From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -07: Parashat Vayetze


                   YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
      ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH (VBM)
*********************************************************

            INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
                           
                  by Rav Michael Hattin
                           
                           
                    PARASHAT VAYETZE

                    Yaacov and Prayer
                           

Yaacov Leaves Home


"Yaacov  left  from  Be'er Sheva  and  journeyed   towards
Charan.   He encountered the place and prepared to  sleep
there  because  the sun had set.  He  took  some  of   the
stones  of  the  place and put them under his  head,  and
there  he  lied down.  He began to dream...."  So  begins
this  week's  Parasha.   Opening with  a  description   of
Yaacov's  flight  eastwards to Charan in  escape  of  his
brother's wrath, it concludes with a parallel description
of  his  flight  westwards to Canaan in  evasion  of  his
father-in-law's  anger!   In the  intervening  twenty-odd
years,  a  protracted series of difficult  and  troubling
events  unfold in the life of this most tormented of  the
Patriarchs.


Plumbing the depths of his thoughts on that fateful night
that  sees  him  disappear  into  the  darkness  and   the
unknown, a single word captures his state of mind:  fear.
Fear   of  pursuit  by  a  brother  half-mad  with   rage,
apprehension of never again seeing a tearful  mother  who
sacrificed  her  own future for his,  dismay  at  forever
leaving behind an aged father blind and infirm, and dread
of leaving the Promised Land.  Not to mention fear of the
terrors  yet  ahead: alone and lonely on a journey  to  a
distant land, an alien culture, and an uncertain future.

The  lone figure plods onwards, all the while considering
the   tragic  and  sudden  series  of  events   that  have
catapulted  him so far from home, and the sun  begins  to
set.  Having secured through sacrifice the birthright and
the  blessing,  the  twin promise of  progeny  and  land,
Yaacov  now finds himself bereft of family and  far  from
the   covenanted  earth  of  Canaan.   The  Divine    oath
vouchsafed  to  his  forebears remains painfully  distant
from fulfillment.

Pondering these paradoxes, Yaacov sees the sky  light  up
with the faltering hues of sunset.  His pace quickens and
his  heart skips a beat, but as the blood-red orb of fire
sinks  below the horizon, there are no familiar landmarks
to  comfort  him  or to set his mind at  ease.   Darkness
falls  and  he  is alone in the gathering gloom  and  the
stoic  silence.   Setting down his meager belongings,  he
gathers  some  stones and arranges them about  his  head,
anticipating a fitful sleep punctuated by spectral images
and   pangs  of  terror.   We  can  almost   hear   Yaacov
unburdening  his  soul  in  the cathartic  moment  before
slumber  seizes  him.  Crying out to God,  his  plaintive
prayer  ascends  heavenwards,  and  his  heavy  heart   is
assuaged.

Unexpectedly,  God  appears  to  the  sleeping,  solitary
individual  and instead comforts him with  a  message  of
encouragement and hope: "Yaacov dreamt and saw  a  ladder
standing  on  the  earth, but with its top  touching  the
heavens,  and  the  angels  of  God  were  ascending   and
descending upon it.  Behold, God stood over him and said:
'I  am  Hashem, the God of your ancestor Avraham and  the
God  of  Yitzchak.  The land upon which you are  sleeping
shall belong to you and your descendents.  Your offspring
shall  be  as numerous as the dust of the earth, breaking
out  to  the west, east north and south, and all  of  the
nations of the world shall be blessed through them.'"

The  continuation of God's pledge helps  us  to  decipher
Yaacov's palpable but unspoken fears:  "Behold, I will be
with  you  and I will guard you wherever you go;  I  will
return  you  to  this land.  For I will not  forsake  you
until  all  that I have spoken is fulfilled."   In  other
words,   God  reassures  Yaacov  concerning  those    very
concerns  that must have been uppermost in his mind:   "I
am  so alone.  Where will my travels take me and who will
protect  me on my journey?  When will my brother's  wrath
subside?  Will I ever merit to return to my own land  and
family?"


The Institution of the Night-time Prayer

Significantly,  according to some opinions  expressed  in
the   traditional  sources,  Yaacov's  prayer   at    that
encounter  constitutes the precedent  for  the  nighttime
service.  The remainder of this week's discussion will be
devoted  to  investigating  the  ramifications  of    this
notion:    "It  has  been stated: Rabbi Yossi  ben   Rabbi
Chanina  said: the daily prayers were instituted  by  the
Patriarchs ('Avot').  Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi  said:  the
daily   prayers   were  instituted  by   the    Sages   in
correspondence  to  the  daily  sacrifices    ('Temidim')"
(Berakhot 26b).

The  Talmud here records a dispute concerning the origins
of  the three daily prayers that form the nucleus of  the
devotional life of the Jew.  According to R. Yossi b.  R.
Chanina, the beginnings of the practice of praying  three
times  daily refer back to Avraham, Yitzchak and  Yaacov:
"Avraham instituted the morning service (Shacharit) as it
says:  'And  Avraham  got up early  in  the  morning   and
returned  to  the place where he had stood  before  God's
presence'  (Bereishit  19:27)...Yitzchak  instituted  the
afternoon service (Mincha) as it says: 'Yitzchak went out
to  meditate in the field as evening fell.  He looked  up
and   saw   that  camels  were  approaching'    (Bereishit
24:63)...Yaacov instituted the nighttime prayer (Ma'ariv)
as it says: 'and he encountered the place and slept there
because the sun had set' (Bereishit 28:11).

In  contrast,  R.  Yehoshua b. Levi  maintains  that  the
origins  of thrice daily worship are to be found  in  the
precedent of the daily sacrificial service (Korban Tamid)
in the Temple:  "Thus shall you offer on the altar daily:
two  year-old lambs in perpetuity.  One shall be  offered
in  the  morning and the second shall be offered  in  the
afternoon"  (Shemot  29:38-39).  The  night  time   prayer
(Ma'ariv),  according to this model, corresponds  to  the
remaining limbs and fat of the afternoon sacrifice  which
continued  to  burn  on the altar all  night  long  until
consumed.

A  parallel source in Bereishit Rabba 68:9 records  these
two  views and includes a third as well (quoted elsewhere
with slight variations): "Rabbi Shemuel ben Nachman said:
the three services correspond to the three changes in the
day.  At nighttime one must say: 'May it be Thy will  God
my  Lord  to bring me forth from darkness to light.'   In
the morning one must say:  'I give thanks to Thee God  my
Lord for having brought me forth from darkness to light.'
In  the  afternoon one must say:  'I give thanks to  Thee
God  my Lord, for just as I merited to see the sun in the
east, so too You merited me to see the sun in the west.'"


Three Aspects of Prayer - (#1) The Personal

At first glance, these disparate opinions seem to reflect
nothing   more  then  homiletic  gymnastics.   One    view
connects  the  derivation of three daily prayers  to  the
Avot,  another  to  the  Temidim, and  yet  another   view
suggests that the changes of the day call forth the  need
to  pray.  Upon closer examination, however, we will find
that  these differing views in fact reflect fundamentally
different notions of prayer.

It  will  be  recalled  that according  to  R.  Yossi   b.
Chanina,  it  is  the prayer of Yaacov  implied  in  this
week's  Parasha  that  constitutes  the  source  of    the
nighttime prayer.  We have already seen that the  context
of  that  prayer  was a foreboding night that  found  the
Patriarch  alone, despondent, and fearful.   The  impetus
for  the  prayer  was  thus  a  singular  combination   of
conditions  experienced by Yaacov, within the  particular
parameters  of his personal circumstances.  No  one  else
shared  his  sentiments and emotions at that moment,  and
the  resultant  "prayer"  was a  spontaneous  and   unique
outpouring  of his soul.  Never before in the history  of
the  world or, for that matter, in the lifetime of Yaacov
himself,  had  just such a prayer been uttered,  for  the
factors that inspired it were without precedent.

An  investigation  of  the other two Patriarchal  prayers
yields  a  similar  pattern.   "Avraham  instituted    the
morning service (Shacharit) as it says: 'And Avraham  got
up  early in the morning and returned to the place  where
he  had  stood before God's presence' (Bereishit  19:27).
The  context of this quote is none other than the morning
after  the destruction of Sodom and its satellite  towns.
"The sun rose on the earth and Lot arrived in Zoar.   God
rained  down fire and brimstone on the citiof  Sodom  and
Amora...He  overturned these cities and the whole  plain,
the  inhabitants and the vegetation.  Lot's  wife  looked
back  and  became petrified with salt.   Avraham  got  up
early  in the morning and returned to the place where  he
had  stood  before God's presence.  He  looked  out  over
Sodom and Amora and over the whole plain, and behold  the
thick  haze  of the inferno resembled a smoking  furnace"
(Bereishit 19:23-28).

It   will   be   recalled  that  earlier,    Avraham   had
passionately pleaded for the preservation of the  cities:
"The  men  turned and headed towards Sodom,  and  Avraham
remained standing before God.  Approaching God, he  said:
'will  You  truly  sweep  away  the  righteous  with   the
wicked?!  Perhaps there are fifty righteous people within
the  city.  Will You sweep them away rather than  forgive
them  all on account of the fifty righteous ones who  are
in its midst?  It would be a profanity for You to destroy
the  righteous with the wicked...Shall the Judge  of  all
the  world  not act with justice?"  (Bereishit 18:22-25).
The   parley  between  the  Patriarch  and  God   actually
continued until Avraham had stated his final position  of
ten  righteous  people being sufficient to  preserve  the
city.  To this, God readily agreed.

After  a no-doubt erratic night of sleep, Avraham  arises
early  the next morning to discover that the cities  have
been  destroyed, that his fervent hopes of yesterday have
been  dashed  to pieces.  What a feeling of sadness  must
have  come  over  him, tinged with intense disappointment
and  perhaps  even colored with anger.   This  moment  of
intense and singular pathos is the catalyst for Avraham's
'morning  prayer.'  Again, this is a prayer  inspired  by
unique  and  special circumstances that can only make  it
absolutely personal, individualistic, and unpremeditated.
It is a prayer that has no need for a liturgy, because to
assign  it  a  set  formula  would  destroy  its   sincere
poignancy.

Yitzchak instituted the afternoon service (Mincha) as  it
says:  'Yitzchak  went out to meditate in  the  field  as
evening  fell.   He  looked up and saw that  camels  were
approaching' (Bereishit 24:63).  Here again,  context  is
the  critical  ingredient that  allows  us  to  correctly
interpret the incident for our purposes: "Rivka  and  her
handmaids arose, rode on the camels, and followed the man
(Eliezer).   The  servant  took  Rivka  and  they    went.
Yitzchak  returned from his visit to the well  of  Lechai
Roei,  for  he  was dwelling in the land  of  the  Negev.
Yitzchak  went  out to meditate in the field  as  evening
fell.  He looked up and saw that camels were approaching"
(Bereishit 24:61-63).

What  precipitates Yitzchak's 'afternoon prayer'?   About
three  years  have passed since the death  of  Sarah  his
mother  but Yitzchak still feels the pain of her passing.
At  the same time, he is anxiously awaiting the return of
the  servant  who  may  or  may  not  be   accompanied  by
Yitzchak's  future  wife.  No doubt  he  is  experiencing
mixed  emotions  as he goes out to the field  to  commune
with  God, but the most intense sentiments he experiences
are  longing,  cautious expectation,  and  guarded  hope.
These  intimate, personal, and distinctive feelings serve
as the backdrop for his prayer.

We  may  summarize thus far by pointing out that the  so-
called "Patriarchal Prayer" is actually a paradigm for an
intensely   individualistic,  sincere,  and   spontaneous
outpouring of the spirit which transcends any set ritual,
and  defies  to be shackled by a protocol that  tends  to
degenerate into rote.  This type of prayer addresses  the
immediate needs or concerns of the individual and relates
to  no larger communal or national context.  In this form
of  prayer, the single, particular, and completely unique
human  being stands alone before God, and cries out  from
the  depths of his/her being and from the singularity  of
the  event.   This form of prayer cannot  be  anticipated
ahead of time but is a direct and forthright response  to
a never-to-be repeated moment in time.


(#2) The Communal/National

There is of course another dimension of prayer, signified
by  the  second opinion, that of Rabbi Yehoshua b.  Levi:
"the  daily  prayers  were instituted  by  the  Sages   in
correspondence  to  the  daily  sacrifices  ('Temidim')."
Here  again, we will assume that not only the  source  of
prayer  is  being  suggested, but more  importantly,  its
archetype.  The daily sacrifice was the most important of
the   services   conducted  in  the  Temple.     The   two
unblemished  lambs offered in the morning  and  afternoon
respectively, were brought daily on behalf of the  entire
Jewish  people.  They were purchased with public treasury
funds  that  were  collected yearly from  every  eligible
adult,   and   their   sacrifice  was    overseen   by   a
representative  body  drawn  from  all  regions  of    the
country.   In  glaring  contrast to  the  "Avot   Prayer,"
therefore,  the  "Temidim Prayer" is completely  communal
and  national.  There is no individualistic component  in
it whatsoever.  The unblemished year-old lambs from which
it  is  brought are indistinguishable in their  monotony.
Any  shred  of  the  individual Jew and his/her  discrete
personage  is  completely  subsumed  by  the  much    more
encompassing concept of polity.

At the same time, the Daily Sacrifice was quite literally
quotidian, and incessant to a remarkable degree.  It  was
the epitome of habit, and the exemplar of predictability.
Day  in  day  out,  year in year out, it was  perpetually
offered  according to an unchanging routine that  spanned
the  entire period during which the Temple stood.   There
was certainly nothing spontaneous or unexpected about its
service at all.

Transposed   to  our  context  of  prayer,  the    "Tamid"
(constant, eternal, perpetual) paragon addresses a  scope
of  living  which is habitual and routine.  Most  of  our
days  are  in  fact consumed with rather predictable  and
pedestrian  needs  and  pursuits, and  rarely  carry  the
imprimatur  of distinctive and unusual (and almost  never
singular)  occurrences.   In terms  of  basic  needs   and
fundamental  constant concerns, most of us  are  probably
rather alike.  There ought to be, therefore, an aspect of
prayer  that speaks of these ongoing communal or national
needs, stressing the ordinary and the commonplace, rather
than   the   anomalous   and   the    exceptional.     Its
corresponding linguistic structure, of course, would tend
to   be   formalized  and  highly  liturgical,   employing
conventional  terms and making use of  the  plural  form.
This aspect of prayer is the "Tamid."


(#3) The Universal

     "Rabbi  Shemuel ben Nachman said: the three services
     correspond  to  the three changes in  the   day.   At
     nighttime one must say: 'May it be Thy will  God  my
     Lord to bring me forth from darkness to light.'   In
     the  morning one must say:  'I give thanks  to   Thee
     God  my  Lord  for  having  brought   me  forth  from
     darkness to light.'  In the afternoon one must  say:
     'I  give thanks to Thee God my Lord, for just  as   I
     merited  to  see  the sun in the east,  so   too  You
     merited me to see the sun in the west.'"

In   Rabbi  Shemuel's  formulation,  prayer  is  not   the
preserve  of  the  individual  nor  does  it   necessarily
reflect  the concerns of the nation.  It is dictated,  in
fact,  not  by  human  needs at all but  by  the   diurnal
movement  of  the sun across the expanse of the  heavens.
The  call  to  prayer  is  not  the  precious,   singular,
personal event nor the routine, commonplace, communal one
but  rather  the sweeping motion of the sun disk  in  its
course.

If  "Avot"  prayer  concerns the  personal,  and   "Tamid"
prayer deals with the national, then "Yom" ('sun') prayer
addresses  the global.  In its blinding glare we  do  not
speak of the Jew, or the Nation of Israel, but rather  of
world  humanity  and its logical extension,  the  cosmos.
When  the  motion  of the sun conditions  prayer  and  we
answer  its call, we become an integral part of the  much
larger tapestry of creation that is constantly seeking an
encounter  with the Creator.  We cease being  preoccupied
with our personal needs and national concerns and instead
consider things from the perspective of eternity.  In the
cosmic   dimension  of  God's  transcendence,  our    most
pressing  individual and communal problems  vaporize  and
vanish,  as  we  are  overawed by  the  grandeur  of   His
presence.


The Ideal Prayer

Which  of  these three aspects corresponds to  our  daily
prayers?   Is  the ideal prayer for which we must  strive
the 'Avot,' the 'Tamid,' or the 'Sun?'  Of course it is a
combination of all three.  The times of prayer in  Jewish
tradition are dictated by the positions of the  sun.   In
fact,  the name of each service is derived from the light
conditions  prevailing at the time of its  recital.   The
morning  prayer  is  therefore  called  Shacharit,  which
literally  means  'dawn'  or  the  'lifting  of    night's
blackness.'  The afternoon prayer is named Mincha,  which
is  a  derivation  of the biblical root 'NOaCh',  meaning
rest  or  respite.   The  Ramban  (13th  century,   Spain)
explains  that  'Mincha' time is really a description  of
the  hour that the sun's heat and light begin to  subside
and  decrease (See his commentary to Shemot  12:6,  end).
Figuratively  speaking, at Mincha time or afternoon,  the
sun  is  coming  to  rest  and  preparing  to   set.   The
nighttime  prayer 'Maariv' comes from the  biblical  root
'EreV,' which means to 'mix' or to 'combine.'  As Avraham
Ibn  Ezra (11th century, Spain) explains, in the darkness
of  night  the  perception of an  object's  distinct  and
discrete  material  qualities dissipates,  and  different
objects seem to become commingled and fused together.  In
the  absence  of the light of day, colors  disappear  and
proportions  become  ambiguous  and  undefined  (see  his
commentary to Bereishit 1:5).

Additionally,  it  is indeed striking that  although  the
entire  morning is acceptable for the recitation  of  the
'Shacharit'   prayer,  the  most  ideal  time    for   its
recitation  is  at the moment of sunrise.   Reciting  the
prayer  at  this special time  ('Vatikin') is  considered
particularly  meritorious  and  worthwhile.    Similarly,
there  were those who felt that the 'Mincha' prayer ought
to  be  ideally  recited during the final moments  before
sunset.   Normative practice discouraged  this,  however,
lest the supplicant miss the time and with it the prayer.
In  any  case, it is clear that when prayer is linked  to
the  positions  of the sun, it implies  a  universal  and
cosmic  framework that links together all of creation  in
attempting to achieve fellowship with the Creator.

The  'Tamid' character of our prayers is, of  the  three,
the  most  obvious.   The 'Shemona  Esrei'  or   'Eighteen
Benedictions'   in   their  current   configuration    are
primarily  concerned with expressing our ongoing,  daily,
common and conventional needs.  The prayer follows a  set
formula  that is phrased in the plural, for its  tone  is
communal and national.  In its recitation, the supplicant
attaches  him/herself to the Jewish people  as  a  whole.
The  liturgy  of  the  prayer  and  its  rigid   formulary
phrases,  reflect personal needs and desires through  the
prism  of peoplehood.  The times of prayer are, according
to  this  model,  a function of the times  of  the  daily
offering in the Temple, and thus tend to be much  broader
than  the precise moment of sunrise or sunset.   In  this
model  of  the prayer, one does not wait for the  special
moment  of  inspiration  (which  may  never  come!),   but
instead becomes accustomed to seek God's presence  on  an
ongoing  basis and according to a constant and  unvarying
routine.

The  'Avot' property of our prayers is, for many  of  us,
the most absent from our devotional lives.  It should  be
quite  clear by now, though, why the Deity is  introduced
in  the  beginning of the 'Shemona Esrei' as the 'God  of
Avraham, the God of Yitzchak, and the God of Yaacov,' for
these  three individuals were able to master this  aspect
addressing  Him.  In this form, we stand  before  God  as
unique   personalities,   and   describe   to    Him    in
unpremeditated  language  our  intimate  and   particular
needs.   This  type  of  prayer  requires  no   social  or
communal  context, nor is it served well by ritualism  or
institutionalism.

We  tend  to  think  that the current  state  of   worship
practiced  in  many  of  our  synagogues  stifles   'Avot'
expression, and indeed, there is truth to this assertion.
At  the  same  time,  it should be  emphasized  that   the
development of a set form and liturgy of prayer was never
meant  to  replace  or to suffocate personal  expression.
Quite  the  contrary.   The  'Tamid'  form  serves   as  a
framework   to   allow  individuals  to  succinctly    and
eloquently  express basic requirements,  while  remaining
cognizant of the communal and national dimension of their
lives.   The  Halakha actually mandates the inclusion  of
personal supplications in the appropriate blessing of the
'Shemona  Esrei,' each person according to his needs  and
powers of expression (see Shulchan Arukh Orach Chaim  Ch.
98, and Ch. 119:1-2).

The  ideal prayer, therefore, must include all  three  of
these    attributes.    It   must   have    a    personal,
communal/national,  and universal  quality,  because  our
relationship  with God is lived out on all three  levels.
Tradition  is teaching us that prayer that lacks  one  of
these aspects is not complete.  Our objective, therefore,
must  be to overcome indifference, to transcend rote  and
to master the art of standing in God's presence.

Shabbat Shalom.

For  further  study: see Rambam's (12th  century,  Egypt)
incisive analysis of the origins of prayer in his Laws of
Prayer Chapter 1.  Rather than viewing 'Avot' and 'Tamid'
as  two independent aspects, he instead perceives them as
two stages in an evolving process.


YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved

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