Moshe Rabbeinu prays to Hashem to remove the plagues. With the exception of the plague of frogs, the term used for tefillah is atira. In contrast, to remove the plague of Frogs Moshe davened in form of ויצעק even though Pharaoh asked him to pray on his behalf in the language of atira. This term of tzeakah poses a problem stemming from two gemaras. Chazal prohibit davening out loud since it demonstrates a lack of emunah (Berachos 24b). We learn just the exact opposite conduct from Channah for when she davened her voice was not heard (Berachos 31a). The Sifsei Chachomim answers that the reason for Moshe’s tzeakah during this plague particularly was due to the fact that these multitudes of frogs were croaking non - stop with such a deafening sound that it was impossible to hear one talk. Since there is a halacha that requires that one must be able to hear the words of his tefillah, Moshe had to scream in order that his tefillah would be heard in his ears. The essence of this Devar Torah is to explain why we learn such an important basic halacha of tefilllah from frogs.
The beginning passuk in the second parsha of Shema says והיה אם שמוע תשמעו אל מצוותי. What does it mean when it says that if you will listen to My commandments you will receive reward in this world. Would it not have been better language to say if you will fulfill Mitzvos and not listen to? Secondly, how could Hashem promise reward for fulfilling mitzvos when our Chazal teach us שכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא that it is impossible to repay a man for his observance of mitzvos in this world? We can answer that this is precisely why the Torah used the term of listening instead of fulfilling. There is the law and the spirit of the law. The neshama of the din is only culled from reading between the lines the unspoken and unseen word. In this passuk, Hashem is asking from us to put one’s ear to the mitzvah and hear what the neshama of the mitzvah is saying and not just the guf of the mitzvah. If we listen to the mitzvah and not do just what it says, then we merit reward even from the next world. For the next world is also out of sight and reality, and even in the Torah it remains an unspoken word. If we relate to Torah in such a fashion, then we merit gleaning from that world which is parallel to it. If we merely fulfill what the Torah says, then we have to wait for its reward in the next world.
As a step further we can say that this is the intent of the angelic response of Yisrael at Har Sinai נעשה ונשמע that we will do and we will listen. Not only are we committed to do what You commanded us Hashem, but we are also committed to put our ears to the mitzvos and listen to their inner messages, to their neshamos, and hence bring a greater nachas ruach to You by a deeper and more encompassing fulfillment of mitzvos.
We are aware of the Perek Shira where we find every creation’s song to Hashem. It is very noteworthy that every creation has its own passuk of song except the frog whose song instead are the words ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד. This demonstrates that the frog is the species that parallels the spirit of the law and not merely the law itself. For while a passuk corresponds to the written law, a non passuk parallels the spirit of honoring Hashem’s Kingdom and Name is every available aspect possible. An example of the frog’s fulfillment of the spirit of the law can be seen from the fact that they jumped into the furnaces of the Egyptians even while the fire was burning inside. All that Hashem commanded them to do was to go into the furnaces, not specifically when it was hot. Yet they read between the lines of Hashem’s command of going into their doughs and their furnaces. They reasoned that when do we find the dough next to the furnaces if not at the time of baking when the ovens are hot. In truth they did not have to darshan this connection between the furnace and the dough because by doing so they placed themselves in an extremely uncomfortable situation to say the least. However, they upon themselves the spirit of the law and sensed that they were not sent on a mission based on explicit commands but rather on their inner messages no matter how challenging and demanding they might be. To the frogs what was important was the maximum kovid shamayim displayed and not about fulfilling commandments alone. They put their ears to Hashem’s commands and they therefore merited to sing a shirah to Hashem that is also not in the normal passuk form whose nature is also explicitly said.
Now let us return to davening and understand the deeper meaning of one’s obligation that his ears must hear the words of his tefillah. The natural flow of events is that tefillah very quickly becomes a habit and we find ourselves davening mechanically and through rote. Even if we do fight the opposition and are successful in making our tefillos heartfelt and real, then the next level in davening for which we must strive to attain is to take upon ourselves the neshama of the tefillah and not just the guf which is the overt words and supplications. For example, we ask Hashem for daas for He is the one who graces us with it. We need daas to enable us to make the proper decisions throughout the day and to give the correct advice to others. The Brisker Rav ztl could be heard saying whispering loudly the passuk לישועתך קויתי ה' for Your salvation I hope, before every endeavor he would undertake. Now this conduct is not stated in Shulchan Aruch. Yet it is borne out from an individual who always puts his ears to that first beracha of the 13 requests asking Hashem for daas, and hears the encompassing message it relates.
We ask forgiveness for our sins and declare that Hashem is a חנון המרבה לסלוח We must emulate Hashem’s middos. Are we so ready and willing in a big gracious way to forgive those who wronged or insulted us? If we really hear the words of what we say our forgiveness to others would take on quite a different form.
We ask for kibutz galiyos to be returned from exile by Hashem. That means that our tragic state in galus is a very great misfortune and we cannot wait to be extricated from it. This means that we should not relish ourselves with all the degrading influences of the goyish world which promote the very opposite of geulah.
We end the Shemoneh Esrai with the beseeching Hashem for peace and beracha upon Klal Yisrael. The underlying message is that if we ask Hashem to bring peace upon us then we must make sure that we do our part by working towards not speaking lashon hara, quarrelling, being petty, and being jealous.
The halacha requires that one must connect without interruption the beracha of גאל ישראל to the Shemoneh Esrai. This could be understood in the light of the above. The shira of אז ישיר is written with spaces between the phrases. The two sections symbolize the spoken and the unspoken word. True redemption, personal and collective, is when we are able to recognize and commit ourselves to hear and give our equal attention to the unspoken word as we do to the spoken word. Connecting the geulah of Keriyas Yam Suf to our Shemoneh Esrai is infusing ourselves with the conscious effort to parallel our Shemoneh Esrai with the same spirit of geulah – the ability to hear between the lines.
This avodah never ends as the passuk in the second parsha of Shema suggests והיה אם שמוע תשמע the double verb of hearing demands from the Yid to place his ear on the mitzvah to hear its inner meaning and then again to replace it in order to hear the never ending stream of messages and directives teaching how to bring about kovod malchus shamayim in every aspect of your life.
Yes, it is through the frogs from who we learn the halacha of hearing one’s words of tefillah. For the frogs demonstrated the necessity and the ratzon of Hashem that it is upon us to live our lives in the Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso Le’olam Va’ed dimensions. With this theme in mind, the Baal Shem Tov interpreted the passuk בא אל התיבה that Hashem commands Noach to enter the ark. It also alludes to the person who is davening that he should enter and penetrate the word. Don’t daven superficially but rather hear the inner messages of each word and inject yourself with new aspirations and inspirations to come closer to Hashem.
Gut Shabbos
Rav Brazil
