The Thirteen Middot and the Symbolism of the Tallit
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The Thirteen Rabbi Menachem Penner Attributes of Mercy Max and Marion Grill Dean, RIETS THE THIRTEEN MIDDOT AND THE SYMBOLISM OF THE TALLIT famous. What is G-d communicating Chazal, in Talmud Bavli, Rosh Hashana וַיַעֲ בֹר ה' עַל פָ נָיו וַיִקְרָא ה' אֵ-ל רַ חּום וְ חַ נּון to Moshe? The prophet has been 17b, understand that Hashem is אֶרְֶך אַפַ יִם וְרַב חֶסֶ ד וֶאֱמֶ ת. נֹצֵר חֶסֶ ד לָאֲ לָפִ ים struggling to attain forgiveness for the providing the Jewish People with נֹשֵ אעָֹון עוָפֶשַ הוְחַטָאָ הוְנַקֵ לֹא היְנַקֶ פֹקֵד עֲ ֹון Jewish People, while, at the same time, a formula and a ceremony through אָבֹות עַל בָ נִים וְעַל בְ נֵי בָ נִים עַל שִ לֵשִ ים וְעַ ל trying to understand why G-d would, which they, themselves, may achieve רִ בֵעִ ים. The L-rd passed before him and in fact, grant that mechilah. G-d does atonement in the future.1 "ויעבור ה' על פניו ויקרא": אמר רב יוחנן proclaimed: “The L-rd! The L-rd! A not offer Moshe all that he is asking אלמלא מקרא כתוב — אי אפשר לאומרו. G-d compassionate and gracious, slow for; a limited view of G-d’s ways is all מלמד שנתעטף הקדוש ברוך הוא כשליח .to anger, abounding in kindness and that the prophet can see צבור — והראה לו למשה סדר תפלה. אמר faithfulness, extending kindness to On the simplest level, the pesukim ליה: כל זמן שישראל חוטאין — יעשו לפני the thousandth generation, forgiving serve as a partial answer to Moshe’s כסדר הזה —- ואני מוחל להם. iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He question. How does G-d judge? With does not remit all punishment, but visits tremendous mercy. G-d is more “And the Lord passed by before him and the iniquity of parents upon children and compassionate than we could ever proclaimed...” (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi children’s children, upon the third and imagine. What is Moshe supposed to Yohanan said: Were it not written in the fourth generations.” do with that knowledge? Perhaps it verse it would be impossible to say this. hese pesukim in Parshat Ki makes him better prepared to plead on [The verse] teaches that the Holy One, Tisa (Shemot 33-34) are behalf of Bnei Yisrael, should they err Blessed be He, wrapped Himself [in a Tas mysterious as they are again. prayer shawl] like a prayer leader and 25 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Rosh Hashanah 5781 showed Moses order of [the] prayer. He least to have our shaliach tzibbur don a Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, whose said to him: Whenever the Jewish People tallit, just as G-d did before Moshe. 10th yahrzeit was recently observed, sin, let them act before Me in accordance suggests several reasons why the The Talmud mentions thetallit 3 with this order, and I will forgive them. requirement only regarding the shaliach tzibbur wears a tallit. There are several important details Thirteen Attributes of Mercy. Rav His first explanation applies equally to in this account. First, the Gemara Avraham Gumbiner (Magen Avraham all tefillot. Thetallit serves to cloak the specifies that G-d wrapped Himself, commentary to Shulchan Aruch, Orach identity of the prayer leader, allowing ki’veyachol, in a tallit like a prayer Chaim 18:2) quotes Rav Mordecai him to better serve as a messenger of leader. Next, we are told that the Yoffe, “theLevush, ” who says that we the people. A shaliach tzibbur stands Attributes of Mercy somehow form should not recite the Thirteen Middot before G-d not as himself, a single Jew a prayer and that through this prayer without a tallit. TheMagen Avraham with his own successes and failures, ceremony the nation could achieve himself, however, extends this practice but as a personification of the Jewish atonement. Finally, it is noteworthy to every prayer leader. After all, People as a whole. Rabbi Soloveitchik, that G-d tells us to “do” as He does, the Talmud says that G-d wrapped in his very first shiur after arriving rather than to “say” as He says. While Himself “like a shaliach tzibbur.” It in the United States, and in many this atonement ritual is described seems to be a given that every shaliach later shiurim, differentiated between as a prayer, its performance must be the silent Shemoneh Esreh, recited accompanied by some sort of action. by ten people simultaneously, and A shaliach tzibbur the repetition of the Shemoneh Esreh Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas (Reishit said by the chazan. The former is an Chochmah, Sha’ar Ha’Anavah, chapter stands before G-d not example of “ — a 1, in the name of the Geonim) tefillah betzibbur” as himself, a single Jew prayer offered as part of a group. The explains this mysterious passage in a latter he calls “ ,” the way that not only works with the text with his own successes tefillat hatzibbur prayer of the congregation. of the Gemara, but also addresses and failures, but as a a fundamental question about the The same phenomenon, the Rav justice of forgiving serious sins in personification of the points out, exists by korbanot. If response to lip service. He focuses Jewish People as a whole. several people contribute toward a on the phrase mentioned before single sacrifice, the offering would “ya’asu lefanai” — “do before Me” be labeled as a korban shutafim — this procedure, and suggests that G-d the offering of “partners.” Every tzibbur leader should don a tallit. asks us to imitate the middot of mercy contributing member has a stake in — acting mercifully to others as we But is the reason for wearing the tallit the animal — and the offering. The hope He will do to us, and forgiving the same? Does an ordinary chazan korbanot tzibbur, however, such as the them, as we hope G-d will do for us. wear a tallit for the same reason as the daily burnt offerings, had only one We need more than a prayer service; leader of Selichot? TheChafetz Chaim “owner”: Klal Yisrael. words must be supported by actions. (Shaar Hatziyun 581:3) suggests that Chazarat hashatz is much more than a typical wears his Repeating these words again and again shaliach tzibbur the combined efforts of individual serves not only to sway G-d through tallit for “kavod ha-tzibbur,” respect for congregants. It is a singular tefillah the congregation. Somehow, donning heartfelt prayers, but to instill in us the offered by the Jewish People as a values we must assimilate and build an additional, ceremonial garment single entity. The donning of atallit lends gravitas to the and to our lives on in order to improve our chazan de-emphasizes the individuality of actions.2 the congregation he leads. But what the chazan. He is not coming before about the worn for the Thirteen On a simple level, however, the phrase tallit G-d as himself, with his own persona. Middot? Perhaps the tallit serves a “ya’asu lefanai” refers to the prayer He, like a korban tamid, has been different, or additional purpose for ritual itself. What action must we do converted into something much Selichot. while reciting the pesukim? Only one larger than the individual “parts” of possibility exists: to don a tallit, or at Rav Yehuda Amital, founding Rosh the congregation behind him. He 26 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Rosh Hashanah 5781 is not one of the people, selected on sins. Chazal connect the punishment another chance. To forgive, Hashem their behalf to approach G-d. He is of leprosy to the sin of lashon hara. must “look past” the fact that we have the Jewish People, cloaked in a tallit, An individual who repeatedly puts sinned against him — despite all that mysteriously hidden away from view. others down is required to now lower He does for us every day and every himself. moment. While this idea is relevant to all tefillot, it is particularly important for Selichot. What about the mourner? Rav In the words of Rabbi Moshe As Rabbi Soloveitchik explained in Soloveitchik connects aveilut Cordovero (in Tomer Devorah): one of his famous teshuva derashot with repentance in a famous essay “Who is a God like You” — This (entitled “Yachid veTzibbur” in sefer Al composed by Rabbi Abraham Besdin attribute refers to the Holy One Hateshuva), our success in achieving in Reflections of the Rav, Part II: as a tolerant King Who bears atonement goes hand in hand with “Sittingshiva is doing teshuva.” The insult in a manner beyond human our connection to Klal Yisrael. An Rav explains that observing hilkhot understanding. Without doubt, nothing individual Jew has no right to demand aveilut is “not only a catharsis of is hidden from His view. In addition, mechilah. He or she has sinned, and sorrow, but also an experience of self- there is not a moment that man is not punishment is often appropriate. judgement and penitence.” nourished and sustained by virtue of the But Klal Yisrael, as an entity, can be In this spirit, the aveil, like the Divine power bestowed upon him. assured of the gift of atonement. metzora, is obligated to cover Thus, no man ever sins against God, For this reason, congregations have himself as an act of self-negation. without — at that very moment the custom to sing the vidui litany This hachna’ah is a step toward self- [emphasis added] — God bestowing when it is recited in chazarat hashatz reflection and teshuvah. As mourners abundant vitality upon him, giving him on Yom Kippur.