The 19 Steps to God: Class Notes 8/13?09
Steps
It is only with this awareness that we can approach the middle blessings of request in the Amidah. It is how our prayer matters.
The most important prayer is expressed through blessings. In fact it is called the Shmone Esrei – by the number of its blessings!
We discussed four stories of the power of blessing: Rabbi Weinberg’s father’s lesson in how to make a blessing over an orange.
The Rebbe who explained that the Chassid made a blessing in order to eat an apple, while the Rebbe ate the apple in order to recite a blessing.
The bed-ridden woman who wanted to live many more years just so she could make a blessing once a week after her body was cleaned. She lived for that once a week blessing and it was worth all the physical misery of her life!
A man who wore a half-eaten belt 40 years after the Holocaust to remember that he asked a Halachic question while in Auschwitz, whether he had to make a blessing on eating his belt: The rabbi’s answer was that such a question was the most powerful blessing.
The Talmud teaches that in order to receive wisdom we must first appreciate what it is. This is why this is the only blessing that begins with the acknowledgement.
God grants Da’at as a gift. God teaches us Binah – Perception through our life experiences.
When we say “Who teaches us Binah” we are acknowledging God’s active role in our lives: Everything is a teaching: You can work on this!
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Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.
R’ Shlomo gave over a very powerful teaching related to the blessings that Yitzkhak wished to convey to Eisav:
We all know the end of the story, that Ya’akov received the blessings Yitzchak had intended to confer upon Eisav. However, there was one blessing that Ya’akov never received from Yitzchak ===> When Yitzchak addresses Eisav initially, he says:”I’m getting older. Please fix me a fresh meal of foods I like; I’d like to bless you”.
Ya’akov, despite getting the blessings, never heard Yitzchak express the desire to bless him.
Perhaps, when we acknowledge G-d’s infinite kindness in granting us Da’at and instilling us with Binah, we are closing a circle. G-d’s gift of understanding is akin to His telling us ‘I want to bless you so you may be capable to access the other blessings I wish to confer upon you’ => As Ya’akov’s children, the historical omission by Yitzchak is made whole.
Just the ability to utter in prayer “Baruch ATAH…” is mind-blowing. Can you imagine how powerful it is to be able to talk to G-d!!!!