First Blessing 22: Commentary Part Three

Melech – “O King.” That is, ‘The One Who desires to relate to us.’ Although God is infinite, God created a relationship with us called Ozer – “A helper. This means He Who helps those with little faith recover from sorrow.

U’moshia – “And a Savior.” God saves those with greater faith from the actual pain, and doesn’t wait for them to recover.

U’magen – “And a Shield.” God shields those with the most faith from the pain from ever happening at all.

Baruch ata Hashem, you are the source of all blessing, God who always existed, existed, and will always exist, You are Master over everything. Your presence in the world is expanding as I say the words, Magen Avraham, Shield of Abraham. One of the reasons that we speak about shields at the beginning, is to pray that whatever level we reach in the Shemoneh Esreh should be shielded by God. It should be protected from distractions during davening, and not lost through my behavior during the rest of the day.