[Avodah] answered tfilos

[Zvi Lampel]

> On 7 Nov 2010 11:57:35 ESTRTB wrote: "...when we daven for something 
> we desperately want, we should pay heed to the wording of the Rosh 
> Chodesh bentshing: 'Sheyimal'u mish'alos libeinu LETOVAH.' "
At the beginning of Shemoneh Essray, we praise Hashem for being a King 
Who "is" an "ozer" (One who helps us in our efforts, say, to escape 
harm), "u'Moshia" (One Who even saves us from harm without our input), 
and a "Magen" (One Who blocks the harm from even approaching us in the 
first place--so that sometimes we don't even know that there was harm 
coming. Indeed, we may wish for something that we think would be 
beneficial, but in truth would be harmful.

When we begin to pray Shemoneh Essray, we are about to ask for things we 
think would be beneficial for us here and now. We should always preface 
these requests with the thought that Hashem, in His mercy, may say "No" 
to some things because they are really not good for us.

Perhaps this is why we preface our requests with "Magen Avraham"; and 
perhaps this is why Chazal say that one who fails to have kavanah while 
saying this bracha ruins the entire Shemoneh Essray.

Zvi Lampel