Julius Jewish Liturgy
By Julius
Jewish Liturgy
In the giving credit where credit is due department: much
of the information in this page is derived from Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's
"To
Pray as a Jew: A Guide to the Prayer Book and the Synagogue Service",
an excellent Orthodox
resource on the subject of Jewish prayer.
Observant Jews
daven (pray) in formal worship services three times a day, every day: at evening
(Ma'ariv), in the morning (Shacharit), and in the afternoon (Minchah). Daily
prayers are collected in a book called a siddur, which derives from the Hebrew
root meaning "order," because the siddur shows the order of prayers.
It is the same root as the word seder,
which refers to the Passover
home service.
Central
Prayers
Undoubtedly
the oldest fixed daily prayer in Judaism is the Shema. This consists of Deut.
6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. Note that the first paragraph
commands us to speak of these matters "when you retire and when you
arise." From ancient times, this commandment was fulfilled by reciting the
Shema twice a day: morning and night.
The next major
development in Jewish prayer occurred during the Babylonian Exile, 6th century B.C.E. People were not able to sacrifice in the Temple at that time, so they
used prayer as a substitute for sacrifice. "The offerings of our lips
instead of bulls," as Hosea said. People got together to pray three times
a day, corresponding to the three daily sacrifices. There was an additional
prayer service on Shabbat
and certain holidays, to
correspond to the additional sacrifices of those days. Some suggest that this
may already have been a common practice among the pious before the Exile.
After the
Exile, these daily prayer services continued. In the 5th century B.C.E., the Men of the Great
Assembly composed a basic prayer, covering just about everything you could want
to pray about. This is the Shemoneh Esrei, which means "18" and
refers to the 18 blessings originally contained within the prayer. It is also
referred to as the Amidah (standing, because we stand while we recite it), or
Tefilah (prayer, as in The Prayer, because it is the essence of all Jewish
prayer). This prayer is the cornerstone of every Jewish service.
The blessings
of the Shemoneh Esrei can be broken down into 3 groups: three blessings
praising G-d, thirteen making
requests (forgiveness, redemption, health, prosperity, rain in its season,
ingathering of exiles, etc.), and three expressing gratitude and taking leave.
But wait! That's 19! And didn't I just say that this prayer is called 18?
One of the
thirteen requests (the one against heretics) was added around the 2nd century C.E., in response to the growing
threat of heresy (including Christianity, which was a Jewish sect at the time),
but at that time, the prayer was already commonly known as the Shemoneh Esrei,
and the name stuck, even though there were now 19 blessings. Many non-Jews,
upon hearing that there is a blessing like this, assume it is much more
offensive than it actually is. Here is what it says:
For slanderers, may there be no hope; and may all
wickedness quickly be destroyed, and may all your enemies be cut off swiftly.
The intentional [sinners], swiftly may they be uprooted, broken, cast down and
subdued, swiftly and in our days. Blessed are you, L-RD, breaker of enemies and
subduer of intentional [sinners].
Another
important part of certain prayer services is a reading from the Torah (first 5 books of the
Bible) and the Prophets. The Torah has been divided into 54 sections, so that
if each of these sections is read and studied for a week, we can cover the
entire Torah in a year every year (our leap years are 54 weeks long; regular
years are 50 or so, we double up shorter portions on a few weeks in regular
years). At various times in our history, our oppressors did not permit us to
have public readings of the Torah, so we read a roughly corresponding section
from the Prophets (referred to as a Haftarah). Today, we read both the Torah
portion and the Haftarah portion. These are read at morning services on Shabbat and some holidays. In addition, at
Monday and Thursday morning services, we read part of the upcoming Shabbat's
Torah portion (about 10 to 15 verses; the first aliyah of the week's portion).
The Torah and
haftarah readings are performed with great ceremony: the Torah is paraded
around the room before it is brought to rest on the bimah (podium). It is
considered an honor to have the opportunity to recite a blessing over the
reading (this honor is called an aliyah). For more information, see Torah Readings.
That's the
heart of the Jewish prayer service. There are, however, many additional prayers
leading up to these things and following these things. There is a long series
of morning blessings at
the beginning of the morning service. Some people recite these at home. They
deal with a lot of concerns with getting up in the morning, and things we are
obligated to do daily. There is a section called P'sukei d'Zimra (verses of
song), which includes a lot of Psalms and hymns. I like to think of it as a
warm-up, getting you in the mood for prayer in the morning. Some people don't
show up for services until after that "warm-up."
There are also
a few particularly significant prayers. The most important is the Kaddish, one of the few
prayers in Aramaic, which praises G-d.
Here's a small piece of it, in English:
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified in the world
that He created as He willed. May He give reign to His kingship in your
lifetimes and in your days, and in the lifetimes of the entire family of
Israel, swiftly and soon. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, mighty...
There are
several variations on it for different times in the service. One variation is
set aside for mourners to
recite, the congregation only providing the required responses. Many people
think of Kaddish as a mourner's prayer, because the oldest son is obligated to
recite it for a certain period after a parent's death, but in fact it is much
broader than that. I've been told that it separates each portion of the
service, and a quick glance at any siddur (daily prayer book)
shows that it is recited between each section, but I don't know if that is its
purpose.
Another
important prayer is Aleinu, which is recited at or near the end of every
service. It also praises G-d.
Here is a little of it in English, to give you an idea:
It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe
greatness to the Molder of primeval creation ... Therefore, we put our hope in
you, L-rd our G-d, that we
may soon see Your mighty splendor... On that day, the L-rd will be One and His
Name will be One.
On certain
holidays, we also recite Hallel, which consists of Psalms 113-118.
Many holidays
have special additions to the liturgy. See Yom Kippur Liturgy for
additions related to that holiday.
Outline
of Services
There are a
few other things, but that's a pretty good idea of what's involved. Here is an
outline of the order of the daily services:
1. Evening Service
(Ma'ariv)
a. Shema and it's
blessings and related passages
b. Shemoneh Esrei
c. Aleinu
2. Morning Service
(Shacharit)
a. Morning Blessings
b. P'sukei d'Zimra
c. Shema and it's
blessings and related passages
d. Shemoneh Esrei
e. Hallel, if appropriate
f.
Torah
reading (Mondays, Thursdays, Shabbat and holidays)
g. Aleinu, Ashrei (Psalm
145), and other closing prayers, Psalms and hymns (not on Shabbat and holidays;
recited at the end of Musaf instead on those days)
3. Additional Service
(Musaf) (Shabbat and holidays only; recited immediately after Shacharit)
a. Shemoneh Esrei
b. Aleinu and other
closing prayers, Psalms and hymns
4. Afternoon Service
(Minchah)
a. Ashrei (Psalm 145)
b. Shemoneh Esrei
c. Aleinu
This is based
on the Ashkenazic service, but the Sephardic service has a very similar
structure. They use different music, and have a few variations in choice of
psalms, hymns, and prayers. See Ashkenazic
and Sephardic Jews for more information.
A regular
weekday morning service in an Orthodox
synagogue lasts about an
hour. The afternoon and evening weekday services (which are usually performed
back-to-back) are about a half-hour. A Shabbat or festival morning service,
which includes Shacharit and Musaf, runs three to four hours, but what else are
you doing on Shabbat? The service starts early in the morning and runs through
to lunch time. The evening service on Shabbat (that is, Friday night) and
festivals are also somewhat longer than on weekdays.
Variations
from Movement to Movement
The above is
from the Orthodox prayer
book. The Reform service,
although much shorter, follows the same basic structure and contains shorter
versions of the same prayers with a few significant changes in content (for
example, in one blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei, instead of praising G-d who "gives life to the
dead," they praise G-d who "gives life to all" because they
don't believe in resurrection). The Conservative version is
very similar to the Orthodox version, and contains only minor variations in the
content of the prayers (instead of praying for the restoration of the Temple
with its "offerings and prayers," they pray only for the restoration
of its prayers). See Movements of
Judaism for more on the theological distinction between Orthodox,
Conservative and Reform.
There are a
few significant differences in the way that services are conducted in different
movements:
1. In Orthodox synagogues, women and men
are seated separately; in Reform and Conservative, all sit together. See The Role of Women in the
Synagogue.
2. In Orthodox and usually
Conservative, everything is in Hebrew. In Reform, most is done in English,
though they are increasingly using Hebrew.
3. In Orthodox, the person
leading the service has his back to the congregation, and prays facing the same
direction as the congregation; in Conservative and Reform, the person leading
the service faces the congregation most of the time.
4. Conservative and Reform
are rather rigidly structured: most people show up at the same time (or if they
don't, they simply pick up where the group is), and do the same thing at the
same time. Orthodox is somewhat more free-form: people show up when they show
up, catch up to everybody else at their own pace, often do things differently
than everybody else. For example, different people may have different customs
about when to stand, when to bow, and so forth. This is terrifying if
you don't know what you're doing, but once you've got a handle on the service,
you'll find that it lets you concentrate on your prayers, rather than
concentrating on what everybody else is doing.
Navigating
the Siddur
If you've
never been to a Jewish religious service, following along can be quite a
challenge! Even if you are experienced, it's possible to get lost at times. In
fact, a friend of mine tells me she once heard a song called "The
I-Don't-Know-What-Page-We're-On-In-The-Siddur Blues"! In most synagogues,
the person leading the service will periodically tell you what page they are
on, particularly when pages are skipped. In some synagogues, they even have a
flip-board with the page numbers on it. Here are a few hints to help you stay
with the group, even if the leader isn't providing such assistance:
The biggest
trick is being aware of the structure of the siddur itself. The siddurs
most commonly used in Orthodox
and Conservative synagogues include within a
single volume all of the prayers for all four prayer services (Shacharit,
Musaf, Minchah and Ma'ariv). Make sure you know which service you are
attending. Normally, services are held at two times of the day: morning
(Shacharit and Musaf) and early evening (Minchah and Ma'ariv). The morning
services are generally at the beginning of the siddur, while the afternoon and
evening services are normally in the middle.
Most siddurs
include weekdays, Shabbat and most festivals in a single volume. (Exception: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have such
extensive additions that they have their own separate siddur called a machzor).
To save space, the sections are not laid out exactly in the order they are
recited, so you may need to skip around the book a bit for certain sections.
Usually, the prayer leader will tell you when you are skipping around, but
sometimes they will not. Watch for notes in the siddur that will tell you to skip
to different sections depending on whether it is: 1) Shabbat; 2) a Festival (i.e., non-working
day); 3) Chol Ha-Mo'ed
(intermediate days of festivals); 4) Rosh Chodesh (the first day
of a Jewish month); or 5) a weekday. Most of the major skips will occur at the
breaks in sections described above under Outline of Services above. For example, a
Shabbat morning service on Rosh Chodesh (the first of the month) in my siddur
would begin with a generic Morning Blessings, then would skip 200 pages forward
for a Shabbat/Festival P'sukei D'Zimra, Shema and Shemoneh Esrei., then forward
200 pages to pick up Hallel (which is recited on Rosh Chodesh), then back to
where I came from for the Torah reading, followed by the Musaf Shemoneh Esrei and
the closing blessings.
Another skip
that is confusing for most newcomers is the Shemoneh Esrei (also called the
Amidah). In traditional practice, congregants stand and read through the entire
Amidah silently, skipping the Kedushah blessing and the Priestly Blessing. This
is a very long prayer -- 10-20 pages in my siddur. The process may take as much
as five minutes, and the end is not always clearly marked. Watch for Oseh
Shalom (May He who makes peace in his heights make peace for us and for all
Israel, and let us say Amen). The Shemoneh Esrei ends with the paragraph after
that one. The leader of the service then begins repeating the entire Shemoneh
Esrei aloud, and you must flip back to the beginning to read along with it.
(Note: the Shemoneh Esrei is not repeated at Ma'ariv).
What
to Say and What to Do
Another source
of confusion for newcomers is what to say and what to do. When do I say
"Amen"? When do I stand or bow? Here are a few of the more common
things to watch for. There are a lot of these, and not all of them are easy to
spot the first time.
Saying
"Amen"
As a general
rule, you say "amen" whenever someone else says a blessing. It's sort of the
Hebrew equivalent of saying "ditto": when you say "amen,"
it's as if you said the blessing yourself. Whenever you hear someone say
"Barukh atah...", get ready to say "amen." The
"amen" may be at the end of the current sentence, or at the end of
the current paragraph.
Keep in mind
that you only say "amen" when someone else says a blessing.
After all, it would be silly to say "ditto" after something you
yourself said!
There are a
few other places where "amen" is said. If the leader says
"v'imru amen" (let's say "amen"), you join in on the word
"amen," so watch for the word "v'imru." This comes up
several times in the Kaddish
prayer. There is also an additional "amen" within Kaddish: right at
the beginning, after "sh'mei rabbah."
Other
Responses to Prayer
On many
occasions, when a person says, "Barukh atah Adoshem," others who
hear him interject "Barukh Hu u'Varukh Shemo." This is generally
recited very quickly, and often sounds like "Barukh Shemo" (and some
people say it that way). However, you do not do this all the time, and I'm not
sure how to explain the pattern of when you do and when you don't.
There are
several congregational responses in the Kaddish prayer. We noted
above the many "Amens" within Kaddish. In addition, after the first
"v'imru amen," the congregation recites, "y'hei sh'mei raba
m'varakh l'alam ul'al'mei al'maya" (May His great Name be blessed forever
and ever). Also, after "sh'mei d'kud'sha" in the next paragraph, the
congregation joins the reader in saying "b'rikh hu" (Blessed is He).
All of this is usually clearly marked in the siddur. I have provided a text of
the Mourner's Kaddish, where
you can see this all laid out.
Whenever
someone says "Bar'khu et Adoshem
ha-m'vorakh" (Bless the L-rd, the Blessed One) the congregation responds
"Barukh ha-m'vorakh l'olam va-ed" (Blessed is the L-rd, the Blessed
One, forever and ever). There are two times when this happens: the Bar'khu
prayer (a formal summons to prayer after P'sukei D'Zimra and at the beginning
of Ma'ariv), and as each person blesses the Torah reading.
During the
repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei, when the leader recites the three-part
priestly blessing (May the L-rd bless you and safeguard you... May the L-rd
illuminate His countenance for you and be gracious to you... May the L-rd turn
His countenance to you and establish peace for you...), the congregation
replies kein y'hi ratzon (so be it) after each of the three blessings.
Standing
You should
stand at the following times:
- When the Ark is open.
- When the Torah is being carried
around the room.
- During the
Shemoneh Esrei, from the beginning of the silent portion until after the
Kedushah during the reader's repetition (Kedushah is the part that includes
the "Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh" (Holy, Holy, Holy) blessing).
- During the Aleinu
prayer, near the end of any service.
There are a
few other prayers that require standing, but these are the most notable.
In addition,
in Orthodox synagogues, it is customary
for everyone to stand whenever Kaddish
is recited, except for the Mourner's Kaddish, where only the mourners stand. The prayer
is usually rather clearly marked as Kaddish, and begins "Yit'gadal
v'yit'kadash sh'mei raba" (May his great name grow exalted and
sanctified). However, I have noticed in some non-Orthodox synagogues that the
congregants do not stand during regular Kaddishes, or sometimes stand during
Mourner's Kaddishes.
Bowing
Judaism has a
special procedure for bowing during prayer: first you bend the knees, then you
bend forward while straightening the knees, then you stand up. See the
animation at right.
Bowing is done
several times during the service:
- During the Aleinu
prayer, when we say "v'anakhnu korim u'mishtachavim u'modim"
(which quite literally means, "so we bend knee and bow and give
thanks").
- Four times during
the Shemoneh Esrei (at "Blessed art Thou, L-rd" in the beginning
of the first blessing; at "Blessed art Thou, L-rd" at the end of
the first blessing; at "We gratefully thank You" at the
beginning of the Modim blessing and at "Blessed art Thou, L-rd"
at the end of the Modim blessing). There is also a special bow during the
Oseh Shalom blessing: at "He who makes peace in his heights,"
bow to the left; at "may he make peace," bow to the right; at
"upon us and upon all Israel" bow forward.
- During the Bar'khu
blessing (after P'sukei d'Zimra and at the beginning of Ma'ariv), the
leader recites the Bar'khu blessing, during which he bows. The
congregation responds with "Barukh ha-m'vorakh l'olam va-ed" and
bows.
- During Torah readings, when a
person recites a blessing over the Torah, this same Bar'khu and it's
congregational response are recited, with the same bowing. Often, the bow
here is less obvious: seated congregants just sort of lean forward out of
their chairs.
Kissing the
Torah
In any service
where there is a Torah reading, there is ordinarily
a Torah procession. A congregant holds the Torah and carries it around the synagogue before and alfter
the reading. As the Torah passes congregants, they touch the cover with their
hand (or sometimes with a prayer book, or with their tallit) and then kiss
their hand (or whatever they touched it with). In Orthodox synagogues, where
the Torah procession often does not encompass the women's section, women
generally reach out in the direction of the Torah, then kiss their hands.
After a Torah
reading, the Torah is held up in the air with its words facing the
congregation. It is traditional to reach out toward the Torah, usually with the
pinky finger, while reciting the congregational response (v'zot ha-Torah...),
then kiss the finger.
Suggestions
for Further Reading
Of course, the
best place to read about a Jewish service is in a siddur! The one I use is The
Artscroll Siddur (Hardback)
(Paperback)
It is uncompromisingly Orthodox,
but contains detailed commentary and instructions for those who are less familiar
with the service. It's also available with an interliner translation (Hardback),
which can be helpful to learn the meaning of the prayers, but takes a bit of
getting used to!
The siddur
used in most Conservative
synagogues is Siddur Sim
Shalom. The siddur I used in Reform
synagogues was Gates of
Prayer, though I gather that they are now moving to a new siddur published
in 2006, Mishkan
T'filah.
In researching
this page, I relied extensively on Rabbi Hayim Halevy Donin's To Pray as a Jew
(Paperback)
(Kindle),
and I recommend the book highly. I have also heard good things about the Synagogue
Survival Kit by Jordan Lee Wagner, although I have not had a chance to
review it myself.
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Isa 11:9-16 They do no evil nor destroy in all My set-apart mountain, for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of יהוה as the waters cover the sea. | ט לֹֽא־יָרֵ֥עוּ וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁחִ֖יתוּ בְּכָל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֑י כִּֽי־מָֽלְאָ֣ה הָאָ֗רֶץ דֵּעָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֔ה כַּמַּ֖יִם לַיָּ֥ם מְכַסִּֽים: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: knowledge of the Lord: [lit.] to know the Lord. | רשי": דעה את ה': לדעת את ה': | ||||||||||||||||
10 And in that day there shall be a Root of Yishai, standing as a banner to the people. Unto Him the nations shall seek, and His rest shall be esteem. | י וְהָיָה֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא שֹׁ֣רֶשׁ יִשַׁ֗י אֲשֶׁ֚ר עֹמֵד֙ לְנֵ֣ס עַמִּ֔ים אֵלָ֖יו גּוֹיִ֣ם יִדְרֹ֑שׁוּ וְהָֽיְתָ֥ה מְנֻחָת֖וֹ כָּבֽוֹד: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: as a banner for peoples: that peoples should raise a banner to gather to him. | רשי": לנס עמים: להיות עמים מרימים נס להקבץ אליו: | ||||||||||||||||
11 And it shall be in that day that יהוה sets His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people who are left, from Ashshur and from Mitsrayim, from Pathros and from Kush, from Ěylam and from Shin‛ar, from Ḥamath and from the islands of the sea. | יא וְהָיָ֣ה | בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יוֹסִ֨יף אֲדֹנָ֚י | שֵׁנִית֙ יָד֔וֹ לִקְנ֖וֹת אֶת־שְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֑וֹ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִשָּׁאֵר֩ מֵֽאַשּׁ֨וּר וּמִמִּצְרַ֜יִם וּמִפַּתְר֣וֹס וּמִכּ֗וּשׁ וּמֵֽעֵילָ֚ם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר֙ וּמֵ֣חֲמָ֔ת וּמֵֽאִיֵּ֖י הַיָּֽם: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: a second time: Just as he acquired them from Egypt, when their redemption was absolute, without subjugation, but the redemption preceding the building of the Second Temple is not counted, since they were subjugated to Cyrus. | רשי": שנית: כמו שקנאם ממצרים שהיתה גאולתם ברורה מאין שיעבוד אבל גאולת בית שני אינה מן המניין שהרי משועבדים היו לכורש: | ||||||||||||||||
12 And He shall raise a banner for the nations, and gather the outcasts of Yisra’ěl, and assemble the dispersed of Yehuḏah from the four corners of the earth. | יב וְנָשָֹ֤א נֵס֙ לַגּוֹיִ֔ם וְאָסַ֖ף נִדְחֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּנְפֻצ֚וֹת יְהוּדָה֙ יְקַבֵּ֔ץ מֵֽאַרְבַּ֖ע כַּנְפ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: And he shall raise a banner: Perka, perche in O.F. [i.e., the verse is literally referring to the pole upon which the banner is attached.] And it shall be for a sign to gather to him and to bring the exiles of Israel to Him as a present. | רשי": נשא נס: פירקא בלע"ז והיה לאות לקבוץ אליו ולהביא את גליות ישראל מנחה לו: | ||||||||||||||||
13 And the envy of Ephrayim shall turn aside, and the adversaries of Yehuḏah be cut off. Ephrayim shall not envy Yehuḏah, and Yehuḏah not trouble Ephrayim. | יג וְסָ֙רָה֙ קִנְאַ֣ת אֶפְרַ֔יִם וְצֹֽרְרֵ֥י יְהוּדָ֖ה יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ לֹֽא־יְקַנֵּ֣א אֶת־יְהוּדָ֔ה וִֽיהוּדָ֖ה לֹֽא־יָצֹ֥ר אֶת־אֶפְרָֽיִם: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: Ephraim shall not envy Judah: The Messiah, the son of David, and the Messiah, the son of Joseph, shall not envy each other. | רשי": אפרים לא יקנא את יהודה: משיח בן יוסף ומשיח בן דוד לא יקנאו זה בזה: | ||||||||||||||||
14 But they shall fly down upon the shoulder of the Philistines toward the west; together they plunder the people of the east, their hand stretching forth on Eḏom and Mo’aḇ, and the children of Ammon shall be subject to them. | יד וְעָפ֨וּ בְכָתֵ֚ף פְּלִשְׁתִּים֙ יָ֔מָּה יַחְדָּ֖ו יָבֹ֣זּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶ֑דֶם אֱד֚וֹם וּמוֹאָב֙ מִשְׁל֣וֹחַ יָדָ֔ם וּבְנֵ֥י עַמּ֖וֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּֽם: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: And they shall fly of one accord against the Philistines in the west: Heb. בְכָתֵף. Israel will fly and run of one accord against the Philistines who are in the west of Eretz Israel and conquer their land. [כָּתֵף, lit. a shoulder, is used in this case to denote unity. The word שֶׁכֶם, also lit. a shoulder, is used in a similar sense.] Comp. (Hoshea 6:9) “They murder on the way in unison (שֶׁכְמָה);” (Zeph. 3:9) “One accord (שְׁכֶם אֶחָד).” And so did Jonathan render it: And they shall join in one accord to smite the Philistines who are in the west. and the children of Ammon shall obey them: As the Targum states: Will hearken to them. They will accept their commandments over them. | רשי": ועפו בכתף פלשתים ימה: יעופו וירוצו ישראל שכם אחד על הפלשתים אשר הם במערבה של ארץ ישראל ויכבש את ארצם כמו דרך ירצחו שכמה (הושע ו׳:ט׳) שכם אחד (צפניה ג) וכן ת"י ויתחברון כתף חד למימחי פלישתאי די במערבא: ובני עמון משמעתם: כתרגומו ישתמעון להון, מקבלין מצותם עליהם: | ||||||||||||||||
15 And יהוה shall put under the ban the tongue of the Sea of Mitsrayim, and He shall wave His hand over the River with the might of His Spirit, and shall strike it in the seven streams, and shall cause men to tread it in sandals. | טו וְהֶֽחֱרִ֣ים יְהֹוָ֗ה אֵת לְשׁ֣וֹן יָם־מִצְרַ֔יִם וְהֵנִ֥יף יָד֛וֹ עַל־הַנָּהָ֖ר בַּעְיָ֣ם רוּח֑וֹ וְהִכָּ֙הוּ֙ לְשִׁבְעָ֣ה נְחָלִ֔ים וְהִדְרִ֖יךְ בַּנְּעָלִֽים: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: And… shall dry up: [lit. shall cut off] to dry it, so that the exiles of Israel will pass through it from Egypt. over the river: The Euphrates River, for the exiles from Assyria to cross. with the strength of His wind: Heb. בַּעְיָם. This is hapax legomenon in Scripture, and according to the context it can be interpreted as “with the strength of His wind.” into seven streams: into seven segments, for the aforementioned seven exiles: from Assyria and from Egypt, etc. Those from the islands of the sea are not from that side. and He shall lead: the exiles within it. | רשי": והחרים: ליבשו כדי שיעברו בו גליות ישראל ממצרים: על הנהר: נהר פרת לעבור בו גליות אשור: בעים רוחו: אין לו דמיון במקרא ולפי הענין יפתר בחוזק רוחו: לשבעה נחלים: לשבע גזרים לעבור בו שבע גליות האמורות למעלה מאשור וממצרים וגו', ומאיי הים אינו מאותו צד: והדריך: בתוכו את הגליות: בנעלים: ביבשה: | ||||||||||||||||
16 And there shall be a highway for the remnant of His people, those left from Ashshur, as it was for Yisra’ěl in the day when he came up from the land of Mitsrayim. | טז וְהָֽיְתָ֣ה מְסִלָּ֔ה לִשְׁאָ֣ר עַמּ֔וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָּׁאֵ֖ר מֵֽאַשּׁ֑וּר כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֚ר הָֽיְתָה֙ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּי֥וֹם עֲלֹת֖וֹ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם: | ||||||||||||||||
Rashi: And there shall be a highway: in the midst of the water for the remnant of His people. | רשי": והיתה מסילה: בתוך המים לשאר עמו: | ||||||||||||||||
Hashem is bringing and restoring Yehuda first….. [GENESIS 44:18] THEN JUDAH CAME NEAR UNTO HIM, AND SAID, OH MY LORD, LET THY SERVANT, I PRAY THEE, SPEAK A WORD IN MY LORD'S EARS, AND LET NOT THINE ANGER BURN AGAINST THY SERVANT: FOR THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH. Commentary: On the verse: “FOR THOU ART EVEN AS PHARAOH”: Rabbi Schneerson quotes the source saying that Judah meant to say that Joseph is as powerful as Pharaoh and that Judah acknowledges his authority. Judah acknowledged the authority of Joseph. Because of this Judah merited the Promise in Ezekiel 37, “MY SERVANT DAVID SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER”. The Rabbi says that in order for Judah to bring on the Messiah, to help the Messiah come, and realize the promise given to his seed (“MY SERVANT DAVID SHALL BE THEIR PRINCE FOR EVER) Judah must first do as the Patriarch Judah did when he CAME NEAR UNTO Joseph and he acknowledged the authority of Joseph and initially was influenced from Joseph.' |
אפרים תבוא לשיקום כאשר היהודים יתחילו לבנות בית להשם כאשר, לא עושים רע ולא משמידים בכל ההר המופרד שלי, כי תמלא הארץ ידיעת יהוה כמו המים מכסים את הים. [בראשית 44:18] אז התקרב אליו יהודה, ואמר, הו אדוני, נא עבדך, דבר דבר באזני יהוה, ואל יבעור כעמך על עבדך: כמו פרעה. פירוש: על הפסוק: "כי אתה אפילו פרעה": הרב שניאורסון מצטט את המקור שאומר שיהודה התכוון לומר שיוסף חזק כמו פרעה וכי יהודה מכיר בסמכותו. יהודה הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף. בגלל זה יהודה זכאי להבטחה ביחזקאל 37, "עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לעולמים". הרבי אומר שכדי שיהודה יביא את המשיח, יעזור למשיח לבוא ולממש את ההבטחה שניתנה לזרעו ("עבדי דוד יהיה הנסיך שלהם לנצח) יהודה צריך לעשות תחילה כפי שעשה הפטריארך יהודה כאשר התקרב אל יוסף והוא הכיר בסמכותו של יוסף ובתחילה הושפע מיוסף.' (יאיר דוידי, ברית-עם) | ||||||||||||||||
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