By Rabbi Shay Tahan

A fascinating question was once brought before Rabbi Arye Zvi Frumer, author of Eretz Zvi. In one city, a man was unhappy with a particular shul and wanted to force it to close. To accomplish this, he rented the floor above the shul and turned it into a filthy place, hoping that the congregation would be unable to continue praying below. His plan was based on the ruling of the Taz, who discusses the danger of living above a shul, although other poskim disagree with his position and permit it under certain circumstances.

The man’s reasoning was that the filth above the shul would prevent the prayers from ascending to Heaven. Rabbi Frumer, however, explained that the congregation had nothing to fear. Their prayers did not ascend directly upward from the shul; rather, they were directed toward Eretz Yisrael, from where they could ascend to Heaven.

This response reflects a profound idea discussed by several great Torah authorities: the prayers of Jews throughout the world are directed toward Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim, ultimately reaching the site of the Beit Hamikdash, where the heavenly gate is located.

Rabbi Yosef Gikatilla, one of the great masters of Kabbalah who lived centuries before the Arizal, discusses this concept in his sefer Sha’arei Orah. He explains that prayers offered in the Diaspora face spiritual obstacles because the Jewish people live under the dominion of the nations and their appointed spiritual ministers. He writes that the gates of Heaven are in Eretz Yisrael and that prayers offered outside the Land must be directed toward Yerushalayim, from where they ascend on high.

Rabbi Gikatilla connects this idea to the conduct of Daniel, who continued to face Yerushalayim when praying even while living in exile. The pasuk states: “His windows were open in his upper chamber toward Yerushalayim” (Daniel 6:11).

Daniel’s conduct reflects the principle established by Shlomo Hamelech when he inaugurated the Beit Hamikdash: even when the Jewish people find themselves far from their homeland, they should direct their prayers toward the holy city.

Rabbi Yeshayah Halevi Horowitz, known as the Shelah Hakadosh, develops this concept in his siddur, Sha’ar Hashamayim. He offers an interpretation of the expression satam tefilatenu, which describes our prayers as being blocked or closed. The Shelah notes that although the word satum ordinarily means closed, the way the word is written with a shin allows for an interpretation associated with openness, as indicated by its use in other contexts. He explains that this alludes to the fact that the gates of Heaven are not equally accessible from every place; Eretz Yisrael has a special connection to the heavenly gate through which prayers ascend.

According to the Shelah, prayer offered in the Diaspora does not ascend through the same direct spiritual path as prayer offered in Eretz Yisrael. Since the Diaspora is under the dominion of spiritual ministers, he explains, the proper course is to direct one’s prayer toward Eretz Yisrael, then toward Yerushalayim and the site of the Beit Hamikdash, and ultimately toward the Kodesh Hakodashim, through the heavenly gate.

In the introduction to Sha’ar Hashamayim, the Shelah emphasizes that this principle applies not only to the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, but to the entire Jewish people: “This is the Gate of Heaven, the gate through which prayers ascend. This matter does not apply only to the prayers of those who dwell in Yerushalayim, but to the entire community, for the prayers of all the exiles of Israel ascend through the Gate of Heaven.”

Rabbi Yaakov Emden expresses a similar idea in the introduction to his siddur. He explains that although the Shechinah is present everywhere, prayer offered outside Eretz Yisrael does not ascend along a single, direct path. Rather, it must be directed toward Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim, toward the place of the Beit Hamikdash, opposite which stands the heavenly gate that Yaakov Avinu saw in his prophetic vision. Rabbi Emden supports this concept with the words of Shlomo Hamelech, who prayed that the Jewish people should direct their prayers toward their Land, and with Daniel’s practice of praying while facing Yerushalayim. He concludes by urging the reader to keep the holy city before his eyes and to envision himself standing before Hashem in the Beit Hamikdash, before the Aron Hakodesh. These teachings reveal the profound significance of directing our prayers toward Yerushalayim. According to these great Torah authorities, this is not merely a matter of physical orientation. It reflects the spiritual connection between the Jewish people, Eretz Yisrael, and the place where the Shechinah rests.

When a Jew stands in prayer thousands of miles from Yerushalayim, he is not spiritually disconnected from the holy city. By directing his prayer toward Yerushalayim and the site of the Beit Hamikdash, he expresses his connection to the place through which, according to these teachings, the prayers of the entire Jewish people ascend to Heaven. Thus, the poskim instruct us to direct our prayers toward Yerushalayim. But how is this accomplished? There is a machloket among the authorities. Some maintain that one must physically face toward Yerushalayim, while others emphasize that one should focus his heart and imagine himself standing in the Beit Hamikdash as he prays. Lehalachah, one should do both: face toward Yerushalayim and direct his heart toward the Beit Hamikdash.

The Mishnah Berurah (beginning of siman 98) writes that this intention should be contemplated before beginning the tefillah, but not during the actual prayer, since one must concentrate on the words he is reciting.