1
Prayer which is not whole-hearted is pursued by numbers of destructive angels, according to the Scriptural expression: “all her pursuers have overtaken her, etc.” (Lam. 1, 3).Therefore it is well to preface one’s prayer with the verse, “but he is merciful and forgiveth iniquity, etc.” (Ps. 78, 38). The word “iniquity” signifies Samael, who is the serpent; “he will not destroy” signifies the destroyer; “he turneth his anger away” refers to the demon Af (anger); “and doth not stir up all his wrath” refers to the demon Hemah (wrath). To these powers are attached many destructive angels, which are under seven chiefs with seventy under-chiefs, dispersed in every firmament, and under them are myriads of others.
2
When an Israelite wearing fringes and phylacteries prays with devotion, then the words of the Scripture are fulfilled: “All the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee and they shall fear thee” (Deut. 28, 10). We have agreed that “the name of the Lord” refers to the phylactery of the head; and when the destructive angels see the name of Tetragrammaton on the head of him who is praying, they at once take to flight, as it is written, “a thousand shall fall at thy side” (Ps. 91, 7).
3
Jacob foresaw the oppression of the last captivity in the end of days, and therefore “he prayed in that place and tarried there because the sun had set” (Gen. 28, 11), i.e. the night of captivity had come.
4
David, referring to the captivity, said “hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness”. He saw the Shekinah parched and withered and dried, and was in deep sorrow on its behalf. When he saw Israel returning in joy, he composed ten kinds of chants, and at the end of all he exclaimed: “A prayer for the poor man when he fainteth” (Ps. 102, 1). This is the prayer which comes before God before all the others.
5
Which is the “prayer of the poor man”? This is the evening prayer, which is single, without a husband; and because she is without a husband she is poor and dry. Like her is the just man, poor and parched; this is the seed of Jacob, which is in subjection to all nations and resembles the evening prayer, which typifies the night of captivity.
6
The Sabbath prayer is a kindness to this poor man. Therefore a man when reciting the Amidah prayer during the weekdays should stand like a poor man at the king’s gate on account of the Shekinah, and he should clothe it with the vestment of the fringes, and he should stand in his phylacteries like a beggar at the gate when he begins with the word Adonai (Lord).
7
When he opens his mouth to utter the evening prayer an eagle comes down on the weekdays to take up on its wings the evening prayer. This is the angel called Nuriel when coming from the side of Hesed (Kindness), and Uriel when coming from the side of Geburah (Force), because it is a burning fire.
8
For the morning prayer also a lion comes down to receive it in his winged arms: this is Michael. For the afternoon prayer an ox comes down to take it with his arms and horns: this is Gabriel.
9
On Sabbath God himself comes down with the three patriarchs to welcome his only daughter. At that moment the celestial beings who are called by the name of the Lord exclaim “Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be exalted, ye everlasting doors,”
10
and straightway the doors of seven palaces fly open. The first palace is the palace of love; the second, of fear; the third, of mercy; the fourth, of prophecy through the clear mirror; the fifth, of prophecy through the hazy mirror; the sixth, of righteousness; the seventh, of justice.1From here to razin t’mirin on 24b is a dissertation on the relation of prayer to the various Sefimth, involving much manipulation of Hebrew letters and vowel-points, and therefore unsuitable for translation.2The translation resumes on line 29 of the Hebrew text.
11
About them, it is written: "Beresheet" which consists of bara sheet (Eng. 'created six'); and Elohim is in the seventh chamber. There are seven chambers below, and seven chambers above. The seven voices that correspond to them, "Ascribe to Hashem" (Tehilim 29), which includes eighteen mentions (of the Four Letter Name). By these mentions, the Holy One, blessed be He, glides through eighteen worlds: "The chariots of Elohim are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands..." (Tehilim 68:18) and there are 180,000 worlds. Many guardians of the gates stand before the chambers to receive the prayers and no prayer enters without being measured and weighed.
12
No one can stand before the gate of prayers (and prevent a prayer from entering). Of such a one it is written: "They shall not be put to shame, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate" (Tehilim 127:5). This is the gate of the King (i.e. the Gate of the Chamber). Since the prayer is a precept and is the Shechinah, and the Torah is the Holy One, blessed be He, they must not be separated. The Torah and the precept should be elevated with love and awe.
13
All the precepts, positive and negative, derive from the name Yud Hei Vav Hei as this secret has been explained. The letters in "My name (Heb. shmi)" together with the letters Yud-Hei (equal the 365) negative precepts, and "My memorial (Heb. zichri)" (Shemot 3:15) together with the letters Vav-Hei (equal the 248) positive precepts. So here, (within the Four Letter Name, there are 365 and 248. These 248 are the letter of the Kriyat Shema. Therefore, 'He who chooses His nation Yisrael with love' is (recited before the reading of the Sh'ma to indicate we draw only from the aspect of love) These (248) are included within Abraham. It is written of him: "The seed of Abraham My friend" (Isaiah 41:8).
14
Israel, he rose by Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph. The secret of "Yisrael" was thought of to be created because thought (Heb. machshavah) consists of the letters Chashav-Mah (thought Mem-Hei). (Mem-Hei refers to the Four Letter Name) in which the Holy Name lies. Because of Jacob, who is called Israel, it is written: "So Elohim created man in His own image" (Beresheet 1:27) after the likeness of his Master.
15
Children, longevity and sustenance are (drawn down to the lower brings) through the aspect of the central pillar, about which it is written: "Yisrael is My son, My firstborn" (Shemot 4:22). This is the Tree of Life, It is a tree "with food for all" (Daniel 4:9). As for (the Shechinah), Yisrael below is considered Her life, the Torah Her sustenance, and prayer an offering,
16
"Give me children, or else I die" (Beresheet 30:1). The Shechinah is an offering for the Holy One, blessed be He, which He receives with both the right and the left arm, and with the body. So when (prayer) ascends to (Zeir Anpin), she should be joined with him with all ten Sefirot, because there can be no holiness with fewer than ten people, which is his own holiness. Therefore, when a person wishes his prayer to ascend, he should raise it with all its movement (the notes and vowels). (If the Serpent plans on disrupting the prayer), one should prepare a slingshot against it, and the secret behind the issue lies in Zarka, Makaf, Shofar Holech, Segolta.