Ok this is in response to the thread "Daven or not".

For me,one of the hardest things about davening is that i don't always feel it relates to me.
Shmone Esrei is 19 brachos that talk about all sorts of stuff.
But the number one and number 2 and 3 thing on my mind is:sex,sexual addiction,and recovery.
If we are better able to put all of davening in this perspective (for this is a large part of our perspective on life and ourselves and G-d)then davening might just become a lot more meaningful.

Any insights into any brachos of shmone esrei and its perspective for a recovering sex addict will be much appreciated.

Uri,

Maybe our next chavrusa should be on Shemona Esrai and we'll go through bracha by bracha together.
Then you can post it all here.
I don't know if I can handle posting all that.

I will say now, though, I've heard something before that goes along the lines of "To heck with me. What can I do for you?"
I start by trying to focus on the fact that every bracha is in the plural. The bakashos anyway. I am not davening for myself.
This is not about me. I am davening for you and you and you.

The remaining brachos are letting go and letting Gd, no?
That's how we start the shemona esrai, step 1.
And it's the most important. If we don't have kavana in the first bracha...

I love you man!

Sturggle

I think I'll use your own post to answer this question:




Does that explain at least Refa'einu?  

And it's the same with all the Brachos. Without da'as, without parnassa, without thanking Hashem for all that we do have - and perhaps take for granted - we wouldn't be very well off, would we? It's just that we only feel what hurts right now. When you stub your toe you only feel the toe, even though 99% of your body is doing great. So we need to give thanks for that, and ask that it continue doing great, cuz if He would chas veshalom take away that too, we'd be in big trouble.

Rabbeinu Bechaye says that the bracha of lamalshinim applies to the yetzer hara as well - may there be no hope for him. I have found this insight to be helpful in getting more meaning out of that bracha in aprticular and shmoneh esrei in general.

I totally agree with sturggles mehalech.

At the same time, all the brachos in Shmoneh Esrei are directly related to your recovery. Let's try to go through it very b'kitzur!

The first three brachos are about Hashem. These brochos are the very basis of recovery.

Ato chonen: This is the crux of the issue. All our problems come from a lack of daas. When we learn to see things the way they really are, ALL our problems will dissapear.

Hashiveinu: I believe that doesn't need explanation.

S'lach lonu: As we know very well, it's our sins that cause us to sin...

Re'eh b'unyeinu: I always understand this to be reffering to our spiritual problems. We ask Hashem to fight our y"h.

Rifaeinu: That's where I daven for people that are spiritually sick.

Barech Aleinu: After being on this forum for over a year, I can tell you that stress about parnassa is a leading cause...

Tikah bishofar: This is a very important one. We need to know that our personal galus is part of the general galus. It's all part of the world being in a state of hester panim. When we say this bracha we should put all our pain and yearning in to it. And through this bracha you can get your personal geulah even if c'v Moshi'ach doesn't come just yet.

Hashiva Shofteinu: AHHH! That will be the day! You just go to the "Yoi'ets"=Navi and he gives you the exact prescription that you need for recovery. By davening for this and expressing how important it is to you, you merit siyata dishmaya even if Moshi'ach doesn't come right away.

V'lamalshinim was already adressed by Smith. I would add that sometimes I put the most in to this brachoh. Not only about the y'h but also all of his agents and agencies. Again, even if all that stuff c'v continues to exist, the Tefilah has a tremendous effect on your recovery.

Al hatzidikim: "Lechal habotchim bishimcha be'emes, v'sim chelkeinu imahem" =Recovery.

Vlirushalayim: As above (tekah bishofar) [To be honest, lately when I say this bracha (and my mind didn't run off to who knows where) I think of you, Uri. You posted about what you see in the streets of the holy city and it breaks my heart. הֲזאת הָעִיר שֶׁיּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יפִי מָשׂוֹשׂ לְכָל-הָאָרֶץ

Es tzemach: As above

Sh'ma Koleinu: "Hear our voice screaming out to you from depths of our broken hearts". You have to really put your whole heart in to this one.  

Ritzei: Same as Tikah bishofer etc.

Modim: The first part is one of the most basic pillars of recovery, and the second part is about Moshiach again.

Sim Shalom: This bracha is about all kinds of piece including inner piece (al pi kabolo it's mainly about inner piece) "Barcheinu..bi'or panecha" That's the secret to inner piece-to live constantly with Hashem.

I have to tell you that I didn't just come up with this, this is really what the Shmoneh Esrei means to me (I'm also very one track minded)

Wow battleworn beautiful post!
exactly what i was looking for....

Sim shalom-i agree with battleworn 100%.Its all about the inner peace.This addiction keeps us fretfull all too often.
And on a national level....peace
Geshmack
All of us sitting outside in the park (sfardim,ashkenazim,ethiopians,russians,etc....)
Just chillin out there with a guitar....

For me personally though,my favorite is retzei...
"Vishei yisrael....."
Gives me shivers every time(that i pay attention to the words,that it)
Like mom says,every time we say no to the yetzer or do something good,were offering a korban to Hashem our Father up in Shamayim.The harder it is,the greater the korban is.
I feel like my life has turned into one big korban at this point...
May this surgery im undertaking serve as kapara for myself and all of klal yisrael
Amen.

as an am ha'aretz gamur i hesitate to speak but the well learned rabbis of this forum can perhaps elaborate on the nistar in the blessing of teka beshofar; i refer to gds name that is hidden in the words yachad me'arba kanfot and the hidden meaning of kibbutz galuyot...


when i pray for my recovery i focus on the ultimate redemption (size me up for a yechinik yarmulke)...i am sick of this one great big festering neon distraction; three-ring circus sideshow of freaks we call the rotten apple...orhtodox jews, while sowing the seeds of utopia out here we forgot all of the key elements which has led to this disasterous state we are in...i mean this in so many ways but particularly how we in the "frum" community replaced the rules of modesty with rules about socks and pants and nonsensical things like that...we need the geula, we need to get out of here and the corrupted twilight zone frum judaism that we created here for ourselves...

Thank you,Rage.

(someone get this guy a straightjacket....)

Uri,
isn't your next session today?
k

Ratm, you have a good point there. I'm not a learned Rabbi and if there's someone here that can explain it properly I would also appreciate it. I just know that "נס" stands for Somech Noflim which according to kabala is reffering to the tikun of p'gam habris.

When a person sins, a part of his "life-force" goes over to the "Klipos", which is called galus. Practically, it means that the hester panim becomes greater and it can cause him to sin more. This bracha has the power to get these parts of us out of galus.

I have to run. Again, if someone can explain it properly, I'd appreciate it. 

THER IS A TIFFILLA TO SAY ON R"H BY VIKAREV PIZURAINU

ITS IN MOST MACHZORIM

(PROBABLY NOT IN ARTSCROLL)

Small addition, especially for those like me who trail away quickly.

Before each brocho stop for a second and think "what am I going to ask now for" it still requires some work both it helps.

In the Bracha of T'Kah B'Shofar in some Sedurim there's a Tefilah we can say about Zera L'Vatoleh - Spilling of Seed at the end when we say M'Kabeitz "Nidchei Yisroel" that refers to this in were we ask for Hashem to bring the zera back into the Kedusha out of the hands from the Tuma.

Battleworn,

I like your peshat in the Bracha by Bracha explanation above of Shemona Esrei. I just printed it out to read again later. I think it's going to help my davening today. Yasher Koiach!

Nishmas

kutan shel hachabura wrote on 16 Sep 2009 15:13:


Sorry, Uri, didn't realize your under the weather.
Refua Shlaima... we need you!

kutan