Clapping Hands in Prayer / Sweetening Heavenly Judgments / Improving Memory / Eliminating Dispute Clapping in prayer unites us with God. It sweetens Heavenly judgments, which is good for memory — because when a person mitigates such judgments, he progresses from a constricted consciousness to an expanded consciousness, and the latter does not forget. Also, when we clap our hands in prayer, we eliminate dispute — for the left hand is joined to the right and the right hand is joined to the left, and they unite as one. God, when I clap my hands in prayer, may I sweeten all the harsh judgments in the world and arouse the three holy “hands” in Heaven — the “great hand,” the “strong hand” and the “upraised hand” — which are the three holy names of God’s Name, YHVH.
In this way, may I sweeten and nullify all the judgments that come from the three expansions of God’s Name, Elohim, in the throat. May I draw the three expansions of YHVH into the three expansions of Elohim to sweeten them, so that all judgments will be sweetened and eliminated both for me and for Your entire nation, the Jewish people, now and forever; so that I will drive away a constricted state of consciousness, and You will remove forgetfulness from me and bring me to a state of holy, expanded consciousness and the constant awareness of all the words of Your holy Torah; so that I will never forget a single word of what I have learned.
May I eliminate all sorts of dispute in the world, so that the left side will be absorbed into the right side, and You will draw great peace into the world and remove the sword and murder and destruction, and bring about the realization of the verse, “I will place peace in the world, and no sword will pass through your land.”
Have mercy and pity on me so that I will pray before You with great feeling — with heart and soul — with great inspiration, with awe, great fear and total devotion that comes from love, and with a mighty joy and gladness that comes from clear and proper thoughts.
You Who are filled with compassion, bring me to a constant holiness of thought, particularly when I pray and present my requests to You. For my strength is only in my mouth, and at present, I have no support except for prayer.
Help me to pray to You with great feeling and a fiery heart, until my hands are aroused for Your sake so that I clap them in great holiness. “Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in Heaven.” “I have stretched my hands out to You. My spirit is like a weary land for You, my spirit is in my palm always, and I have not forgotten Your Torah.”
Help me to find a permanent spot in which to pray. Thus assist me so that in the merit of Abraham, I will sanctify that spot and pray with the holiness of the Land of Israel.
May my mind be as lucid as pure silver, without any admixture or dross, without any foreign thoughts or mental confusion, because “in Your hand is power and might, and Your hand can enhance and strengthen all. And now, may the power of HaShem be increased.”
In Your great might, strengthen me to overcome the wicked kingdom of Edom. Quickly redeem me. May I come to the Land of Israel swiftly and easily, without misadventure.
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה מ"ו - מְחָאַת כַּף בַּתְּפִלָּה]
וּתְזַכֵּנוּ עַל־יְדֵי מְחָאַת כַּפַּיִם לְהַמְתִּיק כָּל הַדִּינִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, וְנִזְכֶּה לְעוֹרֵר שְׁלֹשָׁה הַיָּדַיִם הַקְּדוֹשִׁים שֶׁלְּמַעְלָה שֶׁהֵם, יַד הַגְּדוֹלָה, וְיַד הַחֲזָקָה, וְיַד הָרָמָה, שֶׁהֵם שְׁלֹשָׁה שְׁמוֹתֶיךָ הַקְּדוֹשִׁים יקו"ק.
Clapping Hands in Prayer / Sweetening Heavenly Judgments / Improving Memory / Eliminating Dispute
Clapping in prayer unites us with God. It sweetens Heavenly judgments, which is good for memory — because when a person mitigates such judgments, he progresses from a constricted consciousness to an expanded consciousness, and the latter does not forget. Also, when we clap our hands in prayer, we eliminate dispute — for the left hand is joined to the right and the right hand is joined to the left, and they unite as one.
God, when I clap my hands in prayer, may I sweeten all the harsh judgments in the world and arouse the three holy “hands” in Heaven — the “great hand,” the “strong hand” and the “upraised hand” — which are the three holy names of God’s Name, YHVH.
וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִזְכֶּה לְהַמְתִּיק וּלְבַטֵּל כָּל הַדִּינִים הַיּוֹצְאִים מִשָׁלֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים שֶׁבַּגָּרוֹן, וְנִזְכֶּה לְהַמְשִׁיךְ שְׁלֹשָׁה הַשֵּׁמוֹת הַקְּדוֹשִׁים יקו"ק אֶל הַשָׁלֹשׁ אֱלֹהִים לְהַמְתִּיקָם עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יֻמְתְּקוּ וְיִתְבַּטְּלוּ כָּל הַדִּינִים מֵעָלֵינוּ וּמֵעַל כָּל עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם. וְנִזְכֶּה לִדְחוֹת מֹחִין דְּקַטְנוּת מֵאִתָּנוּ, וְתַעֲבִיר וּתְסַלֵּק הַשִּׁכְחָה מֵאִתָּנוּ, וּתְזַכֵּנוּ לְמֹחִין קְדוֹשִׁים דְּגַדְלוּת וּלְזִכָּרוֹן דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, לִזְכֹּר אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָתְךָ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה תָמִיד וְלֹא אֶשְׁכַּח דָּבָר מִמִּשְׁנָתִי לְעוֹלָם:
In this way, may I sweeten and nullify all the judgments that come from the three expansions of God’s Name, Elohim, in the throat. May I draw the three expansions of YHVH into the three expansions of Elohim to sweeten them, so that all judgments will be sweetened and eliminated both for me and for Your entire nation, the Jewish people, now and forever; so that I will drive away a constricted state of consciousness, and You will remove forgetfulness from me and bring me to a state of holy, expanded consciousness and the constant awareness of all the words of Your holy Torah; so that I will never forget a single word of what I have learned.
וְנִזְכֶּה לְבַטֵּל כָּל מִינֵי מַחֲלֹקֶת מִן הָעוֹלָם, וְיִהְיֶה נִכְלָל שְׂמֹאל בַּיָּמִין, וְתַמְשִׁיךְ שָׁלוֹם גָּדוֹל בָּעוֹלָם, וּתְבַטֵּל חֶרֶב וְהֶרֶג וַאֲבַדּוֹן מִן הָעוֹלָם, וּתְקַיֵּם מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב, וְנָתַתִּי שָׁלוֹם בָּאָרֶץ, וְחֶרֶב לֹא תַעֲבֹר בְּאַרְצְכֶם.
May I eliminate all sorts of dispute in the world, so that the left side will be absorbed into the right side, and You will draw great peace into the world and remove the sword and murder and destruction, and bring about the realization of the verse, “I will place peace in the world, and no sword will pass through your land.”
חוּס וַחֲמֹל עָלֵינוּ וְזַכֵּנוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ בְּכַוָּנָה גְּדוֹלָה בְּלֵב וָנֶפֶשׁ וּבְהִתְעוֹרְרוּת גָּדוֹל, בְּאֵימָה וּבְיִרְאָה גְּדוֹלָה וּבִמְסִירַת נֶפֶשׁ מֵאַהֲבָה, וּבְשִׂמְחָה וְחֶדְוָה רַבָּה וַעֲצוּמָה, וּבְמַחֲשָׁבוֹת זַכּוֹת וּנְכוֹנוֹת,
Have mercy and pity on me so that I will pray before You with great feeling — with heart and soul — with great inspiration, with awe, great fear and total devotion that comes from love, and with a mighty joy and gladness that comes from clear and proper thoughts.
וְתִגְעוֹר בְּכָל הַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶם שׁוּם שְׁלִיטָה לְבַלְבֵּל אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם.
Rebuke all foreign thoughts, so that they will not have the power to upset my prayer, Heaven forbid.
מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, זַכֵּנִי בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים לִקְדֻשַּׁת הַמַּחֲשָׁבָה תָמִיד, וּבְיוֹתֵר בִּשְׁעַת תְּפִלּוֹתֵינוּ וּתְחִנּוֹתֵינוּ וּבַקָּשׁוֹתֵינוּ, כִּי אֵין כֹּחֵנוּ אֶלָּא בַּפֶּה, וְאֵין לָנוּ עַכְשָׁיו שׁוּם סְמִיכָה כִּי אִם עַל תְּפִלָּה וְתַחֲנוּנִים.
You Who are filled with compassion, bring me to a constant holiness of thought, particularly when I pray and present my requests to You. For my strength is only in my mouth, and at present, I have no support except for prayer.
עָזְרֵנוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לְפָנֶיךָ בְּהִתְעוֹרְרוּת גָּדוֹל וּבְהִתְלַהֲבוּת הַלֵּב עַד שֶׁיִּתְעוֹרְרוּ יָדַי לַיהֹוָה וְנִזְכֶּה לְהַמְחָאַת כַּף בִּקְדֻשָּׁה גְּדוֹלָה בִּשְׁעַת הַתְּפִלָּה. נִשָּׂא לְבָבֵנוּ אֶל כַּפָּיִם אֶל אֵל בַּשָּׁמָיִם. פֵּרַשְׂתִּי יָדַי אֵלֶיךָ נַפְשִׁי כְּאֶרֶץ עֲיֵפָה לְךָ סֶלָה. נַפְשִׁי בְכַפִּי תָמִיד וְתוֹרָתְךָ לֹא שָׁכָחְתִּי.
Help me to pray to You with great feeling and a fiery heart, until my hands are aroused for Your sake so that I clap them in great holiness. “Let us lift up our hearts with our hands to God in Heaven.” “I have stretched my hands out to You. My spirit is like a weary land for You, my spirit is in my palm always, and I have not forgotten Your Torah.”
וְזַכֵּנוּ לִקְבֹּעַ מָקוֹם לִתְפִלָּתֵנוּ, וְעַל־יְדֵי־זֶה יִהְיֶה אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם בְּעֶזְרֵנוּ, שֶׁנִזְכֶּה בִּזְכוּתוֹ לְקַדֵּשׁ הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁאָנוּ עוֹמְדִים עָלָיו לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בִּקְדֻשַּׁת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל,
Help me to find a permanent spot in which to pray. Thus assist me so that in the merit of Abraham, I will sanctify that spot and pray with the holiness of the Land of Israel.
וְיִהְיֶה מֹחֵנוּ וְשִׂכְלֵנוּ צַח וָזַךְ כַּכֶּסֶף הַטָּהוֹר בְּלִי שׁוּם תַּעֲרֹבֶת סִיג וּפְסֹלֶת וּבְלִי שׁוּם מַחֲשָׁבוֹת זָרוֹת וּבִלְבּוּל הַדַּעַת כְּלָל, כִּי בְיָדְךָ כֹּחַ וּגְבוּרָה וּבְיָדְךָ לְגַדֵּל וּלְחַזֵּק לַכֹּל. וְעַתָּה יִגְדַּל נָא כֹּחַ אֲדֹנָי כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְתָּ לֵאמֹר.
May my mind be as lucid as pure silver, without any admixture or dross, without any foreign thoughts or mental confusion, because “in Your hand is power and might, and Your hand can enhance and strengthen all. And now, may the power of HaShem be increased.”
חַזְּקֵנוּ וְאַמְּצֵנוּ בְּכֹחֲךָ הַגָּדוֹל, שֶׁנִזְכֶּה לְהִתְחַזֵּק וּלְהִתְגַּבֵּר עַל מַלְכוּת אֱדוֹם הָרְשָׁעָה, וּתְמַהֵר וְתָחִישׁ לְגָאֳלֵנוּ, וְנִזְכֶּה לָבוֹא לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל חִישׁ קַל מְהֵרָה בְּשָׁלוֹם בְּלִי פֶּגַע,
In Your great might, strengthen me to overcome the wicked kingdom of Edom. Quickly redeem me. May I come to the Land of Israel swiftly and easily, without misadventure.
וְתָבִיא לָנוּ אֶת מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֵנוּ וְיִגְאָלֵנוּ גְּאֻלַּת עוֹלָם לְחַבֵּר אֶת הָאֹהֶל לִהְיוֹת אֶחָד, בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ אָמֵן:
Bring our righteous Mashiach and redeem us all with an eternal redemption, “unifying the tent” so that it will be one — speedily, in our days. Amen.