הלכות תפילה וברכת כהנים פרק ט

Laws of Prayer, Chapter 9 – The Order of Communal Prayer

Introduction to the Chapter

Hello, gentlemen, we are going to learn Laws of Prayer, Birkat Kohanim (Priestly Blessing), Chapter 9. Yasher koach (well done) to our sponsor of today’s shiur (lecture), Rabbi Dani Kroll, Rabbi Daniel or Rabbi Dani Kroll. Yasher koach for being the sponsor, and may others learn from him and do likewise. A great yasher koach. Whoever wants to contribute, there are links on the… I mean on the page there is a link where one can contribute. If someone can’t figure it out, he can send a pigeon with a hundred dollar bill tied to its feet, or other ways. Okay.

Tefillat tzibbur (communal prayer) is Rabbi Dani Kroll’s, and the Rambam (Maimonides) says as follows.

The Nature of This Chapter – The Order of Communal Prayer

So until now we have learned the mitzvah (commandment) itself, the general mitzvah of tefillat tzibbur. That there is a mitzvah, a concept, a rabbinic enactment that one should pray with a congregation, and that one should go to the congregation, and what is the definition of prayer with a congregation.

Now is a new thing, the order of communal prayer. How does one say it? I said it a bit like this, at the end of the entire book the Rambam has the order, a siddur (prayer book), he even has a siddur. He doesn’t put the siddur here. But here he does include places where the prayer leader must say something out loud, or some interaction between the congregation and the individual, how the congregation says and the individual responds, he puts it in this chapter.

So if you want you can call it like the laws that are in the siddur. In a siddur there is the nusach hasiddur (text of the prayer book), that’s a bit of what’s here, we’ve already seen small texts here, but the laws, in every siddur there come like instructions, instructions, yes? Now one stands, now one can sit, the whole order. But the instructions are also specifically regarding the congregation.

There are instructions in Hallel how one shakes the lulav (palm branch), but now it’s in the laws of lulav. But anything that has to do with where there is a prayer leader with a congregation, he must say and they must respond, it’s here. And also the order of individual prayer we will see at the end of Chapter 7, that he says Pesukei Dezimra (verses of praise) etc. Now we’re going to see the order of communal prayer.

Law 1 – The Order of Communal Prayer

The Rambam says: The order of communal prayer is as follows. At the time when all the people are sitting, when the congregation sits. We’re speaking here apparently at Shacharit (morning prayer). Shacharit, he begins early, and not too early but early, he says the Amidah (standing prayer) right away, he begins everything davening (praying), he opens the siddur, he says the whole congregation comes in what people, and they sit down.

The prayer leader descends before the ark, the prayer leader goes to the front of the ark.

Discussion: What is “Teivah” and Where Does the Prayer Leader Stand?

Later in Chapter 11, we will discuss what the teivah (ark) is. That thing which is called where one places the Sefer Torah (Torah scroll). And in the language of the Sages, usually it’s a teivah, not an aron (ark). Usually there’s a distinction. A teivah and an aron. Aron is what the Torah calls it in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) the aron. And teivah is a box. In a teivah they placed Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses our teacher), and in the aron they placed in the Holy of Holies, the tablets. Okay. But in the teivah, also but I’ve seen a teivah, the point is that the teivah is the place where one places the Sefer Torah, and the prayer leader goes in front of it, yes? Yes.

And in the midst of the people… standing means standing and it stands in the center, in the middle there is a bit of a contradiction, because “in the midst” apparently we will see in Chapter 11, that the bimah (platform) is placed in the middle, yes like we place in our synagogues the bimah in the middle, but the teivah apparently is in the front, so there’s a distinction among the commentators, whether it means it stands before the bimah, or in front of the bimah, at the Torah reading, and the rabbi, when he gives a sermon, for example as in Seder Tannaim, it says that the elder of the congregation must say words of rebuke, he stands on the bimah, on the bimah which is an elevated place, a bimah means a built-up place, a stage, and the prayer leader however doesn’t stand at the bimah but he stands on the ground, and also as we learned earlier that davening comes in a somewhat lower place, it’s a lower place than the bimah, and there the prayer leader stands and davens.

But “in the midst of the people” it appears, there the Rambam said that the bimah is in the middle so that everyone should hear, here it says again “in the midst of the people”. It shouldn’t be very far from the amud (lectern) in any case. No, “in the midst” means in between however.

There is a contradiction, and the truth is that until this very day there is a dispute in the study halls how one conducts oneself. That is, the Sephardic study halls usually, the prayer leader stands actually at the bimah in the middle. In a Sephardic study hall there is no amud with a bimah, there is only a bimah usually, there one davens and also there one reads.

The Ashkenazic study halls, I think all of them, have both a bimah where one reads, and an amud where one davens, and there is a dispute among the Ashkenazim there is a dispute where exactly one places the amud. The Lithuanians usually place the amud actually before the ark literally, in front of the aron hakodesh (holy ark). The Chassidim place it also essentially before the ark, originally the custom, there are certain places where the bimah also stands by the wall, but I think the more original custom, as I think for example, certain study halls have other customs, it happens that the amud is in front but more to the right side, so it says in Ashkenazic authorities that it’s more on the right, not exactly in the middle.

In any case, in the Rambam one can learn both ways apparently, it’s not clear. But the main question is whether “in the midst of the people” means by the east but in the middle of the east, middle between south and north, or middle also between east and west, that he stands in the center of the study hall. That’s the bimah, it’s logical that the bimah is in the middle. Or, apparently from the laws of Chapter 11 it will come out that the cantor stands among the people, not so much in front as we conduct ourselves today, like where the rabbi is by the east wall exactly, but he stands in the middle of the study hall, not exactly as much in the middle as the bimah, or better said, the bimah is perhaps more towards the west, he is more towards the east. Because it’s implied that the cantor stands on the ground, not on the… he is on the ground but he is “in the midst of the people”. Okay.

In any case, here the cantor stands, “descends”, the language is “descends before the ark”, goes up to the bimah, is descends. He goes down from the bimah and he goes to before the ark. Yes, there were places where they made a small pit so that it should have a concept of “from the depths”. In Belz there is a pit, I don’t know if there’s still a place where there’s still one. But it’s nice.

So that’s the concept, descends before the ark. He says a good explanation from the Beit Yosef, the Beit Yosef says descends before the ark because one reads the Torah reading on the bimah, afterwards one goes down to say Musaf (additional prayer), so from that it became that one goes down before the ark.

The heads, what’s the first thing the cantor does? He says Kaddish. I think it has to do with the fact that one may not have haughty steps among a holy people, that he stands in the middle but he doesn’t stretch out, he’s not higher than everyone’s head. By the Torah reader yes, he descends. The Torah reader one goes up, yes, so that they should hear the Torah reader.

Okay, in short, the first thing how does communal prayer begin?

Kaddish – The First Davar Shebikedushah (Matter of Sanctity)

And he begins and says Kaddish. He begins the davening by saying Kaddish. The congregation the first time they say something is Kaddish. We didn’t see it in the previous chapters. And presumably in the siddur he says what Kaddish is: And all answer Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba Mevarach with all their strength. They must say Amen, they should say Yehei Shmei Rabba Mevarach (May His great name be blessed), the Almighty’s name should be blessed, with this one begins.

Discussion: What Does “With All Their Strength” Mean?

The “with all their strength”, I think there’s no power, it’s not like one says. There are three levels, let’s say like this, there are three levels. There’s “and Shmuel was not concerned”, there’s what the communal prayer is out loud, and there’s “with all their strength”, which is a shout. “With all their strength” means one shouts, like an honest Jew says Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba. Like one doesn’t do today. There are those who say so, I saw here explicitly in the Etz Yosef.

“With all their strength” means one shouts “Amen Yehei”, wildly. He says that it doesn’t mean that, that is one interpretation, but it means simply, it doesn’t mean all forces. There are those to rely on, Rabbi Yitzchak says that it means with freshness. One should shout higher, but not use all one’s forces, not literally, that everyone tries to outshout everyone else and finally it’s a madhouse. There must be some certain, one should say it nicely and orderly, but “with all their strength” means with energy, with freshness. Because it’s a crisis, it’s a war, and the congregation responds. Not the prayer leader says and one waits a moment and one mumbles. The congregation takes over, one shouts in “Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba”, it’s a different place for an Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba.

A choir, that’s a different thing. Yes, when the choir sings high in, it’s certainly so. But here we’re speaking of a congregation.

Like the Tanna’im said, one confuses the commentators, one confuses all the forces. First the Tanna Rabbanan shouted, he shouted and shouted into your ear last night at davening. But there are no complaints about Tanna Rabbanan, it’s a different way. It’s not the simple interpretation.

Barchu – The Beginning of Blessings of Shema

Afterwards he stands, after Amen Yehei Shmei Rabba, after Kaddish, one says “Barchu et Hashem Hamevorach” (Bless the Lord who is blessed)? Yes. The Rambam didn’t say Pesukei Dezimra. He said Pesukei Dezimra earlier. He recounts the order of prayer of the prayer leader, he says the other words. He doesn’t say that the congregation begins from the blessings of Kriat Shema (recitation of Shema). There’s no such thing as Pesukei Dezimra with a congregation, says the Rambam. We have the Kaddish that we add before. We do differently. But the Rambam in halachah (Jewish law), like the Shulchan Aruch, the prayer leader, the one who was the prayer leader, he said “Barchu”. The main prayer leader begins from Barchu. We don’t do so, we say our Baal Shacharit (leader of morning service) is the prayer leader. But we don’t conduct ourselves so.

Pesukei Dezimra has no law of prayer leader. Pesukei Dezimra is a matter of the individual. That’s not a concept that one says with a congregation. But he wants to say with a congregation, let him say. We have a custom to say “Hashem le’olam yimloch” (The Lord shall reign forever) verse by verse. But generally one doesn’t say any verse by verse, there are only the endings. Not any Pores al Shema (spreads over Shema), not any “knows before the Lord word by word”. That’s the law of the Rambam. Our custom is apparently so.

Blessings of Kriat Shema Out Loud

Afterwards he stands the prayer leader, the prayer leader, says “Barchu et Hashem Hamevorach”. Here is also such a choir, “bless”, and the congregation says back “blessed”, “Baruch Hashem Hamevorach le’olam va’ed” (Blessed is the Lord who is blessed forever and ever).

And he begins, he says Kriat Shema, everyone is silent, he opens and prays over Shema. That means he makes the blessings until Kriat Shema the prayer leader says out loud, out loud, that is he says after each and every blessing. Well good, he says “Yotzer Hame’orot” (Creator of lights), the congregation says “Amen”. Individually, not so? He would have come to say that Kriat Shema yes everyone says, but he doesn’t tell us that. He says yes, he says “individually to open and read”, to read Kriat Shema alone. The one who can, should make the blessing. No, making the Shema is “reads with him”. Is “reads”. If you don’t know, you’re actually not fulfilling. Until Baruch Ga’al Yisrael (Blessed is He who redeemed Israel). Until “Baruch Ga’al Yisrael” goes back up to “opens over Shema”. That when the one who can’t hear all the whole from Yotzer Or until Ga’al Yisrael, the blessing. Yes, the one who can’t, yes, he says silently.

One must know, the congregation doesn’t conduct itself, I mean the congregation already knows, but it’s a law, there’s a Gemara, we all perhaps know the blessings of Kriat Shema, and one says along, but one must hear from the cantor the whole thing. The cantor must be able to say out loud the entire blessings of Kriat Shema.

The Order of Prayer in Congregation – Silent Prayer and Repetition of the Amidah

I try when I daven at the amud to say out loud the entire blessings of Kriat Shema. “And the congregation stands immediately and prays silently”. Then one stands up for the silent Amidah. Well, good. Who davens silently? The one who knows Shemoneh Esrei (Eighteen Blessings). Not everyone, whoever can. “And one who doesn’t know how to pray stands silent”. He stands poor thing like a log there and he’s silent. From this everyone began davening. “Until the prayer leader prays silently with the rest of the people”. Until the prayer leader davens silently with the rest of the people. Yes, the prayer leader also davens silently. They say as it says in the Gemara, so that he should remember the davening, he should have one last review.

Very good. “And whoever finishes his prayer individually”, when he finishes, finishes, “takes three steps backward”. Yes, “and stands in the place where his feet reached”. He should stand away at the place where he stepped out, “in the place where his feet reached”. He shouldn’t immediately leave from there, one must stand there a bit. The Rambam doesn’t say until when one should stand. In the Shulchan Aruch it says until Magen Avot (Shield of the Fathers). But the Rambam says that later in Law 4 it’s implied… ah, the Rambam says that later in Law 4 it’s implied… that he goes back at Kedushah (sanctification). Okay.

When Does the Prayer Leader Begin the Repetition of the Amidah?

“And after the prayer leader finishes three steps backward”, after the prayer leader has stepped out, “he begins and prays out loud from the beginning of the blessings”, he stands away, he doesn’t say where he is, the prayer leader also steps back. He doesn’t say where he steps back. “He begins and prays out loud from the beginning of the blessings to fulfill the obligation for those who didn’t pray”.

As it were, that perhaps means he translates it back to ways. But here it also appears that the prayer leader doesn’t look whether there are already enough people who have finished. Because the people who can’t, are waiting for him. No, it says very clearly, “and after he finishes”, he doesn’t look at the rabbi. Today it’s introduced that the rabbi is the one who usually davens longer, but the prayer leader stands when the majority of the congregation has already finished Shemoneh Esrei. That’s a practical thing, that’s not written here.

No, he says, here it doesn’t come out, because there are still people waiting for him, and they’re waiting poor things. It doesn’t look like he’s calling them, and it doesn’t look like it should be a congregation. That’s not the topic. He begins… it’s implied, so he says, it’s implied from the Rambam actually that he stands, he doesn’t go back, he remains there where he stood when he begins the Shemoneh Esrei prayer. We conduct ourselves that one goes back. Okay.

The Congregation at the Repetition of the Amidah

And what does one do? He begins, he begins… “And the congregation stands and listens and answers Amen after each and every blessing”. Everyone listens. He begins, he begins the prayer, out loud, yes. In order to fulfill the obligation for those who haven’t yet davened. And everyone listens, also those who have already davened listen, “listen and answer Amen after each and every blessing”. Those who haven’t yet heard themselves, they are now fulfilling their obligation. And those who have already fulfilled their obligation, don’t they need to stand again and say Amen, it’s a matter of honor so.

Okay, it’s communal prayer. I said that it’s the congregation’s prayer. He’s not fulfilling his obligation, he must also make individual prayer, but he also needs communal prayer.

Kedushah – Returning to One’s Place

Afterwards, another thing one does at the repetition of the Amidah, at the… “says Kedushah in the third blessing”, at the third blessing there is the order of Kedushah that we say “Nakdishach” or “Nekadesh”. “And when the prayer leader reaches Kedushah, there is permission for each and every one to return to the place where he stood in prayer”.

What’s the concept? They honor the prayer leader, but one doesn’t stand in the proper place. No, as the Rama said, “he returns to his place where he is accustomed”.

Why Must One Wait After Prayer?

He brings that it’s obvious that one doesn’t run away, one doesn’t run away immediately. The Gemara says that one used to throw down sins at “Selach Lanu” (Forgive us). Yes, there’s a Gemara. The Gemara says that one used to just throw down sins, “Selach Lanu” one threw down sins. Next to where one davens, next to where one stands, and now one leaves. No, I saw it somewhere, I don’t know where.

The Simple Explanation and Not Running Away from Prayer

The simple explanation is that one doesn’t run away immediately from davening (prayer). Just as we saw earlier, one doesn’t take a large step, one has just stepped out. He brings, yes, he brings it like this, “like a dog returning to its vomit”. But the simple meaning isn’t that he has thrown away the sins. The point is, he has now thrown away his sins, he asks the Almighty for what he needs, and he runs away. Exactly like a child comes to his father, he comes, “Father, how are you? Give me money,” and he runs. Exactly, one needs to stand there a bit, it’s a basic thing. Like someone…

And about this he says that he has just thrown down the sins, not that the place is now a holy place. It comes out like “like a dog returning to its vomit”. He says, you shouldn’t now run away and go do whatever you want, and tomorrow you’ll again ask forgiveness for your sins. You can’t start anything. You should stand a bit. Until you go do sins, you should make a small break from the sins. You say, “Forgive the sins,” and you run back to the sins. Don’t run right back, be calm.

Discussion: How Long is the Measure of Waiting?

So how long? The measure, how long is approximately?

Ah, the simple meaning isn’t that one needs to constantly have some level of holiness. It’s simply that this is a measure, two, three blessings. Okay, you’ve had enough, you can go back. This isn’t an obligation. The Rema says “optional”, it’s not an obligation to go back, he can do what he wants.

It could be, I think, that if someone davens quickly and the congregation davens twenty minutes later, I don’t know what, he doesn’t need to stand twenty minutes because it’s holiness. It’s mainly a matter of time, two minutes. How long would you take for a normal beis medrash repetition? Not that… You have people who are careful about the halacha, and he remains standing there for half an hour because the congregation… No, I mean, it could be that the matter has something to do with the holiness of the third blessing.

It could be that we want that at Kedusha there should still be people around the prayer leader. And one finished davening, and prepared to leave, but waited so there would be ten at Kedusha. One finished “Ashrei”, and prepared to leave. It was a large hall, everyone stood in a corner and davened. Everyone came together to finish the prayer. If one is already in the middle of prayer, one doesn’t turn around. One went back as it was.

Modim D’Rabbanan

The Rebbe said, “when the shaliach tzibbur reaches Modim”, when the shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader) comes to Modim, at the reading, he bows, just as the rabbis said earlier, “lower the high dwelling slightly”, when the prayer leader bows strongly, the congregation gives itself only a small bow. “And they should not bow too much”, why? So it should be clear that it’s not their davening.

Text of Modim D’Rabbanan

And one says like this: “Modim anachnu lach”, we thank You, Almighty. And here one speaks a bit about the Almighty. The Almighty who is “our God and God of our fathers”, “our Creator”, the Almighty who is “Creator of creation”, He created the beginning. Earlier we said “Creator of light and Creator of darkness”, we spoke about the act of creation. And we say “blessings and thanks to Your great and holy Name”, which is similar to what the prayer leader says “we thank You”. “For You have kept us alive and sustained us”, that You have kept Jews alive, “so may You continue to keep us alive and sustain us”, so may You continue to keep Jews alive, until the redemption, “and gather our exiles to Your holy courtyards to keep Your statutes and to serve You in truth and to do Your will with a whole heart”.

And we thank You, Creator, “for we thank You”. The teacher says that everything is the main point “for we thank You”. No, there are two other versions, other words. There is the main point in brief, it says “we thank You for we thank You”. And there is the version that one says, but all also have the “for we thank You”. The main printings, the Zikhron Aharon siddurim, have the version that one says, and then “for we thank You”. And one can make the version longer, but it still remains the same type of thing.

Discussion: What Does “For We Thank You” Mean?

“For we thank You” goes back to “we thank You”. I would want to say that this is one explanation: we thank You for the fact that we can thank You. But I saw that Rabbeinu Menuach translates like this: we thank You for all the good things, and then “for that which we don’t know to You”, and for many more things that we have to thank You for.

But the correct explanation is what I said, because it also says in the Gemara that it’s an extra prayer. There was a version that goes only “we thank You for that which we don’t know to You”. We add all the merits, because there were other merits, besides the other merits. It’s a beautiful version, one says this too. But I think that the simple explanation is this.

Innovation: Modim D’Rabbanan is More Communal Than the Shatz’s Modim

But another interesting thing that I noticed here is that the Modim that the prayer leader says is much more individual, he says “Rock of our lives, Shield of our salvation”, he speaks of me as a person, and my salvation. Here it is “You have kept us alive”, such a collective, because the congregation says it.

I think that “Modim anachnu lach” doesn’t mean… can also mean “we believe in You”. I saw that Modim is a submission. It could be that the Modim d’Rabbanan, the Modim that the congregation says, doesn’t mean thanking, it means I submit. He thanks, he says “Blessed are You, Hashem, the Good is Your Name and to You it is fitting to give thanks”, to give thanks means to thank. And he thanks because “You have kept us alive”.

But I say that it’s interesting that what the congregation prays fits more that it should be a communal matter, and this is much more a communal matter than the regular Shemoneh Esrei, because in Shemoneh Esrei “Rock of our lives, Shield of our salvation” is usually meant for the person, yes? The Almighty is “Rock of our lives”, he means my life. He only says it in plural language because Shemoneh Esrei is in plural language. “Bring us up quickly to our land”, “and our judges as at first”, here we speak of us. Here we speak of the entire community, the congregation, “You have kept us alive and sustained us”, “and brought us up to the Land of Israel”. It’s much more communal.

This also makes sense that this is indeed a double thanks, it’s Modim for we are Modim. So we submit that the shaliach tzibbur submits, understand? It’s one upon the other, it’s next level. Very good.

“Whoever Says Modim Modim, We Silence Him”

“Whoever says Modim Modim, we silence him”, one makes him quiet if someone calls out and says Modim twice. What does it mean he says Modim twice? He says “Modim Modim”? He says “Modim Modim”? He says “Modim anachnu lach” and then he also says the Modim of the prayer leader? He also says the prayer of Modim? The prayer leader doesn’t say Modim, he says “Modim Modim” because he sees that he’s speaking two lines. He didn’t want to say it twice.

The Rambam simply brings the piece of Mishna, it’s not relevant because today one looks in the siddur. The Mishna apparently, all these Mishnayos teach us that there are no set texts, and one can make one’s own text. If the one praying says “Modim Modim”, what does one do? One says “Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”. Can you give me an example. But one sees here that the Mishna wants that when someone makes a mistake one should fix him. He doesn’t want a dictatorship, that the shaliach tzibbur can go on rants and say crazy things and everyone has to sit quietly. It’s the opposite.

We Silence Him – When We Correct the Shaliach Tzibbur

Speaker 1:

One may not say it twice. It seems that the Rambam simply brings a piece of Mishna. It’s not relevant, because today one looks in the siddur anyway. The Mishna apparently… all these Mishnayos until today there are no set texts, and one can make one’s own text. If the one praying says Modim Modim, what does one do? One says “Shhh, nu”. But one sees that the Mishna wants, that when someone makes a mistake that one needs to fix him, he doesn’t want a dictatorship, only certain fixes. Now if he says with the congregation… only certain fixes. Now with the congregation can he go on rants and say crazy things and everyone has to sit quietly? Only only only… On the contrary, you see from here that only such things that look like two authorities, then we silence him. Usually he says what he wants. If he says worse than Modim Modim, he says Mochim Mochim, then certainly we silence him. It’s when he says something wrong, but not that he can’t say what he wants. On the contrary, if he can’t say what he wants, the whole question already begins.

What I’m saying is, that the custom, that if the prayer leader says some mistake, people shout in, is not correct. Because here it says that specifically… because here one sees that specifically has a thing according to a thing that makes it as if it appears like two authorities, it’s literally a thing that sounds now like heresy I don’t know what, then we silence him. Simply that he says his own text, he may say what he wants. No, this is a reason why one shouldn’t say Modim Modim about saying saying. For this we silence him, but not a shaliach tzibbur that he should do what he doesn’t understand. It’s understood he needs to do the custom of the place, but the we silence him doesn’t stand on this.

Nefilas Apayim – “And Incline Slightly”

Speaker 1:

Okay, it’s after one finishes, the shaliach tzibbur has finished… yes, it’s now come to Tachanun, the Rambam earlier laid out the order of nefilas apayim (falling on one’s face). He should sit, it’s to sit down, and then he should fall on his face. He puts down the front of him, lay down the face, and fall on his face and incline slightly. Why incline slightly? Because he’s an important person? What else is incline slightly? What is the incline slightly? When the whole congregation does so. Earlier we learned that… I mean now earlier learned how does one do it? It’s not a prostration, they learned it. Incline slightly is perhaps about the topic of a stone floor. Because it’s not in a beis medrash, but in a room alone. One falls on one’s face. The “incline slightly” is apparently about the topic of a stone floor, so I think, to be on the side.

Earlier the Rambam said like this, how one does nefilas apayim, that one falls completely down. There he said “incline slightly”. But he said, when one does nefilas apayim after the prayer, the one we’re speaking of here, one may not do prostration on the stones, but “and an important person is not permitted to fall on his face unless he knows about himself that he is a tzaddik, but he inclines his face slightly”. So this is for an important person on what law? Here it says that everyone should do it. Perhaps he’s an important person? Perhaps he’s speaking for an important person? I don’t know. Or perhaps the shaliach tzibbur does everyone like an important person? It already says in the home everyone does, if there’s ever nefilas apayim one does it alone. But here, “he bows and sits with the strength of his head, and he and the rest of the people”, so one does it, one “inclines slightly”. But it’s actually a good question, why… it’s not clear. The commentators don’t know.

But so is the custom in the synagogues, it’s so. Because perhaps we were concerned perhaps there’s an important person, they already made the custom for everyone. Or it’s about the stone floor. It could be both reasons. The Kesef Mishneh says both things.

But “incline slightly” means simply one doesn’t fall flat on the floor, one falls on the floor but a bit to the side.

Could be the answer for the “incline slightly” is the repetition of the Shatz, take into account that the prayer leader is the one who… it seems so from the Rambam that the prayer leader is the one who demonstrates everything. He does, “repentance for all the congregation”. So the prayer leader needs to do “incline slightly”, because everyone is important to the congregation, and we taught him at the beginning. The whole congregation follows him. So this became the order. This is the hint here in “and he and all the congregation”. The prayer leader does it, and the others won’t be more pious than the prayer leader, because he’s the messenger, the most important of the congregation. But he’s only obligated as important.

Okay, in short, “he bows and falls, and sits with the strength of his head”, he should sit back up with the strength of his head, “and he and the rest of the people”. You can imagine like you say “and he and the rest of the people”, they follow him, he’s the prophet. “And he and the rest of the people, and supplicate a bit in a loud voice” the congregation follows him, so he does. And after that the shaliach tzibbur stands alone, he stands up. The prayer leader stands the whole time, the only place where he sits is here at this piece. Very good. But the congregation, as we do, they sit, as we say. The congregation remains sitting, but he stands up and he says, says Kaddish a second time, another Kaddish. We’re holding at the second Kaddish. Yes, this is indeed Kaddish Tiskabel, yes Kaddish from before doesn’t exist. Yes, and they answer Amen as we said at first. Same thing, Yehei Shemei Rabba Amen, whatever.

After Kaddish – Vayehi Rachem, Tehilla L’David

Speaker 1:

And after that he says the order, and says, nu he says Vayehi Rachem, the prayer of Vayehi Rachem that we know as Ashrei and U’va L’Tzion. I don’t know. But he… yes. Vayehi Rachem. U’va L’Tzion is composed of two parts, it begins with U’va L’Tzion or Vayehi Rachem. At the beginning is the order of Kedusha. Again, again. So, the Rambam, the Rambam doesn’t say, I’m sorry, Vayehi Rachem means Tachanun, Vayehi Rachem, the long Tachanun. I don’t know what Vayehi Rachem means. Vayehi Rachem is the long Tachanun, Vayehi Rachem v’Rachum, that one says on Monday and Thursday, but here this is a long order of Tachanun. He says it’s a long, a simple Vayehi Rachem, he doesn’t say what its name is, it’s not clear. He says a verse Vayehi Rachem. At Maariv also one says Vayehi Rachem, no? No, no, not yet, no. Vayehi Rachem is a verse in between, as it says here, in between but as you say, one says the long Tachanun, but after Kaddish, not after Kaddish one says it. It’s a different thing. I know, before Tehilla L’David one says Vayehi Rachem according to the Rambam. It’s not in our siddur, I don’t know. Some are accustomed to say it, so he says, yes. What else is the verse Vayehi Rachem? Like we do at night? I don’t know, perhaps there was a whole text, one needs to look soon in the text of the prayer. Okay, he says prayer Tehilla L’David, which is Ashrei, which the Rambam already mentioned once, and this even an individual says. We conduct ourselves to begin before Tehilla L’David every time two Ashreis, but the verse begins Tehilla L’David, yes. He stands and they sit. Further, yes. And reads with them. That means, he says it and they read, everyone reads with him. He says with the verse.

Kedusha D’Sidra – U’va L’Tzion

Speaker 1:

After that he says U’va L’Tzion Goel, and I this is My covenant with them, and You are holy, dwelling in the praises of Israel. The Rambam here lists a few verses that all by themselves speak about the place of the Holy One Blessed be He, or holy Hashem the whole earth is full of His glory, and holy three times holy. And completes the Kaddish, the prayer leader says the Kaddish. He says the whole verse, and when one comes in the verse to the words “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh”, “and they answer” – the whole congregation answers “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh”. And so one does three times, because in each one of the three verses that he listed it says three times “Kadosh”.

Apparently the congregation says three times “Kadosh”, not nine times “Kadosh”. Very good. “And returns and reads the Kedusha”. No, apparently three times in total three times “Kadosh”, not nine times “Kadosh”. Very good. Apparently he reads the verse, and when he says “Kadosh”, the congregation says “Kadosh”. Very good.

“And returns and reads” – if the answers are three times, if the prayer leader says it once all at once. The prayer leader doesn’t say “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh”, everyone says after him “Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh”. When he says “Kadosh”, everyone says “Kadosh”.

After that he says the same verses of Kedusha in Targum (Aramaic translation). Instead of “Kadosh” it says “Kadish”. And after that one says the verse “Hashem will reign”, and one says it also with a Targum.

Suddenly the congregation needs to understand, I’ve said everything until now in the holy tongue, one remembered that the congregation should understand the Kedusha, the third Kedusha. One says Kedusha three times: first there is Kedusha of Yotzer, then Kedusha at Shemoneh Esrei, and now there is a third Kedusha at the conclusion. Three times one says it. What is the reason for the prayers? We’ve already finished the prayers before the standing prayer.

“Seder HaYom” – The Name and the Reason

Speaker 1:

He will now say: “We go up the verses before the Kedusha and after it with their translation, and this prayer is called Seder HaYom.” The prayer that I’ve now said from “U’va L’Tzion” with the Kedushos and with the Targum is called “Seder HaYom”. What is the translation of “Seder HaYom”? Here it says “Seder Kedusha”. No, it’s called “Seder HaYom”. Kedusha d’Sidra one calls it in the Gemara, right? Seder HaYom.

And he goes to say, I think, the reason, if I remember, isn’t it here? “V’haynu d’nikra seder hayom” (and this is what is called the order of the day). I think the reason for this is because… isn’t it here? It says later. What does Rabbeinu Menucah say? No, it says later that it’s said that it has to do with Torah study. It’s not here. No, he brings… it’s not enough what he says. But he brings it to him this way. Rabbeinu Menucah says that the reason why one says specifically this prayer, he says this way, because it speaks about the coming of the redeemer. Read that piece about the coming of the redeemer. Yes, but why do we need to say more prayers at all? Haven’t we said enough prayers? I think that… what does seder hayom mean? I remember it says so. Well, isn’t it? Perhaps it says later? Yes, look at the Yad Peshutah. I’m learning the Gemara. I remember that the word of the seder hayom is… it’s called, seder hayom. A seder hayom. Ah, Rashi says this way… the world generally stands on learning. And at the very least, that the world stands on the holiness of the sidra. So Rashi explains that the seder, what the day calls seder kedusha (order of holiness), that seder hayom is simply that every Jew must be able to learn every day.

Ah, but why? Be so kind! Over… he says this way. Why specifically these verses of Torah? He says this way. It’s specifically the first verses of Torah. Or what? We’re talking about the redemption. We’re talking about… what are we talking about… the builders of Zion redeemed… “U’va l’Tzion goel” (And a redeemer shall come to Zion). We’re talking about the resurrection of the dead, the holy spirit, there are beautiful beautiful verses, important things. No, this way, calculate. The coming of the redeemer, resurrection of the dead. But what else? Say the rest. Yes but, those, those, those, those, say what. I don’t know. Say those specifically u’va l’Tzion. Coming of the redeemer, resurrection of the dead, the holy spirit, about the Torah that it should not cease and men. Yes, we say u’va l’Tzion, from there scattered them, and we say u’va l’Tzion goel. One, we say… is it already? All important things. Mainly and supplications we speak supplications, verses of mercy. Yes, but I already know which verses of mercy. Okay. This is supplications that come after the Torah study. We learned the holy one, there come a bit of supplications. Verses of mercy. He said holy. And he says another holy, and the congregation says ways. That means congregation, they answer. He said answer holy. He said may the rabbi guard the son of departed ones, and we go home. I think that the Kaddish comes after the world supplications? No, Kaddish we haven’t seen here why there’s a Kaddish. According to the previous one says, the Rebbe said three Kaddishes in his order of prayer here. And basically, every piece of prayer comes a Kaddish. That means, before we begin, after Shemoneh Esreh, and after the entire prayer. I think these things are lacking.

Kaddish in the Order of Prayer

Speaker 1: I think the Kaddish comes after words of supplications?

Speaker 2: Yes. No, Kaddish, we haven’t seen here why with the Kaddish. According to the previous opinions, the Rambam said three Kaddishes in his order of prayer here, and basically every piece of prayer comes a Kaddish. That means, before one begins, after Shemoneh Esreh, and after the entire prayer.

Speaker 1: I think that after the supplications is an order. One was supplicating, and after that comes the piece of supplications.

Speaker 2: Yes, but also one begins with a Kaddish. It’s not after anything. I remember he says, no, he doesn’t say something, the one who begins says a Kaddish. “They established Kaddish for the number of prayers, it too shall be a help for redemption, for the Kaddish speaks of redemption, in order to remember it always, and also it is as a sign for the beginning of prayer, for it is impossible to begin to pray in public”. This is the beginning of Kaddish. Kaddish is a beautiful prayer, one says it every time when one begins the public prayer, when one finishes the public prayer. This is the reality of Kaddish.

We have a custom or a law that one only says Kaddish after something, therefore he makes Kaddish after Yishtabach. The Rambam doesn’t have this problem. The Rambam says one begins with Kaddish, he doesn’t say that one must say a verse before a Kaddish, because the first Kaddish, right? And also we go home with Kaddish. Kaddish is a beautiful prayer, it begins and it ends with it.

Law 7: “Whoever Says ‘Your Mercies Reach to a Bird’s Nest’ — We Silence Him”

Okay, now the Rambam is going to put in another two laws about what one doesn’t pray. Interesting, because until now we have prayed, now we’re going to say a prohibition what one may not pray. Okay. Says the Rambam, “Whoever says in the manner of supplications”. Yes, it’s different words. In the Mishnah it says various things that one may not say, “The One Who Has Mercy on a Bird’s Nest” and other things it says in the Mishnah that one should not say. The Rambam now says, “Whoever says ‘Your mercies reach to a bird’s nest,’ we silence him”. So says the Rambam.

Why Does the Rambam Say “In the Manner of Supplications”?

I want to tell you why he says “in the manner of supplications,” because the Rambam, we learn, he says, we have said that there is a dispute among the Rishonim. Prayer that must be said from the beginning, the intentions of the Arizal, which doesn’t make sense to say that someone doesn’t say “from an eagle” and about a bird’s nest, which blessing is it? There isn’t any blessing. Rather what, says the Rambam, this is speaking about supplications. Which supplications? Or the supplications that one says “Hope in Hashem, be strong,” which is there after the holiness of the sidra, whatever it is, according to the opinion, about this it speaks. Other Rishonim understand that no, this wasn’t any fixed text, this speaks of someone saying this within the prayer somewhere, in Modim, I don’t know where in Retzeh, he says this.

The Rambam’s Reason: A Decree of Scripture and They Are Not Mercies

But the question is, why shouldn’t one say “bird’s nest Your mercies reach”? There is Rashi’s explanation, there is the Rambam’s explanation. But no, Rashi says, Rashi says this way… let’s see what the Rambam says. Okay, says the Rambam, “All these are in supplications”. No, I wanted to say about this the word “in supplications” is already correct. What is the difference if one says this as “bird’s nest Your mercies reach” when one gives a sermon about the attributes of mercy, and when one says this in supplications? But see, but look, but look what the Rambam says. “All these are in supplications”, he asks from the Almighty, and he says this way: “He whose mercies reach to a bird’s nest, and He made the commandment not to take the mother with the young”, oh, the Creator who made the commandment not to slaughter it and its young on the same day, “have mercy on us”, the Almighty has a Creator of mercies, and He made the commandments of mercies, and His mercy in this manner, as if in this matter “we silence him”, we make him quiet.

Why? Says the Rambam, the Rambam says this way, “because these commandments are decrees of Scripture, and they are not mercies”. That which one must not take the mother with the young or not do it and its young on the same day, is a decree of Scripture, it is not mercy. “For if they were because of mercy”, if you’ll say that it is indeed mercy, that one shouldn’t kill at least a mother with a child, if so one would have to expect from the Almighty, “if they were because of mercy, He would not have permitted us slaughter at all”, we wouldn’t have to slaughter at all. “Rather they are decrees of Scripture”. So says the Rambam.

Contradiction Between Laws of Prayer and Guide for the Perplexed

The great wonder is, that the Rambam in other books says specifically that the commandment of bird’s nest and not slaughtering it and its young on the same day, is in order to teach people compassion. And the answer is, the simple true answer is, that the Almighty wants us to become compassionate, not because the Almighty spared with this, ah, for a few hundred thousand animals one will do more animal suffering, because the few hundred thousand Jews will be well. The Almighty wants to make us into well people. He doesn’t have direct compassion on the animals, He wants us to have compassion on the animals.

He says, this is a good answer. Unfortunately, the holy Rambam didn’t say this answer. He asked himself the question, and he said that it’s a dispute. The Rambam says that it’s a dispute. Here you have an opinion that holds that commandments have no reason, and this is an opinion among the Tannaim, and here the legal authorities rule like the Mishnah. But the Rambam himself doesn’t hold like that opinion, he holds that commandments do have a reason. So learns the Rambam.

Speaker 1: Yes, but the Rambam says, so according to this one must learn differently the…

Speaker 2: No, it means, the Rambam holds that here is a dispute of Tannaim, a dispute among the commentators whether commandments have a reason at all. So he rules for law here that no, and in the Guide he rules that yes. The law doesn’t have to agree with the philosophy. The Rambam has his opinion, but law he must go with the principles of law. He can’t say, “because I hold differently from the simple meaning of the Mishnah, I’m going to do something.”

Practical Difference for Piyyutim and Prayers

Okay, so all in all one can say that this is not a good piyyut. Because if you would have said… all in all, a person came up with a piyyut, yes? There is “He who had mercy on Abraham our father.” Let’s say, someone says, “He who had mercy on a bird’s nest.” Would we instruct that this is not a good piyyut, because it doesn’t fit so well. According to the Guide does it fit? It could be it fits. But it’s different from “thanks thanks” we silence him, which is actually a transgression. It could be that this is not such a great transgression, but the person should know that this is not a good piyyut. It could be such a piyyut, someone made such a piyyut.

But from this quiet one sees, here one sees that… here one doesn’t see according to your opinion. Here one sees more according to your opinion. No, that the Sages, when they make the text of prayer, the laws of the text of prayer, they are careful that it should be according to the correct philosophy. And since they say the law that one rules this way, because they understood that it’s not the correct philosophy, it’s not the correct explanation. “Ah, it’s a beautiful prayer, it’s a beautiful piyyut.” If one can ask, “Ah, it’s a piyyut, not a prayer.” No, prayer must be correct. If someone says not according to the correct philosophy that the Sages held, one silences him. And this one sees indeed from the law at least. Okay.

The Ramban’s Explanation and Other Opinions

And the Rambam says there another explanation. The Rambam doesn’t say like all the commentators. Here he indeed says another distinction, that the proof that it’s not because of His mercies is because slaughter is permitted ab initio. Therefore it must be that the Almighty doesn’t really have compassion on the bird’s nest. In Yiddish one says the Ramban says the explanation that the Almighty doesn’t have providence over any bird. There is no individual providence. It’s not the simple meaning that every bird’s nest that dies, and every bird that dies, sinned something and the Almighty killed it.

The Maor Einayim explains this way, the Maor Einayim learns that “do not send away over the young” holds that the Almighty has individual providence over animals, and “at the time of their gathering” because He embarrasses people. He makes people not be on a higher level than the bird’s nest. The Ramban says that it’s not correct, that the Almighty holds only because then one indeed didn’t contribute to the animal.

“Because of jealousy” is the explanation, “because of jealousy” in the act of creation, that people will now start to be jealous of the bird’s nest. Think poor thing, think this way, by people, most gentiles, took children once a year. So he’ll think, the Master of the Universe, by the bird’s nest He made individual providence, and by us not, and by us people one takes children once.

Conclusion: Caution in Making Prayers

In any case, after what we learn here, we have explained the sugya, let’s insert what was learned in the laws of prayer. First of all it’s certain that in prayer one doesn’t say this explanation. And another prohibition that one shouldn’t do, also to say perhaps that the Rambam means in supplications. But one must know, because the bird’s nest is no great concern for people who make prayers. There were righteous people who made prayers. So let’s say it will occur to someone that he’s going to learn the Likutei Moharan and go make prayers. “You great Creator said thus and so in this and this commandment, and according to this, according to the Torah of Rabbi Nachman, I now want to pray.” One must give very much attention, because the Rambam has here a problem that when you pray it must be a voice according to all explanations. He has already said specifically the explanation in the Guide, but in prayer it must be something a tremendously good explanation.

Discussion: Public Prayer vs. Individual Prayer

Speaker 1: Someone, I think already, he says public prayer.

Speaker 2: Ah, “all day supplications” means individual prayer, “at the time of their gathering” is simply a public prayer. Someone says for himself, I don’t know if it’s exactly the same stringency. It’s more perhaps a matter, it seems to me, as I thought earlier, that the stringency of public prayer then one was announcing to the world the principles of faith or certain things, and they didn’t want to just say. But someone says for himself… but I want to present to you, it’s known that the holy Yismach Moshe, the grandfather may his merit protect us, said that all the piyyutim that Jews say is with the holy spirit. All piyyutim that Jews say is with the holy spirit. What could be that from there was a proof for this, because if we say this way that a not good explanation in all the entire Torah is something that one should not say in prayer, it must be that the liturgical poets were tremendous geniuses, and knew all the secrets of the things, the reasons for the commandments, to be able to say.

Speaker 1: I know what he said, that they had the holy spirit.

Speaker 2: No, I think it’s different, I think that the holy spirit is something that the Geonim say.

Speaker 1: Okay, no, the holy spirit means that the public says it.

Speaker 2: Okay, no difference.

Law 7 (Continued): Not Multiplying Praises

And likewise, another thing that one may not do, yes, very good. In prayer one may not be lengthy in praises of the Almighty. One may indeed be lengthy in thanksgiving, but not in praises.

Speaker 1: The Rambam didn’t say this, you’re saying this.

Speaker 2: We have it indeed yes. He says that one can be lengthy, the Rambam says that one can add requests. The Rambam says that one can add thanksgivings. Okay, the pleasantness of the Name there is a matter of not multiplying. And he says, he says this way, “The great, mighty and awesome God”, this is written, but he adds a few more.

Speaker 1: Ah, one shouldn’t say besides “The great, mighty and awesome God,” also one should say “strong and courageous and powerful,” why?

Speaker 2: “For there is no power in man to reach the end of His praises”. A person can’t anyway say the praises of the Almighty. He said Moses, “Moses our teacher said”, and say what Moses our teacher said, he should indeed say.

Why Only Moses Our Teacher’s Words?

I think the simple meaning is this way, I heard the Rambam says that a person says it as a disgrace, because we can’t the Almighty. And this also has to do with the three perceptions, everything that we speak we only speak about His deeds, about a certain revelation of the Almighty, we don’t speak about the Almighty Himself. Just as he says here “there is no power to reach the end of His praises,” as he says in another place, “no man knows the Rock of the worlds Himself,” yes, something like that.

But “Moses our teacher said” I think he means this way, there is indeed a problem when one says things and one is difficult, like the Almighty does, the Almighty does something. But when Moses our teacher said this, it comes indeed with secrets that we have fear the Guide explained what Moses our teacher meant to say, why specifically opinions hints at not a physicality, because on opinions one can rely on Moses our teacher’s wisdom. Is there a simple meaning? I don’t know.

The Rambam’s Affection for This Statement

But just so, this piece is important, because this piece the Rambam, apparently doesn’t agree with the Guide for the Perplexed, because the Rambam himself says apparently that it’s a dispute with what he says in the Guide, that yes one must have simplicity. But this piece, specifically a piece that the Rambam loves very much, and he very strongly praises the statement.

Praises of the Holy One Blessed Be He in Prayer – Continued Discussion

Speaker 1:

But when Moses our teacher said this, it comes indeed with secrets that the Guide explained what Moses our teacher meant to say, what this indeed hints at not a physicality. Therefore on this one can rely on Moses our teacher’s wisdom.

English Translation

Is there a simple explanation? I don’t know. I can say the previous piece, the Rambam, seemingly doesn’t align with the Moreh Nevuchim, because the Rambam himself seemingly says that there’s a dispute with what he says in the Moreh, whether yes or what. But this piece is actually a piece that the Rambam loves very much, and very strongly praises the statement in Moreh Nevuchim Part 1. I don’t know. Seemingly I understand, I would understand it this way in the Moreh, that the matter, Moshe Rabbeinu means to say, you can interpret it this way, you don’t know anything. Do we understand the Almighty’s praise? Someone can say Moshe did see? No, no, no, rather what, I say what it says. I say what it says, I don’t say that I know. I don’t say that I know, I say that I don’t know. I have no idea what it means. What does “hagadol hagibor vehanora” mean? I don’t know. It’s written in the Chumash. He can say what’s written in the Chumash.

Ah, does he mean specifically “hagadol hagibor vehanora,” or in general? And if someone wants to say prayers, he can say the thirteen attributes of mercy, one can say prayers that Moshe says. No, no, it means the explanation, the type of Gemara. It means the lashon hakodesh, “gibor nora,” which is written…

Isn’t it from the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah? No, it’s not. No, it’s written in the language of the Chumash, “gibor venora” in Parshat Devarim. “Ha’el hagadol hagibor vehanora asher lo yisa panim velo yikach shochad”. So it says in the Gemara, that one says more… How does Moshe say three praises one after another? I don’t know. In the Gemara it says that they learned “ilmalei demoshe ba’oraita ve’atu anshei knesset hagedolah,” this is what the Gemara said.

The Rambam said that the simple explanation is that when not, in other words, if it weren’t written in the Torah, one wouldn’t say this either, because we don’t know anything. If it’s written in the Torah, one can say, I don’t know, I don’t know, I know the Almighty, I know that it’s written in the Torah. He can count the simple powers, but that’s the second thing. First, because that’s the most that Moshe says sometimes. Again, this is what the Chachamim, the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah, established that the language of the Torah should say, but more than that one shouldn’t be allowed to say. So says the Rambam. I don’t understand. But it’s the thing, because in the siddur itself the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah said, “hagadol hagibor vehanora,” they added “El Elyon koneh shamayim va’aretz.”

Speaker 2:

Very good, and one shouldn’t say the other.

Speaker 1:

What does the Tur say?

Speaker 2:

The Tur isn’t in the siddur.

Speaker 1:

I wanted to ask the question, I don’t know.

Speaker 2:

Do you know that they said all these things?

Speaker 1:

Look in the nusach of the Rambam.

Speaker 2:

No, I think, the other things aren’t kinuyim, but actions that He does, about that…

Speaker 1:

“El Elyon” isn’t a kinuy?

Speaker 2:

Well, what are the other things?

Speaker 1:

He is the Creator of the upper realms.

Speaker 2:

Or indeed, “hagadol” also means something, I don’t know.

Speaker 1:

I’m uncertain.

Speaker 2:

I’m afraid that the correct nusach is only “hagadol hagibor vehanora” and only that.

Speaker 1:

That’s what I’m afraid of.

Speaker 2:

Because then Shemoneh Esrei ends, the praise ends.

Speaker 1:

And after “mechayeh metim” one does say?

Speaker 2:

“Mechayeh metim” isn’t a kinuy, not praise, that’s not a problem.

Speaker 1:

The problem is the praises.

Speaker 2:

“El Elyon” also isn’t praise?

Speaker 1:

Kinuyim, kinuyim.

Speaker 2:

You need to have kinuyim.

Speaker 1:

“El Elyon” is a kinuy, and “hagadol hagibor vehanora” isn’t a kinuy?

Speaker 2:

“El Elyon” is an extra kinuy.

Speaker 1:

“El Elyon gomel chasadim tovim” also isn’t a kinuy?

Speaker 2:

“Gomel chasadim tovim” is a thing that He does.

Speaker 1:

But “hagadol” – the Great One.

Speaker 2:

One doesn’t say “hagadol hagibor vehanora El Elyon.”

Speaker 1:

One says “hagadol” – the Great One, “hagibor” – the Strong One.

Speaker 2:

One never says about other things “the Great One.”

Speaker 1:

One says “atah gibor,” which is the same thing as “hagibor” which was already said.

Speaker 2:

But one doesn’t call Him “hagadol,” “hakadosh.”

Speaker 1:

One says “ha’el hakadosh.”

Speaker 2:

I don’t know, I don’t understand.

Speaker 1:

I can’t help you, I don’t understand.

Speaker 2:

“El Elyon” ends that “El Elyon” means that one can’t grasp Him, He is elyon.

Speaker 1:

One ends with “hagadol hagibor vehanora,” and after that you already say everything actions: “gomel chasadim tovim,” “koneh hakol.”

Speaker 2:

I don’t know.

Speaker 1:

Isn’t “ha’el hakadosh” a kinuy?

Speaker 2:

I don’t know.

Speaker 1:

I’m uncertain.

Speaker 2:

I don’t know.

Speaker 1:

I’m afraid that one must shorten it.

Speaker 2:

I don’t know.

Speaker 1:

I see that in the Rambam it also says “El Elyon” and all these things, so I can’t say that the Rambam had a different nusach.

Speaker 2:

But perhaps the Gemara had a different nusach.

Speaker 1:

I have no idea.

Speaker 2:

It requires study in my opinion.

Speaker 1:

Or someone has a better explanation.

Speaker 2:

You’re saying actions that Moshe Rabbeinu…

Speaker 1:

You’re asking a good question.

Speaker 2:

One doesn’t say “echad mi yodea,” one does say it, not in this piece of prayer, in another piece.

Speaker 1:

But I mean in this Rambam piece that you said, “hear three foundations of Torah, Moshe Rabbeinu with ruach hakodesh,” all the nuscha’ot of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah were intended.

Speaker 2:

What?

Speaker 1:

The Anshei Knesset HaGedolah said “hagadol hagibor vehanora,” and they didn’t say “El Elyon.” One shouldn’t say that, because that’s what Moshe Rabbeinu said. No, no, no, no. One shouldn’t say that, one shouldn’t say that. It means that in the Chumash the language is written, and further one shouldn’t. Not clear.

Yes, tell me.

Speaker 2:

I don’t know yet. “Chadash shemo veyashav al kis’o,” “asah ma’aseh kedushah,” “chaluti al esek gadlecha.” What’s there a tradition about the name of Rabbi Chaim Volozhin, “Chaim” which has no… Yes, correct.

Speaker 1:

Good, regarding “hanora,” presumably the most three languages.

Speaker 2:

No, kinuyim of the Name aren’t there. I don’t know what’s there.

Speaker 1:

“Ha’elokim hagadol.” I don’t know. A question on the siddur. I don’t know.

Speaker 2:

The Almighty says yes. I can pose it to you. He’s asking a good question. I don’t know the answer. Let’s go further.

Speaker 1:

What does this have to do with the sugya of kinuyim that we learned earlier in the Rambam in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah? That “El hagadol hagibor vehanora” are kinuyim that are different from the middot?

Speaker 2:

I have no idea. I don’t see that it should be different.

Speaker 1:

Good, it also means something from action. What does “gibor” mean? That’s the same thing. It means “gibor.”

Speaker 2:

“El hagadol hagibor.” I have a next prayer which is an explanation of “gibor.” Yes, “atah gibor le’olam” explains what it means He is “gibor”: He revives the dead, He causes salvation to sprout, He does all kinds of things. So, that’s an action, it’s not a… I have no idea. I don’t understand.

Speaker 1:

Okay, and “nora” is the connection with “ha’el hakadosh”? They say that “El hagadol hagibor vehanora” are the topics of the three blessings?

Speaker 2:

You can say what you want. I don’t know. But I don’t understand why… I don’t know. Right here one may not add, and later one adds what one wants. Your Torah, yes.

An Alternative Explanation in the Gemara

Speaker 2:

Okay, let’s go further. It can also be different. One should learn here a different explanation. That you can learn however you want, we’ll say. That it means here to say, the chacham, there was someone who said such a nusach, and Rabbi Chanina yelled at him. He makes his own nusach. One says the siddur that’s in the siddur. It says in the siddur something else, it says something else. Perhaps it mainly means one shouldn’t make one’s own nuscha’ot. One shouldn’t say, I’ll make true mercy, because you say that “gadol, gibor venora” are the three things. “Gadol” means great in the attribute of kindness, so one usually says, and on that one says “magen Avraham, gomel chasadim tovim” about Avraham. And “gibor” one says “atah gibor le’olam Hashem” and hints, what does “gibor” mean? “Mechayeh metim.” And “nora” means that You are holy, and one should say the kedushah. Yes, but what does it help me?

I’ll go further elementary only on the praises of Moshe. One must think, we are many years after Moshe Rabbeinu, because he is strong and strong and strong, and explaining the praises of Moshe Rabbeinu. One shouldn’t establish, one shouldn’t shout. That “chazak ve’amatz” are still synonyms of “gibor.” It’s not so different. I mean that mainly one shouldn’t say, one shouldn’t make one’s own torot. Say what’s written in the siddur and go on. Okay, but I don’t have another explanation. And if someone can tell me an answer why one may say all things, perhaps one really may not, I don’t know.

Halacha 8: Mincha Prayer in Public

Speaker 2:

Anyway, we’ve finished. Until here laws of Shacharit, until here laws of communal prayer of Shacharit. Now one goes to speak about communal prayer of Mincha. At Mincha the shaliach tzibbur also begins with “vayehi rachem.” We said that “vayehi rachem” earlier there’s a concept of tachanun, just as “vayehi rachem” is tachanun. Or only the verse “vayehi rachem,” just as one says “ahavah rabbah” with “vayehi rachem” Antiochus. And here one says “ashrei yoshvei veitecha, ashrei ha’am, tehillah leDavid,” just as one says at the time of Sukkot “ashrei ha’am.” But at Mincha one sees that at Shacharit there isn’t in our siddurim, we say “ashrei yoshvei veitecha,” we say it twice at Shacharit, at Pesukei DeZimra, one says it afterward at Torah reading, and at both we add “ashrei yoshvei veitecha.” Here one sees that only here at Mincha one adds “ashrei yoshvei veitecha,” and one says “tehillah leDavid.”

So it is, korei hu veha’am yoshev, he reads “tehillah leDavid,” the shaliach tzibbur together with the congregation, but sitting. Yes, the whole, all the verses. And the ba’al tefillah, “vayehi rachem,” sitting, and the ba’al tefillah stands up and he says Kaddish. Until now, ah, at Shacharit he didn’t begin any Pesukei DeZimra, he began from Kaddish, so immediately he prayed the prayer standing. But the Pesukei DeZimra that one says before Mincha, the ba’al tefillah also sits at Ashrei. I haven’t seen that one should conduct oneself this way.

Speaker 1:

The ba’al tefillah by us doesn’t have a bench, meaning an amud at all. It’s an amud where one only stands. Perhaps he really should sit, I don’t know.

Speaker 2:

No, we sit yes, the ba’al tefillah at tachanun the ba’al tefillah also sits, fine.

Speaker 1:

Okay, one drags him to a bench, which is a side thing, but it’s not the main thing.

Speaker 2:

Well, so… It’s a halacha indeed.

Speaker 1:

But why isn’t he at the amud? Everything is indeed the amud.

Speaker 2:

It doesn’t say that he must sit at the amud. One sits, and he stands up at the amud later.

Afterward, ve’omer hashaliach tzibbur ve’omer kaddish, ve’onim oto kedarko, yes, one answers Amen to Kaddish, umitpallin bekol ram belachash. One must pray belachash, an obligation of the congregation is indeed to say the prayer belachash, just as was said at Shacharit, ad sheyashlim kol hatefillah. And afterward there’s again tachanun, “veyoshev hu vehem venoflin al peneihem umitchanenim”. One goes back to the same language that was at Shacharit. “Venoflin al peneihem umitchanenim,” one says a bit more tachanun sitting, and afterward one stands up and says Kaddish, “vechulam onim kedarkom veniftarim limlachtam”. One goes back to work. Here he learns himself automatically that the halacha is that one must go back to work.

Speaker 1:

After Mincha too?

Speaker 2:

There’s no reason to loiter in the beit midrash all day, except if it’s one of the individuals who are engaged in Torah.

Okay, let’s go further.

Halacha 9: Evening Prayer in Public

Speaker 2:

At night, “ba’erev kol hayom yoshvim”, the whole congregation sits, one begins sitting, also just as at Mincha one begins sitting, and the ba’al tefillah stands up when he says “vehu rachum”. This is the third time that the ba’al tefillah says “vehu rachum.” But here it’s different, because here one doesn’t say anything, one doesn’t sit anything, he stands immediately and he says “vehu rachum” and “barchu”, “ve’omer barchu et Hashem hamevorach, ve’onim barchu et Hashem hamevorach”. And here he does the “pores al Shema” of Ma’ariv, he says the blessings of Kriat Shema. Afterward one says Kaddish, “ve’achar kach hakol omdim umitpallin belachash”. And “keshemashlemin”, when one finishes praying the prayer belachash, one doesn’t say again the communal prayer, but “ve’az omer kaddish”, and the congregation disperses. And the Rambam explains, why does one repeat to pray aloud, he cancels, as Scheinfeld says, he cancels the obligation, here he doesn’t need any obligation, and just as they learned earlier that it’s a custom, lefikach lo yevarech zeh brachot levatalah, keshe’ein sham adam shetzarich lehotzi, a very interesting explanation, because he indeed wasn’t obligated at all.

Speaker 1:

But because of the large congregation there’s indeed an enactment of Chazal that one should say anyway, that one should say so.

Discussion: What is “Communal Prayer”? — Chazarat HaShatz at Ma’ariv

Speaker 1:

A very interesting explanation. No one was ever obligated.

Communal prayer, a whole chazarat hashatz, one should say so, that obligated isn’t there. Communal prayer, the prayer was already. I don’t understand, I thought… I’ll go back. The communal prayer is obligatory, one sees here clearly yes. The explanation of chazarat hashatz he says is to fulfill for the synagogue, but there’s no one who needs. The one who can’t is exempt from Ma’ariv. That’s the whole problem, because who prays? Only one who can pray well, he is stringent. Who is obligated? The others are the minimum. Here is there someone left who one needs to fulfill in the synagogue? There’s no communal prayer. But here there’s no one who remained with the obligation, and in the synagogue there’s no communal prayer, because one doesn’t need to have it.

I still don’t understand at all, what’s the innovation of communal prayer? The previous chapter we said that communal prayer means that the ba’al tefillah speaks aloud and the congregation prays, and here you see that there’s a shaliach tzibbur at Ma’ariv who exempts no one, and there’s a communal prayer. Something escaped me, something doesn’t fit here.

But there’s no communal prayer because there’s no one who needs to hear the prayer. What happened to the whole virtue of communal prayer? Doesn’t it apply to this? One indeed has the virtue of praying together and said Kaddish. But there’s a concept of saying Shemoneh Esrei aloud for those who can’t, and at Ma’ariv there isn’t that.

Let’s go back to what we said yesterday. Yesterday, in the previous chapter, we said that communal prayer, on which all the virtues stand, communal prayer is nothing more than praying together. There’s no concept to come to Ma’ariv because one has communal prayer. The second thing I said is that communal prayer doesn’t necessarily mean that there’s a Shemoneh Esrei.

Yesterday the Rambam did say so. Let’s see clearly, yesterday he said so. I didn’t understand it. Communal prayer must be, the Rambam said, “mai hi tefilat hatzibbur? Vecheitzad hi tefilat hatzibbur? Sheyehei echad mitpalel”, Chapter 8 Halacha 4, “vecheitzad hi tefilat hatzibbur? Sheyihyu chulam mitpallelim ke’echad belachash, ve’echad omed umitpalel bekol ram”. Aloud and the whole congregation listens, you say, perisat Shema is indeed a communal prayer. Again, very good. Also in perisat Shema it’s only permitted that the one who can’t and the one who can says it himself. It’s a concept of perisat Shema, yes. Why is one at all… No, perisat Shema isn’t to make a different type, perisat Shema is to say Shema belachash and afterward Shema in public. Perisat Shema is indeed the one who can says along. He says along, but not for that. He doesn’t disturb the silent prayer, which is extra going at the same time. He doesn’t disturb, the shatz says aloud and the other says along silently. It’s not a problem.

English Translation

But what I’m asking you is, what’s the point? For Kaddish? It doesn’t seem right. No, we pray together, meaning that all people pray together. Forget it, forget it, very good. So the logic that all the commentators understood yesterday that just praying together, a group of people, doesn’t mean tefillat hatzibbur (communal prayer), no, it does mean tefillat hatzibbur. The proof is that at Maariv (evening prayer) we also have a shaliach tzibbur (prayer leader), even though there’s no tefillah bekol ram (prayer recited aloud). That’s what I want to establish. It wasn’t clear otherwise than very good. But in the Rambam it’s also not clear, because the Rambam says something else. The Rambam says one should go pray in the beit hamidrash (study hall) even if there’s no minyan (quorum of ten) in the beit hamidrash, because Jews learn there, Jews pray there. It’s a beautiful thing. I ask you, what is the tefillat hatzibbur that one does in the beit hamidrash? Here you see, in the synagogue of the many. Here we see that there’s a thing of a shaliach tzibbur with the whole thing of prayer, when everyone can. A tefillat Maariv that explicitly doesn’t have tefillat hatzibbur, which seemingly means tefillat hatzibbur, is still called tefillat hatzibbur. Rather what? The opinion we thought that tefillat hatzibbur means when one person prays and everyone listens isn’t correct. I can tell you all, it doesn’t work.

Okay, now, the Hagahot (glosses) learned that at Maariv there’s no chazarat hashatz (repetition of the Amidah), he doesn’t call it chazarat hashatz, he calls it tefillah bekol ram. There’s only tefillah belachash (silent prayer). On Shabbat there is something like this. The Alshich Hakadosh says yes, the baal tefillah (prayer leader) prays belachash with the congregation and he repeats, and he says like this, here he doesn’t say that he’s repeating the shatz, he prays bekol ram, but he doesn’t pray seven blessings but rather one blessing that encompasses the seven. Very much like a short prayer, very similar to the way “Havineinu” works. But it’s even more unified, because usually with “Havineinu” one says in order the first three blessings, the last ones. He doesn’t make seven blessings at all, he only makes one blessing that’s for all seven blessings. He says “Baruch atah Hashem Elokeinu velokei avoteinu, Elokei Avraham Elokei Yitzchak vElokei Yaakov.”

Speaker 2:

Ah, you see? The first one is said almost completely.

Speaker 1:

“Elokei Avraham Elokei Yitzchak vElokei Yaakov, ha’El hagadol hagibor vehanora, El elyon koneh shamayim va’aretz, gomel chasadim tovim vekoneh hakol, vezocher chasdei avot umevi goel livnei veneihem lemaan shemo be’ahavah uve’emunah.”

Speaker 2:

Ah, correct. The Rambam has it. I thought he only says…

Speaker 1:

Afterwards one says here “Magen avot bidvaro,” it’s Magen Avot.

Speaker 2:

Right, yes.

Speaker 1:

“Mechayeh metim bema’amaro,” “Mechayeh metim bema’amaro” is the blessing of resurrection of the dead. “Hamelech hakadosh she’ein kamohu,” or “Ha’El hakadosh.” We say “Hamelech hakadosh” in general, we don’t say “Ha’El hakadosh.” We have “Hamelech hakadosh” for the Yamim Nora’im (High Holy Days).

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 1:

Okay good. And afterwards one says the prayers of the day and Shabbat. “Hameni’ach le’amo beyom Shabbat kodsho,” the Creator who gave Shabbat to the Jews, “ki vam ratzah,” because the Almighty wanted that on that day Jews should rest. “Ad kan,” this is the “ad kan” of the middle blessings, right. Afterwards one goes to avodah (service). “Lefanav na’avod beyir’ah uvfachad,” this is Retzeh. “Va’avodat Yisrael,” this is the shortened version of that. “Venodeh leshimcha bechol yom tamid me’ein haberachot.” Do we say every day “me’ein haberachot”? When the Rambam says “me’ein haberachot”?

Speaker 2:

Ah, because I thought the Gemara that says “Ten lo kol yom me’ein berachotav.”

Speaker 1:

Yes, the Rambam has a different version, he says “me’ein haberachot.” “Bechol yom,” I will thank You for the “me’ein haberachot,” which is the Mishkan, the Beit Hamikdash which was the place of the blessings. The Almighty is the “me’ein haberachot.” There are other versions here, there are those who have the version “me’ein berachotav.”

Speaker 2:

Yes, you see? There are other versions in the Rambam, one needs to know.

Speaker 1:

“Adon hashalom,” according to the version it should be “Modim anachnu lach” which is “me’ein haberachot adon hashalom.” Very good. In any case, “adon hashalom” this is certainly the blessing of Sim Shalom. “Mevarech amo Yisrael bashalom,” “hashevi’i umekadesh haShabbat.” Yes, so one goes back to Shabbat, interesting. That means the conclusion of the blessing goes back to the conclusion of the middle blessing. The fourth blessing. And one says, as you said earlier, “meni’ach le’amo Yisrael,” not he lets rest, he gives rest to his people, he gives them menuchah (rest). “Menuchah ukdushah,” he gives kedushah (holiness) and menuchah “le’am medushnei oneg.” A very interesting expression, the same people who earlier pray with fear and trembling, are now medushnei oneg. There’s no contradiction, they are servants from fear and trembling, and they are a people medushnei oneg. Yes, they are fat from restfulness, they are swollen with oneg, oneg Shabbat, an interesting expression.

“Zecher lema’aseh bereishit.” Afterwards he says “ki vanu bacharta ve’otanu kidashta mikol ha’amim,” this is the whole Retzeh. The expression “zecher lema’aseh bereishit” on Shabbat, in the Torah it says “ki vo shavat” etc., but the expression “zecher lema’aseh bereishit,” what’s the problem? It’s a source of blessing, it’s the thing you say at Kiddush, you say it during prayer.

Speaker 2:

Exactly, yes, also during prayer one says “zecher lema’aseh bereishit,” and afterwards one says the whole prayer “Retzeh bimnuchateinu.” Because in practice there is a blessing for Shabbat, it makes sense.

Speaker 1:

Yes, one says a blessing for Shabbat, and one adds that it’s also me’ein sheva (encompassing the seven). It’s one blessing as if, a middle blessing that includes me’ein sheva. This is how it appears to work.

Law 12: The Reason for Me’ein Sheva — Danger for Latecomers

Speaker 1:

And he says Kaddish, and the congregation goes home. The Av Beit Din (head of the court) asks, if so, why was this instituted? Why did they add the “seven blessings”? Why on Friday night is there chazarat hashatz? Only “because many people come to the Maariv prayer of Friday night.” Friday night the congregation comes, they pray “Vayekhulu vayeshev netzach al balhashan letavi leta.” There also come people who arrive late, “if one sits alone in the synagogue, there is danger.”

Did you know why they made the whole blessing? Actually one doesn’t need chazarat hashatz for Maariv. It’s simple, all week not everyone comes for Maariv, whoever comes, presumably comes on time. But on Shabbat many people come, there are people who come late, there will certainly be latecomers. Now, what should he be? Should he go home late alone? It’s dangerous at night, who knows what happens at night. So they specially instituted and the organization helped the general public, and they helped broken people. And the chesed (kindness) organization actually had a longer prayer, in order… He said like this, that those who pray, those who are early, the diligent ones, come early, but those who aren’t like that, will leave after the Tehe shemei rabba late, and he’ll remain alone in the beit hamidrash.

Speaker 2:

Rabbi, everyone wants the enactment.

Speaker 1:

Rabbi, everyone wants the enactment. The Rambam already mentioned that the beit hamidrash should be outside the city, or what?

Speaker 2:

No, it doesn’t come to that. He goes at night in the street, he’s alone, yes. Sometimes it’s not worth going at night in the street. Rashi says this was in the city, but it didn’t come to that.

Speaker 1:

Ah, okay.

Speaker 2:

Therefore the shaliach tzibbur repeats and prays so that all the people will wait until the latecomer completes his prayer. Because of this, one spends a bit of extra time in prayer.

Speaker 1:

This is interesting. That means, now the person who comes late doesn’t need to be afraid, because the system is already set up so that one should pray enough, so that the latecomer will also catch enough prayer.

Speaker 2:

Wow. Very good, which is a very beautiful thing. Yes. We also see from here that there are prayers where the nature of the prayer isn’t really such a beautiful prayer. The nature isn’t to say the prayer, the nature is only to fill the time. To fill time so that those who come late will be able to pray, yes. To use the time.

Speaker 1:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

Further he goes. Therefore, it comes out, says the Rambam, therefore on a Yom Tov that falls on Shabbat, we don’t say it. The question is, why? When Yom Tov comes one shouldn’t say it. The Rambam holds that we don’t say it. I mean we do say it. One says it after “Bameh Madlikin” on Shabbat. If Shabbat falls on Yom Kippur or Rosh Chodesh, why doesn’t he say Rosh Chodesh or Yom Kippur? It’s still a minute, I’m still a bit not so calm. It’s strange. Chazal could have made that a beit hamidrash should have a gabbai who makes sure everyone leaves. One can’t do that. One sets up to pray then to fill the time.

Speaker 1:

So I ask like this, that the time when one is there for a second Jew is holy time. The time when a Jew says “I’m not going home, I want that the late one, the one who comes late, I want to be with him,” you take away from him the holy time, you give him to be able to pray.

Speaker 2:

Okay, it’s a good explanation. Say it further, say it. In a beit hamidrash. Seemingly the question doesn’t apply on Shabbat, Yom Kippur, Rosh Chodesh, including the yahrzeit of Avraham Avinu, Aharon Hakohen, Yom Hilula deRashbi. The Rambam says Hamelech Hakadosh, he didn’t make a distinction between… But you see that the Rambam says Hamelech Hakadosh, he doesn’t say Hamelech Hamishpat. You see that even the Rambam says that one must say it.

Why Don’t We Say Me’ein Sheva on Yom Tov (When It Doesn’t Fall on Shabbat)?

Speaker 1: Say it in the beit hamidrash. What is the truth? Yes. And therefore they decided that it’s proper to cancel on Shabbat or on Yom Kippur or on Rosh Chodesh, the shaliach tzibbur doesn’t say Avinu Malkeinu on that day, blessing of… The Rambam said Hamelech Hakadosh, he didn’t make a distinction between an individual and the many.

Speaker 2: Say, here you also see it, we need to say Mekadesh Yisrael vehazemanim on Yom Tov. Right?

Speaker 1: Right, he is Mekadesh Yisrael vehazemanim, what creates the obligation is reading on Shabbat. Therefore even if there are other things, one is already fulfilled, because the main thing is only… It’s been discussed. On Yom Tov one shouldn’t make this at all.

Speaker 2: Why not? You’re not going to say people don’t come to shul on Yom Tov night. Only on Friday night one comes to shul.

Speaker 1: Perhaps not, because they didn’t institute such a thing for Yom Tov. One doesn’t go to say a Yom Tov prayer, a Shabbat prayer.

Speaker 2: In the Gemara it says a bit differently. In the Gemara it says it’s only because of the danger, because the whole prayer is doubts, and one doesn’t need to add Yom Tov also.

Speaker 1: But it makes the prayer longer anyway or what?

Speaker 2: No, the whole prayer… One says Yom Tov me’ein sheva if it falls on Shabbat. Right. The novelty is that one doesn’t add the Yom Tov. Why doesn’t one add the Yom Tov? Because it’s not a real prayer. So one can learn the Gemara.

The Rambam learns a bit differently. The Rambam learns that it’s not an obligation. Perhaps he means this, it’s not an obligation on Yom Tov one must say me’ein sheva. When must one say me’ein sheva? Shabbat. Why? Simply because of the danger. Simply because of the danger one doesn’t need to make such a thing on Yom Tov. Something like that.

Speaker 1: No, no, but he doesn’t mean to say that on Yom Tov one should say a Shabbat prayer. That’s certainly not. He says yes, if it falls on Shabbat. But say Yom Tov when it’s not Shabbat. Why must one say it?

Speaker 2: Why must one say it? Perhaps from the side of halachah, truly, one doesn’t come to the beit hamidrash on Yom Tov, only on Shabbat.

Speaker 1: Okay. Do you have another answer? What’s the explanation?

Speaker 2: No, I think, perhaps Pesach isn’t a problem that one prays later? Because on Yom Tov one prays later.

Rabbi Eliezer bar Yoel HaLevi’s Explanation

Speaker 1: He says like this, he says like this, Rabbi Eliezer bar Yoel HaLevi says the same thing. He says like this, that on Erev Shabbat one stops from work, and one comes to the beit hamidrash.

Speaker 2: No, on Erev Shabbat one may work, there’s a time to come to the beit hamidrash.

Speaker 1: On Yom Tov one may not work. Except for ochel nefesh (food preparation), therefore one makes the meal. By the way, I thought about this on Yom Tov. On Yom Tov it says in the Gemara that one must leave early from the beit hamidrash so that one can prepare the meal.

It’s the same thing, sometimes, by us on Yom Tov night, many begin the meal very late, because one comes home after night, night, one begins to prepare the meal and everything. You see here clearly that sometimes there’s a person, he doesn’t come to shul on Yom Tov, because at night, at least, because he needs to prepare his meal, he’s already cooking the meal. On Shabbat one may not cook, so everything is ready. On Shabbat, you have time, everything is already ready, and you need to pray anyway, he goes into the beit hamidrash to pray.

But on Yom Tov, the important person can be in the middle of making the kneidlach (matzo balls), he doesn’t come to the beit hamidrash, he makes his kneidlach. Okay, one doesn’t need to make me’ein sheva.

Speaker 2: If it’s Shabbat one makes seven.

Speaker 1: And also perhaps there’s a reason not to delay the people also. The other people also want to go home now to prepare a meal. The enactment wasn’t established of…

Speaker 2: Ah, could be.

Speaker 1: In any case, on Shabbat one has nothing to do.

The Foundation of Friday Night and the Danger

But you need to think, there’s some fear of mazikin (harmful spirits), and on this comes in the two angels accompanying. Something is the foundation, the enactment perhaps does have something to do with Friday night, because Friday night is everywhere empty, everyone is found in their homes. It’s the same reason, when he goes home late, it’s a street and it’s empty, and the mazikin. It’s not such a calm time.

Speaker 2: Others bring the mazikin, but the Rambam doesn’t say mazikin.

Speaker 1: Look, yes. In short, the Rambam will still speak about this. He brings that Rashi said it’s danger. He asks, if so, Wednesday also, because Wednesday is the same…

Speaker 2: Ah, also, but…

Speaker 1: Rather what, mazikin doesn’t mean… He says, mazikin means listim (bandits). One goes at night, one goes at night, it’s not a time. Who makes here the… Me?

Speaker 2: Ah, quiet.

Speaker 1: Okay, we need to finish this chapter.

Law 14: Order of Shabbat Prayer — Shacharit, Musaf, Minchah

Speaker 1: A bit more laws of Shabbatot and Yamim Tovim, when the shaliach tzibbur finishes the Shacharit prayer aloud. He now goes back to Shabbatot and Yamim Tovim, when one finishes the Shacharit prayer. He’s now going to explain the order of Shabbat prayer. One doesn’t finish just like the Rambam said earlier, one prays more, there’s still reading and there’s still Musaf.

Speaker 2: Very good.

Speaker 1: He says Kaddish, and afterwards reads Tehillah leDavid and says Kaddish. One says Tehillah leDavid, Ashrei, one says Kaddish. And they pray Musaf silently. One says Musaf, the order of the Musaf prayer. And they say Kedushah and Yotzer in the morning, and they say Kaddish after the Musaf prayer without Torah reading. Torah reading he will seemingly say after Torah reading, then one says it. There was nothing at all it seems on weekdays, only Thursday.

And we don’t say Kedushah or Tachanun after the Shacharit prayer in order. On Shabbat we don’t do Kedushah or Tachanun. Not after Shacharit, but after Minchah, before Minchah one says it. Ah, he says, rather we say it before the Minchah prayer, one does say it. How? One reads Tehillah leDavid, and says the order of the day. Order of the day means Uva LeTzion. And says Kaddish, and prays Minchah, and repeats and recites the Minchah prayer aloud, and before he says Kaddish. So the only thing the Rambam calculated that we can’t is the Vihi Ratzon that one says at Minchah.

Speaker 2: Also at Shacharit he says it before… after… before Tehillah leDavid.

Speaker 1: But there it fits, because we say it at… it means Uva LeTzion.

Speaker 2: Could be, but it doesn’t mean the same.

Law 15: On Rosh Chodesh and Chol HaMoed — Order of the Day After Musaf

Speaker 1: On Rosh Chodesh and on Chol HaMoed one says the order of the day after the Musaf prayer. After Musaf one says the order of the day.

Speaker 2: Do we do this?

Speaker 1: No, we don’t say it. Order of the day means Kedushah deSidra. But we say the day, today.

Speaker 2: Perhaps order of the day means to say the day of the day.

Speaker 1: The Rambam didn’t mention that at all, not in the Rambam’s siddur, until here.

On Motzaei Shabbat — Order of the Day After Maariv

Speaker 1: On Motzaei Shabbat one says the order of the day also after the Maariv prayer. We do this also. Yes, Motzaei Shabbat is a special time, then one says the order of the day also after Maariv, and the Kaddish that one makes… Mavdil means Havdalah on the cup.

The Holy Zohar About Order of the Day on Motzaei Shabbat

So the Rambam says here like the holy Zohar that the order of the day is very important for Havdalah and for doing work. It says in the holy Zohar, I think in Parashat Vayikra, that if someone does work on Motzaei Shabbat before he says the Kedushah deSidra, before he says Uva LeTzion, he is desecrating Shabbat. Very harsh.

The Rambam says here also, it’s a matter that holds before making Havdalah. On Motzaei Shabbat one says the order of the day, because one must pray specifically about the matter. He doesn’t say, he says like Rabbeinu Menachem, I don’t know why it’s mentioned on Motzaei Shabbat. The Zohar he perhaps knew, but Rabbeinu Menachem didn’t know.

Speaker 2: No, really, the Zohar says, one may not… if someone does work before people say “Baruch hamavdil,” according to the Zohar one may not do any work at all.

Digression: Why don’t we say Avinu Malkeinu on Motzaei Shabbos / Motzaei Yom Kippur?

Speaker 1: In short, it could be, I was thinking, my brother told me last night, he called me to tell me this explanation, and they were struggling with why on Motzaei Shabbos and on Motzaei Yom Kippur we don’t say Avinu Malkeinu. We learned, I was asked what is the explanation? So he said a reason, why do we say Avinu? Because there’s no time, one must work.

So on Motzaei Shabbos one doesn’t work. The same thing in the summer months, one works mainly in the summer when one goes to the field, like the farmers in the early years of Bereishis, one has more time. One shouldn’t understand why, one should be able to say lengthy prayers and put on, yes, one shouldn’t be afraid.

Speaker 2: Yes, yes, that’s what I’m saying, but it’s difficult, one can make it lengthy and put on briefly in Avinu, and be exempt from it.

Speaker 1: It could be the same thing here, on Motzaei Shabbos one actually has more time available, one should learn a few things in the shuls of the great ones. One doesn’t go to work now on Motzaei Shabbos.

But it’s this, they didn’t like the innovation of saying “Veyiten lecha” with stories of tzaddikim. This is for the same reasons. Why did one say “Veyiten lecha”? Because one must learn a little Torah, so that one shouldn’t speak of stories of tzaddikim.

Conclusion

Speaker 1: So, until here chapter 9.

Speaker 2: Yes, okay.