Kabbalah sa Job 36:5: Sha'arei Orah

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?”