Do We Hear Hashem Knocking On Our Door ?

לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם, To Your Salvation we hoped for all day.   These words activate the emergence of Mashiach as we daven in our Amidah daily.  The Ibn Ezra and the Radak offers what I find to be a beautiful understanding of what we are davening for.

The Ibn Ezra teaches that the word “קִוִּיתִי”, means, לשמוע בקולו,  to hear Hashem’s Voice.^[1]

The first time there is a mention of “hearing Hashem’s Voice” is in Bereishis, in the garden, after the sin of Adam, the verse states:

וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶת־קוֹל יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים מִתְהַלֵּךְ בַּגָּן, They heard The Voice of Elokim walking in the garden.^[2] The Radak asks why did the Torah teach us that they heard The Voice prior to hearing what He had to say?  He explains that this is Hashem teaching us Derech Eretz in a few ways. One of the ways was as follows:

1) One should not frighten people by addressing them suddenly without a person having had a chance to compose himself first in order to receive a visitor and to meet such a visitor after preparing for his visit. One should either knock on the door, or try to make voice contact by inquiring if the person is at home.

Therefore the hearing of The Voice is hearing Hashem knocking on our door so to speak. He doesn’t suddenly spring something on us when communicating to us, but instead communicates to us after He prepares us so that we are prepared to Hear Him.  He gives us time to prepare for His Visit.

I believe this is why we have “appointments” so to speak, important dates already scheduled in advance to speak, such as our daily Tefillos, Shabbos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and all the Holidays with specific agendas so that we can prepare for His Visit to us and make a choice to hear or hide. The more we can use these times and prepare properly, the more we can hear Hashem knock on our door so to speak.

Based on these concepts taught by the Ibn Ezra and the Radak I am imaginge  that a person who describes him or herself to Hashem as, לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם, To Your Salvation I have hoped for all day, that we say in our Shemone Esrai tefillah, means it is someone Who hears Hashem knocking of his or her door, and opens the door to accept the visit of Hashem Kavyachol; of the Salvation from Hashem Himself, for a world of Mashiach and redemption as a constant.

In other words, it is a person who takes responsibility in the world and asks him or herself as a constant, “What is his or her responsibility in his or her world” as taught by the Ramchal in Mesilas Yesharim in the first chapter. Such a person is preparing oneself to be prepared to have The Divine Presence in his home so to speak.  Such a person asks what does Hashem want when he hears the knocking on the door.

This is much like Avraham who personified this ability to live with Tikvah as a constant. He kept the opening to his tent open in all directions.  Avraham  heard Hashem knock on his door so to speak, and turned it into a moment of Hachnasas Orchim, running outside looking for Yeshuah, the Mitzvah of Hachnasas Orchim.  We then hear  Besuros Tovos  of destruction of evil, the healing of Avraham and the news of  a child to be born beyond Tevah.

We also know that this idea is perpetuated by the Akeida, and so much so that Hashem blessed Avraham at the Akedia, because: עֵ֕קֶב אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׁמַ֖עְתָּ בְּקֹלִֽי, because You have heard my voice; because you lived with : לִישׁוּעָתְךָ קִוִּינוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם, To Your Salvation I have hoped for all day. 

May we be zoche to practice hearing Hashem knocking on our door, and receiving besuros Tovos of evil destroyed, of healing of our nation and the Kavod of Hashem Kavyachol, and the birth of Mashiach above nature, for a world redeemed B’mhaira B’yameinu; the revelation of Hashem’s Unity in all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

^[1] Ibn Ezra on Tehillim, 130:5

^[2] Beraishis, 3:8