4225 —כוונת אדמו"ר הזקן לגבי תפילה בחפזון ויסודותיה

The Alter Rebbe's Intention Regarding Quick Prayer and Its Foundations

י"א ניסן ה'תשט"ז
The letter clarifies that the Alter Rebbe did not intend to rule on whether prayer is a Torah or Rabbinic commandment, but rather to correct those who justify hurried prayer by claiming it is only Rabbinic. The focus is on the error of rushing through prayer.

[י"א ניסן ה'תשט"ז]

במש"כ ע"ד אגה"ק של אדה"ז דתפלה דאורייתא וכו' (ראה העתקתה בס' משנת יואל - לר"י דיסקין - ומה שהעיר שם).

והנה לכאורה קשה ממש"כ בשולחנו (חאו"ח סק"ו סוס"ב) "וכן עיקר". ויש לתרץ עפמש"כ בשער הכולל בתחלתו. אבל ראה פס"ד להצ"צ חי' על הרמב"ם הל' תפלה. - ומחוורתא דאין כוונת אדה"ז באגה"ק הנ"ל לחוו"ד בכלל אם תפלה מה"ת (ולכן לא כתב שהאומרים שהיא מדרבנן "טועים", אלא ש"לא ראו מאורות מימיהם"), אלא תוכן האגרת להראות טעות אלו שרצו להתפלל בחפזון וכו' מפני שהתפלה דרבנן, וע"ז בא המענה וביאור גודל טעותם, כי בזמן הזה של המתפללים בחפזון והמלעיגים וכו' היא יסוד כל התורה וכו'. עיי"ש. ועיין היטב זח"ב רב, ב.

Regarding what you wrote about the Iggeres HaKodesh of the Alter Rebbe, that prayer is from the Torah, etc. (see its citation in Sefer Mishnas Yoel – by Y. Diskin – and his comments there).

Now, at first glance, this seems difficult based on what is written in his Shulchan (Orach Chaim section 6 at the end), "and so is the main opinion."

This can be resolved according to what is written at the beginning of Shaar HaKolel. But see also the ruling of the tzt"z's commentary on Rambam, Laws of Prayer.

And it is clear that the Alter Rebbe's intention in that Iggeres HaKodesh was not to take a position at all on whether prayer is from the Torah (and therefore he did not write that those who say it is Rabbinic are "mistaken," but rather that they "have never seen light in their days"), but rather, the content of the letter was to show the error of those who wanted to pray quickly, etc., because prayer is Rabbinic. To this comes the response and explanation of their great error: for in these times, those who pray quickly and mock, etc., undermine the foundation of all Torah, etc. See there. And study well Zohar II 202b.


Summary

The letter teaches that one should not justify rushing through prayer by claiming it is only Rabbinic; rather, proper intent and care in prayer uphold a fundamental aspect of Torah observance.

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