Part 7
Va'ani Berov Chasdecho Ovo Beisecho
The second of the introductory pesukim that we say
upon entering shul is (Tehillim 5:8) that of,
`Va'ani berov Chasdecho ovo beisecho, eshtachaveh el
Heichal Kodshecho beyirosecho — Due to Your Great
Kindness, will I come to Your House prostrating myself
towards Your Holy Sanctuary in Your awe.
The fifth chapter of Tehillim, perhaps more than any
other, speaks solely about the virtues of tefilloh.
And it is from this chapter that this posuk is
chosen as a suitable one with which to approach our
Shacharis prayers.
This posuk alludes to the three Ovos, while at the
same time putting us in the correct frame of mind with which
to approach and behave in shul. It also connects to
the great merit of the Akeidoh and to various Names of
Hashem that we often mention during our tefillos. How
these various aspects are signified in this posuk will
be elaborated on in the next few articles.
The Shloh alludes to the mention in this posuk of the
three Ovos in the following way. Avrohom Ovinu , who
personified the attribute of Kindness , is alluded to in the
opening words: Va'ani berov Chasdecho ovo beisecho.
His special kindness was displayed by the meticulous care and
attention he gave to the three visiting angels, despite his
own personal discomfort after the bris miloh. He
invited them into his tent and provided them with all their
needs.
We likewise approach the entrance of shul and pray
that Hashem should remember that great kindness of Avrohom
Ovinu and allow us into His tent.
Yitzchok Ovinu, who sanctified himself at the Akeidah
as a Holy offering to Hashem is referred to in the
words, eshtachaveh el Heichal Kodshecho beyirosecho.
The Torah (Bereishis 28:15) tells us how Yaakov fell
asleep on Har Habayis and dreamt of seeing a ladder that
reached the Heavens, whilst Divine angels ascended and
descended thereon. When he woke up he expressed himself by
saying, `Surely Hashem is in this place and I did not know
it. And he became frightened and said, `How awesome is this
place. This is no other than the abode of Hashem.' Yaakov
Ovinu is alluded to in the final word, beyirosecho
— in Your Awe, as he used this expression when he awoke
from his dream.
Furthermore, this posuk begins with a letter
Vov and ends with a Chof, that together have
the numerical value of Hashem's Name, twenty-six. We enter
shul, as our miniature Beis Hamikdosh, with a
realization that it always houses Hashem's Presence, and are
thereby reminded that our behavior and activities whilst
visiting His Holy Sanctuary should be appropriate.
Va'ani berov Chasdecho ovo beisecho — due to
Your great Kindness, will I come to Your House, are the
opening words of this posuk. We habitually enter
shul, sometimes perhaps a little late, but with a
satisfied feeling that we have, after all, actually arrived.
In fact we are doing Hashem no favors in coming when and how
we feel like it. We must enter shul with the
realization that Hashem has given us a great privilege by
extending His invitation to us and allowing us to enter His
Royal Palace. We are welcome to accept this invitation but we
have to conform by wearing suitable clothes, arriving at the
required time, and behaving in an appropriate manner.
Hashem is doing us a favor by inviting us to enter, but we
are doing Him no favors in coming. Va'ani berov Chasdecho
ovo beisecho — Due to Your Great Kindness, will I
come to Your House, provides us with the correct attitude
with which to enter the beis haknesses. If we have
this realization on entering shul, then appropriate
behavior will follow automatically.
The Megalleh Amukos asks, that in the expression, Va'ani
berov Chasdecho ovo beisecho I would have expected it to
contain the definite article and be written as: el
beisecho — to Your house.
He explains that this posuk also wants to allude to
the great merit of the Akeidah which finishes with the
phrase: `Hashem yir'eh — Behar Hashem yeiro'eh
(Bereishis 22:14) . The numerical value of each of
yir'eh and yeiro'eh is 216, and together they
make 432, the same as the numerical value of the word
beisecho — Your House. In order to make this
special connection with the merit of the Akeidah, no
definite article is used to set off the word
beisecho.
This entire posuk that we say upon entering
shul, therefore, contains three references to the word
yir'eh: twice in the numerical value of the word
beisecho (432) and once in the final word of this
posuk, beyir'osecho. These three allude to the three
Botei Mikdosh that all have to be treated with the
same dignity, respect and awe. By treating our present
miniature Mikdosh with the required respect, we can
rightfully pray that we should soon be given the opportunity
to enter the Third large Mikdosh, as alluded to at the
end of the posuk: eshtachaveh el Heichal Kodshecho
beyirosecho.
How does one gain a sense of respect and awe for the beis
hamedrash and beis haknesses? There are two
identical pesukim in the Torah that guide us in how to
obtain this. They are Vayikra 19:30 and 26:2: Es
Shabsosai tishmoru umikdoshi tiro'u, Ani Hashem —
You shall observe My Shabbos and revere My Sanctuary. I am
Hashem. On both of these pesukim the Targum Yonoson
Ben Uziel translates the relevant phrase as, `My Sanctuary
you shall approach with awe — adding the word
`approach,' that is not in the original Hebrew text. This
addition provides us with a guide that will help us gain the
required respect.
The mishna tells us in Brochos how righteous
people in earlier generations would spend one hour preparing
for prayer, another hour actually praying and a third hour
contemplating afterwards, a process that was repeated three
times a day. I once had the opportunity to ask a godol
in Eretz Yisroel, if this teaching of the Mishna
was just historical, or does it still have relevance to
ourselves in modern times?
His answer was that we could have some connection to this
teaching by putting in a few minutes thought before and after
our daily prayers. On our short journey to shul, we
should ask ourselves two simple questions. Where and why are
we going ? Your answers should be, that you are privileged to
be invited to attend the Royal Palace and that you are going
there for one reason only. You are going to request directly
from Hashem whatever you want, interest- free and totally on
an unsecured basis.
Similarly, on our journey home we should ask ourselves how
well did we concentrate on our prayers today, and if there is
perhaps some way that our praying can be improved upon.
Our success in prayer depends on how we approach it. Do we
come to daven in a specific shul because we
need to meet certain people to conclude a business deal with
them, or to give them an urgent message? Do we really go
solely to daven? A true umikdoshi tiro'u can
only be achieved with the correct approach and intentions.
