9/19/97

What is that preparation? Kavei el Hashem chazak veyaameitz libecha vekavei el Hashem. The gemorra in Brachos 32b says that 4 things require Chizuk. Torah, maasim tovim, tefilla and derech eretz. The proof that tefilla needs chizuk is from the posuk quoted above, chazak veyaametz libecha. Rashi says that derech eretz needs chizuk: a craftsman for his craft, a merchant for his business and a warrior for his war. From this we can get an idea of what chizuk in tefilla is. Just like a business man has to stay on top of new developments, find new marketing strategies and new opportunities and if he sits back and doesn't keep trying to advance, he can loose everything; so too in tefilla we have to keep developing new strategies to improve kavana and concentration, and put more research into understanding our tefillos. The main avodah of Rosh Hashona is Tefilla; that is the only way that we can change our existence for the better. If so, then the preparation of Elul should be chizuk in tefilla. Just like a long distance runner spends months before a marathon building his fitness and endurance, so too we prepare for our marathon davening on Rosh Hashana by working on improving kavana and davening "stamina."

Be'ezras Hashem we should all be successful in our davening preparations and that on Yom hadin all our tefillos will be accepted and we will be nichtav and nechtam lechaim tovim uleshalom.

Shabbt Shalom.
Rav Segal