Rav Avigdor Miller on Selichos
Q:
In Selichos when we say מכניסי רחמים and מלאכי רחמים. Are we praying to angels? Are we asking them for help?
A:
And the answer is that in this shul we skip it. We don’t say that. Some poskim say you shouldn’t do it. And we skip it.

Now, some justify it by saying that really we want Hashem to do it. Only that we say azai lashon of מלאכי רחמים, messengers of mercy, but really we are speaking to Hashem.
TAPE # E-249

Q:
In Selichos we say that אין קורא בשמך – “We have no one among us who calls out in Your name.” But the Chovos Halevavos says that we people who are קורא בשמך in every generation. So what are we saying?
A:
In Selichos when it says that today we don’t have a קורא בשמך it means something else. It means this: In the good old days, there were people who had influence with Hakodosh Boruch Hu, and when they asked Him for rachamim, for mercy, He listened to them. And today, it’s not so easy to find that anymore. That’s what we’re saying in Selichos.

But the Jewish nation is קורא בשמך always, no question about that. We call out to Hashem for everything. Only that here it means that Hakodosh Boruch Hu will listen to their outcry and respond immediately. Rebbi Chanina ben Dosah, when he asked Hashem to do something, Hashem listened to him, yes. Today, I don’t know of there is anybody who could do that anymore; that’s all that it means.