A Yid is walking in a dangerous place, where there are packs of dangerous animals and where a war is going on. His tension mounts; he cannot concentrate. The time comes to daven, but he isn’t capable of davening properly. What is the halachah? What should he do?
Rambam teaches (Hilchos Tefillah, ch. 4) that he should say one brachah: “May it be your will, Hashem, to give each person his sustenance and to each man what he is lacking, and do that which is good in Your Eyes. Blessed are you Hashem...shomeia tefillah.
Kesef Mishneh cites the words of Rabbeinu Mano’ach and explains the words “do that which is good in Your Eyes.” Essentially, what we are saying is: Don’t do what is good in my eyes, since I do not know what is good. Rather, do what is good in Your Eyes, for You, Hashem, know everything, from the beginning until the end of time. You know each person to the innermost depths of his soul. You know the past, present and future. Therefore, whatever You, the Creator yisbarach, understand should be – that is the best thing to do.
The request that Hashem do what is good in His Eyes is not an easy one to make. By nature, a small child who sees his father withholding a sweet snack from him will cry and scream and ask for more. While the father knows that this food could cause him a dangerous allergic reaction, the child does not understand this. However, when the child grows and becomes wiser and more understanding, he will ask on his own: “Abba, I’m asking you to safeguard me and not to give me this food. Please, give me only what is good for me.”
This is a wise and mature outlook; it is the request of one who has total trust in his Father. This request is unique to the chosen nation, to Yidden alone. This distinction is found in Yitzchak Avinu, as well as in Shlomo Hamelech.
Yitzchak gave the brachos to Yaakov, the chosen Forefather – those same special brachos that Rivka, through her ruach hakodesh, knew were appropriate specifically for the son who would become the father of our nation. This is the brachah that Yitzchak gave: “And Elokim shall give you....” Considering that he was speaking about a brachah, why
