Three times during the course of this difficult interaction with Korach and his cohorts, the Torah describes how Moshe and Aharon fell upon their faces.

At the first expression of their rebellious intentions the Torah describes how after Moshe hears their harsh words he is taken aback, ויפול על פניו (במדבר טז ד), and fell on his face.   

After Moshe throws down the gauntlet by challenging Korach and the 250 leaders of the assembly to offer incense and see whose offering will be accepted in determining the chosen one, Korach goes on to plant seeds of doubt among the wider populace. When the morning arrives and G-d instructs Moshe and Aharon to separate from the rest of the assembly lest they be destroyed with them, Moshe senses that G-d intended to destroy anyone who sinned in their hearts by not protesting the rebels. Once again Moshe and Aharon’s immediate reaction is, ויפלו על פניהם (שם שם כב), They fell on their faces.

Finally after the harrowing episode of the earth swallowing up the rebels and the 250 presenters of incense being consumed by fire, the people once again question Moshe and Aharon’s culpability in the death of all these men, G-d instructs them once again to remove themselves from their midst intending to destroy the detractors. For one last time again their natural response is,  ויפלו על פניהם (שם יז י), They fell on their faces.

Is this ‘falling on their faces’ some form of posture of prayer? There seems to be no specific petition associated with these acts? Could it really be they were proverbially throwing in the towel, falling on their faces helplessly?

Rabbeinu Bechaye reveals that this ‘falling on the face’ was an implementation of the mode of prayer we commonly refer to as Tachanun, and more accurately as Nefillas Apayim, literally ‘falling on our faces’, the tefillah we say each day after the Amidah.

He asserts that that are three concepts being conveyed in burying our faces. It is firstly a sign of consciousness of G-d’s presence that affects an instinctive reaction of humility and shy hesitance in His presence, similar to when Moshe became aware of the Divine presence at the Burning Bush he intuitively conceals his face. Secondly it is an expression of one who is in pain who conceals his face submissively to his fate. Thirdly, by hiding our eyes and mouths we are declaring that we are incapable of neither sensing properly nor being able to genuinely articulate our true needs, for only G-d can know what is best for us. Our five senses are bound, and our emotions are subjected, to the will of G-d alone.

Perhaps this is reflected in each one of their reactions to the events unfolding by falling on the face.

At first Moshe sought to demonstrate by his absolute silence to their attack, that it was never about him and only about the will of G-d and the loyalty to His mission alone. In the presence of G-d there is no ‘self’, merely the will of G-d.

The second manifestation of their falling on their faces was to display before G-d their pain in seeing the Jewish nation be destroyed through the influence of Korach and his cohorts.

Lastly in their final portrayal of self-abnegation they attempted to convey to the masses that man despite his noblest intentions can never truly know what is best and one must stifle one’s senses and emotions in allegiance to the word of G-d alone.

When standard tefillah does not bring about the hoped for results there is the daily Nefillas Apayim, where in frustrated pain we place ourselves totally before G-d, shearing away the layers of self-interest that are often the barriers between us and G-d, with the awareness that if we are sincere He will not ignore our pain and He will relieve our affliction.

The Beis Yosef offers three reasons why we ‘fall on our faces’ specifically on our left side when reciting Tachanun:

1. Since the Shechina, the Divine Presence resides to the ‘right’ we seek to face him by situating ourselves opposite him on our left.

2. The daily Tamid sacrifice was laid down onto its left side when slaughtering it.

3. On Pesach when we recline in order to portray ourselves like nobility who are free, we do so, on our left side. To show our total submission to G-d we fall precisely on that left side declaring that we give ourselves over totally to His will.

These three ideas correspond exactly to the essence of what Nefillas Apayim is about: to stand in humility before His constant presence; to place our pain before G-d; to submit our entire being to His will.

The Holy Zohar takes this to a deeper and more profound level by asserting that the ‘falling on our face’ is tantamount to our physically sacrificing our lives for G-d. This posture of falling on our faces is to serve as a testament to our willingness to forfeit our lives for his will. We are figuratively ‘falling dead’ before G-d.

According to Sephardic tradition the Psalm recited for Tachanun is the twenty fifth one. It was selected because of its first verse where King David proclaims, אליך ד' נפשי אשא, to You G-d my soul I raise up, affirming this very notion of our willingness to give our lives up for G-d.

But the Zohar warns that one who professes preparedness to sacrifice one’s life for G-d must have absolute clear intention to, for one who expresses it but doesn’t mean it wholeheartedly is putting their very life in danger. It is for this reason that although the Sephardim recite this chapter, they nevertheless refrain from ‘falling on their faces’ and recite it while sitting upright, so as to avoid the appearance as if they claim to be worthy to sacrifice their lives.

Ashkenazim, however, do fall on their faces but have chosen to recite a different chapter in Psalms in order to evade this risky endeavor.(מ"א סי' קלא)

They say chapter six where King David describes his troubled state, enduring sickness and suffering, beseeching G-d to treat him with kindness in releasing his soul from torment. He describes his literally swimming nightly through the anguished tears that drench his bed.

Here though, rather than emphasizing the sentiment of sacrificing one’s life, the psalmist appeals for exactly the opposite.

Desist, G-d, release my soul; save me as befits Your kindness.

כי אין במות זכרך בשאול מי יודה לך, For not in death is there mention of You, in the grave who will praise You?

In earlier times there were Jews who in their times of frustrated petitioning of G-d would be capable of falling on their faces and affirming before G-d their willingness to forfeit their lives to fulfill His will, humbly presenting before G-d their anguish and pain and affect thereby the power of Nefillas Apayim in being granted their greatest hopes.

But as the consequences of exile diminished our former stature we’ve weakened in that sterling ability. But what we can do, is to fear that very death and commit to life, a life inspired by purpose; a life powered by our thirst for closeness; a life filled with multiple opportunities to ‘mention’ Him constantly, to praise Him through every action and deed.

Although in the course of our regular prayers we may come up deficient, being distracted and absorbed in the numerous worthless pre-occupations that life thrusts our way, we can engage in a moment of ‘falling on our face’, considering the alternative to life and the demise of free choice. For one brief moment we can get in touch with the true reality and privilege of existence and the many chances we get to choose for greatness, connecting to G-d, revealing to Him our pained frustration and eternal hopes. That state of mind; that awareness; that presenting ourselves wholly and honestly before G-d, can affect a response that explicit prayer cannot.

When we are ready to surrender our distractions and commit to a life infused with His presence, we are assured our Tachanun, will bring forth fruit.

When we find ourselves at a loss in dealing with frustration there are two options before us.

We can fall on our faces in despair as that very first ‘fallen face’, Kayin did. When discouraged by his brothers sacrifice being accepted and his not, even though Kayin had been the initiator of the concept of a sacrifice, G-d turns to him and questions him, למה חרה לך ולמה נפלו פניך (בראשית ד ו), “Why are you annoyed, and why has your countenance fallen?”

The great Sar Sholom of Belz explains that there is a fundamental difference when one falls on his face out of annoyance and anger than when one reacts out of a frustration to achieve holiness.

If what prods us is the aspiration to be close to G-d than our falling on our face will result in being inspired. Indeed that was G-d’s concluding message to Kayin when he told him, אם תיטיב שאת, Surely if you improve, you will be ‘uplifted’, the great sage avers.

May we merit to ‘fall on our faces’, standing humbly before G-d, relinquishing our personal needs, and presenting before Him our pains and frustrated desire to get close to Him. If we do, we will merit the fulfillment of the verse, שמאלו תחת ראשי וימינו תחבקני (שה"ש ח ג), His left hand supports my head and His right hand embraces me in support.

באהבה,

צבי טייכמאן