Ufiy Yagid

Before beginning the amidah the halacha, according to the Ben Ish Chai, is to touch the tefillin shel rosh. What follows is we recite the words Hashem, sefatai tiftach, ufiy yagid tehilatecha, “God, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.” I learned from my Rebbe, Rabbi Simcha Weinberg n’y that gid is the material used to sew together tefillin. In addition, we know according to the Matok Midvash siddur that the Amidah prayer is the stage of one’s relationship to Hashem where they are the closest, in the spiritual world of Atzilut. My Rebbe shlit’a understands Atzilut to be derived from the word etzel, which means “next to”. He goes on further (in my understanding) to explain that there is a communicative bond two people can share when in proximity to one another that goes beyond language and that that by definition is what atzilut is. I understand ufiy yagid tehilatecha “and my mouth will declare Your praise” as entering the realm of Atzilut, a world beyond words and yet still asking Hashem to help “tie down” (gid) this unique bond that I share with Him in relatable terms the way tefillin is bound together via gid. I pray that Hashem not only bless us with an outstanding connection to Him, but also to ground that connection with Him in relatable terms.

Beautiful!!