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

Free Moments: Prayers by Heart, Sanctifying Hashem

What should a person do with the moments when he is neither learning nor praying? The last practice of the little note answers, and in doing so reaches back to where the list began.

17Whenever he is free from Torah and prayer, let him teach himself by heart the things he needs, such as Tikkun Rachel and Tikkun Leah, the two parts of the midnight lament; Tefillas HaShav; Birkas Levanah, the blessing over the new moon; Brich Shmei, said when the Ark is opened; Al HaKol, said when the Torah is taken out; and Modim deRabbanan, the congregation's Modim during the chazzan's repetition. And let him reflect on the positive mitzvah “I shall be sanctified …,”¹ as described in item 1.

יז. בְּכָל עֵת שֶׁהוּא פָּנוּי מֵהַתּוֹרָה וּמֵהַתְּפִילָּה, יִלְמוֹד אֶת עַצְמוֹ בְּעַל פֶּה דְּבָרִים הַצְּרִיכִים לוֹ, כְּגוֹן תִּיקּוּן רָחֵל וְתִיקּוּן לֵאָה, וּתְפִילַּת הַשָּׁב, וּבִרְכַּת לְבָנָה, וּבְרִיךְ שְׁמֵיהּ, וְעַל הַכֹּל, וּמוֹדִים דְּרַבָּנָן, וִיהַרְהֵר בְּמִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁל וְנִקְדַּשְׁתִּי וְכוּ׳ כַּכָּתוּב לְעֵיל.

Vayikra 22:32. ↩

In shortFree moments are for learning needed prayers by heart, from Tikkun Rachel to Modim deRabbanan, and for reflecting on “I shall be sanctified.”

18All this I found in manuscript.²

כָּל זֶה מָצָאתִי בִּכְתַב יָד:

Editor's note: The line is printed in small type; it seems to be the words of whoever found the list and brought it to print, not R' Elimelech's own. ↩

In shortA closing line, it seems added by whoever brought the list to print, records that all of it was found in manuscript.

The maamar as a whole

Item 17, the last practice, takes up the free moments between Torah and prayer. In them a person teaches himself by heart the things he needs: Tikkun Rachel and Tikkun Leah, Tefillas HaShav, Birkas Levanah, Brich Shmei, Al HaKol and Modim deRabbanan. And he reflects on the positive mitzvah “I shall be sanctified,” as in the first item. So the list closes where it opened: no moment is left empty, and the readiness to give one’s life for kiddush Hashem frames every practice in between. The line that follows, “All this I found in manuscript,” is printed in small type and seems to be the words of whoever brought the list to print, not R’ Elimelech’s own.

Takeaway

Use your free moments to learn by heart the prayers you need and to return to the thought of sanctifying Hashem's Name, for R' Elimelech's last practice leaves no moment empty and closes with the mitzvah his first one began with.

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

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