Mechaat Kapayim BaTefillah(Clapping while Praying). This rouses the aspect of wings, from which the spoken word comes, as is written (Ecclesia st es 10:20), “for a winged creature will tell the word”; and as is written (Ezekiel 1:8), “They had human hands below their wings.”
We see, then, that when a person’s ebullience is expressed in his hands, the <wings rouse the lungs>, from which the spoken word evolves. However, it is still necessary to prepare and rectify a mouth so as to receive the spoken word within it.
And the way the mouth evolves is by clapping hands. This is because each hand has five fingers. Striking the lights, the right hand against the left hand—i.e., five times five—is equal to twenty-five. And striking the left hand against the right hand—five times five—is also equal to twenty-five. Twice twenty-five is fifty. This corresponds to the fifty times the exodus from Egypt is mentioned in the Torah. For it was through the aspect of the Jubilee that they went out of the Egyptian exile (Zohar II, 46a).
Now, the essence of the Egyptian exile was that the spoken word was in exile. This is the reason Moshe was “heavy of mouth” (Exodus 4:10). But by means of redemption the aspect of mouth evolves. We see, then, that the mouth evolves by means of the Fifty Gates of Understanding. This is the aspect of “Who gave man a mouth?” (ibid.:11) —specifically MI (Who); <a word to the wise being sufficient.>
We see, then, that by clapping—the five fingers of the right hand against the five of the left hand and the five of the left hand against the five of the right hand—the aspect of mi comes about. Through it a mouth evolves, as in, “Mi gave man a mouth?” And the mouth receives the words from the lungs, as in, “for a winged creature will tell the word.” And the wings are roused through the ebullience expressed in man’s hands, as in, “They had human hands below their wings.”
We see all this empirically, that the hands are opposite the lungs. Due to this the Codifiers said: If the wing is broken close the body, [the bird] is unkosher (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 53:2). For as a result, the lung has certainly been punctured.
לְשׁוֹן רַבֵּנוּ זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה מֶחָאַת כַּפַּיִם בַּתְּפִלָּה – כִּי עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְעוֹרְרִים בְּחִינַת כְּנָפַיִם, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם בָּא הַדִּבּוּר, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (קהלת י): וּבַעַל כְּנָפַיִם יַגֵּיד דָּבָר, וּכְתִיב (יחזקאל י): וִידֵי אָדָם מִתַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם.
Mechaat Kapayim BaTefillah (Clapping while Praying). This rouses the aspect of wings, from which the spoken word comes, as is written (Ecclesia st es 10:20), “for a winged creature will tell the word”; and as is written (Ezekiel 1:8), “They had human hands below their wings.”
נִמְצָא, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁאָדָם נִתְעוֹרֵר בַּיָּדַיִם שֶׁלּוֹ, אֲזַי [הַכְּנָפַיִם] נִתְעוֹרְרִים, הַיְנוּ כַּנְפֵי רֵאָה, שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִתְהַוֶּה הַדִּבּוּר, אֲבָל עֲדַיִן צְרִיכִין לְהָכִין וּלְתַקֵּן פֶּה, לְקַבֵּל אֶת הַדִּבּוּר בְּתוֹכוֹ.
We see, then, that when a person’s ebullience is expressed in his hands, the <wings rouse the lungs>, from which the spoken word evolves. However, it is still necessary to prepare and rectify a mouth so as to receive the spoken word within it.
וְעַל־יְדֵי שֶׁמַּכֶּה כַּף אֶל כַּף, עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה נִתְהַוֶּה הַפֶּה. כִּי בְּכָל יָד – חֲמִשָּׁה אֶצְבָּעוֹת, וְהַכָּאוֹת הָאוֹרוֹת, יַד יָמִין בְּיַד שְׂמֹאל, הַיְנוּ חֲמִשָּׁה פְּעָמִים חֲמִשָּׁה, גִּימַטְרִיָּא כ"ה (עֶשְׂרִים וַחֲמִשָּׁה). וְהַכָּאוֹת יַד שְׂמֹאל בְּיַד יָמִין חֲמִשָּׁה פְּעָמִים חֲמִשָּׁה, גִּימַטְרִיָּא גַּם כֵּן כ"ה; שְׁנֵי פְּעָמִים כ"ה, גִּימַטְרִיָּא חֲמִשִּׁים. זֶה בְּחִינוֹת חֲמִשִּׁים פְּעָמִים יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם שֶׁנִּזְכַּר בַּתּוֹרָה, כִּי עַל־יְדֵי בְּחִינוֹת יוֹבֵל יָצְאוּ מִגָּלוּת מִצְרַיִם (זוהר שמות דף מו).
And the way the mouth evolves is by clapping hands. This is because each hand has five fingers. Striking the lights, the right hand against the left hand—i.e., five times five—is equal to twenty-five. And striking the left hand against the right hand—five times five—is also equal to twenty-five. Twice twenty-five is fifty. This corresponds to the fifty times the exodus from Egypt is mentioned in the Torah. For it was through the aspect of the Jubilee that they went out of the Egyptian exile (Zohar II, 46a).
וְעִקַּר גָּלוּת מִצְרַיִם, שֶׁהָיָה הַדִּבּוּר בְּגָלוּת, וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה הָיָה מֹשֶׁה כְּבַד פֶּה. וְעַל־יְדֵי גְּאֻלָּה נִתְהַוָּה בְּחִינַת פֶּה. נִמְצָא שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי חֲמִשִּׁין שַׁעֲרֵי בִּינָה נִתְהַוָּה הַפֶּה. וְזֶה בְּחִינַת (שמות ד): מִי שָׂם פֶּה לָאָדָם – מִי דַּיְקָא.
Now, the essence of the Egyptian exile was that the spoken word was in exile. This is the reason Moshe was “heavy of mouth” (Exodus 4:10). But by means of redemption the aspect of mouth evolves. We see, then, that the mouth evolves by means of the Fifty Gates of Understanding. This is the aspect of “Who gave man a mouth?” (ibid.:11) —specifically MI (Who); <a word to the wise being sufficient.>
נִמְצָא, שֶׁעַל־יְדֵי מֶחָאַת כַּף, חֲמִשָּׁה אֶצְבָּעוֹת יָמִין בַּחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁבְּיַד שְׂמֹאל וַחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁבְּיַד שְׂמֹאל בַּחֲמִשָּׁה שֶׁבְּיַד יָמִין, נִתְהַוֶּה בְּחִינַת מִי, שֶׁעַל־יָדָהּ נִתְהַוֶּה פֶּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: מִי שָׂם פֶּה לָאָדָם. וְהַפֶּה מְקַבֵּל הַדִּבּוּרִים מֵהַכַּנְפֵי רֵאָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: וּבַעַל כְּנָפַיִם יַגֵּיד דָּבָר. וּכְנָפַיִם נִתְעוֹרְרִים בְּהִתְעוֹרְרוּת יְדֵי אָדָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: וִידֵי אָדָם מִתַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם.
We see, then, that by clapping—the five fingers of the right hand against the five of the left hand and the five of the left hand against the five of the right hand—the aspect of mi comes about. Through it a mouth evolves, as in, “Mi gave man a mouth?” And the mouth receives the words from the lungs, as in, “for a winged creature will tell the word.” And the wings are roused through the ebullience expressed in man’s hands, as in, “They had human hands below their wings.”
וְכָל זֶה אָנוּ רוֹאִים בְּחוּשׁ, שֶׁהַיָּדַיִם הֵם כְּנֶגֶד כַּנְפֵי רֵאָה. וּבִשְׁבִיל זֶה אָמְרוּ הַפּוֹסְקִים: נִשְׁבָּר הַגַּף סָמוּךְ לַגּוּף – טְרֵפָה (יורה דעה סי' נג), כִּי בְּוַדַּאי נִקֵּב עַל־יְדֵי־זֶה הָרֵאָה:
We see all this empirically, that the hands are opposite the lungs. Due to this the Codifiers said: If the wing is broken close the body, [the bird] is unkosher (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh Deah 53:2). For as a result, the lung has certainly been punctured.