Two Conditions Prior to Tefillah
(לב לב) "לירדן מעבר נחלתנו אחזת ואתנו כנען ארץ ‘ה לפני חלוצים נעבר נחנו"
The Baal Haturim brings two additional pesukim in which the words נחנו appears. One, "Kulanu bnei ish echad nachnu" (Bereishis 42:11) and two, "Nachnu pashanu umarinu," (Eichah 3:42).
The Mishnas Yosef explains the connection between these three pesukim as follows:
This passuk, "nachnu na’avor chalutzim," alludes to the power of tefillah, because the meaning of the word "chalutzim" is "chalutzei tzava mezuyaim," armed with weapons (Rashi ibid 31:3). And tefillah is the weapon of Am Yisrael, as Onkelos explained (Bereishis 48:22) the passuk "Becharbi ubekashti" – with my tefillah and my request.
The two other pesukim teach us about two concepts that need to precede tefillah: One: "Kulanu bnei ish echad nachnu" – every Yid has to take upon himself to love every other person in Am Yisrael, as the Magen Avraham says (beginning of 46) in the name of the Arizal; and two, "nachnu pashanu umarinu" – a person must do viduy from the depths of his heart, and in that merit his tefillah will rise up willingly to Hashem.
Rabbi Akiva VeToraso, p. 72
