Noam Elimelech · Tzetel Katan · Maamar יא From the Torah ofRebbe Elimelech of Lizhenskרבי אלימלך מליז'נסקProfile ›

Praying with All One's Strength: Eyes in the Siddur

How should a person pray, morning and evening, so that his thoughts do not drift from his words? R’ Elimelech gives instructions for the voice, the eyes and the ears, and even for the time before and after prayer. What is the voice meant to do?

11Let him accustom himself to pray with all his strength, in a voice that rouses his kavanah, his inner intention, so that his thought cleaves to his words. Morning and evening, let him pray with his face to the wall¹ and his eyes inside the siddur, and not look to the sides from the beginning of the prayer to its end. During the chazzan's repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, let him follow in the siddur so as to answer amen with all his strength after every single blessing. During the Torah reading, let him turn his ear to every word from the reader, as one listens to the reading of the Megillah. And let him make himself like a mute in the synagogue, even before the prayer, and after it until he leaves for home.

יא. יַרְגִּיל אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכָל כֹּחוֹ, וּבְקוֹל הַמְּעוֹרֵר הַכַּוָּונָה לְהִדָּבֵק הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה לְדִיבּוּר, וּפָנָיו אֶל הַכּוֹתֶל בְּתוֹךְ סִידּוּר הַתְּפִילָּה בַּבּוֹקֶר וּבָעֶרֶב, וְלֹא יִסְתַּכֵּל לִצְדָדִין מִתְּחִילַּת הַתְּפִילָּה עַד סוֹפָהּ, וּבַחֲזָרַת הש"ץ הַשְּׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה יְעַיֵּין בְּסִידּוּר לַעֲנוֹת אָמֵן בְּכָל כֹּחוֹ עַל כָּל בְּרָכָה וּבְרָכָה, וּבִשְׁעַת קְרִיאַת הַתּוֹרָה לְהַטּוֹת אָזְנוֹ עַל כָּל דִּיבּוּר וְדִיבּוּר מֵהַקּוֹרֵא כְּקוֹרֵא אֶת הַמְּגִילָּה, וְלַעֲשׂוֹת עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילֵּם בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת, אֲפִילּוּ קוֹדֶם הַתְּפִלָּה וְאַחֲרֶיהָ עַד הֲלִיכָתוֹ לְבֵיתוֹ:

Berachos 5b: nothing should stand between one who prays and the wall, as the verse says, “Chizkiyahu turned his face to the wall and prayed” (Yeshayahu 38:2). ↩

In shortPrayer needs full strength and a rousing voice, eyes in the siddur, every amen answered, every word of the reading heard, and silence in the synagogue.

The maamar as a whole

Item 11 is a practice for the synagogue. He asks for prayer with all one’s strength and in a voice that rouses kavanah, so that the thought cleaves to the spoken words. The rest guards that bond from every side: face to the wall and eyes inside the siddur from beginning to end, the siddur followed during the chazzan’s repetition so that every amen is answered in full, every word of the Torah reading heard as one hears the Megillah, and silence, like a mute, in the synagogue before prayer and after it until he leaves for home. In his scheme, the first items fill prayer with readiness for kiddush Hashem; this one makes sure the body, the senses and the tongue are wholly given to it.

Takeaway

Give the prayer your voice, your eyes and your ears, and keep silent in the synagogue until you leave, for R' Elimelech teaches that a voice that rouses kavanah binds the thought to the words.

Learn this in the merit of Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk. His yahrzeit and life ›

All of Noam Elimelech

Sources he cites