English translation — עקב ג

Sicha 3<pg>67</pg>

A.

We learned in Mishnah Berachot¹

"One should not stand to pray except out of a heavy head [i.e., solemnity],"

And in the Gemara there²

: "From where [do we derive] this? Said Rabbi Elazar, for the verse says³

And she was bitter of soul,

From where? Perhaps Hannah is different, for she was very bitter of heart,

Rather, said Rabbi Yosi bar Rabbi Chanina, from here⁴

And I, in Your abundant kindness, will come into Your house, I will bow down toward Your holy Sanctuary in Your fear,

From where? Perhaps David is different, for he was very distressed in mercy [i.e., he greatly distressed himself with prayers],

Rather, said Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, from here⁵

Bow down to the Lord in the adornment of holiness,

Do not read "in the adornment" but "in trembling,"

From where? Perhaps I could still say to you "adornment" literally, like that which Rav Yehuda would adorn himself

(He would beautify himself with his garments.

Rashi)

And then he would pray,

Rather, said Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak, from here⁶

Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling."

And behold, in the Yerushalmi there<sup>7</sup>

it is stated: "R' Yehoshua ben Levi said: 'Bow to the Lord in the beauty of holiness, in the trembling of holiness,'

R' Yosei ben Chanina<sup>8</sup>

said: 'Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling,'"

that is, that the Yerushalmi does not hold like the Bavli, that the teaching from "Bow etc. in the beauty of holiness" is rejected

(and the conclusion — and so it is in the poskim<sup>9</sup>

— is

(according to the opinion of Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak)

that we derive it from "Serve etc. with fear"),

but rather that the Yerushalmi holds that it is possible to learn the law from both verses.

And even more than this we find in the Yalkut Shimoni,

that on the verse<sup>10</sup>

"Bow to the Lord in the beauty of holiness" it brings only the teaching of R' Yehoshua ben Levi<sup>11</sup>,

even<pg>68</pg>

That simply, one can say that he did not bring the other studies because this is the midrash on this verse*11.

And one can say simply,

that the Yerushalmi does not hold of the rejection of the Bavli "I will still say to you 'hadar' literally",

for we find in many places that we expound "do not read etc." and also the simple meaning of the verse12,

and both are present in it,

both the simple meaning and the meaning according to the "do not read"

[And on the contrary,

the known rule13,

that the study of "do not read" does not come to uproot the simple meaning of the verse,

but to add upon it].

And likewise in our case,

that even though we learn from "bow etc. in holy adornment" that one must adorn himself in his garments

("hadar literally"),

one can learn from it14

also "do not read 'hadar' but rather 'charad'"15.

But according to this there is a difficulty,

what is the reasoning of the Bavli,

that rejects the derivation from "bow down etc. in holy splendor".

2.

And it will be understood with the introduction of the wonder,

at first glance,

on the other hand:

Since there is an explicit verse "Serve the Lord with fear",

why did not all the Sages take the lesson from the explicit verse

(And even R. Yosef b. Levi was forced to say that "Do not read" as explicit in the verse

("with grandeur but with trembling"))?

And therefore it seems to me,

that the foundation of the dispute from where we learn this law is not because they disagree on the interpretation of these verses<sup>16</sup>,

but rather they disagree on the content of the matter of "gravity of head" that must be before prayer,

and each one took the verse that speaks about the content of the "gravity of head" that must be according to his opinion.

[And this is the reason that the Bavli concludes like R. N. b. Y.,

because he holds that the definition of "heaviness of head" is that which is emphasized in the verse "Serve... with fear"; and according to the Yerushalmi — there is no determination in the matter,

and there is room for both opinions

(or that the definition of "heaviness of head" is the content of "Bow down...

with holy trembling",

or the content of "Serve... with fear")

; and according to the Hilkheta Shlemah there is room to decide like the opinion of R. Y. b. L.].

Explanation of the matter:<pg>69</pg>

In the explanation of "One does not stand etc. except with a heavy head" Rashi wrote "heavy head — submission"&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;,

that is, lowliness&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;

and self-nullification.

And based on this, the reason is explained that the other Sages did not want to bring the verse "Serve the Lord with fear"

(like Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak)

— because the attribute of fear

(simple)

is not the actual concept of "submission",

lowliness.

For although there is a connection between them and often they depend on each other,

for one who fears another generally feels submission before him&lt;sup&gt;19&lt;/sup&gt;,

nevertheless it is not necessarily so,

for there can be a situation of fear and dread

(because he is stronger than him)

without a feeling of submission and lowliness

(except that due to his fear of him he submits to him in practice).

And based on this, the general difference between the aforementioned verses is understood

(from which we learn the law that "one does not stand etc. except from a state of heaviness of head")

:

The first statement brings the verse "and she is bitter of soul" — because in this the feeling of submission and lowliness is emphasized,

for one who is in bitterness is in a state of submission and lowliness.

But the simple meaning of this verse is that Hannah was "bitter of soul" because of her personal situation,

that she had no children&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;,

and there is no connection in this to the Holy One, blessed be He.

However, in the verse "And I, etc., I will bow down toward Your holy Temple in fear of You,"

prayer is described in the language of "I will bow down,"

that bowing down is to the Holy One, blessed be He,

self-nullification to God; and moreover this bowing down is "in fear of You"&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;,

that this is not only the act of bowing down alone,

but it is a result of fear of God.

That is: this "awe" is not awe of punishment or even awe of sin

(who fears not only the punishment,

but the sin itself²²,

to act against His will, may He be blessed)

— rather it is "Your awe",

awe of God,

awe of shame,

when he recognizes the greatness of the Almighty,

<pg>70</pg>

And in the language of the Rambam²³

"At the time that he contemplates

(the greatness of the Almighty)

etc. immediately he recoils backward and fears and knows that he is a small, lowly, obscure creature standing with slight, meager intellect before the Perfect in knowledge",

"At the time that a person contemplates these things etc. he will fear and be afraid of his lowliness and poverty and insignificance etc. and will find himself to be like a vessel full of shame and disgrace, empty and lacking".

And this is the matter of "gravity of head" — submission

(and lowliness)

before Him, may He be blessed.

[But in this itself, R' Yehoshua ben Levi adds the lesson from the verse "Bow down etc. in holy adornment" — because in this the level of awe and self-nullification is even more emphasized,

as below in section 4].

But R' Nachman bar Yitzchak holds,

that before prayer it is sufficient to have actual submission before the Holy One, blessed be He,

which comes also through ordinary awe

(in whatever level it may be),

and therefore the verse brings "Serve the Lord with awe."

3.

And one must say,

that the foundation of their dispute is — in the definition of "koved rosh" in the matter of prayer,

which can be explained in several ways

(and in the language of the Rogatchover²⁴

: po'el,

pe'ulah or nif'al)

:

A)

"Koved rosh" regarding the person praying

("po'el"),

that in order for a person to be in a state where he can pray properly before the Holy One, blessed be He,

he must arouse in himself a feeling of submission,

"koved rosh".

In the language of the early authorities²⁵

that prayer must be "out of submission and settled mind,

to concentrate on the words that come out of his mouth."

b)

"gravity" regarding the object of prayer

("action"),

that the matter of prayer²⁶

requires that a person be in a state of "gravity"²⁷.

c)

"gravity" regarding the manner of acceptance of prayer by the Holy One, blessed be He

(the "affected" as it were)

— that in order for prayer to be desirable before Him²⁸,

and He will fulfill the request of the one praying,

a person must be in a state of "gravity".

And correspondingly, this is the distinction between the verses

(the above)

from which we learn this:

The reason that Rebbe Nasan's son holds that regarding "gravity of head" "fear" is sufficient

(as in the verse "Serve the L-rd etc. with fear"),

is because he holds that "gravity of head" comes to qualify the person that he be in a state of settled mind necessary for prayer.

For this it is sufficient that he feel fear of the L-rd in whatever level it is,

for the movement of fear

(even if it is only fear of punishment or fear of sin)

affects the person,

that when he stands before the L-rd to ask his needs from Him, may He be blessed,

he will be free from his other thoughts and will pray with settled mind and the desired intention;

the Hamei"d derives it from the verse "and she was bitter&lt;pg&gt;71&lt;/pg&gt;

soul",

in which the feeling of bitterness is emphasized

(as above)

— he holds,

that "gravity" causes his prayer to be accepted by the Holy One, blessed be He&lt;sup&gt;29&lt;/sup&gt;,

and as is explicit in the verse&lt;sup&gt;30&lt;/sup&gt;

"And to this one I will look: to the poor and broken of spirit"

(and as explained in many places&lt;sup&gt;31&lt;/sup&gt;

that the Holy One, blessed be He, hears the prayer of the poor),

And therefore it does not matter what is the cause of the bitterness — as it is written "and she was bitter of soul,"

that the bitterness came because she had no children — for the feeling of lowliness causes that the Holy One, blessed be He, hears the prayer and fulfills the requests;

And according to the one who derives it from the verse "I will prostrate myself etc. in Your fear"

(or from "prostrate yourselves to the Lord in the splendor of holiness")

— which indicates fear stemming from shame and self-nullification before the Holy One, blessed be He — this pertains to the object of prayer,

for the act of prayer requires that a person "see himself as if he is standing before the Divine Presence"&lt;sup&gt;32&lt;/sup&gt;,

without which there is no object of prayer&lt;sup&gt;33&lt;/sup&gt;,

and this feeling

(that he "stands before the Divine Presence")

is connected to the fact that the person is in a state of submission and lowliness in a manner that he is nullified before the exaltedness of God

(who stands before Him).

4.

And with this we can explain the reason that R' Yishmael b. Elisha was not satisfied with the verse "And I... will bow down... in Your fear" but rather derived it from "Bow down to the L-rd in the splendor of holiness,"

Do not read "in the splendor" but "in trembling" — we must say,

that his reason is primarily due to the content of the verse — that specifically in this verse the nullification to G-d is most emphasized:

(a)

Trembling — is not simply fear,

but a nullification that penetrates one's entire existence³⁴

to the point that it causes trembling.

(b)

"

(Trembling of)

holiness" — meaning that the person feels the holiness of the Holy One, blessed be He,

which brings him to trembling,

fear of shame³⁵

as above

[unlike the term "Your fear" simply,

all types of fear of G-d are included,

also fear of punishment and fear of sin].

And based on this, it can be said,

that this which is stated in the verse "the adornment of holiness"

(and Rabbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi needed to expound "do not read 'behadrat' but rather 'becharadat'"),

not only is it not a contradiction to the exposition of Rabbi Yishmael b'Rebbi Yosi,

but on the contrary,

this relates to the matter of "gravity of head"

[and as above the rule regarding "do not read",

that it does not come to uproot the simple meaning,

but to add upon it]

— because in order to reach "the trembling of holiness",

fear of shame,

it is through the contemplation of "the adornment of holiness",

His splendor and greatness of the Holy One, blessed be He,

as explained in the Rambam

(the aforementioned)²³

s.v. "How is the way...

and His fear at the time that a person contemplates His actions and His creations, the great wondrous ones etc.",

and in the language of the Rema³⁶

that before prayer a person should contemplate "the exaltation of God and the lowliness of man".

5.

And it can be said that Rabbi Nissim b'Rebbi Yehudah,

who holds that "gravity<pg>72</pg>

The beginning of the matter of fear

(simple),

and R. Yishmael,

who holds that it refers to fear of shame,

nullification to the utmost

("holy trembling")

— they follow their own reasoning:

In the Mishnah at the end of Sotah, they enumerated several things that ceased "from the death" of a certain Tanna,

and among them "from the death of Rabbi ceased..

fear of sin",

And in the Gemara there "Said R. Nachman&lt;sup&gt;37&lt;/sup&gt;

Do not teach fear of sin, for there is I."

And it is explained elsewhere&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;

that the intention of R. Nachman is,

that it is impossible to say that the attribute of fear of sin was entirely nullified,

for it is impossible without this

[so that even in the lowest generations,

and even in the generation of the footsteps of Mashiach

(described in the Gemara there)

there is the attribute of fear of sin — but it is a lower level of fear].

And about this said R. Nachman "that I am" — that he had this level of simple fear of sin,

as related in the Gemara³⁹

that "the mother of R. Nachman bar Yitzchak, the astrologers told her, 'Your son will be a thief,'

she did not let him uncover his head. She said to him, 'Cover your head so that you will have fear of Heaven, etc.' One day etc. his cloak fell from his head..

his evil inclination overcame him etc." — that is, that

(at the beginning of his service)

his level of fear was such that he needed a cloak

(a constant reminder),

and this level of fear of sin cannot be nullified

("do not teach fear of sin"),

and it applies to every single Jew in every place and at every time.

And here too he follows his approach,

that the "gravity" required from every single Jew for prayer is not a lofty level of fear

(which is not equal for every soul),

but rather it is simple fear,

as above.

And R. Yehoshua ben Levi, who holds that "heaviness of head" is

(not fear of seeing

(fear of sin),

but)

"holy trembling" — the ultimate self-nullification — follows his own system,

for he holds⁴⁰

"humility is greater than all of them"

(of all the virtues enumerated in the baraita of R. Pinchas ben Yair⁴¹),

includes also fear of sin,

because in his view the main virtue is self-nullification and lowliness,

and as explained in this⁴²

that "humility is greater than all of them" refers to humility which is essential self-nullification — and therefore he holds in our case that this is the virtue of "heaviness of head" which must be in prayer,

"holy trembling".

And one may add,

that also in this that R. Yehoshua ben Levi holds that heaviness of head pertains to the essence of the object of prayer

(as above)

— follows his own system,

for he said⁴³

"Come and see how great are the lowly of spirit before the Holy One, blessed be He..

One whose mind is lowly, Scripture accounts it to him as if he offered all the sacrifices, as it is said⁴⁴

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit".

Behold, "prayer

(that)

is in place of the service"⁴⁵,

except that in this itself,

behold "prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily offerings"⁴⁶

(which are only burnt-offerings,

which atone for positive commandments alone⁴⁷),

but not so through self-abasement "Scripture accounts it to him as if he offered all the sacrifices entirely".

From this it is understood,

that when a person abases himself in his prayer,

this causes an incomparable elevation in his prayer⁴⁸,

<pg>73</pg>

that it is not only "service" of a burnt-offering alone,

but service of "all the sacrifices entirely".

And it can be said that according to R' Yishmael b'R' Yosi this is the content of "koved rosh",

that it comes to effect that a person's prayer should be corresponding to all the sacrifices altogether⁴⁹,

and it is understood,

that for this a most elevated level in humility and lowliness is required,

fear of shame as above.

6.

And one may add explanation in the view of R' Yishmael b'R' Yosi regarding "koved rosh",

according to the interpretation of the Maggid⁵⁰,

that "one does not stand etc. except from a state of koved rosh..

Do not pray for something that you lack..

Pray concerning the heaviness that is in the head..

in the Shechinah, as it were"; "that all the intention of his prayer should be to influence in the Shechinah of His strength..

Koved rosh means the heaviness of the head of all heads"⁵¹.

And superficially it requires examination⁵²,

for this is the opposite of the definition of prayer according to halachah,

that its subject is specifically the request of a person's needs⁵³?

And one can say the explanation of this⁵²,

that the intention of the holy maggid is that a person must be on a lofty level in the service of G-d,

that he is completely nullified before Him, blessed be He,

and to the extent that his entire existence is nothing but his self-nullification to G-d.

And consequently this is his "request of his needs" — because he needs nothing for himself,

and all his concern and needs are only "the need of the Most High",

that the will of the Shechinah be fulfilled.

And therefore he prays about the "heaviness" and lack of the Shechinah, as it were,

"the head of all heads".

And one can say that this is the level of Rebbi Yehoshua ben Levi who entered⁵⁴

alive into the Garden of Eden,

that such a matter — that the physical body should ascend to the Garden of Eden — is a result of the person being so nullified to His holiness, blessed be He, that physical things occupy no place for him at all,

and his body with all its matters are only a vessel for his soul

(which is "literally a part of G-d from above"⁵⁵),

and therefore such a body can enter alive into the Garden of Eden

(the place of spirituality).

And this is what R. Yehoshua ben Levi holds that "heaviness of head" is the level of awe of shame,

which is self-nullification to the utmost; and then his prayer is from within "heaviness of head" — "the head of all heads",

as above.

7.

According to all the above, one must explain the dispute of the Bavli and the Yerushalmi

(above section 1)

— that the Bavli concludes that the study is from "Serve [Him] etc. with fear",

and in the Yerushalmi both studies are brought as the conclusion

("Prostrate yourselves etc. in holy adornment" and "Serve [Him] etc. with fear")

:

Bavel is a state of exile,

where there is no revelation of holiness,

and even about the Babylonian Talmud they said⁵⁶

"In darkness⁵⁷

He has placed me",

a state of darkness and concealment and hiding — and therefore in the Babylonian Talmud it concludes

(according to the opinion of Rav N. bar Y.)

that we learn "solemnity" from "serve the L-rd with fear",

<pg>74</pg>

that is, fear of sin

(as above at length),

for in a state of "Bavel"

(darkness)

it is emphasized that one cannot demand from a Jew more than this level in fear of G-d⁵⁸

;

Not so in the Talmud Yerushalmi — the Torah of Eretz Yisrael⁵⁹,

that there "the eyes of the L-rd your G-d are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end of the year"⁶⁰,

it is easier to attain more elevated levels in fear of G-d⁶¹,

and therefore the opinion of R' Yehoshua ben Levi was also brought there⁶²

(And on the contrary,

this opinion was brought first)

that we derive it from "bow to the L-rd in the splendor of holiness,

in the awe of holiness"⁶³.

And it can be said,

that this that the Yalkut

(on the verse "bow etc.")

brings only the opinion of R' Yehoshua ben Levi,

is because in the part of the Midrash on the Torah — that "most secrets of the Torah..

are hidden in the Aggadot"⁶⁴

— the inner content of "gravity of head" is emphasized,

and therefore there is room to decide

(only)

according to the opinion of R' Yehoshua ben Levi,

that "gravity of head" is the self-nullification of "awe of holiness"

(and even to "gravity of head" according to the explanation of the Maggid — "gravity of head" — "the head of all heads").

And one can say,

that from the aspect of the innerness of the soul that is in each and every one,

it is within the ability of each and every one to also reach this level,

at least "a trace of it and the tip of its edge",

And then the prayer is heard,

that there is drawn forth, as it were, "in the dwelling place of His might",

that "will be filled..

above"⁶⁵

the primary lack — this is that "the Shechinah is in exile",

through the fulfillment of the promise⁶⁶

"and the Lord your God will return your captivity",

"that the Holy One, blessed be He, returns with them",

in the true and complete redemption,

speedily in our days, literally.

(From the talk of 13 Tammuz 5735)