A Sacred Time – Sivan #7
We find in Sefer Yetzirah that the letter associated with the month of Sivan is zayin. Interestingly, weapons are referred to as klei zayin. The Kabbalists explain that when the letter zayin is written in the alphabet required for a Torah scroll it resembles a staff. This alludes to the staff with which Moshe was victorious. Since the purpose of weapons is to win in battle, fighting implements, such as a sword, are called klei zayin.
Rebbe Nachman, z”l, explains that the main weapon of Moshiach—and every Jew at all times—is the sword of prayer. This sword has two edges, two main means of articulation: praise and supplication.
Reb Nosson, z”l, writes what this means to him. “I also find great vitality in this lesson. If one internalizes that his only weapon is prayer, he will be aroused to really begin to pray. For what prevents us from praying? We lack resolve to invest the necessary effort into our prayers. But if we picture ourselves as simple soldiers involved in a life and death struggle, we will see that we have no choice. We must pick up our weapon and learn how to fight. Every soldier is likely to face a long and difficult struggle. A soldier knows the only recourse is to fight it through. Similarly, we need to internalize that overcoming our baser nature is a long fight. And our only weapon is prayer.
“I am very strong in this,” Reb Nosson concludes. You all need to know this and much more about the vast importance of prayer.”
Master of the world! Help me to realize that my only hope is to pray and pray; to pray again and yet again, and to never let go of the powerful weapon of prayer!
