אות-צז

The Pauper's Prayer, from the most dire abject destitution, is unfathomably precious to Hashem

In the words of our Rabbis o.b.m. (Menuchos 104b, Vayikra Rabba 4:11) it is elucidated how very dramatically they regarded the prominence of the Mincha Offering, which is the Offering of the Poor, that even though he cannot bring a cow, or a ram, or a lamb etc., even still Hashem Yisburach found a solution for him, that he should bring a tenth of an ayfah (an ayfah is a measure of 432 bayah-eggs divided by 10 = 43 and a fifth) of flour, which is very dear in the eyes of Hashem Yisburach, because it is said of it (Leviticus 2:1), “And a soul when she brings a Mincha Offering,” which hints that the Scripture gives him credit for this, considering it as though he offered his soul (-the verse suggests that the soul brings itself as the offering). And in the Medrash Rabba (Leviticus 8:4) they said regarding the prominence of the Mincha Offering: and not only this, but (also-even more:) all the offerings are not brought (partially) in halves, and this is brought in half, half of it in the morning and half of it in the afternoon; and not only this but (also-even more:) whoever brings it for an offering, the Scripture credits him, considering it has if he is bringing an offering from one end of the world to the other etc., see there. They also said in the Medrash Rabba, (Torah portion of) Lech Licha (43:14): all the offerings the Holy One Blessed He revealed to our Father Abraham (Genesis 15:9); three calves, and three goats, and a dove, and a pigeon, which are the aspect of cows etc. and birds, except for the tenth of the ayfa. And there is one who says there that He also revealed to him the offering of the tenth of the ayfa, just by allusion. And all of this alludes to the matter of the prayer of the pauper, which is elucidated in the holy Zohar (Torah portion of Bulak, page 195), that it is extremely precious in the eyes of Hashem Yisburach, see there. For the essential sacrifice now is prayer, because through this is the main repentance, the aspect of (Hosea 14:3), “Take with you (plural) words and return to Hashem;” And our Rabbis o.b.m. said (Shemos Rabba 38:4): He does not ask of you (anything), only words. For a person needs to know, when he feels his poverty and lowliness, physically and spiritually, even when he is unable to pray and express his words before Him blessed He with proper thoroughness, even still, when he surmounts to pray and converse before Him blessed He however he can, from the midst of his extremely bitter poverty and exile, physically and spiritually, in the aspect of (Psalms 102:1), “A prayer of the pauper when he is overwhelmed and before Hashem he pours out his words,” like one who pours out water, in the aspect of (Lamentation 2:19), “Let your heart pour out like water,” even if it seems to him that it is without proper sense and kavana (-intention, concentration), even still he (should) pour out all the sentiments of his heart in words before Him blessed He, and even if this prayer itself is jumbled with abundant rubbish and wayward thoughts, which are certainly not befitting to think of Heaven forbid, even still His mercy is so very abundant that even however he is, since he surmounts to pray from the midst of his extremely bitter poverty and lowliness, the Holy One Blessed He has compassion on him, and accepts it, and not only that, but (moreover) the rectification of this prayer specifically reaches infinitely, from one end of the world to the other (end), because distinctly a prayer such as this, is extremely precious by Hashem Yisburach, and it is a secret which is utterly impossible to comprehend, how far His mercy reaches, as long as a person doesn't despair (of himself) from screaming and prayer.

And the entire final redemption is contingent on this, because the essential rectification of repentance is dependent on this, not to despair of oneself even in the most abject lowliness etc., and therefore this secret was not revealed even to our Father Abraham, just by allusion, because it is impossible to reveal this secret explicitly, how far His mercy and His abundant pardon reaches, which is the aspect of (Isaiah 55:7), “And to our G-d for He is abundant(ly magnanimous) to forgive,” which they explicated in the Medrash Vayikra (Rabba 3:3): this is the tenth of the ayfa, that is, as mentioned above. Only, everyone needs to understand for himself, that he should have mercy on himself, and not despair himself ever from mercy, because (Lamentation 3:22), “The kindness of Hashem do not finish, and His mercy do not exhaust. And this utter kindness is revealed in every generation by the tzaddikim, who draw the aspect of the hisnoatzitzus (-sparkling) of Messiah, who always make himself poor and needy, the aspect of (Psalms 40:18, 70:6), “And I am poor and needy,” that David said; the aspect of (Zechariah 9:9, and see Sanhedrin 98a), “a pauper and riding upon the donkey,” and he works to rectify and save all the poor, in the aspect of (Pslams 72:13), “he will have mercy on the weak and destitute etc..” And they hint to us the preciousness of the prayer of the pauper when he is overwhelmed by his hardship, even if this pauper's prayer isn't complete, how far its rectification reaches. And this is the aspect of the Mincha Offering which is brought in half (namely, the prayer of the pauper which isn't complete, and is mixed with a great deal of improper thoughts, even still the Holy One Blessed He accepts it, as mentioned above), and whoever brings it as an offering, the Scripture credits him (considering it) as if he is bringing from one end of the world to the other (end), that is as mentioned above. (Likutay Halachos, Laws of the Prayer of Mincha, law 7).