Torah Insight 妥拉解析
本专栏收集拉比们所写的对妥拉的解析，从英文翻译成中文，帮助读者进一步读懂妥拉的深意。收集足够数量时，将出版一本短文集。This column collects Torah commentaries written by rabbis—translated from English into Chinese—to help readers gain a deeper understanding of the Torah's profound meaning. When we reach sufficient number of collections, we'll publish a paperback.
Rabbi Chaim Alevsky 拉比哈因·阿来夫斯基
Rabbi Chaim Alevksy, Mitzvah Workshops, Cleveland, OH. 拉比哈因·阿来夫斯基，领导Mitzvah Workshops教学项目的拉比，位于美国俄亥俄州的克利夫兰市。
The Torah Says 42
《妥拉》说是 42
Life is a journey. Arguably one of the most popular quotes in the universe. Perhaps even in the galaxy. I did a Google search this morning for the phrase “life is a journey,” and it came back with billions of results. A hundred years from now, people may ask, “What was Google?” but the Torah will still be just as relevant as ever. And the Torah says that life is, in fact, a journey.
In 1979, Douglas Adams published The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, which became a major cultural phenomenon. Radio, books, comic strips, films, the whole thing. And famously, in that story, the answer to the great question of life, the universe, and everything is the number 42. My friends, he got it right. He may not have known why, but the Torah tells us this week that the answer really is 42.
This week’s Torah portion is a double portion, Matos-Masei, and we are going to focus on Masei, which means journeys. The portion opens with the words, “Eileh masei bnei Yisrael asher yatzu mei’eretz Mitzrayim,” these are the journeys of the children of Israel, who went out from Egypt. The Torah then lists the 42 journeys, the 42 stops, from the time the Jewish people left Egypt until they arrived at the border of the Land of Israel, by the Jordan River near Yericho, Jericho.
The classic question is simple. Why does the Torah call them “journeys” out of Egypt, in the plural? They left Egypt once. One Exodus. After that, they traveled, they camped, they moved again, but the actual leaving of Egypt happened only at the beginning. So why does the Torah say, “These are the journeys,” plural, “through which they left Egypt”?
“人生是一场旅程”——这恐怕是全宇宙（甚至全银河系）最广为流传的名言之一。今天早上，我在谷歌上搜索了“人生是一场旅程”这句话，结果显示有数十亿条相关信息。也许再过一百年，人们会问“谷歌是什么？”，但《托拉》的意义却依然如故，历久弥新。而《托拉》确实告诉我们：人生就是一场旅程。
1979年，道格拉斯·亚当斯（Douglas Adams）出版了《银河系漫游指南》（The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy），这部作品引发了巨大的文化轰动，涵盖了广播剧、书籍、连环画、电影等多种形式。书中有一个著名的情节：关于生命、宇宙以及万事万物的终极问题的答案，竟然是数字“42”。朋友们，他说对了。也许他自己并不知道其中的缘由，但本周的《妥拉》经文告诉我们：这个答案确实是42。
本周的《妥拉》诵读篇章是“马托特-马塞”（Matos-Masei）合篇，我们将重点关注“马塞”（Masei）这一部分，其意为“旅程”。该篇章开篇写道：“Eileh masei bnei Yisrael asher yatzu mei’eretz Mitzrayim”——意即“这是以色列子民离开埃及之地的旅程”。随后，《妥拉》列举了这42段旅程（即42个站点），记录了犹太民族从离开埃及，一直到抵达以色列地边界——即约旦河畔耶利哥（Jericho）附近——的全过程。
这里有一个经典的问题：为什么《妥拉》将他们离开埃及的过程称为“旅程”（复数形式）呢？毕竟，他们离开埃及只有一次，即那场“出埃及”事件。此后，他们虽然不断行进、安营扎寨、再次迁徙，但真正意义上的“离开埃及”只发生在最初的时刻。那么，为什么《妥拉》要用复数形式说“这是他们离开埃及的旅程”呢？
Egypt Is a State of Mind
The Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidus, the Chassidic movement, gives us the key. The Torah is not only telling us ancient history. It is eternal. Every word speaks to every generation, every person, every place, and every moment. So when the Torah says there are 42 journeys out of Egypt, it is also describing the journey of every human being. Until you arrive at your destination, you are still leaving Egypt. Life itself is a journey out of Egypt, and that journey has 42 stages.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe expands this idea in many places. Egypt in Hebrew is Mitzrayim. Mitzrayim is connected to the word meitzar, which means a narrow place, a constraint, a tight space. It is also related to tzar, narrowness or trouble. So Mitzrayim is not only a country where real people enslaved the Jewish people. Mitzrayim is also a spiritual condition. It is every form of limitation that holds a person back from becoming who they are meant to become.
Your habits can be Mitzrayim. Your ego can be Mitzrayim. Fear can be Mitzrayim. Comfort can be Mitzrayim. The voice inside that says, “This is just how I am,” can be Mitzrayim. Anything that keeps a person small, stuck, limited, or asleep to their own G-dly potential is a kind of Egypt.
And where are we going? We are going to Eretz Yisrael, the Land of Israel, which the Torah describes as “tovah u’rechavah,” a good and spacious land. We are moving from narrowness to expansiveness, from constriction to openness, from being trapped inside our limitations to living with a broader, freer, more G-dly consciousness.
That is the journey. From Mitzrayim to Yisrael. From narrow to wide. From stuck to alive.
“埃及”是一种精神状态。
哈西德派（Chassidus）创始人巴尔·谢姆·托夫（Baal Shem Tov）为我们揭示了其中的奥秘。《妥拉》不仅仅是在讲述古代历史，它具有永恒的意义。其中的每一个字都对每一个时代、每一个人、每一个地点以及每一个时刻有着启示。因此，当《妥拉》提到离开埃及的四十二段旅程时，它同时也描述了每个人的人生旅程。在抵达终点之前，我们始终处于“离开埃及”的过程中。生命本身就是一场走出埃及的旅程，而这场旅程包含着四十二个阶段。
卢巴维奇派拉比（Lubavitcher Rebbe）在许多场合都阐述了这一理念。在希伯来语中，“埃及”被称为“米茨拉伊姆”（Mitzrayim）。这个词与“梅察尔”（meitzar）一词相关联，意为狭窄之处、束缚或局促的空间；它也与“察尔”（tzar）有关，意指狭窄或困境。因此，“米茨拉伊姆”不仅指那个曾奴役犹太民族的现实国度，更是一种精神状态。它代表了阻碍一个人成为其本应成为之人的各种形式的局限。
你的习惯可能是“米茨拉伊姆”，你的自我（小我）可能是“米茨拉伊姆”，恐惧可能是“米茨拉伊姆”，安逸也可能是“米茨拉伊姆”。内心那个说着“我生来就是这样”的声音，同样可能是“米茨拉伊姆”。任何让人变得渺小、停滞不前、受限，或是让人对自身神圣潜能浑然不觉的事物，都是一种“埃及”。
那么，我们要去向何方？我们要去往“以色列地”（Eretz Yisrael），《妥拉》将其描述为“托瓦·乌·雷哈瓦”（tovah u’rechavah）——一片美好而广阔的土地。我们正从狭隘走向广阔，从束缚走向开放，从困于自身的局限之中，转向一种更宽广、更自由、更具神性的意识境界。
这就是那场旅程：从“米茨拉伊姆”到“以色列”；从狭窄到宽广；从停滞到充满生机。
Every Breakthrough Becomes the Next Starting Point
But here is the deeper point. The Rebbe explains that every time you reach a new level of expansion, that new level eventually becomes your next Mitzrayim. Yesterday’s breakthrough becomes today’s comfort zone. What once felt courageous can become familiar. What once stretched you can become the new place where you settle. So a person has to keep moving. You leave one Egypt, reach one Israel, and then that Israel becomes the place from which you must grow further.
That is why life is a series of perpetual journeys. As long as we are alive, we are traveling. If the journey stops completely, G-d forbid, that means life in this world has stopped. But as long as we are breathing, there is another step, another challenge, another opportunity, another Egypt to leave, and another level of Israel to enter.
This happens in the big arc of life, and it happens in the smaller rhythm of a single day. Chassidus, the inner dimension of Torah, explains that these 42 journeys exist collectively in Jewish history, personally in every individual life, and even in miniature inside a productive day. Every day has its own narrow places, its own tests, its own moments where you can either stay where you are or move forward.
每一次突破都成为新的起点
但这里有一个更深层的含义。拉比（Rebbe）解释说，每当你达到一个新的扩展层次时，这个新层次最终会变成你下一个“埃及”（Mitzrayim，意为“狭窄之地”或“束缚”）。昨天的突破会变成今天的舒适区。曾经需要勇气的举动可能变得习以为常；曾经促使你超越自我的挑战，可能变成你安于现状的新起点。因此，人必须不断前行。你离开一个“埃及”，抵达一个“以色列”（象征自由与应许之地），而这个“以色列”又会成为你必须进一步成长的立足点。
正因如此，人生是一连串永无止境的旅程。只要我们活着，我们就在旅途中。如果旅程彻底停滞——愿上天保佑不发生这种事——那就意味着在世的生命终结了。但只要我们还在呼吸，就总有下一步、新挑战、新机遇，总有需要离开的“埃及”，以及需要进入的更高层次的“以色列”。
这种过程既体现在人生的宏大历程中，也体现在每一天的细微节奏里。哈西德主义（Chassidus）——即妥拉（Torah）的内在精义——阐释道：这四十二段旅程不仅存在于犹太民族的宏观历史中，也存在于每个人的个体生命里，甚至浓缩在充实的一天之中。每一天都有其特有的“狭窄之地”与考验，也有关键时刻——让你抉择是原地踏步，还是奋勇向前。
Resistance Builds the Soul
What is the point of all these journeys? Why does life have to keep pushing us? The answer is growth. When you overcome an obstacle, you do not only get past the obstacle. You become stronger. Physically, emotionally, spiritually, this is how strength works. A muscle grows through resistance. A soul grows the same way. Every challenge that you face properly becomes strength you carry into the next stage of your journey.
The last stop before entering the Land of Israel was by Yericho, Jericho. The Rebbe explains in a maamar, a deep Chassidic discourse, that Yericho is connected to the word reiach, smell. This connects to Mashiach, the redeemer, because our sages teach that Mashiach has a special connection to the sense of smell, meaning he will perceive the truth of things with a clarity beyond ordinary sight and hearing. So the final destination of these journeys is not merely entering a physical land. The final destination is the complete redemption, the world as it will be when Mashiach comes, when G-dliness is revealed fully and the journey finally reaches its purpose.
The Narrow Days
This is especially powerful because we are learning this during the Three Weeks, the period of mourning over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In Hebrew, this time is called Bein HaMetzarim, “between the straits,” between the narrow places. It is the same root as Mitzrayim. We are literally in a time of narrowness, learning about how every narrow place can become part of the journey toward redemption.
阻力铸就灵魂
这一切旅程的意义何在？为何生命总在不断推动我们前行？答案在于成长。当你克服障碍时，你不仅仅是跨越了障碍，更变得愈发强大。无论是在身体、情感还是精神层面，力量的增长皆是如此：肌肉因阻力而生长，灵魂的成长亦然。每一次以正确态度面对的挑战，都会转化为力量，伴随你进入旅程的下一阶段。
在进入以色列地之前的最后一站是耶利哥（Yericho）。瑞比（Rebbe）在一篇关于哈西德（Chassidic）教义的深刻论述中解释道，耶利哥（Yericho）一词与“气味”（reiach）一词有着内在联系。这种联系指向了救赎者弥赛亚（Mashiach），因为圣贤教导我们，弥赛亚与嗅觉有着特殊的关联——这意味着他能洞察事物的真相，其洞察力超越了凡人的视觉与听觉。因此，这些旅程的终点不仅仅是进入一片物质的土地；其终极目标是彻底的救赎，即弥赛亚降临时的世界——那时神性将完全显现，旅程也将最终达成其使命。
“狭窄”的日子
这一点尤为发人深省，因为我们正处于“三周”（Three Weeks）期间——这是哀悼耶路撒冷圣殿（Beis Hamikdash）被毁的时期。在希伯来语中，这段时期被称为“Bein HaMetzarim”，意为“在海峡之间”或“在狭窄之处之间”；该词与“Mitzrayim”（埃及）一词源自同一词根。我们正身处一段“狭窄”的时光，在学习怎样让每一个“狭窄”的境地都变成通往救赎旅程的一部分。
The Name of Ascent
There is another layer here. In Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, the number 42 is connected to one of the holy Names of Hashem, G-d. This 42-letter Name is associated with aliyah, with ascent, with rising from a lower place to a higher place. That means the 42 journeys were not random wandering. Every stop was part of an ascent. Even the hard places. Even the confusing places. Even the places that looked like setbacks.
We invoke this idea in the prayer Ana B’choach, a mystical prayer said in the morning prayers and also on Friday evening as we rise from the weekday into the holiness of Shabbos. Ana B’choach has 42 words, and the initials of those words form the 42-letter Name of Hashem. It is a prayer of elevation, a prayer for movement upward.
The Arizal, Rabbi Yitzchak Luria, the great Kabbalist, also connects the number 42 to Kaddish, the prayer recited by mourners and in other parts of davening, prayer. In Kaddish, there is a sequence of praises that all begin with the letter vav. The structure alludes to 42, and through it we elevate the souls of those for whom Kaddish is being said. Again, 42 is not just a number. It is movement. It is ascent. It is the soul rising higher.
Make the Journey Count
So yes, life is a journey. But the Torah makes it sharper. Life is 42 journeys. Forty-two stages of leaving narrowness. Forty-two movements toward expansion. Forty-two opportunities to become more free, more alive, more connected, more honest, more G-dly.
The answer is 42 because the question is: how does a person get from Egypt to Israel? How do we get from limitation to redemption? How do we take the narrow places of life and turn them into steps upward?
That is the journey. Make it count.
“提升”之名
这里还有更深一层的含义。在犹太神秘主义（卡巴拉）中，数字42与上帝（Hashem）的一个神圣名号相关联。这个由42个字母组成的名号与“阿利亚”（Aliyah）——即“提升”或从低处向高处攀升——紧密相连。这意味着那42次旅程并非漫无目的的游荡。每一个停留点都是“提升”过程的一部分。即便是在艰难之地、困惑之地，甚至是在看似挫折的时刻，亦是如此。
我们在《Ana B’choach》（“凭藉祢的大能”）这篇祷文中唤起这一理念；这是一篇神秘主义祷文，既在晨祷时诵读，也在周五傍晚——当我们从世俗工作日过渡到神圣的安息日（Shabbos）时——诵读。《Ana B’choach》包含42个词，这些词的首字母组合起来，便构成了上帝那42个字母的神圣名号。这是一篇关于升华的祷文，一篇祈求向上进阶的祷文。
伟大的卡巴拉学者阿里扎尔（Arizal，即拉比伊扎克·卢里亚）也将数字42与“卡迪什”（Kaddish）联系起来——这是由哀悼者诵读以及在其他祷告环节中使用的祷文。在“卡迪什”中，有一连串以希伯来字母“Vav”开头的赞美之词。这种结构暗合了数字42；通过它，我们得以升华那些为之诵读“卡迪什”之人的灵魂。再次强调，42不仅仅是一个数字。它代表着运动，代表着提升，代表着灵魂向更高境界的升华。
让旅程充满意义
诚然，人生是一场旅程。但《妥拉》（Torah）赋予了它更深刻的内涵：人生是由42段旅程构成的。这是42个走出狭隘困境的阶段，42次迈向广阔天地的进阶，42个变得更加自由、更具活力、联系更紧密、更诚实、更具神性的契机。
答案之所以是42，是因为这个问题：一个人如何从埃及抵达以色列？我们如何从局限走向救赎？我们如何将生命中的狭隘困境转化为向上攀升的阶梯？
这便是人生的旅程。请使它富含意义。
Why Do We Pray?
我们为何祈祷？
(July, 2022)
Live from Central Park, almost 100 degrees today, and we are braving the heat to share a beautiful Torah thought.
When we pray, what are we really doing?
Why do we pray? When we pray, are we simply asking G-d for things? Is it proper to ask G-d for our needs, or does that turn prayer into a way of “gaming the system,” using our relationship with G-d to get what we want?
A similar question can be asked about human relationships. When parents love their children, is that love based on a calculation? Is it because of some gain they expect to receive in return?
The Rebbe also addresses another powerful question: if you saw someone standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, G-d forbid, about to jump, would you try to stop him or her, or would you say that it is none of your business?
These questions help us understand a beautiful perspective from the Rebbe on the Korban Tamid, the daily offering in the Beis Hamikdash, and what it teaches us about prayer.
Korban Means Coming Close
In the days of the Beis Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, the Jewish people came close to G-d through korbanos.
The word korban is usually translated as a sacrifice or offering. But the literal meaning is deeper. Korban comes from the word karov, close. A korban is not merely an offering. It is an act of drawing close to G-d.
There were many kinds of korbanos. Some were personal offerings, some were communal offerings, and others were brought on Shabbos, Yom Tov, and special occasions. Each had its own laws and meaning.
Today, without the Beis Hamikdash, we do not bring korbanos. In fact, we are forbidden to bring animal offerings outside of the Temple. In their place, our Sages established tefillah, prayer.
The Gemara teaches: Tefillos b’makom korbanos tiknum.
Our prayers were established in place of the korbanos.
In the time of the Beis Hamikdash, the Jewish people brought offerings. Today, we offer prayers.
（2022年7月）
我们在中央公园现场直播，今天气温接近华氏100度（约38摄氏度），我们顶着酷暑来分享一个关于《妥拉》（Torah）的美好感悟。
当我们祈祷时，我们究竟在做什么？
我们为何祈祷？祈祷时，我们仅仅是在向神索取什么吗？向神祈求满足我们的需求是否恰当？还是说，这会让祈祷变成一种“钻空子”的手段——利用我们与神的关系来获取我们想要的东西？
关于人际关系，也可以提出类似的问题。当父母爱自己的孩子时，这种爱是基于某种算计吗？是因为他们期望得到某种回报吗？
“瑞比”（Rebbe，犹太领袖）还探讨了另一个发人深省的问题：如果你看到有人站在布鲁克林大桥上——愿神保佑，千万别发生这种事——正准备跳下去，你会试图阻止他（或她），还是会觉得这与你无关？
这些问题有助于我们理解瑞比关于Korban Tamid，即圣殿中的每日献祭的一个美好观点，以及它对我们理解祈祷的启示。
Korban意为“靠近”
在耶路撒冷圣殿（Beis Hamikdash）存在的时代，犹太人民通过korbanos，即献祭来亲近神。
korbanos一词通常被译为“牺牲”或“供物”，但其字面含义更为深远。korbanos源自karov一词，意为“靠近”。因此，korbanos不仅仅是一种供物，更是一种亲近神的行为。
korbanos有多种形式：有些是个人献祭，有些是集体献祭，还有些是在安息日、节日或特殊场合进行的献祭。每种献祭都有其特定的律法和意义。
如今，由于圣殿已不复存在，我们不再进行korbanos献祭。事实上，在圣殿之外献祭动物是被禁止的。作为替代，我们的智者确立了tefillah，即祈祷。
《革马拉》（Gemara）教导我们：“Tefillos b’makom korbanos tiknum。”
我们的祈祷正是为了替代korbanos献祭而设立的。
在圣殿时代，犹太人民通过献祭来表达敬意。今天，我们献上祈祷。
The Daily Offering
The specific korban connected to our daily prayers appears in Parshas Pinchas.
The Torah says:
Tzav es Bnei Yisrael v’amarta aleihem, es korbani lachmi l’ishai, rei’ach nicho’chi, tishmeru l’hakriv li b’mo’ado.
G-d tells Moshe to command the Jewish people to bring “My offering, My bread for My fire, My pleasing aroma,” at its proper time.
The Torah then continues:
Es hakeves echad ta’aseh baboker, v’es hakeves hasheini ta’aseh bein ha’arbayim.
One lamb was brought in the morning, and a second lamb was brought in the afternoon.
This was the Korban Tamid, the constant daily offering. It was brought every single day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Our Sages explain that Shacharis, the morning prayer, corresponds to the morning Korban Tamid, while Mincha, the afternoon prayer, corresponds to the afternoon Korban Tamid.
Even today, this idea appears in our daily davening. Before the main sections of Shacharis, we say the section of Korbanos. There we turn to G-d and say, in effect: You commanded us to bring offerings in the Beis Hamikdash, but now we cannot. Please accept the words of our lips in place of the korbanos.
This is the meaning of the verse: Uneshalmah parim sefaseinu.
Let our lips take the place of the offerings.
Prayer, then, is not a new invention. It is the present-day expression of the korbanos.
The Purpose of Prayer
The Rebbe asks: what is the inner meaning of a korban?
Since korban means closeness, the purpose of a korban is to draw close to G-d. True closeness means coming near without an ulterior motive. It means seeking the relationship itself, not merely the benefits that may come from it.
This is an important point, because our prayers do include requests. In the Amidah, we ask G-d for wisdom, forgiveness, healing, livelihood, redemption, and many other needs. Asking G-d for what we need is not wrong. On the contrary, it is part of prayer, and when a person needs something, he should ask G-d for it.
But the Rebbe teaches that requests are not the essence of prayer.
The deepest purpose of prayer is not to get something from G-d. The deepest purpose of prayer is to come close to G-d.
每日献祭
与我们每日祷告相关的特定献祭（Korban）记载在《平哈斯篇》（Parshas Pinchas）中。
《妥拉》写道：
“你要吩咐以色列人说：‘你们要谨守，在特定的时间向我献上我的供物，即作为火祭的食物，那是我馨香的祭物。’”
上帝吩咐摩西，要犹太民族在规定的时间献上“我的供物、作为火祭的食物、那馨香的祭物”。
《妥拉》接着写道：
“一只羔羊要在早晨献上，另一只羔羊要在黄昏献上。”
这就是“常祭”（Korban Tamid），即每日恒常献上的祭物。它每天都要献上，一次在早晨，一次在黄昏。
我们的智者解释说，晨祷（Shacharis）对应早晨的常祭，而午后祷告（Mincha）则对应午后的常祭。
即使在今天，这一理念仍体现在我们的日常祷告中。在晨祷的主要部分开始之前，我们会诵读关于献祭（Korbanos）的段落。在那里，我们转向神，大意是说：您曾命令我们在圣殿（Beis Hamikdash）献祭，但如今我们已无法那样做。请接纳我们唇间的言语，以此来代替那些祭物。
这正是经文“我们要用嘴唇献上祭物”（Uneshalmah parim sefaseinu）的含义。
让我们的嘴唇来代替祭物。
由此可见，祷告并非什么新发明，而是古代献祭在当代的体现。
祷告的目的
瑞比（Rebbe）问道：献祭（Korban）的内在含义是什么？
既然“Korban”一词意为“亲近”，那么献祭的目的就是为了亲近神。真正的亲近意味着不带任何私心地靠近；意味着寻求建立关系本身，而不仅仅是为了从中获取利益。
这一点至关重要，因为我们的祷告确实包含着各种祈求。在“阿米达”（Amidah）祷告中，我们向神祈求智慧、宽恕、医治、生计、救赎以及其他许多方面的所需。向神祈求我们所需之物并无不妥；恰恰相反，这是祷告的一部分——当人有需要时，理应向神祈求。
然而，瑞比（Rebbe）教导说，祈求并非祷告的精髓。
祷告最深层的目的，并非为了从神那里获取什么；祷告最深层的目的，是亲近神。
The Korban Olah
This idea is reflected in the specific type of offering that the Korban Tamid was.
The Korban Tamid was a korban olah.
Many korbanos provided some benefit to the people who brought them. Certain parts were burned on the altar, while other parts were eaten by the Kohanim, by the person who brought the offering, or by his family and guests.
The olah was different. The word olah means that it rises upward. The entire offering was burned on the altar. No portion was eaten by any person.
The olah was kulo laHashem, entirely for G-d.
That is why the Korban Tamid teaches us the essence of prayer. If our prayers today stand in place of the Korban Tamid, and the Korban Tamid was an olah, then our prayers must also carry the spirit of an olah.
Prayer must be, at its core, for G-d.
Of course, we may ask for our needs. We should ask for our needs. But the foundation of prayer is not taking. It is connection.
Tefillah Means Binding
The Rebbe explains that the word tefillah is related to the word tofel, which means to attach or bind. Tefillah binds a person to G-d.
Prayer is not only a time to present a list of requests. It is the time when a person attaches himself to Hashem, where we remember that beyond all our specific needs, our deepest need is closeness to G-d.
A person needs health, livelihood, peace of mind, family blessing, and success. But beneath all of that, the soul needs connection.
That is what prayer gives us.
全燔祭（Korban Olah）
这一理念体现在“Korban Tamid，即每日恒常祭这种特定类型的祭祀之中。
每日恒常祭属于一种全燔祭。
许多祭祀都能为献祭者带来某种益处：祭牲的某些部位在祭坛上焚烧，而其余部分则由祭司、献祭者本人或其家人与宾客食用。
全燔祭则不同。“Olah”一词意为“向上升腾”；整个祭牲都在祭坛上焚烧，没有任何部分供人食用。
“奥拉”祭是“库洛·拉哈先”（kulo laHashem）——即完全献给上帝的。
正因如此，每日恒常祭向我们揭示了祈祷的真谛。如果说我们今天的祈祷是每日恒常祭的替代，而每日恒常祭属于全燔祭，那么我们的祈祷也必须蕴含全燔祭的精神。
祈祷的核心，必须是为了上帝。
当然，我们可以祈求满足自身的需求，我们也应当这样做。但祈祷的基石并非索取，而是建立联结。
“特菲拉”（Tefillah）意为“联结”
瑞比（Rebbe）解释说，“特菲拉”（祈祷）一词与“托费尔”（tofel）一词相关，后者意为“附着”或“捆绑”。“特菲拉”将人与上帝联结在一起。
祈祷不仅仅是罗列各种请求的时刻，更是人与上帝建立联结的时刻；在这一时刻，我们铭记：除了种种具体需求之外，我们内心最深切的渴望是与上帝亲近。
人需要健康、生计、内心的安宁、家庭的福祉以及成功。但在这一切之下，灵魂真正需要的是联结。
而这正是祈祷赋予我们的。
Friendship Without an Agenda
The Rebbe illustrates this through the example of friendship.
If a person befriends someone only in order to gain something from the relationship, whether money, honor, influence, pleasure, or some other benefit, can that truly be called closeness?
No.
Such a person is not becoming close to the friend. He is becoming close to himself. The other person has merely become a tool through which he hopes to get what he wants.
The same can happen in prayer.
If a person prays only because he wants G-d to fulfill his needs, then he may be speaking to G-d, but the relationship remains centered around himself. He is not truly seeking closeness with G-d. He is seeking benefit from G-d.
Real prayer means: I want to be close to You. I want the relationship itself.
The Love of a Parent and Child
The Rebbe then gives another example: the love between a parent and a child.
A parent does not love a child because of what the child may one day give in return. A parent does not think, “I will care for my child now so that when I am old and unable to care for myself, my child will remember my love and pay me back.”
That is not parental love.
A parent loves a child because this is my child. The love is essential. It is not based on calculation.
Of course, a child should honor and care for a parent. But that is not why the parent loves the child.
Our relationship with G-d must be understood in the same way. We do not love G-d in order to get something from Him. We love G-d because we are bound to Him. Prayer expresses that essential bond.
不带功利目的的友谊
瑞比（Rebbe）通过友谊的例子阐明了这一点。
如果一个人与他人结交仅仅是为了从这段关系中获取利益——无论是金钱、名誉、影响力、享乐还是其他好处——这能真正被称为亲密吗？
不能。
这样的人并非在与朋友建立亲密关系，而是在向“自我”靠拢。对方仅仅成了他获取所需之物的一个工具。
在祈祷中也可能出现同样的情况。
如果一个人祈祷仅仅是为了让上帝满足自己的需求，那么尽管他可能是在与上帝对话，但这段关系的核心依然围绕着他自己。他并非真正寻求与上帝的亲密，而是在寻求从上帝那里获得利益。
真正的祈祷意味着：我渴望与您亲近。我珍视的是这段关系本身。
父母与子女之爱
随后，瑞比举了另一个例子：父母与子女之间的爱。
父母爱孩子，并非出于孩子日后可能给予的回报。父母不会这样想：“我现在照顾孩子，是为了等我年老无力自理时，孩子能铭记我的爱并予以回报。”
那并非父母之爱。
父母爱孩子，只因那是“我的孩子”。这种爱是本质性的，不建立在算计之上。
诚然，子女应当孝敬并关爱父母，但这并非父母爱子女的原因。
我们与上帝的关系也应作如是观。我们爱上帝，并非为了从祂那里索取什么；我们爱上帝，是因为我们与祂有着紧密的联结。祈祷正是这种本质联结的表达。
Morning and Afternoon
The Korban Tamid was brought twice a day: once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
The Rebbe explains that these two times represent two different states in a person’s life.
Morning represents light. It is a time when life feels clear and bright. A person has health, livelihood, family, friendship, success, and peace of mind. Everything seems to be moving in the right direction.
At such a time, a person may say: now I can serve G-d without asking for anything. Now I can pray simply to come close to Him, because I already have what I need.
The afternoon represents a different stage. The day begins to move toward evening. The light fades. Darkness approaches. This represents times when life feels difficult. A person may be struggling with health, family, livelihood, anxiety, uncertainty, or disappointment.
At such a time, a person may think: this is not the time for lofty prayer. Right now, I need help. Right now, I need to focus on my problems. When things become calm again, I will return to praying simply for closeness.
The Torah teaches otherwise.
The Korban Tamid was brought both baboker, in the morning, and bein ha’arbayim, in the afternoon.
The Jew brings the olah in times of light and in times of darkness. Even when a person has many needs and many worries, the essence of prayer remains the same. Prayer is still about coming close to G-d.
We may ask for everything we need. But even as we ask, we remember that prayer is not only about receiving. It is about connecting.
早晨与午后
每日献祭 Korban Tamid 每天献上两次：一次在早晨，一次在午后。
拉比解释说，这两个时刻代表了人生的两种不同状态。
早晨象征着光明。这是一个生活显得清晰明亮的时刻。人拥有健康、生计、家庭、友谊、成功与内心的安宁。一切似乎都在朝着正确的方向发展。
在这样的时刻，人可能会说：“现在我可以不求回报地侍奉上帝了。我可以单纯为了亲近祂而祈祷，因为我已经拥有了所需的一切。”
午后则代表了另一个阶段。白昼渐向黄昏过渡，光芒消退，黑暗逼近。这象征着生活变得艰难的时刻。人可能正为健康、家庭、生计、焦虑、不确定性或失望情绪所困扰。
在这样的时刻，人可能会想：“现在不是进行崇高祈祷的时候。眼下我需要帮助，需要专注于解决难题。等一切恢复平静，我再回归那种单纯为了亲近上帝而祈祷的状态吧。”
然而，妥拉的教导并非如此。
每日献祭既在早晨（*baboker*）献上，也在午后（*bein ha’arbayim*）献上。
犹太人在光明与黑暗的时刻都会献上“燔祭”（*olah*）。即便一个人有着诸多需求与忧虑，祈祷的本质依然未变——祈祷的核心始终是亲近上帝。
我们可以祈求所需的一切；但在祈求的同时，我们要铭记：祈祷不仅仅是为了索取，更是为了建立联结。
Why Is It Our Business?
The Rebbe adds one more point.
A person may hear this message and say: why are you involving yourself in my life? I am an independent person. If I want to pray, I will pray. If I do not want to pray, I will not. If I want to do mitzvos, I will. If I do not, I will not. Why is this your concern?
The Rebbe answers with a striking example.
If you saw someone standing on the Brooklyn Bridge, G-d forbid, preparing to jump, no decent person would say, “It is none of my business.” A person would do everything possible to save him or her.
Emergency services would do the same. Society recognizes that a person may not be allowed to destroy himself.
The Rebbe explains that this principle comes from Torah. A person does not have the right to harm himself. Since this is true physically, it is also true spiritually.
When a person refuses to pray, to learn Torah, to do mitzvos, or to live with G-dliness, he is harming himself spiritually. If we truly understand that, we cannot remain indifferent.
This does not mean controlling another person. It does not mean looking down at someone. It means caring enough to help.
Our mission is to help another human being, physically and spiritually. The Rebbe emphasizes that this responsibility applies to every person, Jew and non-Jew alike.
When someone is missing connection, meaning, and spiritual life, we must do what we can to help.
The Point
Prayer is not a transaction, and it is not merely a way to ask G-d for what we need. Prayer is today’s korban; it is the way we come close. The Korban Tamid, which defines our daily prayers, was an olah, an offering given entirely to G-d. That teaches us that the deepest part of prayer is not, “G-d, give me what I want,” but rather, “G-d, I want to be close to You.”
Of course, we ask for wisdom, healing, livelihood, family, peace of mind, and Moshiach. We are meant to bring our needs to Hashem. But we must not confuse the requests with the essence. The essence of prayer is closeness. In the morning, when life is bright, come close. In the afternoon, when life feels dark, come close. When you have many things to ask for, come close. When you do not even know what to ask for, come close. That is tefillah. That is the message of the Korban Tamid. That is the daily connection of a Jew with Hashem.
这和我们有何关系？
瑞比（Rebbe）补充了另一点。
一个人听到这个信息时可能会说：“你为什么要干涉我的生活？我是个独立的人。我想祈祷就祈祷，不想祈祷就不祈祷；我想行善（履行诫命）就做，不想做就不做。这关你什么事？”
瑞比用一个发人深省的例子回答了这个问题。
如果你看到有人站在布鲁克林大桥上——愿神保佑，这种事不会发生——准备跳下去，没有一个有良知的人会说“这不关我的事”。人们会竭尽全力去挽救那个人。
紧急救援人员也会这样做。社会公认，一个人不应被允许自我毁灭。
瑞比解释说，这一原则源于妥拉（Torah）。人无权伤害自己。既然在身体层面上如此，在精神层面上也是如此。
当一个人拒绝祈祷、学习妥拉，拒绝履行诫命，过一种充满神性的生活时，他实际上是在精神上伤害自己。如果我们真正理解这一点，就无法保持冷漠。
这并不意味着控制他人，也不意味着看不起别人。这意味着出于关怀而伸出援手。
我们的使命是在身体和精神上帮助他人。瑞比强调，这一责任适用于每个人，无论是犹太人还是非犹太人。
当有人缺失了与神的联结、生活的意义以及精神生活时，我们必须尽己所能去帮助他们。
核心要义
祈祷不是一种交易，也不仅仅是向神索取我们所需之物的方式。祈祷是当代的“祭”（korban，即祭祀）；它是我们亲近神的方式。Korban Tamid，即每日恒祭定义了我们的日常祈祷，它是一种 olah，即全燔祭，完全献给神。这教导我们，祈祷最深层的含义并非“神啊，请给我想要的”，而是“神啊，我渴望亲近你”。
当然，我们会祈求智慧、康复、生计、家庭、内心的安宁以及弥赛亚（Mashiach）的到来。我们理应将自己的需求带到神（Hashem）的面前。但我们切不可将祈求的内容与祈祷的本质混为一谈。祈祷的本质在于亲近。清晨，当生活充满光明之时，要亲近神；午后，当生活显得晦暗之时，也要亲近神。当你有所祈求时，要亲近神；当你甚至不知该求什么时，仍要亲近神。这便是Tefillah，即祈祷；这正是Korban Tamid，即每日恒常献祭所传达的信息；这也是犹太人与神之间每日维系的联结。
