Where Does the Shemonei Esrei Come From?

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Tefilla is the most central force in our lives. In times of crisis, when we realize so clearly that we depend on Hashem’s mercy and compassion, we turn our hearts to Him and beg for health, parnassa, and material success. Tefilla emanates from the hearts of man but reaches to the very heavens with its potency. Chazal tell us that tefilla stands at the pinnacle of the world¹.

All of our tefillot are important, but the most sacred of all is the Shemonei Esrei. The text of Shemonei Esrei was composed by the Anshei Knesset Hagedola, an illustrious group of one hundred and twenty elders who were graced with Divine inspiration. This took place at the beginning of the era of the Second Beit Hamikdash. Tragically, the Beit Hamikdash was set aflame and destroyed, and the original text of the Shemonei Esrei was forgotten. The text that we use today was rearranged by Rabban Gamliel².

Any discussion on Shemonei Esrei would be incomplete without mention of Chana, the beloved wife of Elkana, who lived during Temple times³. Chana was blessed with a beautiful, wholesome marriage, but sadly, she was not blessed with children. Elkana had a second wife named Penina, who was the mother of a large family.

Seeing Chana’s distress at her barrenness, Penina decided to provoke her to arouse her to prayer. She would ask Chana what she was cooking for her children and what time her children were coming back from school. Her intentions were good, but the results were devastating. Chana experienced profound heartbreak at Penina’s cruel barbs, and Hashem responded by removing Penina’s children from the world.

We begin our Shemonei Esrei with Birkas Avot, which is like the lock that opens the door to all the crucial brachot contained in the Shemonei Esrei. Each one of our forefathers recognized Hashem in their own unique way, and their merit still stands for us, their children, until today.

Every year Elkana and his family would travel to the mishkan in Shilo to bring korbanot to Hashem. This should have been a time for rejoicing, but for Chana it was a time of sorrow. She was so distressed at her barrenness and at Penina’s unkind words that she had no appetite to enjoy the sacrifices. Brokenhearted, she went to pour out her heart to Hashem. Chana wept as she davened since, as our Chachamim teach, the gates of tears are never closed⁴.

The Kohen Gadol officiating at that time was a pious man called Eli. He observed Chana davening and noticed that her lips were moving, but her words were inaudible. Mistaking her for a drunk, he admonished her for her irreverent behaviour. Chana responded that she was not drunk, she was a brokenhearted woman begging Hashem for a child. Eli was sorry for misjudging Chana, and he blessed her to bear children. This blessing would bear fruit in the form of the righteous Shmuel, also known as Shmuel Hanavi, who was born to Elkana and Chana shortly after this incident took place.

The story of Chana is relevant because we learn many of the halachot of Shemonei Esrei from the conduct of Chana as she prayed for a child. Chana taught us that when reciting Shemonei Esrei, we must daven quietly, and that the words must be enunciated but not loud enough to be heard by others.

When the Anshei Knesset Hagedola composed the text of Shemonei Esrei, they did so using language that is easy to understand⁵. They formulated the order of the Shemonei Esrei – the first three brachot are praise, the middle twelve contain requests for man’s daily needs, and the last three conclude with thanks to Hashem.

Kavannah is crucial to the tefilla of Shemonei Esrei. According to some opinions, if one doesn’t understand the meaning of the Hebrew words, he can pray in another language⁶. Before we stand in front of Hashem in prayer, we must stop for a moment and reflect on who we are talking to. We are in the presence of the King of all kings, Creator of the universe, and Master of the world. With this appreciation, we will be able to stand before Hashem and request our needs.

We are privileged to be able to pray the Shemonei Esrei three times a day. Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv. All we need to do is leave the distractions of the world behind, take three steps forward, and walk into the loving embrace of our Father, Hashem.