Davening Without Shame - a lesson from Moshe's veil
A lesson from the Tiferes Shlomo Parshas Ki Sisa
After coming down from Har Sinai for the third time, Moshe’s face shone with a G-dly radiance. As a result, Moshe covered his face with a veil. Moshe would remove the face covering on two occasions; when he would speak to Bnei Yisroel and when he would speak with Hashem.
Every detail in the Torah is supposed to be a lesson for us in our personal lives. What is the message of Moshe’s veil?
The Tiferes Shlomo explains that covering one’s face is a sign of shame or embarrassment.
When we daven for our own personal physical needs, we should feel a sense of shame. We should feel undeserving of Hashem’s brachos and see ourselves like a pauper asking for Tzedakah.
There are two instances in which we do not need to wear the hood of shame when we come before Hashem to daven; when we ’speak to Bnei Yisroel’ and when we are ’speaking to Hashem’.
“Speaking to Bnei Yisroel” is when we daven on behalf of others. Davening for our own needs carries an element of shame. But asking Hashem to provide others with their physical needs, is noble and honourable. There should be no embarrassment at all. This reflects the pisgam “a fellow Jew’s gashmius is your ruchnius”.
Another desirable Kavanah where there is no shame, is when davening is when we “speak to Hashem” by praising Him.
In fact only after first praising Hashem we are able to ask for our own needs.
This is reflected in the order of Davening. We only ask for our needs in the Shemoneh Esrei after praising Hashem in Pesukei Dezimra and the Shema and its blessings. In the Shemoneh Esrei itself, we only make our Bakashos after the first 3 Brachos which are also praises of Hashem. And when we do present our personal requests, we do so quietly with a sense of shame and humility.
Our davening should contain both elements; a focus on Hashem as well as davening on behalf of others
The Midrash identifies 3 Neviim who differed in their relationship with Hashem and their fellow Jews;
“Eliyahu was concerned for the honour of the Father but not for the honour of the son”. When the Jewish people were sinning, Eliyahu stands up for Hashem. declaring "I have been jealous for the Almighty God of Hosts…” and listing the sins of the Jewish people.
In response, Hashem sends Eliyahu to anoint Elisha to take his place. Failing to stick up for the Jewish people meant that Eliyahu was no longer fitting to continue to serve as a prophet and leader.
“Yonah was concerned for the honour of the son but not for the honour of the Father”. He ran away from delivering Hashem’s prophesy to Nineveh because of the negative ramifications it would have for the Jewish people.
Whilst better than the approach of Eliyahu, even Yonah’s conduct is not the ultimate.
“Yirmiyahu was concerned for the honour of the Father and the honour of the son”. We see this is Eicha where Yirmiyahu says; "We have sinned and rebelled, You did not forgive". True the Jewish people have wronged You Hashem by sinning, but You too have acted wrongly by not forgiving them.
The Midrash explains that Yirmiyahu followed the example of Moshe Rabbeinu. Tanna Dbei Eliyahu teaches that Moshe was rewarded with his shining countenance because he concerned himself with both the honour of Hashem and the Jewish people.
With this the Tiferes Shlomo explains the Gemara; If two people come in to daven and one of them finishes davens first and leaves without waiting for his friend, his prayers are torn up in his face and he causes the Shechina to depart.
The “two people” allude to the 2 ideal Kavanos that we should have when we “come in to daven”. If we focus on one and forsake the other, our Tefillos are not accepted. But when we praise Hashem and demand that He bless our fellow Jews with all of their needs, He will hear our Tefillos and bless us as well. There is no shame in that!
Every detail in the Torah is supposed to be a lesson for us in our personal lives. What is the message of Moshe’s veil?
The Tiferes Shlomo explains that covering one’s face is a sign of shame or embarrassment.
When we daven for our own personal physical needs, we should feel a sense of shame. We should feel undeserving of Hashem’s brachos and see ourselves like a pauper asking for Tzedakah.
There are two instances in which we do not need to wear the hood of shame when we come before Hashem to daven; when we ’speak to Bnei Yisroel’ and when we are ’speaking to Hashem’.
“Speaking to Bnei Yisroel” is when we daven on behalf of others. Davening for our own needs carries an element of shame. But asking Hashem to provide others with their physical needs, is noble and honourable. There should be no embarrassment at all. This reflects the pisgam “a fellow Jew’s gashmius is your ruchnius”.
Another desirable Kavanah where there is no shame, is when davening is when we “speak to Hashem” by praising Him.
In fact only after first praising Hashem we are able to ask for our own needs.
This is reflected in the order of Davening. We only ask for our needs in the Shemoneh Esrei after praising Hashem in Pesukei Dezimra and the Shema and its blessings. In the Shemoneh Esrei itself, we only make our Bakashos after the first 3 Brachos which are also praises of Hashem. And when we do present our personal requests, we do so quietly with a sense of shame and humility.
Our davening should contain both elements; a focus on Hashem as well as davening on behalf of others
The Midrash identifies 3 Neviim who differed in their relationship with Hashem and their fellow Jews;
“Eliyahu was concerned for the honour of the Father but not for the honour of the son”. When the Jewish people were sinning, Eliyahu stands up for Hashem. declaring "I have been jealous for the Almighty God of Hosts…” and listing the sins of the Jewish people.
In response, Hashem sends Eliyahu to anoint Elisha to take his place. Failing to stick up for the Jewish people meant that Eliyahu was no longer fitting to continue to serve as a prophet and leader.
“Yonah was concerned for the honour of the son but not for the honour of the Father”. He ran away from delivering Hashem’s prophesy to Nineveh because of the negative ramifications it would have for the Jewish people.
Whilst better than the approach of Eliyahu, even Yonah’s conduct is not the ultimate.
“Yirmiyahu was concerned for the honour of the Father and the honour of the son”. We see this is Eicha where Yirmiyahu says; "We have sinned and rebelled, You did not forgive". True the Jewish people have wronged You Hashem by sinning, but You too have acted wrongly by not forgiving them.
The Midrash explains that Yirmiyahu followed the example of Moshe Rabbeinu. Tanna Dbei Eliyahu teaches that Moshe was rewarded with his shining countenance because he concerned himself with both the honour of Hashem and the Jewish people.
With this the Tiferes Shlomo explains the Gemara; If two people come in to daven and one of them finishes davens first and leaves without waiting for his friend, his prayers are torn up in his face and he causes the Shechina to depart.
The “two people” allude to the 2 ideal Kavanos that we should have when we “come in to daven”. If we focus on one and forsake the other, our Tefillos are not accepted. But when we praise Hashem and demand that He bless our fellow Jews with all of their needs, He will hear our Tefillos and bless us as well. There is no shame in that!