watched and contemplated the ways of the poor, while fleeing from his father-in-law, KING SAUL. Then did he say, "A prayer of the poor." This is the prayer the poor say to the Holy One, blessed be He. It is the first TO BE RECEIVED among all the prayers in the world.

62. It is here written, "A prayer of the poor," and elsewhere, "A prayer of Moses the man of Elohim" (Tehilim 90:1). HE ASKS about the difference between them. HE ANSWERS that PRAYER OF THE POOR is the hand Tefilin, THE SECRET OF THE NUKVA. THE NUKVA IS CALLED 'POOR,' BECAUSE SHE HAS NOTHING OF HERSELF AND RECEIVES EVERYTHING FROM ZEIR ANPIN. THAT PRAYER OF MOSES is the head Tefilin, ZEIR ANPIN. There should be no separation between the prayer of the poor and the prayer of Moses, THE NUKVA AND ZEIR ANPIN, BECAUSE THEY SHOULD ALWAYS BE UNITED. Both are considered as one.

63. The prayer of the poor is therefore the first TO BE RECEIVED into the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is received before all other prayers in the world, as it is written, "For he has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted" (Tehilim 22:25). Come and behold, the prayer of the poor is the hand Tefilin, THAT IS, THE NUVKAH, WHICH IS THE PRAYER OF the poor who are deep in poverty, as one who has nothing of his own.

64. Another explanation is that the prayer ALLUDES TO Moses, ZEIR ANPIN; "the poor" to David, THE NUKVA; "when he faints" refers to the moon, THE NUKVA, when it is concealed and the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, is gone from her. " ...Before Hashem," ZEIR ANPIN, he "pours out his complaint," in order to be joined with the sun, ZEIR ANPIN.

65. Come and behold, the prayer of every man is considered prayer, but when the prayer of the poor comes before the Holy One, blessed be He, it breaks down gates and doors to be received and shown into His presence. This is the meaning of the verse, "And it shall come to pass, when he cries to me, that I will hear; for I am gracious" (Shemot 22:26), and "I will surely hear his cry" (Ibid. 22). He "pours out his complaint before Hashem," NAMELY, as one who complains about the judgments of the Holy One, blessed be He.

66. Rabbi Elazar said, The prayer of the righteous causes joy to the Congregation of Yisrael, THE NUKVA, which adorns itself WITH THE PRAYER before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, loves it better than THE PRAYER OF THE POOR. The Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayer of the righteous when they pray in time of need, because they know HOW to appease their Master.

67. It is written that Jacob PRAYED, "Elohim of my father Abraham, and Elohim of my father Isaac, Hashem who did say to me...." He joined everything together into one knot, saying, "Elohim of my father Abraham," who is of the right and, "Elohim of my father Isaac," who is of the left, "who did say to me," NAMELY, TO HIMSELF, WHO REPRESENTS THE BALANCING CENTRAL COLUMN. It depends ON THE CENTRAL COLUMN to adorn His place between ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, RIGHT AND LEFT. HE THEREFORE SAID TO HIM, "Return to your country, and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you."

68. "I am unworthy of the least of all the mercies." HE ASKS, What made JACOB say, "I AM UNWORTHY...," together with, "RETURN TO YOUR COUNTRY, AND TO YOUR KINDRED, AND I WILL DEAL WELL WITH YOU?" HE ANSWERS, Jacob said, You promised to deal well with me, and I know that whatever You do has conditions, THAT YOUR WILL SHALL BE DONE, yet I have no merit, because "I am unworthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which You have shown Your servant." THERE IS NO NEED, THEN, TO KEEP YOUR PROMISE. Whatever You did for me until now was not for my merits, but because of YOUR GOODNESS. All those mercies and truths were BECAUSE OF YOUR GOODNESS, for when I first crossed THE RIVER JORDAN, when I fled Esau, I was alone, and You gave me mercies and truths so that now I cross the river with two camps, THAT IS, the two camps he divided.

69. Up to this point, Jacob recited the praises of his Master. Then he asked for what he needed. This teaches people that it behooves man to first praise his Master, and only then to pray for himself. This is what Jacob did. He first praised his Master, and when he finished, he asked for what he needed.

70. This is the meaning of the verse, "Deliver me, I pray You, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children." THIS MEANS THAT AFTER PRAISING HIS MASTER, HE BEGAN TO PRAY. IT IS UNDERSTOOD from this that when one prays, one's words should be precise. HE SAID, "Deliver me, I pray You," WHICH APPEARS AS IF IT SHOULD SUFFICE, BECAUSE HE ONLY NEEDED DELIVERANCE. YET HE SAID TO THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, Lest You say that You already rescued me from Laban, I add, "from the hand of my brother." It may be said that other relatives are also referred to as brothers, AS IN WHAT LABAN SAID TO JACOB, "BECAUSE YOU ARE MY BROTHER, SHOULD YOU THEREFORE SERVE ME FOR NOTHING?" (BERESHEET 29:15). HE THEN EXPLAINED, saying, "from the hand of Esau." The reason is that it behooves us to explain ourselves fully. HE THEREFORE CONTINUED BY SAYING: In case You ask why I need DELIVERY, "I fear him, lest he come and smite me." ALL THIS HE SAID to explain and fully clarify things above, so there would be no misunderstanding.

71. "And You did say, I will surely do you good..." (Beresheet 32:13). HE ASKS, What is meant by "And You?" HE ANSWERS, It is the same as in the verse, "and You do preserve them all" (Nechemyah 9:6), WHICH ALLUDES TO THE NUKVA, CALLED 'YOU.' Here also, "And You did say," ALLUDES TO THE NUKVA.

72. Come and behold, King David said, "Let the words of my mouth...be acceptable in Your sight" (Tehilim 19:15). This refers to explicit things, while the phrase, "and the meditation of my heart," refers to undisclosed things that cannot be expressed by mouth. They are the meditation of the heart, which cannot be explained.

73. Thus, there should BE a matter that is explained by mouth - AS IN "THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH" - and a matter which depends upon the heart AND IS NOT EXPLICIT - THAT IS, "THE MEDITATION OF MY HEART" - for it is all a mystery. One corresponds to the lower grade, THE NUKVA, and the other to the upper grade, BINAH. That which is expressed BY MOUTH corresponds to the lower grade, which needs to be expressed, THE SECRET OF THE DISCLOSED WORLD. That which depends on the heart corresponds to the inner grade, BINAH, THE HIDDEN WORLD. And everything is one, THAT IS, THERE IS NEED OF BOTH. He therefore said, "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight."

74. Jacob spoke in the same manner. He first explained the matter fully, and then vaguely talked of what depends on the meditation of the heart, which needs no explanation, as it is written, "and make your seed like the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude" (Beresheet 32:13). This matter depends on the meditation of the heart and does not require explanation. It should be thus, as we said, that both must be joined together into a complete union. Happy are the righteous who know how to properly arrange the praises of their Master, and AFTERWARD say their prayers. The scripture therefore reads, "and said to Me, you are My servant, Yisrael, in whom I will be glorified" (Yeshayah 49:3).