Psalm 19: Elevating life through prayer



יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי-פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ ה', צוּרִי וְגֹאֲלִי. (תהילים י"ט:ט"ו)



“May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable before You, O Lord - my Rock and my Redeemer.” (Psalms 19:15)



We add this verse to the end of the Amidah, the central prayer recited three times each day.



Yet initially, the Sages were uncertain: should this verse be recited at the start of the Amida, or at its conclusion? Is is a prelude to the words of prayer we are about to say? Or is it a closing statement regarding the prayer that we have just offered?



A Tool to Elevate Life

The meaning of this request - “May the words of my mouth... be acceptable” - hinges on this very question.



If recited at the start of the Amidah prayer, then it refers to the prayer about to be said. It expresses our fervent wish that the prayers which follow will engage our soul and uplift our heart. We hope that we will succeed in directing our prayers with deep kavanah. It is, in essence, a prayer for a powerful, meaningful Amidah.



If, on the other hand, the verse belongs at the end of the Amidah, then it speaks to the result of our prayer experience.



The twelfth-century philosopher Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi, in his classic work TheKuzari, explains that each prayer is meant to uplift and refine our lives. As we inevitably become entangled in the mundane affairs of daily life, the spiritual impact of our prayer wanes. This continues until it is time for the next prayer, when we rekindle the light of the soul. Spiritual life is thus a constant, cyclic pattern, with gradual descents halted by swift climbs of spiritual ascent through prayer.



Thus, when recited after the Amidah, the request of “May the words of my mouth... be acceptable” takes on a deep significance. It reflects our desire that our Amidah prayer should uplift and enlighten our lives even after we have finished praying. The soul’s outpouring during prayer should not be limited to the hour of prayer but serve as a practical tool to sanctify life.



Chai Blessings

How did the Sages resolve this question? They noted that this verse appears in the nineteenth psalm, following eighteen chapters of prayer. Accordingly, the proper place for this verse is at the end of the Amidah, after its ShemonehEsrei (eighteen) blessings.



This insight reveals the primary benefit and purpose of prayer. More important than the spiritual elevation experienced while praying is the practical impact that prayer should have on our lives. We can now understand the connection of prayer to the number eighteen - corresponding to the Gematria of the letters ח"י (chai), meaning ‘life.’



This is the message of this verse. It exhorts us to elevate our lives to match the lofty feelings of holiness and closeness to God that we experience during the hour of prayer. “May the words of my mouth” - as well as my conduct and my life - “be acceptable לְפָנֶיךָ , before You, O Lord.”



(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 47 on Berakhot 9b, sent to Arutz Sheva by Rabbi Chanan Morriso, RavKookTorah.org)