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Auguat 27, 2012

Achat Shoalti (2012)

Elul & Selichot Prayer

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Outline

Shemoneh Esrei (1967)

I. סמיכת גאולה לתפילה – prayer not an abstract philosophical exercise; but request of intimate knowledge [Hassidic: just as can't philosophize by praying, you can't pray by philosophizing]. _______ Knowledge means experience – or History. Thus גאולה looks to תפילה. II. ד' שפתי תפח – prayer to prayer – כוונה – עבודה שבלב. III. Structure – 3 parts – 1st 3, middle 12 (or 13), last 3. A) 1st 3 – שבח – servant homage to master b) 2nd group – בקשה – servant requests, petition, (eliminated שבת ויו"ט)
Prayer

Synagogue Sermon

Selichot Lecture: Teshuvah and Selichah (1975)

Our theme is: the relationship of teshuvah (repentance) and selihah (forgiveness, the request for forgiveness). Does not selihah follow automatically upon teshuvah? And if so, why is it that in the Amidah prayer, השבינו אבינו... בא״י הרוצה בתשובה and סלח לנו אבינו... חנון המרבה לסלוח? Moreover, if teshuvah is the cause and selihah the effect, why do we gather this evening for selihot prior to the ten days of teshuvah? I find the answer in two different Midrashim (both quoted by the author of the שלבי הלקט), relating each blessing to a different incident of sin and repentance in the life of the patriarchal family of Jacob.The Midrash relates that when Reuven sinned against his father Jacob by sleeping with Bilhah, it was ordained that he be punished by death, but afterwards he repented, whereupon the ministering angels proclaimed the blessing: “Blessed is God Who desires repentance.”When Judah sinned against Tamar, and pronounced the verdict, "Take her out and let her be burnt," and then Tamar showed him proof that she had not sinned, he immediately confessed and said, “She is right and I am wrong,” and he was forgiven for that sin. Whereupon, the ministering angels proclaimed the blessing: “Blessed is God Who graciously forgives greatly.”So the ministering angels teach us that the concepts of teshuvah and selihah are not identical, and they relate them to the two archetypical dramas of sin and repentance.What is the difference between these two stories? Let us analyze each and compare them.The sin of Reuven is described in the Torah as follows: “And Reuven lay with Bilhah the concubine of his father, and Israel heard about it.” The sin is not as simple as it sounds. All agree that it was not a crime of sexual passion. Some interpret Reuven's actions as an attempt to establish his rights of succession by seizing the concubine of the chieftain, Jacob or Israel. The Sages were, I believe, more correct: They accuse Reuven of “rearranging the bed of his father.” By this…
Elul & Selichot

Synagogue Sermon

The One Thing I Really Want (1975)

Psalm 27, which we read twice daily during this season, is full of military metaphors. The two sentences that are most famous are, אחת שאלתי… These two verses have always been regarded as a kind of pious digression. However, this does not seem likely to me. David was a holy man, not a man of mere superficial pieties. What David had in mind, I believe, was something somewhat different. He expresses all along his confidence and faith in God despite fear of what the enemy may bring upon him. These two verses, I suggest, are not so much a part of his faith, as an account of his woes! What he is saying is that despite his victories and triumphs, his successes and prosperities, what he really wants is something quite different: The one thing I really want, that which I desire, is – to dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life...If I had to date this psalm, then, in addition to the historical and biographical evidence, I would find psychological proof that this was written in David’s middle years.Most young men usually are unaware of anything but their careers. The blandishment of great success and fame and wealth, and the immediate challenge of the initial promotions that come in any career, overwhelm all else, and a young man usually fails to ponder about and consider the dimensions of life that transcend career and success but that which really gives it permanent and enduring meaning. Perhaps that is the way it should be. At any rate, the blandishments of temporal success banish any thought of eternity.Most old men too do not think about or act upon this urge of the eternal. They are caught up in quite a different lie: not by the illusion of forthcoming successes, but by the falsehood of past failures. They are convinced that they are beyond redemption, that they have spent their lives too much in achieving their present positions, they bear the scars of many battles for fame and success and wealth, scars of failures as well. They believe that a turn to re…
Elul & Selichot