So yesterday the Rambam's definition that that of Avodah sheba'lev, that it means that one's thoughts are focused upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu. That's what it means Avodah sheba'lev, lev referring to the to the sechel, to the what what the sechel engages in in machshava. So maybe just to follow up on on that a little bit. The idiom we use, the idiom the Rambam uses as well of מצות עשה להתפלל בכל יום. In Vayechi, so Yaakov says to Yosef, ויאמר ישראל יוסף ראוה פניך לא פללתי והנה הראה אותי אלהים גם את זרעך.
So what does lo fillalti mean? So just here on the page there are two main interpretations. The Ibn Ezra, the Rashbam say that similar to the shoresh peh lamed lamed in mishpatim venatan biflilim, it's a lashon of din. And that what it means is lo danti belibi. I never judged it within the realm of possibility that I would ever see you again. So fillalti is a lashon lashon din. But Rashi and here in the Toras Chayim, of Rav Saadia, they have Rav Saadia Gaon as well, say that it's lashon machshava. Rav Saadia Gaon translates lo chashavti, Rashi says also fillalti lashon machshava. And yitachen that that's how the Rambam certainly in our context of of Hilchos Tefilla understood it, that mitzvath aseh l'hitpallel, that's just what we're saying in terms of the Rambam's definition is just included in the very semantics of the word tefilla. It means that one's machshavos are focused upon solely and exclusively upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu. In halacha beis, when the Rambam writes עיקר חיוב מצוה זו כך הוא שיהיה אדם מתפלל ומתחנן בכל יום ומגיד שבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואחר כך שואל צרכיו שהוא צריך להן בבקשה ובתחנה ואחר כך נותן שבח והודיה לשם על הטובה שהשפיע לו.
So there is a difficulty here that that generally we define tefilla, we understand that the definition of tefilla according to the Rambam means to say shevach bakasha and hodaya. That is what constitutes tefilla. And that that and that structure is doraisa. But here in the Rambam, the way the Rambam formulates it, it seems as if tefilla is something distinct. It's מתפלל ומתחנן ומגיד שבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא. So what does the mispallel mean as distinct from the shevach bakasha and hodaya? But according to what we've been discussing, so the answer is as follows, that sheyiheye adam mispallel, we'll come another time bli neder to the second verb of umischanen im yirtze Hashem, but sheyiheye adam mispallel means that there is something to tefilla conceptually distinct from from the shevach bakasha and hodaya. That the tefilla sheyiheye adam mispallel, the person should be focused upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu. He should be thinking about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. His thoughts should be focused upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Okay, now tachlis, what should he what should he do during that period of focus, thoughts exclusively focused, avodah sheba'lev with the sechel, with the machshava? What should he be doing? So the halacha tells us that he should be magid shivcho, sho'el tzorachav, and and noten hodaya. But the but the l'hitpallel is something which is is distinct from from the details and implementation of shevach bakasha and hodaya. The the relationship between the avodah sheba'lev as that ultimate avodah the Rambam was talking about in tefilla, so maybe we'll come to that next week im yirtze Hashem bli neder.