The Amidah (Part 30): The Final Paragraph: Personally Speaking
“Prayer is not a miracle. It is a tool, man’s paintbrush in the art of life. Prayer is man’s weapon to defend himself in the struggle of life. It is a reality. A fact of life” (Rabbi Avrahom Chaim Feuer)
“My Hashem, guard my tongue from evil and my lips from speaking deceitfully. To those who curse me, let my soul be silent, and let my soul be like dust to everyone. Open my heart to Your Torah, then my soul will pursue Your commandments. As for all those who design evil against me, speedily nullify their counsel and disrupt their design. Act for Your Name’s sake, act for Your right hand’s sake, act for Your sanctity’s sake, act for Your Torah’s sake. That Your beloved may be given rest, let Your right hand save and respond to me. May the expressions of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart find favor before You, Hashem, my Rock and my Redeemer. He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace upon us and upon all Israel. And let us say: Amen.”
The Torah relates that Avraham Avinu prepared tongues to give to the three angels who came to visit him (Bereshet 18:7). Rashi cites our Sages (Bava Metziah 86b) that Avraham served the tongue together with mustard. Why does the Torah go to the trouble of telling us exactly what kind of food was served to the angels? The Rabbis teach that the angels were trying to understand what it was about human beings that makes them so precious in the Eyes of Hashem. In answer, Avraham gave them tongue with mustard, implying that sometimes the tongue is hot and wants to say something sharp (as hinted to by the mustard), especially when someone has been insulted. But we are being taught that we have been imbued with the ability to hold back and remain silent even when it is so difficult to do so. And that is why Hashem loves us so much. As a wise person once pointed out, the same letters that spell out the word ‘listen’ also spell out the word ‘silent.’ Even when a person listens to derogatory things being said about them, the best course of action is nearly always to remain silent and to not react.
Why does this appear now at the very end of our recitation of the Amidah? Chovovt Halevavot explains that when approached properly, prayer is supposed to elevate us to an exalted level of serenity. Therefore, it is at this juncture, when we approach the final moments of the Amidah, and after having invested so much spiritual energy into gaining the correct perspective, it is now possible to pray for the strength to remain silent in facing verbal abuse. Perhaps now it is possible to understand the inference behind what we say next. After having worked on reaching a level of serenity we are able to declare, “And may my soul be as dust” because only someone who recognizes just how treasured they are in the Eyes of Hashem can understand that their preciousness stems from their humbleness.
The Sefat Emet points out a fascinating fact. The Amidah opens with the blessing of our forefather Avraham, who was the epitome of selflessness. In Bereshet (ibid. 27), Avraham with his trademark self-effacing modesty, tells Hashem, “I am but dust and ashes.” And the Amidah concludes with a plea that we will all be able to relate to ourselves just as Avraham related to himself. Hashem promised that we, Avraham’s descendants, will be as compassionate and altruistic as he was. It was a promise that we too, like Avraham Avinu, will be like “the dust of the earth.” (ibid. 13:16)
To be continued…
