God-Who Straightens those Bent Over

Baruch atah Hashem elokeinu melech ha’olam zokef kefufim

Blessed are you Hashem, the source of our power, King of the Universe, Who straightens those bent over

This blessing connects me to a halacha (based on the siddur of Rav Chaim Vital ztl) in the tachanun section (confession) following the amidah (silent prayer). In the tachanun section, there is a paragraph known as nefilat apayim (translated as falling on one’s face). Rav Chaim Vital states that before beginning nefilat apayim[1] , one should [place] one’s face on the ground with one’s head between their knees, (in a fetal position). The nefilat apayim section discusses confessions of sin and one’s reliance on divine compassion. In the middle of this section one is then directed to straighten up one’s head and continue with avinu malkenu; there is a transition from falling on one’s face to straightening up. I am expressing to Hashem that I damaged things with my sins(while being curled up into a ball), which might have had an effect on the potency of my prayers. It could be crippling to face one’s mistakes, but the nefilat apayim helps me unbend, to straighten up as a lesson to me that no matter how lowly I am, God is zokef kefufim (straightens the bent); He is there to lift me, my spirits, and my prayers back up.

[1] The Rambam is cited as a source for this practice