בנים על אם והכני יבוא פן אתו אנכי ירא כי עשו מיד אחי מיד נא הצילני" (יב לב)
Why, after asking "please save me from the hand of my brother," did Yaakov continue to detail "from the hand of Eisav"? Wasn't Eisav his only brother?
The holy Zohar in this parashah (169a) explains that indeed, Yaakov did not have other brothers, but because the word "ach", brother, is sometimes used in the context of "a relative," as Avraham said to Lot (Bereishis 13:8): "Ki anashim achim anachnu," therefore, Yaakov explained in his tefillah that he meant is literal brother – Eisav. This is because when a person davens, he has to detail his request clearly.
The Mishnah Berurah (119b) cites this Zohar regarding the halachah that a person is allowed to ask and detail personal requests in each one of the middle brachos in Shemoneh Esreh, and one is not instructed to suffice only with the general request in the body of the brachah.
But the question is asked: Why is it so important for a person to detail his request? Doesn't Hashem know our thoughts, and all one's intentions are clear and known to Him?
The Shelah HaKadosh explains that a person needs to explain his tefillah and not rely on the kavanos of the heart, because the words that a person utters have power, "as the words of tefillah are comprised from the holy letters, and they rise On High and breach the firmaments," and therefore a person should orally express his request, in a complete way.
Rav Shimshon Pincus explained this as follows: Tefillah does not work from the power of segulah, but rather from a natural power, as Hashem imbued it in the nature of the creations that the Jew has the power to pray and see salvation. Therefore, just like the natural hishtadlus is done in a clear and detailed fashion, likewise the tefillah, which, as noted, is part of natural hishtadlus should be said in a clear and detailed fashion.
Shelah Derech Chaim 33; She'arim B'Tefillah p. 93
The Megaleh Amukos expounds on this concept to explain the loftiness of answering amen:
The Rokeach explains (Hilchos Seudah 330) that "one who answers amen is greater than the mevarech," as per the words of Rabi Yosi (Brachos 53b), because while the mevarech only mentions in his brachah the Name of Adnus, the one who answers amen unifies in his answer the Names of Havayah and Adnus together, because amen is numerically equivalent to 91, which is equal to the two Names combined.
It would seem, however, that there is a ruling in halachah (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 5 1) that when mentioning the Name of Adnus in the brachah, the mevarech has to also have in mind the Shem Hava-yah, and if so, why is the oneh greater than the mevarech if the mevarech also unites the two Names?
But while the mevarech utters only the Name of Adnus, and has in mind the Shem Hava-yah, it is only in his thoughts, while the one who answers amen is considered to have uttered the two Names, because together, they are included in the answering of amen that he utters, and because uttering the Names verbally is more important than thinking them, therefore "the one who answers amen is greater than the mevarech."
Megaleh Amukos V'eschanan
Based on this, Harav Yosef Shaul Nathanson explained the view of his grandfather, the Bach (Orach Chaim 47), that one should detail in Birchas HaTorah: "And we, and our children, and our children's children." It would seem that the description of "tze'etza'einu" already includes our sons and grandsons as one, as proven from the brachah after milah: "Asher kidesh yedidi mibeten vechok bishe'ero sam vetze'etza'av chasam b'os bris kodesh," and the Tosafos explains (Shabbos 137b, ad loc. Yedid "ידיד" :) is Avraham Avinu, " "שארו– is Yitzchak, his son, and " "וצאצאיו– are Yaakov and his sons, who are the descendants of Yitzchak as well.
However, according to the Zohar, that when making a request a person has to detail his request very clearly, this becomes clear: The tefillah of "veha'arev na" is considered a request, and therefore, one must detail "vetze'etza'ei tze'etza'einu" but the brachah of the milah is considered gratitude, and with gratitude it is enough to mention briefly "vetze'etza'av."
Yad Shaul, Yoreh Deah 265
