The Bet HaLevi, in his commentary on the Torah (Bereshit chapter 37) brings down the following pasuk from Yeshaya (chapter 57),
בְּזַעֲקֵךְ יַצִּילֻךְ קִבּוּצַיִךְ
When you call out to God, you will be saved by the fact that you are gathered.
That pasuk is quoted right before the haftara of Yom Kippur,the next pasuk, which says, “Remove the stumbling blocks from nation… etc”
The Bet HaLevi says that we see from here that when we pray, our prayers are answered, not because of the number of people that we are, but rather because of the unity that we have.
If we are all gathered together and focused on God, for one thing, which is to save the Jewish people or bring Mashiach, or anything else, that unity is our power. It’s not our numbers, but our unity. That is what brings the Yeshua/ salvation.
There is mashal is given about Rosh Hashanah: There was a town that caught fire. Each person ran, with his own bucket of water, to his own store, but it was not enough water to put the fire out.
If everyone had taken their buckets and run to the source of the fire, working together as one unit, they could have put the fire out.
The Bet HaLevi says that this is why it’s brought down that before you pray, you are supposed to think about, and accept the Mitzvah of V’Ahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha, to unite with the Jewish people in prayer. That is the power of the Jewish people.
There is a prayer found in many siddurim, (it’s in the Magen Abraham and Artscroll siddurim) based on the Arizal, that is said at the beginning of our tefila
הֲרֵינִי מְקַבֵּל עָלַי מִצְוַת עֲשֵֹה שֶׁל: וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ, וַהֲרֵינִי אוֹהֵב כָּל אֶחָד מִבְּנֵי יִשְֹרָאֵל כְּנַפְשִׁי וּמְאוֹדִי,וַהֲרֵינִי מְזַמֵּן אֶת פִּי לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
I behold and accept upon myself the Mitzvah of Love your friend like you love yourself, and I love every Jewish person like my soul and like my money, and now I am ready to designate my mouth to pray in front of God, the King of kings, Hashem
This is something you should say every single day, especially during this Rosh Hashanah season, uniting with the Jewish people in your prayers, and accepting upon ourselves the Mitzvah of Ve’ahavta LeRe’echa Kamocha.
(If you would like a sticker of this prayer, to place inside your siddur, please send your address to rmsetton@aol.com)
Have a wonderful day.