25 Jun THE INDISPENSABLE FIRST BROCHA OF SHMONE ESRAY!

The tfilah of Elokai
n’tzor continues,
“V’limkal’lai nafshi
sidom – May my soul be
quiet to those that curse
me.” Now, cursing is
a rather radical action.
The Siddur Meforesh
includes that it means, “To those that
insult me.” Perhaps we might suggest
that the word v’limkal’lai has a shoresh,
root of kal, light, and thus it means “Those
who take me lightly and don’t show
proper respect.”
The Shlah HaKodesh explains that first
we ask Hashem to guard our tongues from
speaking bad and now we petition further
that even our souls should be silent and
not feel the need to respond. As we will
say in the next stanza, “V’nafshi k’afor
l’kol ti’hiye – And my soul should be
like earth to everyone.” As the Reishis
Chochmah explains, “Just like earth
doesn’t experience discomfort when it
is trod upon, so we should not even feel
any irritation when others ‘step’ upon our
dignity and ruffle our feathers.
This is a trait of the righteous of whom
it says, “Shomim cherpason v’shoskim
– They hear insults and they are quiet.”

When the soul is impervious to barbs
and insults, one is saved from such
heinous crimes as, “Lo sisna es achicha
bilvavecha,” “V’lo sitor – Not taking
vengeance and bearing grudges,” and the
ruinous crime of machlokes, fighting. We
beseech Hashem, “Nafshi sidom – Let
my soul be quiet.” This is especially
beneficial for marriage. We ask Hashem
that we should not need to have the last
word, a particularly beneficial skill for a
wholesome marriage.
We then ask Hashem “V’nafshi k’afor
l’kol ti’hiye – My soul should be like
earth to everyone.” At first glance this
is a peculiar request. We certainly aren’t
asking that people should treat us like dirt.
Tosefos in Berachos [17] explains it to
mean that we should be indestructible like
earth, as in the blessing, “V’hayai zaracha
k’afor haaretz – May your seed be like the
earth of the land.” The Rambam in the
Igeres Teiman, and the Mahrshal explains
the reference to earth as follows: Just as
earth eventually covers those who step
upon it when they are in the grave, so we
too should overcome those that attack us.
Rav Shloma Alkabetz, zt”l, zy”a, explains
the metaphor of earth from another
angle. He says that just like earth, which

although we step upon it
still gives us bread, fruits
and vegetables, so too we
should be giving even to
those who irritate us.
Acquiring this middah
is a fulfillment of
v’halachta bidrachav,
walking in Hashem’s
ways, as the Novi attests
in Nechemiah [9:20],
“Ooman’cha lo mana’ta
mipihem – And your manna you didn’t
withhold from their mouths,” even when
they had worshiped the golden calf. This
is the trait of the Eishes Chail, of whom
it says, “G’malasu tov v’lo ra, kol yimei
chayeha – She responds with good but not
with bad all the days of her life.”
We then ask “P’sach libi b’Sorosecha
– Open my heart with Your Torah. This
order of prayer follows the directive of
“Sur mei’ra v’aseh tov – Turn away from
evil and do good.” We therefore first ask
Hashem that we avoid sinful speech and
forbidden thoughts, and then we can turn
to requesting that our mouth be filled with
the beautiful words of Torah and Its holy
thoughts.
The Siddur Meforesh explains the
request to ‘open our hearts to Your
Torah’ to mean l’havinah, to understand
the Torah. I also think it means that we
should blessed with cheishek haTorah,
a desire and zest for Torah, and also
with mesikas haTorah, the sweetness of
Torah. As it says about the Torah, that
It is, “M’sukim mi’dvash vinofes tzufim
– It is sweeter than honey and the most
delicious honeycombs.”
The request of opening our hearts
to Your Torah logically follows the
petition to feel humble like earth, for
the Gemora in Sotah teaches us that
humility is a prerequisite for Torah
success. As Reb Yochanan says, Ein
hatorah miskaiyemes ela b’mi sheasah
atzmo k’mi she’eino – The Torah only
succeeds by one who makes himself as
if he is not,” (which is another way of
saying ‘having humility’). This is one
of the reasons why Torah is compared
to water since water always flows from
high to low.
The Iyun Tefila brings an interesting
idea from Rav Yehudah Tzvi m’Minsk,
zt”l, zy”a. First, we ask Hashem to
guard our tongues from speaking evil
and deceit. However, if G-d forbid we
already sinned with our tongue, the
Gemora in Arachin [15a] says to atone
for transgressions of the mouth, one
should learn Torah, and if he is unable

to, then he should humble himself.
Therefore, we pray that if we didn’t
succeed in protecting our tongue, we
should humble ourselves like earth, and
open our hearts to learn Torah.
The next request is “Uv’mitzvosecha
tirdof nafshi – And toward Your mitzvahs,
my soul should run.” As the Eitz Yosef
explains, the connection to Torah without
fulfilling the mitzvahs is worth naught. As
the verse proclaims, “Adam l’umal yulad
– Man was created to toil,” and the word
lamal, spelled lamed-ayim-mem-lamed, is
an acronym for Lilmod Al M’nas Laasos,
to learn in order to fulfil. We ask for Torah
success before the mitzvos, since Torah
is most important. As we say, “Talmud
Torah k’neged kulom,” and we also say,
“Gadol hatalmud she’hatalmud mavie
liydei hamaiseh – Great is learning for
learning brings to action,” and as it says in
Pirkei Avos, “Ein bur y’rei cheit, v’lo ahm
haaretz chosid – The boor is bereft of fear
of sin, and the ignoramus can’t be pious.”
The request that our souls should run
after Your mitzvos is, We ask Hashem that
the commandments should not be a burden
upon us. Rather, we should do them with
love and interest and, consequently, with
alacrity.
In the merit of these all important prayers,
may Hashem bless us with long life, good
health, and everything wonderful.