Tefillah - 029 True Salvation

The Concept of Yeshuah – Meriting Hashem’s Salvation

מלך עוזר ומושיע ומגן – Hashem is our מושיע, our “Savior.”

What is the concept of a yeshuah, of seeing salvation? Simply speaking, it is when a person has a difficulty, and Hashem saves the person from his predicament; we call this a yeshuah, salvation. But the deeper meaning is that yeshuah comes from the word “shaah”, which means to “turn.” [We will soon explain].

When a person is in need of a yeshuah, the yeshuah is when Hashem reveals His light in the person’s life. When a person is going through a time of “hester panim”[1], he is in a predicament. When Hashem removes the hester panim, He “turns” His Face to the person, so to speak – and that is the essence of the yeshuah.

The simple understanding is that when there is hester panim, Hashem doesn’t protect us, and He instead leaves our fate up to the hands of people on this world. Hester panim implies an absence of Hashgachah Peratis (Divine Providence), so when this is removed, there is yeshuah. But the deeper understanding is that when Hashem shines His Face on us, so to speak, there is yeshuah.

Understanding The Concept of “Hester Panim”

A person who has troubles might his painful situation as a situation of hester panim, whereas a person with health and livelihood and good children seems to be enjoying he’aras panim. That is the way we simply understand the difference between hester panim and he’aras panim.

But the deeper understanding of hester panim is when a person doesn’t live with Hashem in his life, whereas he’aras panim is when a person lives with Hashem in his life.

The true meaning of hester panim of Creation is when people don’t feel Hashem’s he’aras panim – in other words, hester panim is when people don’t feel Hashem enough in their life.

He’aras Panim: A Face-To-Face Relationship With Hashem

Moshe spoke with Hashem panim b’panim, “face to face”. Only Moshe saw Hashem “face-to-face”, but we can also have a “face-to-face” relationship with Hashem. This is more than just feeling the “he’aras panim”[2] of Hashem every here and there in our life. It is when we feel a yearning for Hashem all the time in our life - this is what it means to live “panim b’panim” with Hashem.

A person might feel Hashem in his life taking care of him, in all areas of his life. Whenever he feels like he needs Hashem, he asks Hashem to save him, and indeed, he always feels like Hashem is taking care of him. He feels the he’aras panim of Hashem in his life. This is wonderful, but he is still missing something when he has this perspective.  

There is a higher kind of relationship we can have with Hashem: “panim b’panim” (face to face). This is like a person who receives good from his friend, but not only does he receive what he wants - he is given a smile and radiant countenance along with it.

When a person only feels he’aras panim from Hashem in his life, but not panim b’panim, he will know that Hashem gives all his needs, but he only turns to Hashem when he needs something. A person who has the higher relationship with Hashem, panim b’panim, feels Hashem all the time in his life – not just when he receives things from Him.

There are people who learn sefarim about emunah and Hashgacha Peratis (Divine Providence), which is wonderful, but they are still unaware that they can have a deeper feeling of Hashem in their life – “panim b’panim”.

When people have troubles and they ask Hashem to take them out of their troubles, because they believe that Hashem can help, this doesn’t always mean that the person is close to Hashem. Such a person looks at Hashem as someone who can help him take out of his troubles, and that his how he relates to him. He looks at Hashem like his “ezer k’negdo”…a mere helpmate…

Elul: Entering The Palace of the King

A person who hears these words might wonder: “What do you mean? We are supposed to daven during Elul for all our needs. It is a chiyuv (obligation).” Yes, we need to daven for our needs, but there is a lot more to what we should be davening for in Elul besides for our needs!

The sefarim hakedoshim say that in Elul, we are entering the Palace of the King, where we are surrounded by Hashem’s light. We cannot see Hashem face-to-face, but we can definitely feel, in our mind and our heart, that we are “face to face” with Hashem.

The Biggest Trouble Of Our Life

This is the true meaning of having a yeshuah. The main trouble in a person’s life, from all his troubles, is when he doesn’t feel Hashem in his life.

What is the worst thing you went through this year? Everyone has a different answer. But the true, inner trouble we have is that we don’t feel Hashem in our life, that we don’t feel His Face shining upon us. That is the true tzarah (painful situation) of all tzaros in a person’s life.

“Our Will To See The King”

In Avinu Malkeinu, we ask Hashem for mercy, because we are undeserving. Are we asking for reward? Or are we asking Hashem that we should merit to see and feel Him in our life? Are we just asking Hashem for various things, or do we want to see our Father? A child, who is good to his father, mainly wants to see his father, more than anything he wants. “It is our will to see our King” –this should be our main request.

Imagine a father who gives so much to his children, all their needs, and all his children do is ask him for things, never wishing to see him….

The way we declare Hashem as king is when we desire to see His Face; “It is our will to see our King.” Is this really our desire when we declare Hashem as King? Do we mean what we say? If we don’t really want it as we express the malchiyus in Shemoneh Esrei, then we are being dishonest in all of these tefillos!

Of course, during Elul we also need to do teshuvah and to make a cheshbon hanefesh. But that is all an introduction, to be able to enter the Chamber of the King, which is when we come to Rosh HaShanah. The goal of all our teshuvah during Elul is to be able to see our King - to wish to see Him: “Retzoinenu Liros Es Malkeinu” – “It is our desire to see our King.”

In Conclusion

Thus, it is not enough for us to feel Hashem’s he’aras panim in our life from time to time. We need a relationship of “panim b’panim” - to feel Hashem in our life on a more regular basis, not just to feel Him from time to time when He saves us from troubles. We need to uncover a yearning for Hashem, “our will to see the King” - which is by living a life of yearnings for Hashem.

This is what we should cry for during Elul. May we all merit a good year and be written in the book of righteous.