Praise And Prayer 2

In the last post we discussed the din of יסדר שבחו של מקום ואח"כ יתפלל.  The simple reading of the words indicates that the cheftah of prayer is the supplications and requests that one asks for from God and the praises serve as a intro. to this.  This is supported by the opinion of the Ramban that suggests that one is obligated in prayer on a Bibical level only in times of peril and danger.  We see its man’s need for God so to speak that it the impetus for prayer.  The Rambam in the second hlacaha of the Laws of Tefillah says: אלא חיוב מצוה זו כך הוא שיהא אדם מתחנן ומתפלל בכל יום ומגיד שבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואח"כ שואל צרכיו שהוא צריך להם בבקשה ובתחנה ואחר כך נותן שבח והודיה לה' על הטובה שהשפיע לו כל אחד לפי כחו.  Regarding the praise he says ומגיד שבחו, just recount praises of God, regarding the supplications he says בבקשה ובתחנה indicating that the main pouring out of the heart is done during the requests from God.  The Alter Rebbe that we cited in siman 52 also sounds that the main prayer is the requests, the praises are just an intro.

This all runs contrary to what the Alter Rebbe writes in siman 185:2 (end) in explaining why its enough if one had כונה in the first beracho of Shemone Esrai and not the the rest of the berachot.  He says there: לְפִיכָךְ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהֵבִין וְנִתְכַּוֵּן בִּבְרָכָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, שֶׁהִיא עִקַּר סִדּוּר שְׁבָחָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא – לֹא הִצְרִיכוּ לַחֲזֹר וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל, כֵּיוָן שֶׁקִּיֵּם עִקַּר מִצְוַת חֲכָמִים, שֶׁסִּדֵּר שְׁבָחָיו שֶׁל מָקוֹם בְּפִיו וּבִלְבָבוֹ בִּבְרָכָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, שֶׁזֶּהוּ עִקַּר מִצְוַת הַתְּפִלָּה, שֶׁהֲרֵי אִם לֹא כִּוֵּן לִבּוֹ בִּבְרָכָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכִּוֵּן בְּכָל שְׁאָר הַתְּפִלָּה – לֹא יָצָא יְדֵי חוֹבָתוֹ.  Here he says the main aspect of the mitzvah of prayer is the praise of God, a dirset contradiction to everything above? (Likutay Sichos volume 22 pg. 117 footnote 34.)

The simple reading of the aforementioned Rambam is that part of the obligation of prayer is to start with דברי שבח and then move to the בקשות.  The Or Sameach understands that is the explanation of the Rambam and brings a support to this from a Tosefta in Minachos.  The Magen Avrohom (107:2) says that woman may fulfill their obligation of prayer according to the Rambam with one basic request.   Based upon the Rambam, the Pri Migadim on asks how can one fulfill their obligation if their missing the שבח?  We see the Magen Avrohom must have understood that the Rambam is describing the optimal, but not necessary form of prayer.