Perush Hatefillah

Shemoneh Esray

 Before you Daven, clear out thoughts that can disturb your
Davening
Know that the Shechina is in front of you
See yourself as a poor person begging for money
Clear out your mouth before you Daven

Halachos of
when you Daven
Shemoneh Esray

Start Shemoneh Esray with 3 steps backwards, like

approaching a king
Feet together like Malachim
No leaning
No holding anything in hand (besides for Siddur)
No facing picture, mirror, or window
Look inside Siddur
Daven quietly so you hear but those around you dont hear

 No yawning. If must, cover mouth

No objects between you and the wall
If bug bites you, brush it away with your clothes
If Sefer falls in front of you, pick it up only at the end of a Bracha
Face Eretz Yisrael, Yerushalayim, Bais Hamikdash

Halachos of
when you Daven
Shemoneh Esray

No standing within 4 Amos of someone who is Davening

Shemoneh Esray unless youre Davening
If someone is sitting in your 4 Amos because he is weak, dont
tell him to stand up
No Davening in open field. If must, Daven in front of tree
If random thought enters your mind, wait for it to pass before
continuing Davening
If realize that Davening to wrong direction, face head to right
direction

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise of Hashem after Avraham is saved

from the fiery furnace or after Avraham won the war against the 4 kings
We begin Shemoneh Esray by asking Hashem to open up our lips,
because we are so Batul to Hashem that we dont have our own power to
talk, but we want to be able to praise Hashem

Brocha 1 Magen Avraham

The difference between Elokeinu our G-d and Elokai Avosainu G-d
of our forefathers is that Elokainu is a level of Emunah where we
contemplate and work on our own Emunah, while Elokay Avosainu is a
level of Emunah that we inherit from our parents. The Avos were each
examples of working on your own Emunah, because they each served
Hashem in their own way, Avraham with love, Yitzchak with fear, and
Yaakov with learning Torah.
Avraham spread the awareness of Hashem, and through this he became
a partner with Hashem in creation, as it says Konai Shamayim Vaaretz
We ask Hashem that just like Avraham getting Zechusim in this world
did not take away from his Olam Habah, so too it should be with us
We are asking Hashem in this Brocha to shield our Emunah which is
inherited from Avraham

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise of Hashem when Yitzchak had

Techiyas Hamaisim at Akaidas Yitzchak
We ask Hashem to sustain the living and to revive the dead in the
same Brocha to show that reviving the dead also applies to the living,
when they make their cold intellect excited and filled with warmth
through learning and understanding G-dly concepts
We praise Hashems Gevurah in this Brocha because Gevurah is what
makes the Brochos come down in a way that we will be able to receive
them

Brocha 2
Mechaye Maisim

When we ask Hashem to support the fallen, heal the sick, and untie
the bound, each one refers to how Hashem helps a Neshama that is
more stuck than the one before
There are 4 keys that Hashem has rain, livelihood, resurrecting the
dead, and life
We say Morid Hatal from Musaf on the first day of Pesach till
Shacharis of Shemini Atzeres
We say Mashiv Haruach from Musaf of Shemini Atzeres to Shacharis
fo the first day of Pesach

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem

after Yaakov praises Hashem for his dream on Har
Hamoriya

Brocha 3
Atah Kadosh

Kedusha means separate. Hashem is separate from

us in a way that we cant even compare us to Him.
Bnei Yisrael are a nation that is separate from the
other nations. We can make ourselves holy by
separating from things that are permissible to us,
but that do not help us to serve Hashem.
This Brocha comes specifically after the Brocha of
Mechaye Maisim because Techiyas Hamaishim
will bring in the era of the ultimate holiness.

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem

when Malach Gavriel taught Yosef all 70 languages
Chochma is Koach Mah the spark and flash of
inspiration
Bina is the Binyan developing the idea

Brocha 4
Atah Chonen

Daas is connecting and bring about a change in

your emotions
It says that women were given more Bina than men
Bina Yesairah Nitna Leisha Yoser Mibaish

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem when

Reuvens Teshuva was accepted for moving his fathers
bed
This Brocha comes specifically after the Brocha of Ata
Chonen because we need wisdom in order to know
what to do Teshuva for
Teshuva means returning and connecting to Hashem

Brocha 5
Hashivainu

Hashivainu is the 5th Brocha, because the letter Hey,

whose Gematriya is 5, has an opening in the side,
showing the one always has an opening and the ability
to do Teshuva
We ask Hashem to return to His Torah and bring us
close to His Avodah, because learning Torah leads to
action. It says Gadol Talmud Shemaivi Lidai Maaseh
learning is great because it brings about action

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem

for forgiving Yehuda for the story with Tamar
The Navi says that an evil man should leave his
ways and a sinner should leave his thoughts and
return to Hashem because Hashem loves to forgive

Brocha 6
Slach Lanu

We ask for forgiveness in middle of Shemoneh

Esray and not before Davening because through
Davening we become aware of what we need to
ask for forgiveness for

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem when Hashem

promised to redeem Bnei Yisrael from Mitzrayim
We ask Hashem to see in our pain, but the word Beanyainu can
also mean that we are asking Hashem to see that our poor
character needs to be redeemed

Brocha 7
Reeh Na

The words Goel Yisrael are in present tense, showing that

Hashem is constantly redeeming Bnei Yisrael on a personal level.
When each person has their personal Geulah by bringing the
awareness of Hashem into their life, then Moshiach will come.
So in this Brocha we ask Hashem to redeem us from our
personal struggles.
This Brocha comes specifically after the Brocha of Slach Lanu
because Teshuva brings about the Geulah, as the Frierdiker
Rebbe says Lalter Lteshuva Lalter Lgeulah immediate Teshuva
brings immediate Geulah
We ask Hashemto redeem us from Galus because of the
Shechina tht is suffering with us in Galus. This is seen in the
words Lmaan Shmecha

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem when Avraham

was healed from his Bris Milah
Just like Avraham was healed through Hashem appearing to
him, so too the high revelation of Hashem through Moshiach
will bring physical and spiritual healing
The Baal Shem Tov explains on the words Braishis Bara that
they can be explained to mean that the first thing a person
needs is health

Brocha 8
Refaeinu

The Mezritcher Magid says that a small hole in the body is a big
hole in the Neshama
This Brocha is specifically the 8th Brocha because 8 symbolizes
things that are above nature, and the ability for healing above
nature was brought down when Avraham was healed from the
Bris which is given on the 8th day
We say Heal us and we will be healed, in a double way, because
we are asking that the Healing and salvation that come from
Hashem be everlasting

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise of Hashem when Yitzchaks crop grew
1000 times as much as it should have, even though there was a hunger
In Hayom Yom we learn that while saying this Brocha we should Daven for
wheat for Matzah, Esrog, and wine for Kiddush
Davening can be an internal Avodah while we still ask for our personal needs.
According to the Rambam, Davening is about asking for our needs, but we
need to do Avodah in order to be worthy.
When we are asking for our personal needs, our inner motivation really is that
we are asking for the things that we need in order to make a Dira Btachtonim

Brocha 9
Bareich Aleinu

When we are physically hungry or thirsty, its an expression of our souls

yearning to elevate the sparks within that food or drink
We ask Hashem to bless the years, meaning to bless the time so that everything
that happens in the time will be blessed
The word Shana - year is related to the word Shinoy - change, so we are asking
Hashem to bless the seasonal changes
We say Vesain Bracha from Maariv on the first night of Chol Hamoed Pesach
till Mincha of December 5
We say Vesain Tal Umatar Liveracha for Maariv of December 5 till Mincha of
Erev Pesach

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise of Hashem when

Yaakov reunites will Yosef, and all the Shevatim are together
A Nevuah in Yeshayahu says that when the great Shofar will
be blown, the Yidden from the lands of Ashur and
Mitzrayim will acknowledge Hashem. Ashur represents
Yidden who took pleasure in the luxuries of the world.
Mitzrayim represents Yidden who were tied down in Galus
and did not serve Hashem properly

Brocha 10
Tika Beshofar

The Shofar of Moshiach is called the great Shofar because it

will be the larger horn of the ram used at Akeidas Yitzchak.
The smaller horn was used at Matan Torah
Moshiach needs a great Shofar in order to arouse all Jews
spiritually
The name of the one blowing the Shofar is not mentioned
because the light that the blowing of the Shofar will bring
down is above the limitation of a name

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem when Hashem

gave the Yidden laws of justice at Matan Torah
This Tefillah is based off Yeshayahus Nevuah that Hashem will
return the judges like at first and the advisors like in the
beginning.

Brocha 11
Hashiva

The Pasuk that tells us about judges in the Torah commands us

to have judges and officers. In connection with Moshiach, judges
and advisors are mentioned because we will want to do the right
thing so we wont need officers to enforce what the judges say,
however we will need advisors to help make it more personal
Through have judges and advisors now, we can bring about the
judges and advisors of Moshiach. Judges refers to having
Kabolas Ol and listening to Rabanim. Advisors refers to having
Chayus and listening to your Mashpia
In this Brocha we are also asking Hashem to make our internal
judges like they were at first, like at Matan Torah when the
Yetzer Hara and Yetzer Tov both wanted to serve Hashem

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise to Hashem

when the Mitzriyim drowned in the Yam Suf
After the destruction of the second Bais
Hamikdash, some Jews were informing on other
Jews so R Gamliel DYavne asked Shmuel
Hakoton to add this Brocha to Shemoneh Esray

Brocha 12 Vilamalsinim

The Hayom Yom says that we should pause

betwenn Usemager and Visachnea, to show a
separation between the 3 Kelipos Temaios that we
cant elevate and Kelipas Nogah which we could
elevate

 This Brocha is the Malachims praise of Hashem

when Yaakov sees Yosef after being informed that
Yosef is still alive
This Brocha comes specifically after Velamalshinim
because once the Reshoim are destroyed, the glory
of Tzadikim can be complete

Brocha 13
Al Hatzadikim

We Daven for Tzaddikim because Tzadikim are the

foundation of the world so we are dependent on
them for our existence and because the Tzadikim
Daven for us
This Brocha mentions Bitachon, which is a full
trust that things will work out to be good in a
revealed way. Having this Bitachon will result in
things actually being good in a revealed way.

Good luck on
the test!