Kabbalah Mazmur 102:18: Sha'arei Orah

After awakening you to all these great principles, be informed that HaShem’s-יהו״ה quality as the Living God-E”l Chai-א״ל חי is compared to a crucible and examiner who receives the prayers from His quality of Lordship-Adona”y-אדנ״י. In this hall there are many guards and troops who examine and scour all prayers that enter into the hall of the Lord-Adona”y-אדנ״י, and in this hall they check the prayers and cries of supplication. When a person prays, it enters by way of the hall of the Lord-Adona”y-אדנ״י, and there it is examined to see whether it is fitting for it to enter by way of the HaShem’s-יהו"ה quality as the Living God-E”l Chai-א״ל חי. The guardians of the entrances then receive the prayer, and bring it in until it comes before HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He. If, God forbid, his prayer is unbefitting, that prayer is the called “unfit-Pesulah-פסולה” by those Above and the words of that prayer are called “idols-Pesilim-פסילים.” The herald then cries out, “Do not bring this prayer in before HaShem-יהו״ה, blessed is He,” and a heavenly voice proclaims,³⁴¹Isaiah 42:8 “I am HaShem-יהו״ה; That is My Name; I shall not give My glory to another, nor My praise to graven idols-Pesilim-פסילים.” That prayer is immediately removed with contempt. It is pushed out and not granted entry, and the gates are locked before it. About this the verse states,³⁴²Psalms 102:18 “He has turned to the prayer of the accuser-Arar-ערער,” since in this place they turn to examine all the prayers of a lone individual and bring accusations-Me’arerim-מערערים against it.

Now, everything we said above specifically applies to the prayers of lone individuals. However, in regard to congregational prayers, no appointee or gatekeeper is capable of holding back these prayers. Rather, when the congregation prays, their prayers enter and are received in every circumstance. This is the meaning of the verse,³⁵¹Psalms 102:18 “He turned to the prayer of the accuser-Arar-ערער [in the singular] and He did not despise their prayer-Tefilatam-תפילתם [in the plural].” The meaning of the words, “He turned to the prayer of the accuser-Arar-ערער [in the singular],” is that when a lone person prays, his prayer is examined to see if it is fitting to be received, and many accusers-Me’arerim-מערערים come against it. In contrast, about the prayers of the congregation it states, “He did not despise their prayer-Tefilatam-תפילתם [in the plural],” in that even though their prayer may not be as fitting and appropriate as it should be, it nevertheless is received from Above. About this, our sages, of blessed memory, stated,³⁵²Talmud Bavli, Brachot 8a and Rashi there. “From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed is He, does not despise communal prayers? As it states,³⁵³Job 36:5 ‘Behold, God is mighty, He does not despise.’” They also stated³⁵⁴Talmud Bavli, Brachot ibid. that a person should always join himself to the congregation, and they stated, “When is a time of Divine favor? When the congregation is praying.” The verse similarly states,³⁵⁵Deuteronomy 4:7 “For which is a great nation that has a god who is close to it, as HaShem-יהו״ה our God is, whenever we call to Him?”