Kesher Minyan: Amidah Part II

Marc Brettler Abraham’s God, Isaac’s God, and Jacob’s God: An infrequent biblical formula, never found in biblical formulas, but central to God’s self-revelation to Moses in Exodus 3:6, 15, 16 and 4:5. Its prominence here reflects a rabbinic theological doctrine known as “merits of the ancestors” (z’khut avot), according to which the righteous actions of the patriarchs continue on to benefit their descendents. In biblical thought, it is the promise inherent in the covenant that continues through time, not the specific meritorious deeds of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Why do we say God three times here -- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?

Exodus 3:13-15 Moses said to God, “When I come to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh.” He continued, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites, ‘Ehyeh sent me to you.’ And God further said to Moses: Thus say to the Children of Israel: Our Lord, the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.

Judith Hauptman This is God’s means of self-identification in the Bible, most notably upon appearing to Moses to discuss the imminent fulfillment of the promise to take the Jewish People out of Egypt and bring them to the Land of Israel. We invoke the Patriarchs to remind God of that divine promise, since it was to these three men that the promise was made. But, in addiiton, since God is all-powerful, we imply that God should remember the kind deeds (or hesed) for which they were responsible, credit that kindness to their children’s children, their descendants (that is, us), and redeem them. If these descendants do not quite measure up on their own to merit God’s intervention in history, then their forefathers can make up for their shortcomings. Merit is apparently calculated collectively and cumulatively over time.

Daniel Landes At Barukh bend the knees. At atah, bow from the waist with upper body and head (but not as far as the belt, for that would connote the arrogance of prideful piety). At Adonai (God’s name), bend back up straight, for it is written: “Adonai raises up those who are bowed down.” The Avot are connected to all Israel, by lineage (yichus), which is a central and prized halakhic category of status. As a meta-halakhic category, this passage on the Avot refers to the concept of zekhut avot, “the merit of the ancestors,” matriarchs as well as patriarchs, which constitutes a legal source of defense of Israel, on high.

Letter from the Rambam to Ovadiah the Proselyte, Italy 12th century

Said Moses ben Maimon, scion of the exiles of Jerusalem, resident in Spain (May his memory be for a Blessing):

The questions of our teacher and master, Ovadiah the scholar and understanding one, the righteous proselyte, the Lord recompense his work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel,

1 under whose wings thou art come to trust. You asked regarding the benedictions and prayers, both as regarding private and public utterance by yourself, whether you may say: “Our God and the God of our ancestors,” “who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us,” “who has separated us,” “who has chosen us,” “You who have inherited us,” “You who have brought us out of the land of Egypt,” “You who have worked miracles to our fathers,” and similar formulae.

You should recite them all, just as they are formulated in the liturgy. Change nothing! But just as every Jew by birth prays and recites benedictions, you, too, shall bless and pray alike, whether you are alone or pray in the congregation.

The reason for this is that it was Abraham, our father, who taught all humankind. He imparted to them the true religion and the unity of the Holy One Blessed be He and spurned idolatry and repudiated its worship. He brought many children under the wings of the Divine Presence, teaching and instructing them, and commanded his children and his household after him to keep the path of the Lord...consequently, everyone who accepts Judaism till the end of all generations and whoever acknowledges the unity of the Holy One blessed be He, as laid down in the Torah is of the disciples of Abraham our father, peace be upon him. They all belong to his household which implies every … proselyte who is accepted into the Jewish fold. You should therefore say “our God and the God of our fathers,” since Abraham is your father...but, “who brought us out of the land of Egypt” and “who wrought miracles for our fathers” -- if you wish to emend it into “who brought Israel out of Egypt” and “who wrought miracles for Israel,” do so. But if you do not emend it, you have lost nothing; forasmuch as you have come to shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence and have joined yourself unto God, there is now no difference between you and ourselves. And all the miracles that were wrought in the past were wrought both for us and you.

… Do not consider your origin as inferior. While we are the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, you derive from the One who spoke and the world came into being …

Rambam Mishneh Torah Laws of Blessings 1:5-6

ֹ ֹ וְנַֹסח ָכּל ַהְבָּרכוֹת ֶעְזָרא וֵּבית ִדּינוֹ ִתְּקּנוּם. וְֵאין ָראוּי ְל ַשׁנּוֹ ָתם וְלא ְלהוִֹסיף ַעל אַ ַחת ֵמֶהם וְלא ִלְגרַֹע ִמֶמָּנּה. וְָכל ַה ְמ ַשֶׁנּה ִמ ַמּ ְטֵבַּע ֶשׁ ָטְּבעוּ ֲחָכ ִמים ַבְּבָּרכוֹת ֵאינוֹ ֶאָלּא טוֶֹעה. וְָכל ְבָּרָכה ֶשֵׁאין ָבּהּ ַהְזָכַּרת ַה ֵשּׁם וּ ַמְלכוּת ֵאיָנהּ ְבָּרָכה ֶאָלּא ִאם ֵכּן ָהיְָתה ְסמוָּכה ַל ֲחֵבְר ָתהּ: וְָכל ַהְבָּרכוֹת ֻכָּלּן ֶנֱא ָמִרין ְבָּכל ָלשׁוֹן וְהוּא ֶשׁיֹּא ַמר ְכֵּעין ֶשׁ ִתְּקּנוּ ֲחָכ ִמים. וְִאם ִשָׁנּה ֶאת ַה ַמּ ְטֵבַּע הוִֹאיל וְִהְזִכּיר אְַזָכָּרה וּ ַמְלכוּת וְִעְניַן ַהְבָּרָכה ֲאִפלּוּ ִבְּלשׁוֹן חֹל יָָצא:

The text of all the blessings was ordained by Ezra and his court. It is not fit to alter it, to add to it, or to detract from it. Whoever alters the text of a blessing from that ordained by the Sages is making an error. A blessing that does not include the mention of God's name and God’s sovereignty [over the world] is not considered a blessing unless it is recited in proximity to a blessing [which meets these criteria]. All the blessings may be recited in any language, provided one recites [a translation of] the text ordained by the Sages. [A person who] changes that text fulfills their obligation nonetheless - since they mentioned God's name, God’s sovereignty, and the subject of the blessing - although they did so in an ordinary language.

Rambam Mishneh Torah Laws of Prayers and Priestly Blessing 1:9:

ְתִּפלּוֹת ֵאלּוּ ֵאין פּוֹ ֲח ִתין ֵמֶהן ֲאָבל מוִֹסיִפין ֲעֵליֶהם. ִאם ָרָצה אָָדם ְל ִה ְתַפֵּלּל ָכּל ַהיּוֹם ֻכּלּוֹ ָהְרשׁוּת ְבּיָדוֹ. וְָכל אוֹ ָתן ַה ְתִּפלּוֹת ֶשׁיּוִֹסיף ְכּמוֹ ַמְקִריב ְנָדבוֹת. ְלִפיָכְך ָצִריְך ֶשׁיְַּחֵדּשׁ ָדָּבר ְבָּכל ְבָּרָכה וְּבָרָכה ִמן ָהֶא ְמָצִעיּוֹת ֵמֵעין ַהְבָּרכוֹת. וְִאם ִחֵדּשׁ ֲאִפלּוּ ִבְּבָרָכה אַ ַחת ַדּיּוֹ ְכֵּדי ְלהוִֹדיַע ֶשׁ ִהיא ְנָדָבה וְלֹא חוָֹבה. וְ ָשׁלֹשׁ ִראשׁוֹנוֹת וְ ָשׁלֹשׁ אַ ֲחרוֹנוֹת ְלעוָֹלם ֵאין מוִֹסיִפין ָבֶּהן וְלֹא פּוֹ ֲח ִתין ֵמֶהן וְֵאין ְמ ַשִׁנּין ָבֶּהן ָדָּבר:

The number of these services may not be diminished but may be increased. If a person wishes to pray the whole day, they may do so. And the prayers they add are accounted to them as if they brought free-will offerings. They must accordingly add in each of the middle blessings a thought appropriate to the particular blessing. If this is done in one of the blessings only, that is sufficient, the object being to make it manifest that the prayer is voluntary and not obligatory. In the first three and last three blessings there must be no addition, diminution or change.

CJLS Teshuvah on Inclusion of Imahot by Rabbi Joel Rembaum (1990)

...The notion of liturgical variation is not rejected by Talmudic tradition. The Rambam and his commentators are tolerant of liturgical change as long as it takes place within certain normative parameters. The change that is being recommended in this paper falls within these parameters. The inclusion of references to the Matriarchs in the Avot blessing of the Amidah in no way changes the inyan of the prayer. Other than these additions the language of the blessing, including references to shem u’malchut, remains unchanged, and the petihah-hatima structure of the blessing, required by virtue of its being the first in a sequence of blessings, remain intact Because the Siddur, perhaps more than any … other compilation of Jewish religious expression, has embodied the ideas that have both shaped and reflected the deepest beliefs and concerns of our people, significant ideological and communal developments and trends have always been represented in our prayers. In a generation when women are assuming a more significant role in the religious life of the Conservative Jewish community, it is appropriate that the prayer that expresses the unity, commitment and lofty aspirations of the Jewish people, be modified so that it can speak to all members of our congregations, male and female alike. The inclusion of the names of the Matriarchs in the first blessing of the Amidah is permissible and recommended.

Genesis 15:1 אַ ַ֣חר ׀ ַהְדָּבִ֣רים ָהֵאֶ֗לּה ָהיָ֤ה ְדַבר־’ה ֶאל־אְַבָר֔ם ַֽבּ ַמּ ֲחֶ֖זה ֵלאמֹ֑ר אַל־ ִתּיָ֣רא אְַבָר֗ם אָנִֹכי֙ ָמֵ֣גן ָ֔לְך ְשָׂכְרָך֖ ַהְרֵבּ֥ה ְמֽאֹד׃

Some time later, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision. God said, “Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”

Genesis 21:1:

וֽ’ה ָפַּ֥קד ֶאת־ ָשָׂ֖רה ַכֲּא ֶ ֣שׁר אָ ָמ֑ר וַ ֧יַַּעשׂ 'ה ְל ָשָׂ֖רה ַכֲּא ֶשׁ֥ר ִדֵּֽבּר׃,The Lord took note of Sarah as God had promised and the Lord did for Sarah as God had spoken

3 Rabbi David Golinkin (2001) https://schechter.edu/a-responsum-concerning-the-addition-of-the-imahot-matriarchs-to-the-amidah -silent-devotion/

The phrase “God of Sarah, God of Rebecca, God of Rachel, and God of Leah” is not biblical Hebrew because God did not make a covenant with the Matriarchs. Indeed, the expression “Imahot”, which appears 76 times in rabbinic literature and the expression “Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah” which appears 15 times in rabbinic literature (mostly in late midrashim) do not appear in the Bible at all. There are those who say that we ought to include the Imahot in the Amidah in the wake of the Sages who created the concept of the Matriarchs but who were unable to include them because of their patriarchal ideology. However, there is a simpler explanation. The Sages did not include the Matriarchs – a concept which they themselves had created – because Avot deals with the plain meaning of the biblical text and they did not want to rewrite history Indeed, it is surprising that Conservative Jews, who belong to “the … Historical School” as Professors Schechter and Ginzberg called it, are interested in this case in rewriting history. To what can this be compared? To rewriting the Gettysburg Address to read: Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers [and mothers] brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men [and women] are created equal.

If we add Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah to Avot, why not add “Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David” as we do in the Ushpizin in the Sukkah, or “Moses, Aaron, David and Solomon” as we do in the Mee Sheberakh for the sick? Because these fathers were not the founding fathers of our nation. And if we add Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, why not add Bilha and Zilpa, for there are midrashim which state that there were six Matriarchs!

The answer is simple: Avot does not deal with midrash but rather with the plain meaning of the biblical text according to which there were three and only three founding fathers of the Jewish people.

Champions of the Imahot wish to convert the language of our tradition into egalitarian language. But this type of language impoverishes our tradition. According to this logic, we will have to change the “Sabbath Queen” found in Shabbat 119a and elsewhere to the “Sabbath King”; “Come O Bride, Come O Bride” found in Lekha Dodi and also based on Shabbat 119a to “Come O Groom, Come O Groom”; “Hattan Torah “to” Kallat Torah ” on Simhat Torah. Such changes water down the tradition and make everything in Judaism homogenous and parve. On the contrary, there are expressions in the masculine and expressions in the feminine and this diversity enriches the Jewish tradition.

Rabbis Debra Reed Blank and Harlan Wechsler – both of whom oppose this proposed change – have already explained that there is an enormous difference between liturgy and prayer. Liturgy is a more or less uniform text that expresses the classical ideas of the nation/religion. It is intended to connect us to the past rather than to be relevant and up-to-date. Prayer, on the other hand, is the personal expression of the worshipper which is supposed to change and the Sages set down fixed places for such prayers: in

4 the middle of the Shome’a Tefillah blessing, just prior to the conclusion of each of the middle blessings of the Amidah, at the end of the Amidah, and in Tahanun... Therefore, most of the important national events of the last 2,000 years were not added to the daily Amidah. They are not found in the daily Amidah because the Amidah is liturgy that expresses biblical and rabbinic theology and not prayer that expresses the personal needs of every individual worshipper.

I have been impressed by the sincere desire to include the Imahot in the Amidah and to make the Amidah more relevant. The problem is not the goal but rather the method. The method of changing the beginning and ending of the Avot is contrary to halakhah, contrary to our liturgy and contrary to classical theology as explained above, and stems from the fact that the idea apparently originated with Jews who are not well-versed in Jewish law and in Hebrew. But there is an authentic way to insert changes and innovations into the Amidah and that is through the use of piyyutim. From the talmudic peorid onward, liturgical poets continually composed piyyutim in which they expounded the weekly portion and even related to contemporary events. This approach was especially popular in the Land of Israel until the end of the Geonic period. The authentic and traditional way to add the Imahot to the Amidah is to compose a short piyyut or several short piyyutim which will be recited in the middle of Avot or in the middle of other blessings of the Amidah.

A Piyyut about the Imahot for Inclusion in the Avot Blessing To be inserted after the words “l’ma’an shemo b’ahavah” : Navo’ah oholei Sarah, Rivka, Rachel v’Leah. Utehi gemilut hasdeihen lefaneinu b’khol eit u’v’khol sha’ah. -Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon

Translation: Let us enter the tents of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah. May their acts of loving-kindness be an example to us at all times.

Marcia Falk: Many congregations still resist this first step twoard recording the presence of Jewish women in history. This resistance is a telling sign of the tenacity with which patriarcal attiudes can pervade communal consciousness, such that the invisibility of women is taken to be normative, and even minimal attempts to address absences in the litrugry are regarded as intolerable. Ite tellls us that, inded, we need to go far beyond the token gesture of making four of our foremothers an optional referencei n our prayers; we need to go beyond even making their inclusion mandatory. We need to bring women’s lives fully into the foregroud of our awareness in roder to begin to correct the imbalance in our liturgy and ultiamtely to move twaord the creation of a genuinely inclusive community. Toward this end, I believe it is imperative that we begin to include the words of Jewish women in our synagogue prayers. In my own prayer book (The Book of Blessings), I have incorporated the poems of Yiddish and Hebrew women poets into the body of the Amidah, where they serve as a form of k’rovot (supplementary liturgical poems)... The recitation of writings by Jewish women as part of communal prayer can be a powerful experience for both women and men. Saying or hearing these words read aloud, Jewish women may, for the first time, recognize themselves - or, at least, some reflection of their

5 lives - within the tradition. Jewish men, too, can benefit by this more inclusive vision of Jewish history. Though it may sound jarring, at first, for a man to hear (or himself say) words like “I am a woman” (by 20th century Yiddish poem Malka Heifetz Tussman), the effect can be both edifying and liberating. Attempting to read oneself into the voice of the “other” gives men an opportunity to experience what women have had to do as a matter of course adding women’s poetry into the Amidah is just one … example of how to keep the liturgy evolving and alive. If we really intend the Avot section to refer to our “ancestors,” and if we weant the whole community to feel connected to ancestral sources, we ought to begin by recaling all of the biblical foremothers-including Bilhah and Zilpah, the concubines who bore four of Jacob’s sons-and proceed from there to retracing the trail of their forgotten female descendents. We must do whatever we can to retrieve the lost stories of all of the generations of foremothers and foresisters - including, of course, our own - if Jewish women today are to find points of nexus with the tradition.