Retzei - Etz Yosef

רְצֵה

In the beracha before, we asked Hashem to "show favor" our tefillos. What are we adding here by asking Hashem to be "retzei", pleased with our tefillos?

The answer is that this is a particular request to Hashem to answer our tefillos because we have said them at an auspicious time - while ravening with a minyan. The word "retzei" alludes to davening with a minyan, based on the Gemara in Berachos which says:

וְהָשֵׁב אֶת הָעֲבוֹדָה לִדְבִיר בֵּיתֶֽךָ

Although Chazal say that the three tefillos we say are in place of the Korbanos, it doesn't compare to the closeness and efficacy we could experience by doing the actual sacrificial services in the Beis HaMikdash.

(Etz Yosef brings two places in Chazal where this idea that our davening is in place of the Korbanos is found. The Gemara in Taanis says:

The second place Etz Yosef points to where see this concept is in a Gemara in Berachos:

I'm not entirely sure where Etz Yosef sees in the first Gemara in Taanis a proof that tefilla is a substitute for Avoda? A: Perhaps we can suggest an answer based on an explanation of a Rambam by R' Yisrael Reisman in his Forward to Praying With Fire (p. xix.) Rav Reisman writes that there are two elements to prayer;

1) Asking Hashem for our needs (bakashas tzrachim)

2) Recognizing that Hashem is the active Ruler of the Universe and serving Him (Avoda)

He says that these two aspects are represented by the two opinions in the Gemara in Berachos quoted above; the one who holds that the tefillos parallel the Avos represents the aspect of prayer where we beseech Hashem, and competing view that prayer parallels the Korbanos is focusing on the aspect of prayer where we are doing service before Hashem.

He goes on to prove that these two aspects are expressed in a machlokes Rishonim as to the passuk in the Torah which is the source to pray. The Rambam writes:

We see that the Rambam focuses on the Avodah aspect of prayer.

Ramban brings a different source to the mitzvah to daven every day:

We see from here that Rav Reisman connects the Gemara about Tefilla kneged Avoda with the Rambam's source to daven, which is the Gemara in Taanis, and therefore Etz Yosef brings both Gemaros to prove that our tefillos are in place of the Avoda (in one respect, as we explained)

---

Therefore, we ask Hashem to bring back the Temple so that we can serve Him in actuality instead of merely mirroring the services.

Introduction:

The next part of the beracha discusses a request from Hashem to accept the "fires of Israel" and "their prayers." There is a dispute in the meforshim as to what these ambiguous phrases refer to. The ramifications of this machlokes is unique because based on the explanation you go with, the punctuation of the beracha changes.

Therefore, we have presented two "versions" of the punctuation of the beracha according to each explanation.

According to one explanation, the term "v'ishei Yisrael" is connected to the first clause where we are asking Hashem to return these "ishei Yisrael" along with returning the Avodah to the Dvir (Beis HaMikdash).

In other words, Ishei Yisrael is connected to our earlier request to "bring back" ("v'hasheiv") something that which we currently don't have.

This is the position of Tosfos brought in Beis Yosef.

Two other explanations are offered by the Meforshim. Both of the explanations, although very different in nature as we will see, both understand the the term "v'ishei Yisrael"as part of the latter clause where we are asking Hashem to accept our prayers with favor.

In other words, Ishei Yisrael is connected to the following request to "accept" ("tekabel") that which we currently do have.

One explanation is that we are praying that Hashem accept our prayers which are in place of the "fires" that were brought in the times of the Beis HaMikdash.

The alternate explanation is that we are praying that Hashem accept the "people (ishei from the word ish, man) of Israel" whom are sacrificed in Heaven by the Angel Michael every day.

These two explanations are also brought in Beis Yosef.

(מהרה) (speedily)

Besides for the above dispute being a determining factor in the punctuation of the beracha, this machlokes also plays a role in the very text of the beracha, as to whether a certain word some editions of the Siddur have should be said or omitted.

Some editions include the word מהרה ,"speedily" between the words

וּתְפִלָּתָם בְּאַהֲבָה and תְקַבֵּל בְּרָצוֹן. The beracha according to this edition reads, "...And their prayers speedily accept with love."

Now, if we go with the first version (of Tosfos) that the "Ishei Yisrael" is a reference to the korbanos which we are missing, it is befitting to ask Hashem to speedily return our ability to do the korbanos, as we are always awaiting and praying for the hastening of the redemption.

But according to the third explanation that we are asking Hashem to accept the tzaddikim who are being sacrificed by the Angel Michael, we don't want Hashem to speedily take away the tzaddikim from amongst us!

Although Etz Yosef concludes that the third explanation cannot contain the word "speedily", Elya Rabbah argues and holds that the third explanation can nevertheless contain the word "speedily" for three reasons.

1. The text does support the first explanation as well, so there is not a reason to erase it just because there is also a conflicting opinion.

2. We aren't davening that Hashem take away the tzaddikim speedily, rather, when they reach their time to ascend to Haven, their "sacrifice" should be accepted speedily.

3. The entire sacrifice process of Michael isn't in reference to tzaddikim who are still alive, rather it is a "rite" done with the tzaddikim who were already deceased.

A byproduct of whether one should say"meheira" or not makes yet another ramification in the text of the beracha. Part of the multi-layered part of the Shemoneh Esrei text is that each beracha was composed with great precision and symbolism from the text itself all the way to the amount of words in each beracha.

In this beracha, the Anshei Kneses HaGedola were particular to have 34 words in order to correspond to the 34 Kohanim who were needed in the Beis HaMikdash.* Therefore, if the text is missing the word "meheira" how will third explanation get to the 34 word count?

The answer is, if the word "אֶת" is put in between the words

וְהָשֵׁב and הָעֲבוֹדָה.

Here we ask Hashem, "Please continue to accept our "service of the heart" (Avoda Shebeleiv) as a pleasing offering before You as though we performed the actual sacrificial service before You.

One can ask, why can't the words "Avodas Yisrael" be taken at face value to mean that Hashem should accept the actual Avodah ( sacrificial service) that Klal Yisrael brought in the past or what they will bring in the future?

The answer lies in the insertion of the word תָּמִיד, "continuously." By asking Hashem to constantly be pleased by our "Avodah" it is clear we are asking Him to accept the Avoda that is ongoing even in exile, in which the term "Avodah" is referring to the Avoda we have available today, which is the Avodah Shebeleiv, the service of the heart (i.e. our tefillos).

We make more explicit reference to this concept that Hashem accept our tefillos like the actual Temple sacrifices in the Mussaf Davening for Yom Tov.

This clause meshes together not two, but three different pesukim scattered throughout Tanach to form a single request from Hashem to return the glory of Zion to its grandeur.

We will dissect the context of each passuk to gain a deeper understanding of the usage in this beracha.

The first passuk that is laced into the beracha is a passuk from Micha gives allusion to the words "v'sechezena einenu... l'Tzion"

The context of the passuk is the Navi Micha relating to Klal Yisrael that at the time of the war of Gog U'Magog, the conquerers will gather together to gaze at the degradation of Tzion, and taunt her about their victory.

(The pesukim there go on to say that their victory celebration will be short lived because the reason Hashem will have all of the nations gather together to gloat over Tzion's degradation will be to annihilate all of them in one fell swoop, as the next passuk says:

The beracha here employs the passuk not in the context of a boastful remark, but rather as a heartfelt plea that we, Klal Yisrael, merit to see Hashem's return to Tzion.

---

The second passuk meshed into this clause is a passuk in Yeshayahu adding a Scriptural allusion to the word "b'shuvcha" in the beracha, (along with "einenu" and "L'Tzion").

The Navi comforts Klal Yisrael in this nevuah by telling them that the final redemption will be forevermore, and the enemies of the world will never again torment us, and we will see this wondrous occurrence of Hashem's return to Tzion with our own eyes.

---

A third passuk is also enmeshed into this passuk contributes provides allusion to the word "v'richamecha" (and "b'shuvcha")

The pessukim recount Moshe Rabbeinu's final exhortations to Klal Yisrael before he was to pass away.

In this passuk, he prophesizes their future exile, but with the assurance and comfort that in the End of Days, they will ultimately do teshuva from their sins and Hashem will have mercy on them and release them from their spiritual and physical captivity. (See Ramban and Ohr HaChaim, ibid)

Until this point we have interpreted the intention of the beracha in its most basic form, as a pleas for Hashem to return the Avodah and to bring the final redemption to usher in the ultimate national spiritual experience.

Yaaros Devash sees another allusion in this passuk that relates to Hashem helping us in our personal spiritual lives, as follows.

In the Torah we find that Lot's wife turned into salt because she looked behind to see the destruction of Sodom. The reason she met that ill fate was because she wasn't worthy on her own to be saved, and in order to witness Divine judgement against another person, one needs to personally be worthy.

So too here, we ask Hashem that He help us keep ourselves in check in our performance of mitzvos and the Torah so that we will be able to witness His return to Tzion with our own eyes.