Although we have already discussed the preciousness of a poor man’s prayer (Chapter 5 and Chapter 27), I would now like to elaborate further on this topic. For a poor man’s sacrifice is always received by Hashem with favor, as it is written, “God will not despise a broken and contrite heart” (Tehillim 51:19).
It is related in the Zohar (Parashas Vayikra 9a): A wealthy man once brought two young pigeons, a poor man’s sacrifice, to a Kohein to offer them up. But the Kohein said to him, “This sacrifice is not fitting for you,” whereupon the man returned home sullenly. “Why are you so sullen?” his brothers inquired? “Because the Kohein would not offer up my sacrifice of two pigeons,” he explained. “He acted properly,” they told him, “for that is the sacrifice of a poor man, as it is written, ‘And if he is too poor, etc.’ (Vayikra 14:21). Instead you must offer up an ox.” The man thought to himself, “If the Torah requires a person to sacrifice an ox to atone for the mere thought of sin, how much more is required for an actual sin! I vow that I will never again entertain thoughts of sin!” So how did he conduct himself from then on? All day long he engaged in business, then at night he would sleep a little bit and call over his brothers to study Torah with him. They began to refer to him as “Yehudah the new man.”
One day Rabbi Yeisa the Elder found him dividing up his property. He gave away half to the poor and invested the other half in the wares of seafaring merchants. Meanwhile he sat and engaged in study. One day the rich man delivered a discourse, “If a person offers a sacrifice with all his heart the Holy One Blessed is He will come to be near him. “Come and see. The sacrifice of a poor man is valued by the Holy One Blessed is He because it is as if he offered up his own fat and blood, for although he does not have anything he nevertheless brings a sacrifice. Therefore at the moment that he offers up his sacrifice a proclamation is made in Heaven, ‘For He neither despises nor abhors the poor man’s afflictions’ (Tehillim 22:25). “Clearly the poor man’s sacrifice is the most valued of all, for on account of it I became included within the inheritance of the Holy One Blessed is He. On account of it I became included within the inheritance of the Torah. That is why I gave away half of my property to the poor, for they caused me all this…. “The essence of a sacrifice is the desire on the part of the heart and soul. That is more precious to the Holy One Blessed is He than all else.
Nowadays prayer takes the place of the sacrifices, therefore a person must pray with a broken heart and have in mind to prepare adornments for the Shechinah with his supplications. Those who have this in mind when they perform good deeds bring satisfaction to the Shechinah. These individuals are known as “men of deeds” because the word “deed” [ma’aseh] has the connotation of “fixing” [tikkun]. Thus the word “And He did” [vaya’as; Bereishis 1:7] means in context, “And He fixed” [vetiken]. Similarly, the woman of Shunem said to her husband, “Let us fix up [na’aseh] a small walled-in attic room and place for him there a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp” (II Melachim:4:10). This woman also had in mind to honor the Shechinah, for the four items she mentions are the things that the children of Israel must prepare for the Shechinah. Thus when a person prays the evening Amidah he should have in mind that this prayer corresponds to the “lamp.” And when he recites the evening Shema he should have in mind that it corresponds to the “bed.” The Verses of Praise and the morning Shema correspond to the “table” and the morning Amidah corresponds to the “chair.” He should have all these intentions in mind for the honor of the Shechinah, as is discussed in the Zohar at length (2:133a).
A person must realize just how precious his prayers are when they are prayed with intention, for they bring immeasurable joy to the Shechinah. As the Zohar explains (ibid. 132a): When a person recites songs and praises the Shechinah is adorned with the very crown that the Holy One Blessed is He will one day place upon the head of the Moshiach. On that crown are engraved the same names that were engraved on it when Israel crossed the sea. Therefore let a person direct his will to these things when he recites this song. For whoever merits reciting the Verses of Praise and the Song of the Sea with intention in this world will merit witnessing the Moshiach adorned with this crown and with his weapons of war in the time to come. Moreover, he will merit reciting this song at that time. When one reaches the blessing “Let Your name be praised” [Yishtabach] the Holy One Blessed is He takes the crown and places it in front of Him. [Through this the Shechinah begins to be adorned to come before the King.] Therefore one must incorporate into it the thirteen lofty attributes through which it is blessed. These are the thirteen lofty spices: 1. stacte, 2. onycha, 3. galbanum, 4. frankincense, 5. myrrh, 6. cassia, 7. spikenard, 8. saffron, 9. costus, 10. aromatic bark, 11. cinnamon, 12. Carshina lye. [Either “spikenard”- shiboles neird — should be counted as two or else Cyprus wine should be added to complete the thirteen.] And here [in Yishtabach] the thirteen are: 1. song, 2. praise, 3. lauding, 4. hymns, 5. power, 6. dominion, 7. victory, 8. greatness, 9. might, 10. acclaim, 11. glory, 12. holiness, 13. sovereignty. These correspond to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and should be recited in a single breath so that there will be no pause between them. If one does interrupt in the middle of them a flame comes out from beneath the wings of the cherubim and a great voice announces, “So-and-so interrupted in the middle of the praises of his Master!” His merits are also erased so that he may not behold the majesty of the King, as it is written, “And he will not see the King’s majesty” (Yeshayahu 26:10).
In light of this one should be very careful to recite the words of Yishtabach from “song and praise” until “sovereignty” in a single breath. Moreover, it is improper to interrupt in the middle of any holy recitation, for example, the response of Amein, yehei shemeih raba mevorach le’olam ulomei olmaya yisborach. One pious man told me that he was also careful to place his feet together as in the Amidah when responding, Amein, yehei shemeih raba. For this practice indicates the great desire of the Holy One Blessed is He for the prayers of Israel. This is evident from the Midrash on Yechezkeil (Yalkut 337). “See how elevated the Holy One Blessed is He is from His world, yet a human being can enter the synagogue, pray behind a pillar, turn his face to the wall [and whisper his prayer and the Holy One Blessed is He listens to him]!” [The Midrash tells us that he “prays behind a pillar” because] a person should always turn his face towards the wall when praying. And if he is on the road let him turn his face towards a tree. The word “wall” — kosel — contains a wondrous allusion that is explained in the Zohar (2:116a). The word kosel is divided into two parts, ko (כו) and sel (תל). The value of ko is 26, which is the value of Hashem’s ineffable Name. A tel is a hill and it alludes to the Western Wall of the Beis HaMikdosh, known as talpios — the hill [tel] towards which all mouths [pios] turn (Berachos 30a).
A person should have all this in mind as he turns his face to the wall. Then let him pray with humility and awe, for the walls of the synagogue are very holy and the light of the Shechinah hovers over them continually. For this reason it is praiseworthy to kiss the walls of the synagogue to show one’s love for the sacred. A proof to this can be found in the Yalkut on Yechezkeil (350): “And the glory of Hashem departed from above the threshhold of the House [Beis HaMikdosh]” (Yechezkeil 10:18). This can be likened to a king who departed from his palace and as he went out he kissed the walls and hugged the pillars, saying, “May you have peace, O my home! May you have peace, O my palace!” So too the Shechinah kissed and hugged the Beis HaMikdosh, saying, “May you have peace, O My home and sanctuary!” Now that we are in exile the synagogue is the “home” of the Shechinah.. Therefore we must treat it with dignity and sanctity and not display there any light-headedness, as I have already mentioned (Chapter 3). Whoever prays with awe and trepidation and with devotion will merit beholding the pleasantness of Hashem and meditating in His Sanctuary, Amein.
כָּתַבְנוּ בַּפְּרָקִים הַקּוֹדְמִים בְּמַעֲלַת תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל הֶעָנִי, וְעַכְשָׁו בָּאתִי לִכְתֹּב עוֹד דְּבָרִים נוֹסָפִים עַל הָרִאשׁוֹנִים, כִּי קָרְבַּן הֶעָנִי תָּמִיד הוּא מְרֻצֶּה לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה.
Although we have already discussed the preciousness of a poor man’s prayer (Chapter 5 and Chapter 27), I would now like to elaborate further on this topic. For a poor man’s sacrifice is always received by Hashem with favor, as it is written, “God will not despise a broken and contrite heart” (Tehillim 51:19).
וְאִיתָא בַּזֹּהַר פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּעָשִׁיר אֶחָד, שֶׁהֵבִיא אֶל הַכֹּהֵן לְהַקְרִיב שְׁתֵּי תּוֹרִים וּבְנֵי יוֹנָה, וְהוּא קָרְבַּן עָנִי. וְאָמַר לֵיהּ הַכֹּהֵן: קָרְבָּן זֶה לָאו דִּידָךְ הוּא. אָתָא לְבֵיתֵיהּ וַהֲוֵי עָצִיב. אַמְרִי לֵיהּ אֲחוֹהִי: אַמַּאי אַתְּ עָצִיב? אָמַר לְהוּ, דְּלָא קָרִיב כֹּהֲנָא קָרְבָּנָא דִּילִי תְּרֵין בְּנִין יוֹנָה. אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ: יֵאוֹת וְשָׁפִיר עָבִיד, דְּזֶהוּ קָרְבַּן עָנִי, דִּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ: וְאִם דַּל הוּא וְגוֹ'; אֶלָּא אַתְּ צָרִיךְ לְקָרְבָא חַד תּוֹרָא. אָמַר הַאי גַּבְרָא בְּדַעְתֵּיהּ: וּמָה עַל הַמַּחֲשֶׁבֶת חֵטְא הֶחְמִירָה תּוֹרָה לְהַקְרִיב תּוֹרָא — עַל חֵטְא עַצְמוֹ לֹא כָּל שֶׁכֵּן! נָדַרְנָא דְּלָא אֲסַלֵּק עַל לִבָּאִי מַחֲשָׁבָה דַּחֲטָאָה. מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה מֶה עָבִיד? כָּל יוֹמָא אִשְׁתַּדֵּל בְּמַשָּׂא וּמַתָּן, וּבַלַּיְלָה נָאִים קְצָת, וְאַחַר כָּךְ קָרָא לְאֶחָיו, שֶׁיִּלְמְדוּ עִמּוֹ תּוֹרָה, וַהֲוֵי קַרְיָן לֵיהּ 'יְהוּדָה אָחֳרָא'.
It is related in the Zohar (Parashas Vayikra 9a): A wealthy man once brought two young pigeons, a poor man’s sacrifice, to a Kohein to offer them up. But the Kohein said to him, “This sacrifice is not fitting for you,” whereupon the man returned home sullenly. “Why are you so sullen?” his brothers inquired? “Because the Kohein would not offer up my sacrifice of two pigeons,” he explained. “He acted properly,” they told him, “for that is the sacrifice of a poor man, as it is written, ‘And if he is too poor, etc.’ (Vayikra 14:21). Instead you must offer up an ox.” The man thought to himself, “If the Torah requires a person to sacrifice an ox to atone for the mere thought of sin, how much more is required for an actual sin! I vow that I will never again entertain thoughts of sin!” So how did he conduct himself from then on? All day long he engaged in business, then at night he would sleep a little bit and call over his brothers to study Torah with him. They began to refer to him as “Yehudah the new man.”
יוֹמָא חַד פָּגַע בֵּיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, וַהֲוֵי פָּרִישׁ נִכְסֵי: לְמִסְכְּנָא פַּלְגֵּי, וּפַלְגֵּי לִתֵּן עַל סְחוֹרָה אֶל הוֹלְכֵי יָמִים, וְהוּא יָתִיב וְלָעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְתָא. פָּתַח וְאָמַר: כָּל מַאן דְּקָרִיב קָרְבָּן בִּרְעוּתָא דְּלִבָּא — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִזְדַּמֵּן לְקִבְלֵיהּ. תָּא חָזִי: קָרְבָּנֵיהּ דְּמִסְכֵּנָא חָשִׁיב קַמֵּיהּ קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּהָא הוּא מַקְרִיב חֶלְבּוֹ וְדָמוֹ, וְדָא לֵית לֵיהּ מִידִי לְמֵיכָל, וְאַיְתֵי קָרָבָּנָא, וּבְהַהוּא שַׁעְתָּא דְּהֶעָנִי מַקְרִיב קָרְבָּנֵיהּ, מַכְרִיזִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם וְאַמְרִי (תְּהִלִּים כב, כה): "כִּי לֹא בָזָה וְלֹא שִׁקַּץ עֱנוּת עָנִי", כִּי קָרְבָּנֶיהּ דְּעָנִי הוּא עָדִיף מִכֻּלָּא, דְּהָא עָנִי גָּרַם לִי לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּחֶלְקוֹ דְּקֻדְשָּׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהֶעָנִי גָּרַם לִי לְמֶהֱוֵי בְּחֵלֶק דְּאוֹרַיְתָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ פַּלְגִּינָא פַּלְגֵּי לְמִסְכֵּנֵיהּ, דְּהָא אִנּוּן גָּרְמוּ לִי כָּל הַאי וְכוּ'. וְעִקַּר קָרְבָּנָא הִיא רְעוּתָא דְּלִבָּא וּרְעוּתָא דְּנַפְשָׁא דְּהוּא חָבִיב מִן כֹּל קַמֵּיהּ קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
One day Rabbi Yeisa the Elder found him dividing up his property. He gave away half to the poor and invested the other half in the wares of seafaring merchants. Meanwhile he sat and engaged in study. One day the rich man delivered a discourse, “If a person offers a sacrifice with all his heart the Holy One Blessed is He will come to be near him. “Come and see. The sacrifice of a poor man is valued by the Holy One Blessed is He because it is as if he offered up his own fat and blood, for although he does not have anything he nevertheless brings a sacrifice. Therefore at the moment that he offers up his sacrifice a proclamation is made in Heaven, ‘For He neither despises nor abhors the poor man’s afflictions’ (Tehillim 22:25). “Clearly the poor man’s sacrifice is the most valued of all, for on account of it I became included within the inheritance of the Holy One Blessed is He. On account of it I became included within the inheritance of the Torah. That is why I gave away half of my property to the poor, for they caused me all this…. “The essence of a sacrifice is the desire on the part of the heart and soul. That is more precious to the Holy One Blessed is He than all else.
וְהַשְׁתָּא הַתְּפִלָּה הִיא בִּמְקוֹם קָרְבָּן, צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בְּלֵב נִשְׁבָּר וּלְכַוֵּן בָּהּ לְתַקֵּן קִשּׁוּטִין לַשְּׁכִינָה בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, כִּי אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם הַמְכַוְּנִים בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם הַטּוֹבִים, עוֹשִׂים נַחַת רוּחַ לַשְּׁכִינָה וְנִקְרָאִין 'אַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה', כִּי 'מַעֲשֶׂה' הוּא לְשׁוֹן תַּרְגּוּם 'וַיַּעַשׂ', וְתָקִין. וְלָכֵן אָמְרָה הַשּׁוּנַמִּית לְבַעֲלָהּ: נַעֲשֶׂה עֲלִיַּת קִיר קְטַנָּה, וְנָשִׂים לוֹ שָׁם מִטָּה וְשֻׁלְחָן, כִּסֵּא וּמְנוֹרָה. וְכַוָּנָתָהּ הָיָה לִכְבוֹד הַשְּׁכִינָה, כִּי הָעִנְיָן דְּאַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ צְרִיכִין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהָכִין אֶל הַשְּׁכִינָה. וּבְעָמְדוֹ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית, יְכַוֵּן בִּתְפִלָּתוֹ, שֶׁהִיא נֶגֶד מְנוֹרָה, וּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל עַרְבִית הוּא נֶגֶד הַמִּטָּה, וּבְשַׁחֲרִית פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה וּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע הוּא נֶגֶד שֻׁלְחָן, וּתְפִלָּה הוּא נֶגֶד כִּסֵּא, וְהַכֹּל הוּא כְּבוֹד הַשְּׁכִינָה, עַיֵּן שָׁם בַּאֲרִיכוּת.
Nowadays prayer takes the place of the sacrifices, therefore a person must pray with a broken heart and have in mind to prepare adornments for the Shechinah with his supplications. Those who have this in mind when they perform good deeds bring satisfaction to the Shechinah. These individuals are known as “men of deeds” because the word “deed” [ma’aseh] has the connotation of “fixing” [tikkun]. Thus the word “And He did” [vaya’as; Bereishis 1:7] means in context, “And He fixed” [vetiken]. Similarly, the woman of Shunem said to her husband, “Let us fix up [na’aseh] a small walled-in attic room and place for him there a bed, a table, a chair and a lamp” (II Melachim:4:10). This woman also had in mind to honor the Shechinah, for the four items she mentions are the things that the children of Israel must prepare for the Shechinah. Thus when a person prays the evening Amidah he should have in mind that this prayer corresponds to the “lamp.” And when he recites the evening Shema he should have in mind that it corresponds to the “bed.” The Verses of Praise and the morning Shema correspond to the “table” and the morning Amidah corresponds to the “chair.” He should have all these intentions in mind for the honor of the Shechinah, as is discussed in the Zohar at length (2:133a).
עַל כֵּן יִרְאֶה הָאָדָם כַּמָּה הִיא הַתְּפִלָּה חֲבִיבָה כְּשֶׁהוּא מִתְפַּלֵּל בְּכַוָּנָה, וְאֵיךְ מְשַׁמֵּחַ הַשְּׁכִינָה לְאֵין עֵרֶךְ וְשִׁעוּר, כִּי בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאוֹמֵר הָאָדָם שִׁירוֹת וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת, הַשְּׁכִינָה מִתְעַטֶּרֶת בְּאוֹתוֹ הַפַּעַם בְּהַהוּא כִּתְרָא, דְּאִזְדַּמֵּן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְאִתְעַטְּרָא לְמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא, וּבְהַהוּא כִּתְרָא — חֲקוּקִים בָּהּ שֵׁמוֹת הַקְּדוֹשִׁים, שֶׁהָיוּ כְּנֶגֶד לִבּוֹ, בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא, דְּעָבְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל הַיָּם בְּגִין דְּאִבָּעִי בַּר נָשׁ לְכַוֵּן רֵעוּתֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא שִׁירָתָא. וְכָל מַאן דְּזָכִי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, שֶׁאוֹמֵר פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה וְ'אָז יָשִׁיר' בְּכַוָּנָה — זָכֵי לְמֵחֲמֵיהּ מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא בְּתִקּוּנֵי הַהוּא כִּתְרָא וּבִכְלֵי מִלְחַמְתּוֹ לְעָתִיד לָבוֹא וְזָכֵי לָשִׁיר הַאי תֻּשְׁבְּחָא תַּמָּן. וְכֵיוָן דְּמָטֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְ'יִשְׁתַּבַּח', נָטִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הַאי כִּתְרָא וְשָׁוִי לְקַמֵּיהּ. וְלָכֵן צָרִיךְ לְמִכְלָלָא לָהּ בִּתְלֵיסָר מְכִילִין עִלָּאִין, דְּמִנַּהּ אִתְבָּרַכְתְּ אִנּוּן תְּלֵיסַר בֻּשְׂמִין עִלָּאִין דְּאִנּוּן: הַצֳּרִי וְהַצִּפֹּרֶן, חֶלְבֹּנָה וְהַלְּבוֹנָה, מוֹר וּקְצִיעָה, שִׁבֹּלֶת נֵרְד, כַּרְכֹּם, קְשֹׁט וְקִלּוּפָהּ וְקִנָּמוֹן, בֹּרִית כַּרְשִׁינָא (יֵין קַפְרִיסִין). וְהָכֵי אִנּוּן: שִׁיר וּשְׁבָחָה, הַלֵּל וְזִמְרָה, עֹז וּמֶמְשָׁלָה, נֶצַח, גְּדֻלָּה וּגְבוּרָה, תְּהִלָּה וְתִפְאֶרֶת, קְדֻשָּׁה וּמַלְכוּת, וְהֵן נֶגֶד שְׁלֹשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה מִדּוֹת הָרַחֲמִים. וְצָרִיךְ לוֹמַר בִּנְשִׁימָה אַחַת, דְּלָא לִפְסַק בֵּינַיְהוּ. וְאִי פָּסִיק בֵּינַיהוּ, אָז נָפִיק חַד שַׁלְהוֹבָא מִתַּחַת גִּדְפַיְהוּ דִּכְרוּבִים, וּמַכְרִיזִים בְּקוֹל גָּדוֹל: פְּלוֹנִי דֵּין פָּסִיק בִּשְׁבָחֵיהּ דְּמָרֵיהּ, וְיִשְׁתַּצִי וְיִתְפַּסַּק זְכוּתֵיהּ, דְּלָא יֶחֱזֵי בְּגֵאוּתָא דְּמַלְכָּא, כַּמָּה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר: וּבַל יִרְאֶה בְּגֵאוּת ה', עַד כָּאן.
A person must realize just how precious his prayers are when they are prayed with intention, for they bring immeasurable joy to the Shechinah. As the Zohar explains (ibid. 132a): When a person recites songs and praises the Shechinah is adorned with the very crown that the Holy One Blessed is He will one day place upon the head of the Moshiach. On that crown are engraved the same names that were engraved on it when Israel crossed the sea. Therefore let a person direct his will to these things when he recites this song. For whoever merits reciting the Verses of Praise and the Song of the Sea with intention in this world will merit witnessing the Moshiach adorned with this crown and with his weapons of war in the time to come. Moreover, he will merit reciting this song at that time. When one reaches the blessing “Let Your name be praised” [Yishtabach] the Holy One Blessed is He takes the crown and places it in front of Him. [Through this the Shechinah begins to be adorned to come before the King.] Therefore one must incorporate into it the thirteen lofty attributes through which it is blessed. These are the thirteen lofty spices: 1. stacte, 2. onycha, 3. galbanum, 4. frankincense, 5. myrrh, 6. cassia, 7. spikenard, 8. saffron, 9. costus, 10. aromatic bark, 11. cinnamon, 12. Carshina lye. [Either “spikenard”- shiboles neird — should be counted as two or else Cyprus wine should be added to complete the thirteen.] And here [in Yishtabach] the thirteen are: 1. song, 2. praise, 3. lauding, 4. hymns, 5. power, 6. dominion, 7. victory, 8. greatness, 9. might, 10. acclaim, 11. glory, 12. holiness, 13. sovereignty. These correspond to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy and should be recited in a single breath so that there will be no pause between them. If one does interrupt in the middle of them a flame comes out from beneath the wings of the cherubim and a great voice announces, “So-and-so interrupted in the middle of the praises of his Master!” His merits are also erased so that he may not behold the majesty of the King, as it is written, “And he will not see the King’s majesty” (Yeshayahu 26:10).
עַל כֵּן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לִזָּהֵר בָּזֶה מְאֹד לוֹמַר מִן תֵּבַת 'שִׁיר וּשְׁבָחָה' עַד קְדֻשָּׁה וּמַלְכוּת בִּתְפִלַּת 'יִשְׁתַּבַּח' בִּנְשִׁימָה אַחַת. וְכֵן נָכוֹן שֶׁלֹּא לְהַפְסִיק בְּכָל מִינֵי דִּקְדֻשָּׁה, כְּגוֹן בְּעִנְיַן 'אָמֵן יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא מְבָרַךְ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמַיָּא יִתְבָּרַךְ'. וְקִבַּלְתִּי בְּשֵׁם חָסִיד אֶחָד, שֶׁהָיָה מְדַקְדֵּק כְּשֶׁאָמַר 'אָמֵן יְהֵא שְׁמֵיהּ רַבָּא וְכוּ'' לְכַוֵּן אֶת רַגְלָיו לַהֲדָדֵי כְּמוֹ בִּתְפִלַּת שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה, כִּי זֶה אוֹת וּמוֹפֵת שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חָפֵץ מְאֹד בִּתְפִלָּתָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, כִּדְאִיתָא בְּמִדְרַשׁ יְחֶזְקֵאל: רְאֵה כַּמָּה גָּבוֹהַּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִן עוֹלָמוֹ, וְאָדָם נִכְנַס לְבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת וּמִתְפַּלֵּל אֲחוֹרֵי הָעַמּוּד וּמְהַפֵּךְ פָּנָיו אֶל הַכֹּתֶל; וְאִם הוּא בַּדֶּרֶךְ — יְהַדֵּר אַפֵּיהּ לְאִילָן, כִּי תֵּבַת 'כֹּתֶל' הוּא סוֹד נִפְלָא, הוּבָא בְּתִקּוּנֵי זֹהַר, שֶׁהוּא תֵּבוֹת כו־תל, רָצָה לוֹמַר: כ"ו הוּא שֵׁם ה', ת"ל — קָאֵי עַל בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, שֶׁהוּא כֹּתֶל מַעֲרָבִי — תֵּל, שֶׁכָּל פִּיּוֹת פּוֹנִים לְשָׁם.
In light of this one should be very careful to recite the words of Yishtabach from “song and praise” until “sovereignty” in a single breath. Moreover, it is improper to interrupt in the middle of any holy recitation, for example, the response of Amein, yehei shemeih raba mevorach le’olam ulomei olmaya yisborach. One pious man told me that he was also careful to place his feet together as in the Amidah when responding, Amein, yehei shemeih raba. For this practice indicates the great desire of the Holy One Blessed is He for the prayers of Israel. This is evident from the Midrash on Yechezkeil (Yalkut 337). “See how elevated the Holy One Blessed is He is from His world, yet a human being can enter the synagogue, pray behind a pillar, turn his face to the wall [and whisper his prayer and the Holy One Blessed is He listens to him]!” [The Midrash tells us that he “prays behind a pillar” because] a person should always turn his face towards the wall when praying. And if he is on the road let him turn his face towards a tree. The word “wall” — kosel — contains a wondrous allusion that is explained in the Zohar (2:116a). The word kosel is divided into two parts, ko (כו) and sel (תל). The value of ko is 26, which is the value of Hashem’s ineffable Name. A tel is a hill and it alludes to the Western Wall of the Beis HaMikdosh, known as talpios — the hill [tel] towards which all mouths [pios] turn (Berachos 30a).
וְלָכֵן צָרִיךְ הָאָדָם לְכַוֵּן בָּזֶה כְּשֶׁיַּהֲפֹךְ פָּנָיו אֶל הַ'כּוֹ־תֶל', וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִתְפַּלֵּל בְּהַכְנָעָה וּבְאֵימָה, כִּי כָּתְלֵי בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת הֵם קְדוֹשִׁים מְאֹד, וְאוֹר הַשְּׁכִינָה חוֹפֶפֶת עֲלֵיהֶם תָּמִיד, וְלָכֵן מִנְהָג כָּשֵׁר לְנַשֵּׁק הַכְּתָלִים שֶׁל בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶת מֵחֲמַת הַקְּדֻשָּׁה. וּרְאַָיָה — מִמִּדְרָשׁ יַלְקוּט יְחֶזְקֵאל: וַיֶּצֶא כְּבוֹד ה' מֵעַל מִפְתַּן הַבַּיִת — מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ, שֶׁיָּצָא מִפָּלָטִין שֶׁלּוֹ, וְהָיָה מְנַשֵּׁק בַּכְּתָלִים, מְגַפֵּף בָּעַמּוּדִים וְאָמַר: הֱוֵי שָׁלוֹם, בֵּיתִי; הֱוֵי שָׁלוֹם, פָּלָטִין שֶׁלִּי — כָּךְ הָיָתָה הַשְּׁכִינָה מְנַשֶּׁקֶת וּמְגַפֶּפֶת בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ: הֱוֵי שָׁלוֹם, בֵּיתִי וּמִקְדָּשִׁי. וְעַכְשָׁו, בַּגָּלוּת הַזֶּה, הַבָּתֵּי כְּנֵסִיוֹת הֵן דִּירוֹת הַשְּׁכִינָה, וְעַל כֵּן צְרִיכִין אָנוּ לִנְהֹג בְּבָתֵּי כְּנֵסִיּוֹת שֶׁלָּנוּ כָּבוֹד וּקְדֻשָּׁה, וְלֹא לְהַרְאוֹת בָּהֶן קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי לְעֵיל: וְכָל הַמִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּאֵימָה וּבְיִרְאָה וּבְכַוָּנַת הַלֵּב, זוֹכֶה לַחֲזוֹת בְּנֹעַם ה' וּלְבַקֵּר בְּהֵיכָלוֹ, אָמֵן.
A person should have all this in mind as he turns his face to the wall. Then let him pray with humility and awe, for the walls of the synagogue are very holy and the light of the Shechinah hovers over them continually. For this reason it is praiseworthy to kiss the walls of the synagogue to show one’s love for the sacred. A proof to this can be found in the Yalkut on Yechezkeil (350): “And the glory of Hashem departed from above the threshhold of the House [Beis HaMikdosh]” (Yechezkeil 10:18). This can be likened to a king who departed from his palace and as he went out he kissed the walls and hugged the pillars, saying, “May you have peace, O my home! May you have peace, O my palace!” So too the Shechinah kissed and hugged the Beis HaMikdosh, saying, “May you have peace, O My home and sanctuary!” Now that we are in exile the synagogue is the “home” of the Shechinah.. Therefore we must treat it with dignity and sanctity and not display there any light-headedness, as I have already mentioned (Chapter 3). Whoever prays with awe and trepidation and with devotion will merit beholding the pleasantness of Hashem and meditating in His Sanctuary, Amein.