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DAAT · LEVEL 1 — INTRODUCTION

Siman ק״כ · The blessing רצה

שראוי לומר רצה בכל תפילה — one should say רצה in every prayer: one recites the blessing of the עבודה (רצה) in all the prayers (אומרים רצה בכל התפלות), against those who had the custom not to say it at Mincha (ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה); and the meaning of this berakha — the return of the service to the Temple
סימן ק״כ · סעיף אחד
שראוי לומר רצה בכל תפילה
🌱 Introductory level · Beginners
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This siman teaches that one says the blessing רצה (the blessing of the עבודה, the service) in all the prayers: אומרים רצה בכל התפלות, ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה — against those who had the custom not to say it at Mincha. The meaning of the berakha: to ask for the return of the service to the Beit haMikdash. Hebrew text, fluent English translation and explanation of the seif, with a section of practical points.

Topic: Saying רצה in all the prayers — רצה בכל התפלות, ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה
Source: שולחן ערוך אורח חיים סימן ק״כ · סעיף אחד

Compiled by: רב יוסף חיים סממה
DAAT · daattorah.com

The Amida ends with three blessings said in every prayer — רצה (the עבודה), מודים (thanksgiving) and שים שלום (peace). This siman rejects an old custom that omitted the blessing רצה at Mincha: the din is that one says it in all the prayers, without distinction. We study here at the level of principle; for personal conduct, one refers to the custom and to the ruling of the Rav.

📑 Study outline

A. The seif — אומרים רצה בכל התפלות, ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה, and the meaning of the ברכת העבודה
1. Practical point — saying רצה at Mincha as at Shacharit and Arvit
2. Practical point — the kavana of the berakha: the return of the service (השב את העבודה)
3. Practical point — רצה, one of the three last blessings said in every תפלה
+ Comprehension questions and going further

A. Saying רצה in all the prayers — the seif

שֶׁרָאוּי לוֹמַר רְצֵה בְּכָל תְּפִלָּה — one should say רצה in every prayer — two ideas in a single seif: one says the blessing רצה (the עבודה) בכל התפלות, in all the prayers; ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה — and not like those who had the custom not to say it at Mincha. רצה is the blessing of the service: in it one asks for the return of the עבודה to the Beit haMikdash.
אומרים רצה בכל התפלות ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה.
The seif: one says רצה (the blessing of the עבודה) in all the prayers (אומרים רצה בכל התפלות), and not like those who had the custom not to say it at Mincha (ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה).

רצה — the blessing of the עבודה

רצה is the blessing of the עבודה (the divine service). In it one asks Hashem to favor His people Israel and their prayer — רצה ה׳ אלקינו בעמך ישראל ובתפלתם — and to restore the service to the Beit haMikdash (השב את העבודה). It is the aspiration for the return of the Shechina and the service of the Temple, expressed at every תפלה.

בכל התפלות — in all the prayers

The Mechaber rules: אומרים רצה בכל התפלות — one says the blessing רצה in each of the prayers: Shacharit, Mincha and Arvit. It is not particular to one prayer: wherever one recites the Amida, one also recites the blessing of the עבודה, without omitting anything from it.

ודלא כאותם שנוהגים — against the contrary custom

The Mechaber expressly sets aside a custom: ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה — not like those whose custom was not to say רצה at Mincha. The halakha does not follow this practice: the blessing of the עבודה is said at Mincha as at the other services, in full and without change.

עבודה — the return of the service

Why this blessing in every prayer? Because it is one of the three last blessings of the Amida (רצה, מודים, שים שלום), which accompany every service. Its heart is the hope for the return of the service: ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון ברחמים. To say it at every prayer is to ask, again and again, for the restoration of the עבודה.
The siman in one sentence: one says the blessing רצה — the עבודה — in all the prayers (אומרים רצה בכל התפלות), ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה ; for it is one of the three last blessings of the Amida, and its object is the return of the service to the Beit haMikdash.

Practical points

Point 1 — Saying רצה at Mincha

Situation: one prays Mincha and reaches the blessing of the עבודה. Should one say it as at Shacharit?
Conduct: yes — אומרים רצה בכל התפלות. One recites the blessing רצה in full at Mincha as at every other prayer; one does not follow the custom of those who omitted it (ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה). For the details of custom, one follows one's Rav.

Point 2 — The kavana of the berakha

Situation: when saying רצה, what intention should one have in mind?
Conduct: one asks Hashem to favor Israel and their prayer, and to restore the service (השב את העבודה) to the Beit haMikdash — ותחזינה עינינו בשובך לציון. This is the moment to express the hope for the rebuilding and the return of the Shechina. For deepening the kavana, one follows one's Rav.

Point 3 — The three last blessings

Situation: why is the blessing רצה said in all the prayers, even those of Shabbat and the festivals?
Conduct: because רצה belongs to the three last blessings of the Amida (רצה, מודים, שים שלום), which do not change and accompany every service. That is why one recites it בכל התפלות, without distinction. For special cases, one follows one's Rav.

Comprehension questions

Check your understanding:
  1. What is the blessing רצה, and what does one ask for when saying it?
  2. What does « אומרים רצה בכל התפלות » mean: in which prayers does one say it?
  3. Which custom does the Mechaber come to set aside (ודלא כאותם שנוהגים שלא לאומרו במנחה)?
  4. To which group of the Amida's blessings does רצה belong?
  5. What is the connection between רצה and the return of the service (השב את העבודה) to the Beit haMikdash?

Going further

If you wish to deepen this siman:
Continue to the next simanSiman 121 →
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DAAT · רב יוסף חיים סממה

סימן ק״כ · סעיף אחד · Level 1 — Introduction
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