Rabbi's Blog

From the Desk of
Rabbi Friedman

Ruminations and Observations
from the Rabbi of the DAT Minyan

Click here to read my Derasha that I gave after returning from this year's AIPAC Policy Conference.

Click here for the sources for tomorrow night's shiur on "Machatzit Hashekel and Women's Mussaf: No, It's Not a Non-Sequitur."

Click here for the sources for my class on Women's Megillah Readings. Audio is posted on the audio page..

Last week we learned about issues which arise from the use of “Nusach,” the tunes we’ve been using for years upon years, tunes which sometimes sacrifice meaning for meter.

Two perfect examples of this phenomenon are found during the Friday night Maariv:

During the Beracha following Shema, we read (p. 334 in the ArtScroll Siddur):

וּמַלְכוּתוֹ בְרָצוֹן קִבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם, מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְךָ עָנוּ שִׁירָה בְּשִׂמְחָה רַבָּה, וְאָמְרוּ כֻלָּם:

“And His Kingship they accepted upon themselves willingly, Moses and the Children of Israel raised their voices to You in song with abundant gladness – and said unanimously:”

However, when sung according to the Nusach, the comma is placed after the word שִׁירָה, instead of after רַבָּה, rendering the meaning: “…Moses and the Children of Israel raised their voices to You in song – (pause) – with abundant gladness and said unanimously:”

Is it a big deal? No. The next paragraph, however, is a bit more noticeable. In the next paragraph, we read:

מַלְכוּתְךָ רָאוּ בָנֶיךָ, בּוֹקֵעַ יָם לִפְנֵי מֹשֶׁה, זֶה אֵ-לִי עָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ:

“Your children beheld Your majesty as You split the sea before Moses: This is my G-d!’ they exclaimed – then said:”

The Nusach puts the comma after א-לי instead ofענו , rendering the verse: “Your children beheld Your majesty as You split the sea before Moses: ‘This is my G-d!’ – (pause) – they exclaimed then they said:”

Once again, this is not a big deal. However, as we become more aware of the actual words we’re saying when we pray, these sorts of things become from noticeable. Okay, one last one (this is one of my favorites!):

During the Kedusha of Shabbat Shacharit (p. 422 in the ArtScroll Siddur), we read:

אָז בְּקוֹל רַעַשׁ גָּדוֹל אַדִּיר וְחָזָק, מַשְׁמִיעִים קוֹל, מִתְנַשְּׂאִים לְעֻמַּת שְׂרָפִים, לְעֻמָּתָם בָּרוּךְ יֹאמֵרוּ:

“Then, with a sound of great noise, mighty and powerful, they (the angels) make heard a voice, raising themselves toward the Seraphim, those facing them say, ‘Blessed…’”

Almost every Chazan on the planet uses some version of a tune which places the pause after the word גדול, placing no pause after the wordחזק , creating an almost comical situation. Read that way, it appears the names of the angels are “Adir (mighty)” and “Chazak (powerful)”! It would literally translate as: “Then, with a sound of great noise – (pause) – Mighty and Powerful make heard a voice, raising themselves toward the Seraphim…”

You get the point …! Shabbat Shalom!

Click here for a great article by my friend Rabbi Noam Stein on the importance of women and daughters attending daily Minyan.

Here is the Tefillah corner for Feb. 6.

For most of us, Hebrew is not our first language. Even for those who speak Hebrew fluently, when it comes to prayer – words we’ve been saying for most of our lives by rote – we fail to notice mistakes we make in reading the words. Often, the source of this problem is the “Nusach,” the tunes we’ve been using for years upon years, tunes which may sacrifice meaning for meter.

A perfect example of this is the Beracha at the end of Yishtabach. Many of us are familiar with the classic tune used particularly on Shabbat, but also incorporated in most schools’ Tefilla Nusach. The tune (almost) forces the reader to read the words as “Melech E-l Chay (pause), HaOlamim.” After singing it that way for years, many people – even when not using the tune –pause after “Chay” even when just chanting it.

The problem is that, by doing so, the reader destroys the meaning of the blessing. In English, the entire blessing reads, “Blessed are You, Hashem, G-d, King, exalted through praises, G-d of thanksgivings, Master of wonders, Who chooses musical songs of praise, King, G-d, Life-giver of the worlds” (“Life-giver” refers to the foundational belief that Hashem is constantly revivifying the Universe; that Creation was not a one-time event).

However, when read the way most people read it - “Melech E-l Chay (pause), HaOlamim” – it becomes something like, “King, Living G-d (pause), the worlds.” First, “Chay” is grammatically wrong when placed before the pause (it should by Melech Chai). Second, that reading leaves the word, “HaOlamim” (the worlds) just dangling meaninglessly. The proper reading – which can be incorporated into the Nusach (tune) – is, of course, “Melech E-l (pause) Chay HaOlamim.”

Shabbat Shalom!