תדרשנו כי ומצאת אלקיך ‘ה את משם ובקשתם" (כט ד) "נפשך ובכל לבבך בכל
Why does the passuk begin with the plural "Ubikashtem" and concludes with the singular "umatzasa"?
Harav Shlomo Kluger explained: Chazal say (Rosh Hashanah 18a) that the tefillah of the tzibbur is accepted at all times, and there is no need for a special eis ratzon. From the words of Chazal there, it appears that the kavanah is not only for a request of the entire tzibbur, which is requested when said with the tzibbur. Even an individual who asks a personal request during tefillah betzibbur is guaranteed that his request will be answered. In order to teach us this concept, the passuk begins in the plural and concludes in the singular: "Ubikashtem" – during the time of tefillas rabbim "umatzasa" – that the individual request of one person is also accepted.
Harav Duber Yaffeh, the Rav of Otian and a talmid of Harav Chaim of Volozhin, explained it differently: In Maseches Rosh Hashanah (18a), Rabbi Meir asks how it is possible that two people became sick and bedridden, and they were in the same condition, yet one was healed and the other was not? He replies that the reason is because one davened a complete tefillah, meaning with kavanah, and the other did not daven a complete tefillah! Thus the passuk begins with the plural and concludes with the singular: "Ubikashtem" – even though two people are asking only one of them merits "umatzasa" – and that is the one who fulfills with all his hear the words "ki sidreshenau bechol levavcha uvechol nafshecha."
Imrei Shefer; Yesod Ohel Moed p. 29
