After coming down from Har Sinai, Moshe’s face shone with a G-dly radiance. Moshe covered his face with a veil, only removing it when he would speak to Bnei Yisroel and when he would speak with Hashem. Covering one’s face is a sign of shame or embarrassment.
When we daven for our own personal physical needs, we should feel a sense of shame. We should feel undeserving of Hashem’s Brachos and we should see ourselves like a pauper, asking Hashem for Tzedakah.
There are two instances in which we do not need to wear the hood of shame when we come before Hashem in prayer; when we ‘speak to Bnei Yisroel’ and when we are ’speaking to Hashem’.
“Speaking to Bnei Yisroel” is when we daven on behalf of others. Davening for our own needs carries an element of shame. But asking Hashem to provide others with their physical needs, is noble and honourable. There should be no embarrassment at all.
Another desirable Kavanah in Davening where there is no reason for shame, is when we “speak to Hashem” by praising Him. In fact only after first praising Hashem we are able to ask for our own needs.
The Gemara teaches that if two people come in to daven and one of them finishes davens first and leaves without waiting for his friend, his prayers are torn up in his face and he causes the Shechina to depart.
The Tiferes Shlomo explains that the “two people” allude to the 2 ideal Kavanos that we should have when we “come in to daven”. If we focus on one and forsake the other, our Tefillos are not accepted. But when we praise Hashem and demand that He bless our fellow Jews, He will hear our Tefillos and bless us as well. There is no shame in that!
