Kabbalah Library

10. One who stands in the prayer should straighten his legs and cover his head, as one who stands before the king. He should cover his eyes so as not to look at the Shechina. One who opens his eyes during prayer or does not lower his eyes to the ground, the angel of death comes over him sooner, and when his soul departs upon his passing from the world, he does not look at the light of the Shechina and does not die with a kiss. One who disrespects the Shechina is disrespected when he needs her, as it is written, “For I will honor those who honor Me, and those who despise me will be disgraced.”

11. One who looks at the Shechinah when he prays, how can he look at the Shechina? Rather, one should know that the Shechina certainly stands before him when he prays. Hence, it is forbidden for him to open his eyes, as it is written, “And Hezekiah turned his face to the wall,” since the Shechina was there. For this reason, nothing must part between him and the wall when he prays.

12. One who stands in the prayer should first establish the praise of his master, and then pray his prayer, since Moses first said, “You have begun,” and in the end, he said his prayer, “Please let me cross over and see the good land.” What is the difference in the words, “ADNI, HaVaYaH, “You have begun,” that at first, it writes ADNI, with Aleph Dalet Nun Yod, and in the end, HaVaYaH, which we call Elokim [God]? This is the order from below upward since ADNI is Malchut, HaVaYaH is ZA, and he said that in order to incorporate the quality of day in the night, and the quality of night in the day, and connect everything together as it should be. The quality of day is ZA, and the quality of night is Malchut.