In the previous essays we discussed the obligation to give proper weight and significance to the sedarim and processes that flow from the ratzon, and the need to feel connected to them so that each stage becomes part of the ratzon itself rather than merely a means toward its fulfillment. We may now turn to a further, deeper dimension.
Ratzon Finds Expression in Every Stage
The essence of a seder or process lies not only in its being a part of the ratzon; rather, the ratzon itself finds expression within it. All sedarim, whatever they may be, give expression to the ratzon in differing shades. The ratzon must remain a thought that hovers constantly in a person’s mind throughout the course of his sedarim, so that every stage of the seder conveys the ratzon in a particular shade.
Consider once more the example of baking. When a woman bakes a cake, she does not merely enjoy and take interest in each stage—the measuring, the kneading, the rolling of the dough—rather, because of her attachment and fondness for the process, the ratzon itself is expressed at every stage. If she wishes the cake to emerge with a particular flavor, then every ingredient she adds along the way expresses her desire that the cake attain precisely that flavor.
So too in ruchniyus. From the moment a person conceives the ratzon to fulfill a mitzvah, the idea of that ratzon accompanies him at each and every step of its performance. He does not act merely in order to arrive at a ratzon that lies at the end of the seder; rather, his ratzon hovers over the entire seder and process, and each stage, in its own shade, itself expresses the ratzon for the mitzvah.
The Seder of Tefillah
We can experience this in the mitzvah of tefillah, which is built entirely upon seder. It is no coincidence that the siddur is named as it is; it is founded entirely upon a process of hishtalshelus, unfolding step by step. Yet this is not a process meant to bring us to some hidden ratzon at its conclusion. Rather, every stage in the siddur expresses one great ratzon, each in its own special shade.
When a person approaches Shemoneh Esrei out of a desire to connect and speak with the Borei Yisborach, Who is limitless and beyond all comprehension, there are many shades in which such a ratzon can find expression. It can be expressed in an inability to open one’s mouth because of the magnitude of the moment, to the point that the person pleads, “Hashem, sefasai tiftach,” for he is unable to do so by his own strength. It can also be expressed in the ability to praise the Borei Yisborach in the bracha of Avos: precisely because He is limitless, He could have created the world in
any form whatsoever, and yet He created the world in its present configuration, in which even the simple person has the permission and the ability to speak with Him.
Every Berachah, a Shade of One Ratzon
Likewise, all of the brachos have the power to express, in various shades, the ratzon to speak with the Borei Yisborach, Who is limitless and beyond comprehension. This is so in the bracha of Gevuros, which reflects the greatness of man, for there we see that man is eternal, unlike the other living creatures. It is so in the bakashos, where we request salvation from the Limitless One, Who can bring us yeshuos in ways we cannot even imagine. And the brachos of hoda’ah, too, express that our ability to speak with Him and to thank Him exists only through His being infinite, bestowing His power and goodness upon us.
This, then, is the explanation of what is said in the name of the Gra: that if a person did not have kavanah during the bracha of Refa’einu, he may continue to concentrate later in the tefillah, such as in the bracha of Al HaTzaddikim. On the face of it, this is perplexing; how can this be? Indeed, if the kavanah of tefillah were solely the kavanah of the words and nothing more, it would be perplexing. But if the kavanah and the ratzon are directed toward something loftier—the ratzon to speak and to forge a connection with the Infinite One—then this ratzon can be expressed in every one of the brachos, as explained.
The Ratzon as a Constant Presence
Similarly, if a person’s desire to speak with his friend is for the sake of the conversation itself and the closeness with him, and not in order to derive some benefit from him, then the process and order of what to speak about express the ratzon for connection and closeness. The order of the conversation, on whatever subject, will then be an expression of the ratzon that hovers constantly in the person’s mind.
When the ratzon remains constantly in the background, it is expressed and conveyed in every seder and course of action. It does not stray from its path and lose direction, but remains steady throughout. The tefillah remains one of kavanah, the conversation with the friend remains fully focused and free of distraction, and the baking of the cake does not fail on account of needless preoccupation with matters unrelated to the ratzon.
But if the ratzon is not present in a person’s mind at all times, and is not expressed and hovering over the entire seder and process, his attention will readily be diverted again and again. Each bracha of Shemoneh Esrei will require a fresh attempt at kavanah, the conversation with the friend is liable to be interrupted incessantly, and the baking of the cake is liable to fail due to curiosity and involvement in peripheral matters unrelated to the true ratzon.