Jewish liturgy is almost always written in the plural form. Here's why. BY SHARON WEISS-GREENBERG Hagar and Ishmael, having been banished from the house of Abraham, are praying for survival in the desert. An Egyptian servant of Abraham’s wife Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael had been cast out after Sarah grew jealous of the child Hagar bore to Abraham. After their water runs out, Hagar sits at a distance from her son so as not to watch him die. But a voice calls out to Hagar and informs her that Ishmael will in fact survive. The text in Genesis specifies that it was the voice of Ishmael that God heard — not the tears of his mother. The commentator Rashi explains that Ishmael’s prayers were answered because God prioritizes the prayers of the sick over those praying on their behalf. One might infer from this that prayer is most potent when one is praying for one’s personal needs. But in fact, much of Jewish liturgy suggests just the opposite: Prayer is most powerful when it is recited in the plural. The standard opening of all Jewish blessings refers to “our God” who has sanctified “us” with the commandments. The very first word of the Aleinu prayer says “[it is] upon us” to give praise to God. Perhaps the best-known of all Jewish prayers, the Shema, declares that “our God” is one. And in the liturgy for Yom Kippur, the day when Jewish tradition teaches that we are individually called to account for our sins, we nevertheless recite the confessional Viddui prayer in the plural: We have sinned. We have trespassed. We have dealt treacherously. Even the Amidah prayer, the pinnacle of the daily prayer service that is recited privately and in a whisper, is written in the plural. Grant us healing. Hear our voices. Forgive us. Some of the specific requests made in the Amidah may be irrelevant to us personally, but when expressed in the plural they prompt us to be mindful of the needs of others. Even in our most individual, intimate encounter with God, we are called to keep the welfare of others in mind. The origins of this liturgical norm may be found in the Talmud’s discussion of Tefillat Haderech, the prayer for traveling. In Berakhot 29b, we find that the initial version of the prayer was written in the first-person singular, asking God to guide “me” in peace and lead “me” in peace. But the Babylonian sage Abaye disagreed: “At all times a person should associate himself with the congregation and should not pray for himself alone.” Despite the fact that most traveling is done individually, not communally, the Traveler’s Prayer is today recited in accordance with Abaye’s directive, a fact that anticipates the way most Jewish liturgy would come to be written. The Mishnah Berurah, a Jewish legal work written at the turn of the 20th century, notes that this practice only applies to standard Jewish liturgy. Someone offering up a personal prayer to God ought to express themselves in the singular. But the standard prayer book liturgy, more often than not, is written in the plural. What is the reason for this? Sefer Hasidim, a 13th century work of teachings about the practices of German Jewry, explains that prayer was instituted in this way because God only listens to the requests of those who are also conscious of their fellows’ needs. This idea echoes a comment Rashi makes on the talmudic discussion about Tefillat Haderech: We pray on behalf of others to increase the chances that our prayers are answered. Plural language in prayer also helps to invoke a sense of collective responsibility. No matter whether we’re praying alone or in community, we are prompted to think about the whole of humanity when we pray, not only of ourselves. Because the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, we pray in this way no matter where we are physically — both to improve the receptivity of our prayers and, perhaps, to deepen our empathy for others. Even when we do not sit in the same room or walk in another person’s shoes, still we pray for them.

https://youtu.be/LutW8wUy4fo Parashat Toldot 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת תּוֹלְדוֹת Read on 6 November 2021 / 2 Kislev 5782. Parashat Toldot is the 6th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 25:19-28:9 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-25-19 Parashat Toldot tells of the conflict between Jacob and Esau, Isaac's passing off his wife Rebekah as his sister, and Isaac's blessing of his sons Triennial year 3 1: 27:28-30 · 3 p’sukim · 2: 27:31-33 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 27:34-37 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 27:38-40 · 3 p’sukim · 5: 27:41-46 · 6 p’sukim · 6: 28:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 7: 28:5-9 · 5 p’sukim · maf: 28:7-9 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: Malachi 1:1 - 2:7 · 21 p’sukim Like Sarah, Rebecca, Isaac’s wife is barren. Isaac prays and Rebekah conceives. She has two sons, fraternal twins in her womb, and they move around a lot as if they are struggling with each other. She prays to Hashem who tells her there are two nations in her womb, one stronger than the other, elder serving the brother. Esau is born first, then Jacob. Esau is a hunter, Jacob more studious and a shepherd. Isaac favored Esau, who fed him game, while Rebekah favored Jacob. Esau came home one day from hunting while Jacob was making a stew. Esau pleaded with him to have some lest he die from hunger. Jacob bargains with him for the birthright which Esau willingly gives him. With another famine in the land, Isaac takes his family again to Gerar after Hashem warns him not to go to Egypt. The men of Gerar are attracted to his wife Rebekah who he also claims her to be his sister. Abimelech, the king, sees Isaac and Rebekah flirting with each other and calls Isaac in to admonish him, that his people would again be punished for interfering with a marriage. Abimelech warns his people to leave Isaac and Rebekah alone. Isaac lives in Gerar and thrives and amasses herds and riches, despite the area-wide famine. Isaac has conflicts with the local herdsmen over wells, so Abimelech tells him to take his family and cattle and leave the area. They end up in Beer-Sheba where Hashem appears to him. Isaac builds an altar to Hashem. Abimelech and Phicol, his general, approach him and say that they see Hashem is with him and want to make a covenant with him. Isaac has aged and wants to bless his sons before he dies. He balls for Esau, his oldest, and tells him to trap venison and make him a meal that he may eat before blessing him. Rebekah hears this and knows that Esau, having married an idolater, does not deserve the spiritual blessing of the first born. She calls in Jacob to have him impersonate Esau by wearing Esau’s clothes and skins to imitate Esau’s hairy body, and then fix a meal of meat. Isaac has lost much of his sight and wants to make sure it is indeed Esau standing before him. Jacob assures him that he is Esau, lets him feel the skin and feeds him the meat. Isaac then bestows the blessing of the first-born upon him. He finishes and Jacob leaves, and then Esau enters his tent. They both realize that Jacob has taken the blessing meant for Esau but Isaac can not take it back. He gives Esau a minor blessing and Esau is resentful of Jacob. Rebekah tells Jacob to flee for fear of retribution from Esau. But Esau has stated he will wait until after the death of his father to take revenge. Isaac sends Jacob to the house of Bethuel that he might find a wife from their clan there as he did. This would allow him to continue the spiritual lineage created by Abraham to pass along the teachings of Hashem. Esau, meanwhile, went to his cousins, the family of Ishmael to take another wife that would be more pleasing to his parents than his Canaanite wife.

https://youtu.be/ZWVaEbHxRcw Parashat Chayei Sara 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת חַיֵּי שָֹרָה Read on 30 October 2021 / 24 Cheshvan 5782. Parashat Chayei Sara is the 5th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 23:1-25:18 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-23-1 Parashat Chayei Sara tells the stories of Abraham's negotiations to purchase a burial place for his wife Sarah and his servant's mission to find a wife for Abraham's son Isaac. [1] Triennial year 3 1: 24:53-58 · 6 p’sukim · 2: 24:59-61 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 24:62-67 · 6 p’sukim · 4: 25:1-6 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 25:7-11 · 5 p’sukim · 6: 25:12-15 · 4 p’sukim · 7: 25:16-18 · 3 p’sukim · maf: 25:16-18 · 3 p’sukim · Haftarah: I Kings 1:1 - 1:31 · 31 p’sukim This parashat begins by announcing Sarah’s death at 127 years old. Some say that it was because Abraham also sacrificing Isaac, her only son of her old age,since it appears almost immediately after that. Abraham buys the cave of Machpelah as a burial site for Sarah from Ephron, a Hittite, in whose land he’s staying. Abraham also plans to have that cave as a burial site for himself and his family. Abraham is old now and wants to make sure his family line continues. He sends his senior servant (Eliezer?) with some men back to his clan in the land of his birth to find a wife. He tells his servant that he does not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite, who are idolators. The servant arrives and he prays that the maiden who would marry Isaac offers him and his camels water. Rebekah comes to the well and does just that. The servant explains that he is Abraham’s servant and offers her a gold nosering and bracelets. Rebekah offers to give them lodging for the night and takes him home. Her brother, Laban, and her father Bethuel come out to greet them. Laban sees Rebekah wearing the gold and offers him hospitality. But first, the servant tells him why he is there, and presents gifts to Rebekah’s family, perhaps as a dowry. He asks permission to take Rebekah with him to be a wife for Isaac, and Laban and Bethuel ask Rebekah for her consent, which she gives. The servant takes Rebekah and her maid back to where Isaac had settled, as Isaac is going to the field for afternoon prayers (Isaac is said to have instituted Minchah). Isaac and Rebekah become married and Isaac finds comfort after his mother’s death. Abraham’s final years are now recorded. He marries Keturah, who bears him six sons. Abraham makes Isaac his designated only spiritual heir to carry on Hashem’s teachings, and he gives gifts to his other sons. Abraham was 175 years old when he died. Both Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave at Machpelah. Hashem then blessed Isaac. Ishmael’s sons are named as twelve chieftains of their own tribes, and Ishmael dies when he was 137 years old.

https://youtu.be/qKiTzKSCS4w Parashat Vayera 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּרָא Read on 23 October 2021 / 17 Cheshvan 5782. Parashat Vayera is the 4th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 18:1-22:24 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-18-1 Parashat Vayera tells the stories of Abraham's three visitors, Abraham's bargaining with God over Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot's two visitors, Lot's bargaining with the Sodomites, the flight of Lot, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, how Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father, how Abraham once again passed off his wife Sarah as his sister, the birth of Isaac, the expulsion of Hagar, disputes over wells, and the binding of Isaac (הָעֲקֵידָה, the Akedah). Triennial year 3 1: 21:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 2: 21:5-13 · 9 p’sukim · 3: 21:14-21 · 8 p’sukim · 4: 21:22-34 · 13 p’sukim · 5: 22:1-8 · 8 p’sukim · 6: 22:9-19 · 11 p’sukim · 7: 22:20-24 · 5 p’sukim · maf: 22:20-24 · 5 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: II Kings 4:1 - 4:37 · 37 p’sukim Abraham is sitting by his tent recovering from his circumcision. Three strangers (who are actually angels or messengers of Hashem) appear and he offers them hospitality. These are angels and one of them tells Abraham that he will return next time at that time and Sarah will have a son. Sarah laughs at the absurdity of an 89-year-old woman baring a son. Hashem then appears to him and tells him that the outrage of Sodom and Gemorrah is so great that they are going to be destroyed. Abraham bargains with Hashem starting with fifty then that if ten righteous people are found in those cities, Hashem will spare them. The two remaining angels now come to Sodom. (Angels convey a message. The third angel’s message of Sarah having a child was delivered and now leaves). Lot has moved into the city and is sitting at the gate of the city. As he sees the two strangers approach, he offers them hospitality. The people of Lot heard about the strangers and confronted Lot to release them to them so they could abuse them. Since all the people of Sodom confronted Lot, they proved that there was not a single righteous person in the city. The angels protect Lot by pulling him back into the house and blinding the people of Sodom with a bright light. The angels then tell Lot that they are about to destroy the cities and he should flee with his family and not look back as they fled. As they fled, a sulfurous fire rained down and destroyed the cities and everything in them. Lot’s wife turned around to look and become a pillar of salt. Abraham stood on a hill and viewed the destruction. Lot and his two daughters settled in a cave. His daughters thought the whole world was destroyed to they got their father drunk with wine and had relations with him so they could get pregnant and repopulate the world. Their sons were the fathers of Moab and Ammon, respectively. Abraham and Sarah now travel to Gerar (Phillistia) where they meet King Abimelech. Abimelech sees Sarah and Abraham tells him she is his sister. Before Abimelech approaches her, Hashem comes to him in a dream and tells him who they are and to leave Sarah alone. Abimelech then confronts Abraham who complains that there is no “fear of G-d” there. Abimelech gives Abraham livestock and slaves as compensation and returns Sarah to him. Abraham then prays to Hashem and the previously barren women there now get pregnant. Sarah now gives birth and Hashem tells them to name him “Isaac”. Ishmael is playing with Isaac, and sages believe he was trying to hurt him. Sarah tells Abraham to banish them. Hashem agrees with this and they are sent away. Their supplies run out and Hagar places Ishmael away from her so she won’t see him suffer. An angle approaches her and shows her a nearby well. The angel tells Hagar he will give rise to a great nation. Abraham and Abimelech and his general Phicol make a pact that Abraham owns a well that he dug. Gifts of sheep are given to seal the deal. Hashem now asks Abraham to offer Isaac. Abraham takes him, accompanied by two servants up to Mount Moriah. After a three day journey, he and Isaac travel alone to where they make an altar with wood which Isaac has carried. Abraham prepares Isaac by binding him. As Abraham raises the knife to strike Isaac, an angel stays his hand. He then sees a ram which he sacrifices instead. Finally, genealogy introducing Rebekah, the future wife of Isaac, is enumerated.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/vayehi-binsoa-haaron-two-aspects-of-torah/?utm_campaign=MJL_Prayer&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mjl_maropost The Torah is not merely an artifact of the past, but part of an ongoing process of revelation. BY JULIE SELTZER Vayehi Binso’a Ha’aron is a prayer chanted at the start of the Torah service. As the ark that contains the scroll is opened, the congregation stands and recites these words: ויהי בנסע הארן ויאמר משה קומה יהוה ויפצו איביך וינסו משנאיך מפניך כי מציון תצא תורה ודבר יהוה מירושלים ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל בקדושתו When the Ark was to set out, Moses would say: Advance, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered, and may Your foes flee before you! Numbers 10:35 For Torah shall come forth from Zion, The word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” Isaiah 2:3 The prayer is composed of two verses — one from Numbers and one from Isaiah — that jointly convey two important aspects of the Torah. The word ha’aron means “the ark” (and in modern Hebrew, “the closet”), and it refers in this context to the Ark of the Covenant, the container that carried the tablets of the Ten Commandments as the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert before entering the land of Israel. The ark in contemporary synagogues that holds the Torah scrolls is a kind of reconstruction of this original Ark. The verse in Numbers refers to the moving of the Ark as the Israelites moved from camp to camp, with the Ark leading the way. But it may have been selected for this prayer for another reason as well. In the Torah, this verse quite literally stands out. It is framed at beginning and end by the Hebrew letter nun, rendered backwards or upside down. In Hebrew, this is known as a nun hafucha, literally a “flipped nun.” These nuns do not function as letters, but as symbols. The rabbis of the Talmud and the later medieval commentators had various ideas as to what these symbols signified. One suggestion is that the verse is marked in this way because it’s in the wrong place. The nuns are meant to indicate that verse should be placed elsewhere in the text in future rewrites. Another suggestion is that the symbols function as bookends, indicating that the verse should actually stand alone as an entire book of Torah. Because the verse is in the middle of Numbers, this would split Numbers up into three books, making a total of seven books of the Torah instead of five. The rabbis derive this radical idea not from the content of the verses, but from the symbols, which do not appear anywhere else in the Torah. While the verse from Numbers recalls the time when the Torah was first given to the Jewish people, the second verse, from Isaiah, is notably in the future tense. In the Bible, the verses comes in the midst of a prophecy of a time when all the peoples of the earth will recognize God’s sovereignty, when swords will be beat into plowshares and peace will reign. It speaks of a world that has yet to come, of a Torah that will yet emerge. Taken together, these verses represent two aspects of Torah. The first reflects how Torah functioned as a guide for the newly free Israelites, accompanying them as they physically transitioned from camp to camp in the wilderness and as they emerged into peoplehood. The second reflects the idea that Torah was not only revealed at a singular moment in time, but is part of an ongoing process of revelation. This idea is further reflected in the blessings we recite as the Torah is read, which bless God as the one who “gives Torah” — not (solely) in the past, but in the present as well. Torah literally means “teaching” or “instruction” and, in the broadest sense, this teaching is always evolving. Just as the verse from Numbers is bracketed in the Torah scroll, Vayehi Binso’a Ha’aron brackets the Torah in time — as a teaching both rooted in the Jewish past but also evolving into the future. Vayehi Binso’a Ha’aron serves as a reminder that as we prepare to see the scroll and hear its ancient words, its application and understanding is always changing.

https://youtu.be/X12cn57ohqY Parashat Lech-Lecha 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת לֶךְ־לְךָ Read on 16 October 2021 / 10 Cheshvan 5782. Parashat Lech-Lecha is the 3rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 12:1-17:27 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-12-1 Parashat Lech-Lecha tells the stories of God's calling of Abram (who would become Abraham), Abram's passing off his wife Sarai as his sister, Abram's dividing the land with his nephew Lot, the war between the four kings and the five, the covenant between the pieces, Sarai's tensions with her maid Hagar and Hagar's son Ishmael, and the covenant of circumcision (brit milah). Triennial year 3 1: 16:1-6 · 6 p’sukim · 2: 16:7-9 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 16:10-16 · 7 p’sukim · 4: 17:1-6 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 17:7-17 · 11 p’sukim · 6: 17:18-23 · 6 p’sukim · 7: 17:24-27 · 4 p’sukim · maf: 17:24-27 · 4 p’sukim · Haftarah: Isaiah 40:27 - 41:16 · 21 p’sukim In this parashat, Avram is approached by G-d. Hashem tells him to leave his home and his family with is wife Sarai. Hashem tells him to go to a place where G-d will show him. Hashem will bless him and all who bless him, and curse all who curse him. Thus begins the story of our first and greatest patriarch and prophet. Abram is chosen by G-d after he (according to Midrash) conceived of a one true G-d rather than the deification of natural forces by the pagan worshippers of his time. Abram is 75 years old and Sarai is 65. Abram and Sarai travel with Lot, his nephew (whom he is taking care of after his parents die) to Egypt to avoid a famine in Canaan. In Egypt, Abram asks Sarai, who is of beautiful form to pretend to be his sister. Abram is afraid that Egyptians kill him so they can take Sarai for themselves. Hashem releases a plague on the Egyptians. Pharaoh suspects why and confronts Abram. Abram confronts Pharaoh that he was in danger. Pharaoh releases Sarai and gives Abram many gifts of livestock and precious metals. Since Lot and Abram have much wealth, they settle in different places so as not to interfere with each others use of resources. Lot settles near Sodom and Gamorrah where the soil is rich. He also gets involved in a war and is taken captive. Abram rescues him. Sarai is barren and tells Abram to consort with her maidservant, Hagar. Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. G-d tells Hagar that Ishmael will be the father of a nation. Sarai finally gets pregnant. Hashem tells Abram to circumcise Isaac, his son with Sarai, at eight days of age. Abram also circumcised himself, Ishmael (who is 13) and Eliezer, his chief manservant. Hashem then tells Abram he will now be called Abraham, and Sarai will be Sarah. By adding the Hebrew letter “hei" (ה) they are adding the name of Hashem.

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/az-yashir-from-praise-to-service/?utm_campaign=MJL_Prayer&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mjl_maropost This climactic prayer of Pesukei d'Zimrah leads us to where genuine expressions of divine praise inevitably must: to service of God. BY MJL Az Yashir — literally “Then [he] will sing” — is a biblical poem that serves as the penultimate prayer of Pesukei d’Zimrah, the “verses of praise” that open the daily morning prayer service. Az Yashir is an extended quotation from the 15th chapter of the Book of Exodus, which recounts the song of praise Moses leads the people in singing to God after the miraculous splitting of the Sea of Reeds. Along with the Shema, Az Yashir is one of only two prayers recited during the weekday morning service that are extended quotations from the Torah. Az Yashir is the climactic moment of Pesukei d’Zimrah, whose function in the daily prayer service is mostly preparatory. Through the recitation of various poems of praise, we set a mood and cultivate a certain mindset as preparation for the real meat of prayer — the Shema and the Amidah, which come later. As the Mishnah in Brakhot teaches, one cannot pray without first cultivating a sense of awe. In curating a section intended to foster awe, the creators of the daily prayer service quite understandably reached for some of the most emotionally resonant language in the biblical canon. Most of Pesukei d’Zimrah is made up of selections from the Book of Psalms, the 150 chapters of poetry attributed to King David that run the full gamut of human emotion. Az Yashir is also a work of poetry. In the Torah scroll, Az Yashir is one of only two selections that break from the normal block column layout, spreading the words across the column in a format more akin to the way poetry is rendered on the page. And like the psalms, Az Yashir is an extended expression of praise. Most of the prayer amounts to a recounting of the greatest miracle God ever performed for the Jewish people — the dramatic suspension of the laws of nature that allowed the Israelites to pass through the sea unharmed while drowning the pursuing Egyptian cavalry in the waters. The verses here brim with vivid imagery of God’s might deployed in spectacular fashion. At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, The floods stood straight like a wall; The deeps froze in the heart of the sea. You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the majestic waters. You put out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. If Pesukei d’Zimrah is intended to evoke awe and inspire praise — or, as some have noted, to emphasize our smallness in the face of God’s infinitude — one could scarcely find more appropriate language. This theme is extended as the poetic narrative continues, relating how other ancient peoples trembled in fear when they heard of the miracle the God of Israel had performed. Finally, after the fire and brimstone have been deployed and the people safely delivered to dry land, the text reaches its conclusion: You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain, The place You made to dwell in, O LORD, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands established. The Lord will reign forever and ever. Here, we come to understand God’s end game: the establishment of a “sanctuary” on God’s “own mountain” — that is, the building of the Temple in Jerusalem. This is of course a central theme of the Jewish story of redemption, that the awesome miracles and fiery displays of heavenly power weren’t intended merely to remove the fetters of Egyptian slavery, but to enable the Jewish people to fulfill their divine mission of constructing an abode for God here on earth. But it’s also a reflection of the arc of our modern prayer services. Like the display of godly power witnessed at the splitting of the sea, the verses of praise that take up half of the traditional text of the morning service aren’t an end in themselves. They aim to cultivate the proper conditions for the heart of Jewish prayer — the Shema and, later, the Amidah, which is the contemporary placeholder for the sacrifices once offered in the Temple. Az Yashir thus functions as a bridge of sorts. The bulk of it is praise for the most amazing miracle God ever performed, but it leads us to where genuine expressions of divine praise inevitably must: to service of God.

The seventh blessing of the Amidah asks God to see our suffering and redeem us from it. BY RABBI DANIELLE UPBIN The seventh blessing of the weekday Amidah begins with the Hebrew word re’eh: see. It is a prayer for personal and communal salvation that asks God to see our suffering and our pain and to redeem us from it. The theme of God as a redeemer is prevalent throughout the Jewish prayer book, but the reference is usually formulated in the past tense — specifically to the historical memory of God saving the ancient Israelites from the clutches of Egyptian slavery. Just prior to the Amidah, we recite the prayer Emet v’Emunah, which recalls God’s redemptive powers and concludes with the following blessing: “Blessed are you, God, Who saved Israel.” But in the Amidah itself, we shift to God’s continued and future potential to save. In the seventh blessing, we ask God to see our affliction and conclude with a present tense version of the Emet v’Emnuah blessing: See our troubles, fight our battles, and redeem us quickly for your name’s sake because you are a strong redeemer. Blessed are You, God, Who redeems Israel. There are myriad ways in which we find ourselves, as individuals and as a people, in need of rescue. This prayer calls upon God to see our suffering and mitigate our strife. We ask God to see us and actively intercede on our behalf, to be with us in our suffering and to fight our fights. The bullies on our proverbial playgrounds would be no match for God. We count on divine grace and strength today, as we have in the past, to deliver us from terror. This is why Re’eh is the place in the Amidah where we insert an additional prayer on public fast days called Aneinu, which delves even deeper into the communal experience of suffering. Re’eh, asks God to see our distress. In Aneinu, we implore God’s full attention, to see us as well as hear us and answer our call. Taking God’s saving power one step further, we boldly request that God save even before despair hits us, quoting the prophet Isaiah: “I shall answer before they call. I shall respond while they yet deliberate.” (Isaiah 65: 24) Re’eh applies to individual suffering as readily as it speaks to collective affliction. Many of us suffer from anxiety, depression, feelings of helplessness. On a societal level, we face dangers from environmental destruction, climate change, and viral epidemics. Suffering can take many forms, and Re’eh does not discriminate. In times of uncertainty, we can take refuge in the comfort of this prayer, opening our hearts to the possibility of divine compassion. The Jewish people have yet to experience a time when the Re’eh and Aneinu prayers have not applied. We ask God to see us in our suffering now and respond in haste. Just as God has been with the Jewish people in the past, redeeming our ancestors with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, we pray that God will continue to intervene on our behalf, today and well into the future.

This haunting memorial prayer employs subtle nuances of language to gently invert the vocabulary of grief. BY MJL How to Say El Maleh Rahamim PRAY https://youtu.be/Kzr0io0o1lA El Maleh Rachamim is a Jewish prayer for the dead traditionally recited at funerals as well as during the Yizkor memorial service on Yom Kippur and the three pilgrimage festivals. The tone is set by its opening three words: “God full of compassion.” The prayer goes on to ask God to grant peace to the soul of the departed and bind it in the bonds of eternal life. When said publicly, El Maleh Rachamim is typically chanted to a haunting tune. There are versions of El Maleh Rachamim said on behalf of an individual as well as versions said on behalf of specific groups, most commonly victims of the Holocaust and fallen Israeli soldiers. But the essential language is consistent throughout. The version recited on behalf of an individual woman reads as follows: אֵל מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, שׁוֹכֵן בַּמְּרוֹמִים, הַמְצֵא מְנוּחָה נְכוֹנָה עַל כַּנְפֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה, בְּמַעֲלַת קְדוֹשִׁים וּטְהוֹרִים כְּזֹהַר הָרָקִיעַ מַזְהִירִים, אֶת נִשְׁמַת (שם הנפטרת בת שם אביה) שֶׁהָלְכָה לְעוֹלָמָהּ, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁבְּלִי נֶדֶר אֶתֵּן צְדָקָה בְּעַד הַזְכַּרַת נִשְׁמָתָהּ, בְּגַן עֵדֶן תְּהֵא מְנוּחָתָהּ, לָכֵן בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים יַסְתִּירֶהָ בְּסֵתֶר כְּנָפָיו לְעוֹלָמִים, וְיִצְרוֹר בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֶת נִשְׁמָתָהּ, יי הוּא נַחֲלָתָהּ, וְתָנוּחַ בְּשָׁלוֹם עַל מִשְׁכָּבָהּ. וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן God, full of compassion, who dwells on high, grant proper rest on the wings of the divine presence, in the heights of the holy and the pure who shine like the splendor of the firmament, to the soul of [woman’s name, daughter of, parent’s name], who has gone to her eternal rest. Because of this, without making a vow, I will give charity on account of her soul’s memory, in the Garden of Eden shall be her rest. Therefore, master of compassion, shelter her in the shelter of your wings forever, and bind her soul in the bonds of life. God is her inheritance, and may she rest in peace in her place of rest. And let us say, Amen. The imagery employed in this bit of liturgy is powerful and evocative. The idea of the souls of our loved ones continuing to be bound to God in everlasting life even after their deaths is often a source of genuine comfort to the bereaved. But as is often the case in Jewish liturgy, the language of El Maleh Rachamim suggests something even deeper. The phrase “shelter of your wings” is sayter k’nafav in Hebrew. The word sayter (סתר) is more commonly translated as “hidden” or “secret.” In Jewish thought, hester panim — literally, “the hidden face” — derives from a verse in Deuteronomy 31:18, in which God predicts that the Jewish people will rebel against the Torah and at that time God’s face will be hidden from them. Hester panim refers to moments of profound challenge when God’s presence is difficult to discern, or when appeals to God go unanswered, or when it seems God is not active in the unfolding of history. Hester panim is commonly invoked in connection to the Book of Esther (the name Esther itself is a play on this word), the only book of the Bible in which God’s name does not appear, and to the Holocaust, as powerful an illustration as any that in particularly dark moments it can feel as if God’s presence is eclipsed. The next phrase of the prayer references the bonds of life — tz’ror hachayim, in Hebrew. Here too the more common association of this word is a negative one. Tzar means trouble, or more precisely “narrowness.” The seminal event in Jewish history was God’s redemption of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. In Hebrew, Egypt is rendered as miztrayim — literally “from the narrow place.” But in this case, narrowness has been inverted into a positive image, the close embrace of eternal life. In moments of deep grief, it can often feel as if God’s presence is eclipsed and we find ourselves in a narrow place. Yet El Maleh Rachamim subtly recasts both of these natural feelings: God’s hiddenness becomes a place of shelter and refuge, and the narrow place becomes one of binding to an infinite life force. Like the better-known Mourner’s Kaddish — which can be read not simply as an expression of praise but as a request that God should become great in the face of the brokenness of death — El Maleh Rachamim uses a subtlety of language to both acknowledge the constriction and emptiness brought on by loss while simultaneously praying for its remediation.

https://youtu.be/ifbDflYALuU Parashat Noach 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת נֹחַ Read on 9 October 2021 / 3 Cheshvan 5782. Parashat Noach is the 2nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-6-9 Parashat Noach tells the stories of the Flood and Noah's Ark, of Noah's subsequent drunkenness and cursing of Canaan, and of the Tower of Babel Triennial year 3 1: 11:1-4 · 4 p’sukim · 2: 11:5-9 · 5 p’sukim · 3: 11:10-13 · 4 p’sukim · 4: 11:14-17 · 4 p’sukim · 5: 11:18-21 · 4 p’sukim · 6: 11:22-25 · 4 p’sukim · 7: 11:26-32 · 7 p’sukim · maf: 11:29-32 · 4 p’sukim · Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5 · 22 p’sukim Noah walked with G-d when the rest of the Earth was corrupt, Hashem approaches Noah and tells him He will destroy the Earth with a flood, but he is to save himself and his family by making an ark of gopher (cypress?) wood. Noah is to take two of all species with him, seven pair of all “pure” (kosher) species. Hashem will make it rain for forty days and nights to flood the earth after the ark is built. Noah is six hundred years old when the Flood comes. The waters swelled on the Earth for 150 days (five months). The waters then started to subside. In the tenth month, the waters drained enough for the ark to rest on Mount Ararat. Forty days later, Noah sent out a raven. Then he sent out a dove, which came back. Seven days after that, Noah sent the dove out again and this time the dove came back with an olive leaf. Seven days later he sent the dove out a third time and this time the dove did not return. In the second month after the first year, the earth was dry. G-d told Noah to leave the ark, which he did with his family and the animals. Noah then built an altar and made burnt offerings to Hashem. Hashem was pleased and committed to never sending a flood to destroy humankind again. G-d made a covenant with humans with the rainbow as a sign. Hashem said that now humans will be fruitful and multiply. Humankind can now eat the flesh of animals. The command against murdering humans is now set forth. This also includes suicide and public embarrassment. Noah now plants a vineyard and becomes drunk. Ham sees his father naked and tells his brothers Shem and Japheth, who then, without looking at Noah, cover him to preserve his dignity. Ham and his son Canaan are cursed for their lewd behavior. Noah was 950 years old when he died. The descendants of Noah are now enumerated. Nimrod was Noah’s grandson and a mighty hunter who ruled over Mesopotamia. Eber, the great-grandson of Shem is mentioned specifically since he was the patriarch of the “Hebrew” people. The parashat closes with the story of the Tower of Babel. People spoke the same language. Building became more important than human life so Hashem confounded their speech and created different languages. Finally, the lineage introduces us to Avram (Abraham) and his wife Sarai (Sarah).

https://youtu.be/Hcmj49kKivM Simchat Torah 2021 / שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה 5782 Simchat Torah (Day of Celebrating the Torah) for Hebrew Year 5782 begins at sundown on Tuesday, 28 September 2021 and ends at nightfall on Wednesday, 29 September 2021. Simchat Torah or Simḥath Torah (also Simkhes Toreh, Hebrew: שִׂמְחַת תורָה, lit., "Rejoicing with/of the Torah,") is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret ("Eighth Day of Assembly"), which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei (mid-September to early October on the Gregorian calendar). Simchat Torah / שִׂמְחַת תּוֹרָה Wednesday, 29 September 2021 / 23 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12; Genesis 1:1-2:3; Numbers 29:35-30:1 https://tikkun.io/#/r/5-33-1 1: Deuteronomy 33:1-7 · 7 p’sukim · 2: Deuteronomy 33:8-12 · 5 p’sukim · 3: Deuteronomy 33:13-17 · 5 p’sukim · 4: Deuteronomy 33:18-21 · 4 p’sukim · 5: Deuteronomy 33:22-26 · 5 p’sukim · 6: Deuteronomy 33:27-34:12 · 15 p’sukim · 7: Genesis 1:1-2:3 · 34 p’sukim · maf: Numbers 29:35-30:1 · 6 p’sukim · Haftarah: Joshua 1:1 - 1:18 · 18 p’sukim Parashat Bereshit 5782 / פרשת בְּרֵאשִׁית Read on 2 October 2021 / 26 Tishrei 5782. Parashat Bereshit is the 1st weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading. Torah Portion: Genesis 1:1-6:8 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-1-1 In Parashat Bereshit, God creates the heavens, the world, Adam and Eve, and Sabbath. A serpent convinces Eve, who then invites Adam, to eat the fruit of tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden to them. So God curses them and expels them from the Garden of Eden. One of their sons, Cain, becomes the first murderer, killing his brother Abel out of jealousy. Adam and Eve have other children, whose descendants populate the Earth. Each generation becomes more and more degenerate until God, despairing, decides to destroy humanity. Only one man, Noah, finds God's favor. Triennial year 3 1: 5:1-5 · 5 p’sukim · 2: 5:6-8 · 3 p’sukim · 3: 5:9-14 · 6 p’sukim · 4: 5:15-20 · 6 p’sukim · 5: 5:21-24 · 4 p’sukim · 6: 5:25-31 · 7 p’sukim · 7: 5:32-6:8 · 9 p’sukim · maf: 6:5-8 · 4 p’sukim ·

https://youtu.be/MKtVOmvPc8w Sukkot I / סוּכּוֹת א׳ Tuesday, 21 September 2021 / 15 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26-23:44; Numbers 29:12-16 A young animal designated as an offering should be allowed to remain with its mother until eight days old, similar to a brit. This portion this then enumerates the various festivals from Shabbat, Pesach, counting the Omer and Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret, and the offerings for each of the festivals. The Hebrew word “Moadim” (מיועדים) means appointed times with the connotations of Israel “meeting” Hashem. The Maftir is the offering for the first day of Sukkot. Sukkot II / סוּכּוֹת ב׳ Wednesday, 22 September 2021 / 16 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Leviticus 22:26-23:44; Numbers 29:12-16 (Same reading as Sukkot I) Sukkot Chol ha-Moed Day 1 / סוּכּוֹת יוֹם ג׳ (חוֹל הַמּוֹעֵד) Thursday, 23 September 2021 / 17 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Numbers 29:17-25 This is the offering for the second and third days of Sukkot Sukkot Chol ha-Moed Day 2 / סוּכּוֹת יוֹם ד׳ (חוֹל הַמּוֹעֵד) Friday, 24 September 2021 / 18 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Numbers 29:20-28 This is the offering for the third, fourth and fifth days of Sukkot Sukkot Shabbat Chol ha-Moed / סוּכּוֹת שַׁבָּת חוֹל הַמּוֹעֵד Saturday, 25 September 2021 / 19 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Exodus 33:12-34:26; Numbers 29:17-34 After the episode of the Golden Calf, Moses pleads for Hashem’s Nearness, to accompany the Israelites rather than send a messenger. Moses asks to see G-d’s Glory and G-d tells him to stand in the cleft of a rock and he will show him the back of His head because no mortal can see Hashem’s face and live. Hashem then tells Moses to ascend the mountain again by himself, and carve two stone tablets like the first ones for the Ten Commandments. These will replace the first ones that Moses broke. First, Hashem reveals his Thirteen Attributes. G-d then tells Moses to observe the Festival of Matzot (Pasach) and consecrate every first born to G-d. G-d then tells Moses to observe Shabbat, the Festival of Weeks (Shavuot), the Festival of Harvest (Sukkot). Finally, G-d tells Moses that Israel should not cook a kid in its mother’s milk. Sukkot Chol ha-Moed Day 4 / סוּכּוֹת יוֹם ו׳ (חוֹל הַמּוֹעֵד) Sunday, 26 September 2021 / 20 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Numbers 29:26-34 This is the offering for the fifth, sixth and seventh days of Sukkot Sukkot Final Day (Hoshana Raba) / סוּכּוֹת ז׳ (הוֹשַׁעְנָא רַבָּה) Monday, 27 September 2021 / 21 Tishrei 5782 Torah Portion: Numbers 29:26-34