Nefesh HaChayim, Gate II

And so we find, after one’s prayer is well-practiced and structured in connecting the three aspects of NR”N that are in his overall soul-Neffesh, using the letters, vowel points, and trup in each word (as was explained above in chapter 16), he should make a great effort, with his single-minded thought and intention, to, after this, attach all three aspects of NR”N to the component of the soul-Neshama-of-the-soul-Neshama mentioned above (it being his soul-root-of-Neshama) [*], using the letter permutations of the words in their holy supernal root.735In this final chapter Rav Chayyim explains a deeper level of prayer practice, the level of shedding the physical (Heb.: hitpahsh-toot ha-gahsh-meeyoot).

And when he attaches in this level, then it is possible to be considered as if he is no longer in the world at all. In any case the world will be, from his perspective, nullified completely. For that level is far above the current level of the person, as I wrote previously, and he will integrate himself into his soul-root of-Neshama, in the overall supernal root of the souls-Neshama of the whole of Israel taken all together736Heb.: k’lal nishmote Yisrael ya-khad.

Annotation: And for that reason they codified, that immediately after the Ahmeeda, he should completely dedicate his soul-Neffesh, soul-Ruakh, and soul-Neshama to be as if he is ready to die, as in the verse “I raise my soul-Neffesh to you, God-YHV”H”, and to cause them to ascend with the NR”N of the three worlds, and to integrate them into the Malkhut of Ahtzeeloot, as is written in the Pri Etz Chayyim, at the end of chapter 7 in Sha-ar Ha-t’feela. And this is the crux of the intention of every “falling on the face737Heb.: n’fee-laht ah-pie-yeem” mentioned in the Torah, as is written in the Zohar Korakh 176 that we mentioned previously in the context of: “Come observe that Moshe and Aharone prepared themselves for death. How do we know this? Because it’s written ‘they fell on their faces and they stated “God-Ei”l, the God-Elohi”m of the souls-Ruakh738Heb.: Ei”l elohe”i ha-roo-khote…”’. And in all cases falling on the face is towards that place…, God-Elohi”m of the souls-Ruakh— that is the place of the souls-Neshama of the world; to there all the souls-Neshama depart, and from there they arrive. And therefore we require that the focus of the heart/mind must be as if one has expired completely from the world,”739Rav Chayyim’s citation states that all of of Israel’s souls descend at birth from the place called K’nesset Yisrael (alternately, Elohe”i Ha-roo-khote) and return there at death. During the part of the prayer service following the Ahmeeda, that we refer to as n’fee-laht ah-pie-yeem (falling on the face), one should be prepared to give up one’s individual soul and return to that place. as is written in the Zohar at the end of parshat B’midbar and the beginning of parshat Va-et-kha-nahn. And refer carefully to the Pri Etz Chayyim in all of Chapter 2 of Sha-ar N’fee-laht Ah-pie-yeem, and you will understand. And refer further there in Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 and in Lee-koo-tei Torah, Parshat Sh’lakh. Refer there [for more details].

For that reason the Notables of the Great Assembly codified to say, before the beginning of the saying of the Ahmeeda prayer, the verse “God-Adona”i, open my lips”, for whoever merits this level during the moment of prayer, as a result of this connection of the thinking mind, his body could be like an inanimate stone and like a mute who can’t say a word. It is only He (blessed be He) who will open his lips to recite before Him the words of the prayer. And for that reason it used the name A-D-N-Y specifically, for it is the secret of K’nesset Yisrael mentioned previously. And refer to the Pri Etz Chayyim, at the end of Sha-ar Ha-bree-ya, in the context of this verse before the prayer, about which the sages (OBM) stated that it is considered as one long prayer (Berakhot 4b)740The sages stated that this verse, said just before the Ahmeeda, is not considered a separation between the preceding blessing of redemption (g’oola) and the Ahmeeda.. And this is why the sages (OBM) stated (Yevamot 105b): “One who prays must direct his heart/mind upwards”, and per the way that Rabbeinu Yonah (OBM) explained it there. And so too the Early Pious Ones741Heb.: chassidim rishonim would pause for an hour… to focus their heart/minds to God-Ma-kome, (Berakhot 4b), and it’s clear742Rav Chayyim seems to be saying that it’s clear that this is what they were doing during the hour before prayer: first, connecting the three lower worlds together, and finally, connecting them to the fourth world..

Annotation: For that reason the overall organization of the prayer service is in four parts, corresponding to the four components of NR”N and the soul-root-of-the-Neshama. The sacrifices correspond to the soul-Neffesh, and the world of Ahseeya, for they are brought as a result of sins relating to the soul-Neffesh, as it’s written “and if a soul-Neffesh should sin” (Vayikra 5:1)… . And the Verses of Praise743Heb.: p’soo-kei d’zimra correspond to the world of the soul-Ruakh, the world of the angels and the singers. And the K’ree-aht Sh’ma and its blessings correspond to the halls of B’reeya, acknowledged as the world of souls-Neshama.

And while reciting the paragraphs of the sacrifices until Ba-rookh Sheh-ah-mar, he should intend to cause the components of the souls-Neffesh of Ahseeya to ascend, which is the inner aspect of Ahseeya, to integrate them with the souls-Ruakh of Y’tzeera. And he should also integrate his soul-Neffesh with them, to connect them with his soul-Ruakh. And from Ba-rookh Sheh-ah-mar until the blessings of the K’ree-aht Sh’ma, he should integrate all of the souls-Neffesh of Ahseeya and the souls-Ruakh of Y’tzeera, and also the components of his own soul-Neffesh and soul-Ruakh, with the soul-Neshama of B’reeya. And from the blessings of the K’ree-aht Sh’ma until the Ahmeeda, he should integrate and cause to ascend all of the NR”N of BY”A744B’reeya, Y’tzeera and Ahseeya (and his own NR”N along with them) to integrate them together into the soul-root-of-the-Neshama and the root of the gathering of the overall souls of Israel all together.

And for a partial reference for this topic, refer to the Pri Etz Chayyim, Chapter 1 from Sha-ar Ha-t’feela. And this is what the Ariza”l hinted there when he stated: “and in this manner the Sh’kheena becomes comprised of all of them”, refer there [for more details]. And this is [the meaning of] what the Ariza”l stated, that before prayer, one should accept upon himself the mitzva of “and you shall love your mate”.