We conclude the brachah by referring to Hashem as the “melamed,” the teacher. We affirm: “You, Hashem, are the constant source of blessing, the One Who teaches Torah to His nation Yisrael.”
In summary, we are beseeching the perfect Rebbe, Who teaches Torah to His nation Yisrael:
- To make Torah sweet, to ensure that it becomes absorbed, and to allow us to become guarantors of Torah. We become guarantors when we feel the sweetness of Torah, absorb it into how we live, and transmit it to others:
V’Haarev na…
And please make [the Torah] sweet (so we will love learning it), Master of all, the Master of all strength Who is able to do anything and Who takes special care of us, the words of Your Torah in our mouth and in the mouth of Your nation, the House of Yisrael
- To “know His Name” – to grant us a high level of sensory and emotional recognition of Hashem, and to know His ways and His will, so that we can emulate His ways and live life according to His will:
kulanu yod’ei sh’mecha
…all of us should know Your name (that is, recognize and cling to Your ways)…
- To learn “lishmah” as we defined in the previous segment:
v’lomdei Sorasecha lishmah
…and learn Torah for its sake (with the pure intention to understand and fulfill Your will)
Remember, we are beseeching Him on behalf of ourselves, our offspring, and all of the children of klal Yisrael.
The word “baruch” has multiple meanings. One of them is “tosefes v’ribui (abundance and multiplicity).” Although, generally, most of us are able to focus better by having just one meaning in mind (e.g., You are the source), in this case, perhaps, it is worthwhile to make an exception.
We have such a phenomenal gift and opportunity every morning to plead to Hashem for our future generations, as well as for ourselves. Consider having something like this in mind when concluding this brachah:
“May You, Hashem, Master of all, bless us with an abundance and increase of A, B, and C, because You are the source of all blessing, the One Who teaches Torah to His nation Yisrael.”
There are always two ingredients that are crucial to any success in life, both for spiritual and material needs. One is effort. With respect to spiritual success (material success requires a lengthier discussion that is beyond the scope of this segment), we need to put forth our very best efforts. The second crucial ingredient is tefilah, beseeching Hashem for compassion to enable us to succeed. We must ask and plead for success. The Gemara in Nidah states that if one of these two pieces is lacking, we will not succeed.
This brachah every morning is arguably our best opportunity to fulfill the second condition needed for spiritual success. The words are already there, written by the Anshei K’neses HaG’dolah, the 120 Elders who were made up of N’viim (Prophets) and the earliest Tana’im (whose teachings became the Mishnah). The words were written with prophecy and Ruach HaKodesh (Divine Inspiration). What we need to do each morning is recite them with mind, heart, and as much passion and yearning as we can muster up. There is so much at stake.
May we all merit the spiritual (and material) success we all desire, to achieve our full potential that Hashem has blessed us with.
To access print versions of previous Tefilah segments,
please visit OU Torah’s Search portal, select the Topic of “Tefillah,”
and then select “Weekly Tefilah Focus” from the Series list.
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For Rabbi Mordechai Finkelman’s video and audio shiurim, which are based on our Tefilah Focus segments but also include his insightful and inspiring additions, please visit TorahAnytime.com
or simply search for “TorahAnytime Rabbi Finkelman.”
You can direct any questions or comments to Eliezer Szrolovits at 917-551-0150.
