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Reflections on Prayer for the Yamim Nora'im Rabbi Hershel Reichman Focusing on Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS Tefilla REFLECTIONS ON PRAYER FOR THE YAMIM NORA’IM A. The First Principle of more. There are many stories in the the centuries, the Jewish people have Prayer: Hashem Is Involved in Torah, sometimes containing more been able to both absorb and live this Our Personal Lives and World detail than certain mitzvos. Why is reality. History this? Rashi explains that the stories When we read the stories in the teach us that Hashem our God is Torah, we see Hashem as a real he first Rashi in Chumash involved in human events. He is more character, indeed as the prime notes that the stories of than just the Creator and Lawgiver; character, of the stories. He has Bereishis and the rest of the He is actively involved in human life. conversations with Adam, Noach, the TTorah are as important as the mitzvos Hashem is part of our everyday life, Avos, Moshe, and Aharon. He plays haTorah. Hashem commanded us on the individual level and on the a major role. The Torah wants us to through His mitzvos to do various national level. make this a living part of ourselves. actions and to abstain from others. I remember davening as a child in New God is not something abstract. He These commandments are the York in a Chassidishe shteeble filled is not just a lawgiver who gave us a mainstay of the Torah. If the Torah is with Hungarian and Polish refugees book of do’s and don’ts and a Shulchan about laws, why are so many stories and wondering, “Who is Hashem?” Aruch. There is a far more important included in the Torah? We read the “He is also a member of the shul,” I concept of Hashem: as a real, living stories about Adam, Noach, Avraham, told myself. “He is absolutely here in being, involved in our lives and in Yitzchak, Yaakov, Yosef, Moshe, and the lives of these people in shul.” Over the history of the world. He is as 26 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Rosh Hashana 5779 important as presidents and kings, niftalti.” Rashi there says that naftulei through the power of prayer. Our and we have to feel that. Hashem means connection, like the word pesil, bodies shake back and forth, our souls is an important actor in the human which is a wick comprised of several sing in emotional rapture, our minds story. This concept is the basis of Sefer strands twisted together. Tefillah contemplate the greatness of the Bereishis, as Rashi illustrates with his therefore means connecting to Almighty and how He can help us. All famous first comment. Hashem, directing our own Godliness levels of our personality are involved toward Him. This is the gift Hashem in one act of connection with Hashem ומה טעם פתח בבראשית? משום ... שאם gave to us in order to express the together with our own unified, single יאמרו אומות העולם לישראל: "לסטים אתם .Godly, spiritual side of ourselves. soul שכבשתם ארצות שבעה גוים", הם אומרים .This process of connecting to God Let us always be strong in tefillah להם: "כל הארץ של הקב"ה היא; הוא בראה through prayer is also a unifying This is the solution for concerns of ונתנה לאשר ישר בעיניו. ברצונו נתנה להם, .process within ourselves. Our health, wealth, peace, and security וברצונו נטלה מהם ונתנה לנו”. For what reason does [the Torah] open biological souls may want to Prayer connects us to Hashem and with Bereishis (when the first mitzvah eat, drink and be merry, but our He helps us with our needs. It places to the Jewish people comes only much emotional, spiritual selves often say tzelem Elokim as the prime mover of later)? ... For if the nations of the world no. Sometimes our emotions want to all the levels within ourselves, instead will tell Israel “You are thieves, for you get angry, but our intellect says no. We of conflicting levels ofguf , nefesh and captured the land of the seven nations experience many internal conflicts. seichel (body, soul and mind). [who previously lived there],” they will How can we settle the contradictions Especially on the Yamim Nora’im, reply, “All land belongs to God. He within ourselves? Thetzelem Elokim, prayer becomes the main focus, created it and gave it to whoever He saw our inherent Godliness, unifies all enabling us to achieve internal unity as fit. When He wished, He gave it to them, the elements of our personality into well as unity between all of the Jewish and when He wished, He took it from one. Tefillah addresses these issues people. Indeed, prayer on Yamim them and gave it to us. by making us aware of our own Nora’im enables us to achieve unity Rashi, Bereishis 1:1 Godliness and connection to Him, with the whole world and of course At different times Hashem plays the thus enabling our spiritual side to be with Hashem. roles of coach, judge, reward giver, and the arbiter of our inner conflicts. punisher. He is involved in whatever We live at a time of conflict — C. The Third Principle of we do. This is why the Jewish people between people, and between nations. Prayer: Using Emotion and get the Land of Israel. Hashem gave Individuals experience conflict within Intellect to Serve Hashem it to us through His involvement in themselves. A person has many human history. He is a participant in goals, which often conflict. The goal In Parshas Vayigash, the Torah the human story. of financial success, for example, describes the confrontation between Prayer is our way of accessing Hashem drives a person to spend a lot of time Yehuda and Yosef. These two great and influencing His role in our lives working. But we also want to spend tzaddikim, founders of the Jewish and in history. It is a great gift which time at home. People want power, people, are not just models for their He has given to us. but power produces enemies. Then respective shevatim, but for each enter alienation and anxiety. How can and every Jew. In Chassidus, Yehuda we synthesize our conflicting drives? represents the heart of the Jew and B. The Second Principle of Prayer connects us with Hashem, and Yosef represents the mind of the Prayer: A Precious Gift helps us put our competing values in Jew. Every person must possess and perspective. develop a combination of a logical, Tefillah, prayer, is Hashem’s gift connected with the spiritual level of When we connect to Hashem, He intellectual mind with a warm heart filled with feeling. the soul, the tzelem Elokim. TheShem stretches out a hand, caresses us, Mishmuel (Noach 5674) defines the consoles us, and tells us to put things There are two great expressions of word “tefillah” based on the passuk into perspective. He shares a bit serving Hashem and keeping His in Bereishis 30:8, “Naftulei Elokim of His Divine perspective with us Torah. These two expressions are 27 Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary • The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series • Rosh Hashana 5779 Torah study and prayer. “Talmud of joy and praise, including Hallel. for Yosef. He was almost ready to kill Torah keneged kulam” — Torah study Our hearts serve our Creator, Who him. Yehuda then instigated the sale is the most important of all mitzvos is our best friend and our father in of Yosef. This was the downside of his a human being can ever do (Pei’ah heaven. Prayer is a service of the heart, emotional nature. Later, in the story 1:1).” This is primarily an intellectual avodah shebalev. of Yehuda and Tamar, Yehuda repents. endeavor. The second method of Even though Yehuda was the leader expressing fealty to God is by praying of the brothers, he courageously to Hashem. This is accomplished admitted his guilt. Tamar, a young through arousal and experience Before you pray, think woman, was able to show how of feelings. “...Le’ahava es Hashem of yourself as talking to terribly he had acted. Yehuda was elokeichem ule’ovdo bechol levavchem about to commit the worst of crimes, uve’chol nafshechem. ...To love the Hashem. Then pray and murder, but he didn’t. “She is right,” Lord, your God, and to serve Him speak emotionally of announced Yehuda, “and I am with all your heart and with all your wrong.” He succeeded in directing his soul (Devarim 11:13).” The Gemara your needs and ask for emotions the other way. (Taanis 2a) asks, how does one serve help. “I am your child. Emotions can be very damaging. Bad God with his heart? The Gemara gives I need your help. I am emotions can really hurt others and a short and profound answer — with even the person who experiences them. emotional prayers. Prayer is not meant suffering. My family Emotions, though, can be wonderful, to be primarily an intellectual exercise. needs your help. My especially in terms of changing a It should emotionally move us! Just person for the good. Positive emotions saying the words of prayer is not people need your help. include the emotions of love and enough. We must feel the words. We Come help us Abba!” yearning for something better, the must emotionally beg Hashem for the emotions of shame and regret, of a things that we desire, and thank and desire to do good, the emotions of praise Him with all of our heartfelt Torah, however, is in the mind — the excitement to do the right thing.
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