תּוֹרָה מד - מְחִיאַת כַּפַּיִם בַּתְּפִלָּה

Torah 1170

The reason one strikes palm against palm during prayer: the twenty-eight finger-joints [parkin] of the hands are the aspect of the twenty-eight letters of the act of Creation [ma'aseh bereishis] — through which everything was created. And they are called: ""the power of His acts He has told to His people — to give them the inheritance of the nations"" [Psalms 111:6]. And when we clap palm against palm — through this the above-mentioned twenty-eight letters are aroused. Through this there is power in our hands to purify the air of the nations' land — and to drive away the impure air. For their land returns under the sovereignty of the Holy One, blessed be He — Who has the power to give to whomever He wishes. And the air of the place where the Jewish person prays is purified — and he breathes holy air as in the Land of Israel. Thus through this, prayer is in the air of the Land of Israel.

Therefore one must fix a place for his prayer. For even when one stands to pray in a place where a Tzadik prayed — even so it is very difficult for him to pray there — for he is not accustomed to the air of that place. And all the more so the reverse.

And this is the explanation of: ""the prayers were instituted corresponding to the daily offerings [tmidim]"" [Berachos 26b] — that is, one must see to pray in the air of the Land of Israel — that is, the rectification of alien thoughts in prayer — which are the aspect of ""prayers against"" — whose rectification is through the aspect of the Land of Israel — about which it is written: ""the eyes of Hashem your G-d are always upon it"" [Deuteronomy 11:13].

And this is the explanation of: ""and through the hand of the prophets I liken"" [Hosea 12:11] — through the clapping of the hand — through the hands — the words [dibburim] are spoken on holy soil. "N'vi'im" [prophets] is the language of speech [dibbur] — as Rashi explained on Exodus 7 — and see "Orach Chayim" §102, subsection 3 in the Taz on this matter. Also murder and destruction are nullified from the world — (see below §46) — in the aspect of: ""and I will give peace in the land etc. and no sword shall pass through your land"" [Leviticus 26:6]. And through the clapping of palms the prayer is in the air of the Land of Israel — and he dwells in the air of the Land of Israel — and he has G-d. And alien thoughts — heresies [k'firosgemuras] called "against" faith — which is prayer — the aspect of: ""his hands were faith"" — Onkelos translates: ""spread out in prayer."" And their rectification is through the "tmidim" — through the Land of Israel — through clapping the palm as above.

Another interpretation: the "tmidim" are lambs — in the aspect of: ""and lambs for your clothing"" [Proverbs 27:26] — and our Sages of blessed memory said: these are "kavshay d'Rachmana" [the hidden mysteries of the Merciful One] [Chagigah 13a] — for through prayer the secrets of Torah are revealed.

Another interpretation: "tefilah k'neged" [prayer against] — that is, the alien thoughts that are "against" — and they are called "mabul" [flood] — for they flood and confuse the prayer. And its rectification is through giving charity to the Land of Israel. And through this one is included in the air of the Land of Israel — about which our Sages of blessed memory said: ""the flood did not descend upon the Land of Israel"" [Z'vachim 113a]. And this is: "the "tmidim" were instituted — their rectification is the Land of Israel." And also through this his brain — that is, his thought — is refined. For ""the air of the Land of Israel makes one wise"" [Bava Basra 158b]. And this is: ""and I will see it"" — that is, the Land of Israel — through this the eternal covenant is aroused and rectified — the aspect of the eighteen blessings of prayer — the aspect of "Tzadik Chay Olamin" [the Tzadik — life of the worlds].