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

"May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You, God — my Rock and Redeemer." (Psalms 19:15)

This verse is added to the end of the Amidah, the central prayer recited three times a day. Yet the Talmud was in doubt — does this verse belong before the Amidah, or after it? Should it be recited beforehand, referring to the words of prayer about to be said? Or should it be recited after the Amidah, referring to the prayer previously recited?

This verse — "May the words of my mouth... be acceptable" — is itself a plea. What exactly are we asking for?

Before or After?

The meaning of this short request depends on the discussion above. If recited at the start of the Amidah, then it refers the prayer about to be said. It expresses our desire that the following prayers will engage the heart and uplift the mind. We hope that we will succeed in directing our prayers with proper kavanah (intention). It is a prayer for a powerful, uplifting Amidah.

On the other hand, if the verse belongs at the end of the Amidah, then it really refers to the lingering after-effects of the prayer session. Twelfth-century philosopher Rabbi Yehudah HaLevi explained in The Kuzari that each prayer serves to uplift the soul and refine one's actions. With the passage of time, one inevitably becomes involved in mundane matters, and the light from the previous prayer gradually dims. Until the hour of the next prayer arrives, and we once again renew the light of the soul.

When recited after the Amidah, this request of "May the words of my mouth ... be acceptable" reflects our desire that the Amidah should properly enlighten the soul even after we have finished praying. Our soul's outpouring in prayer should not be limited to the hour of prayer, but serve as an practical tool to sanctify life.

Chai Blessings

So how did the Sages resolve this dilemma? They noted that King David placed this verse in the nineteenth psalm, after eighteen chapters of prayer. So too, the proper place of this verse is at the end of Amidah, after its Shemoneh Esrei (eighteen) blessings.

This is the primary benefit and the fundamental purpose of prayer. Even more important than feelings of spiritual elevation while praying, is the practical impact that prayer should have on our lives. (The number eighteen in Gematria is chai — meaning 'life'). This we learn from David, sweet singer of Israel, who would raise up his actions to match the sublime feelings of enlightenment he experienced during the hour of prayer itself.

(Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I, p. 47)

Copyright © 2006 by Chanan Morrison