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Month: July 2020

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (4) – Solemnity, Settled Law, the Joy of Mitzvah

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (4) – Solemnity, Settled Law, the Joy of Mitzvah

The fifth chapter of Masechet Berachot contains many of the Halakhot related to the amida. The opening phrase of the chapter, “ עומדים להתפלל – We rise to Pray” is a direct reference to the amida, which literally means “the standing prayer.” This idea appears in three Tannaitic texts, all within the first page of this chapter. Just as R. Simlai’s text from page 32a was properly about the amida and then transitioned to a discussion of pesukei d’zimra, these texts enact a similar refocusing. Let us begin by introducing the texts and briefly noting the shift in focus. 

משנה ברכות ה׳ (ברכות ל ב)

אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ כּוֹבֶד רֹאשׁ.

Mishna Berachot 5:1 (Berakhot 30b) 

We rise to pray only from a place of solemnity

בבלי מסכת ברכות ל״א א

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לֹא מִתּוֹךְ דִּין, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבַר הֲלָכָה, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ הֲלָכָה פְּסוּקָה….תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל לֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְבוּת, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְלוּת, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שְׂחוֹק, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂיחָה, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ, וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים, אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה.

Bavli Berakhot 31a

Our Rabbis have taught: We do not rise to prayer from a place of strict judgement and not from a place of complex Halakhic analysis, rather only from a place of settled law…Our Rabbis have taught: We do not rise to prayer from a place of sadness and not from laziness and not from laughter and not from idle chatter and not from levity and not from foolish matters rather only from a place of the joy of Mitzvot.

These three tannaitic texts offer three models for how we are meant to rise to pray, from a place of: 1) solemnity, 2) settled law or, 3) the joy of a Mitzvah. Each of these represents a very different mindset that might be ideal for prayer. First we learn that prayer comes with emotional and spiritual weight. (כבד ראש literally means heaviness of the head). Then we are taught that prayer demands complete focus such that our minds may not wander to a prior debate about a matter of law. Finally, we learn that prayer requires religious joy. These three ideas offer us a clear insight into the rabbinic notion of prayer: serious, focused and joyous. The Rabbis understood that how you enter the prayer space is significant. They encourage us to prepare emotionally for the power of the divine encounter. How does this bring us to pesukei d’zimra?

The gemara, after quoting the first berayta about settled law, then offers a few examples of what that phrase means. We learn of a debate between Rav Ashi (in some texts the amora is named Rav Simi bar Ashi) and the Rabbanan about how we pasken. The Rabbanan clearly decides in accordance with the Mishna, and the gemara teaches that Rav Ashi sides with the berayta.

There is a debate between the Rif and Rashi as to which berayta Rav [Simi bar] Ashi meant to bring in opposition to the Rabbanan. According to Rashi (ברכות לא. ד״ה ר׳ אשי), Rav Ashi paskened like the first berayta that we are required to rise to prayer from settled law. According to the Rif (ברכות לג. בדפיו) Rav Simi bar Ashi meant to pasken like the second berayta, that we are required to rise to prayer from a place of the joy of Mitzvah1. This debate is interesting on a textual level and may have some valuable technical implications. However, for our purpose, the significant moment comes when these texts — which on their face have nothing to do with pesukei d’zimra — are moved into our story of pesukei d’zimra.

Tosafot on the page make an astounding comment that shifts this entire discourse.

תוספות מסכת ברכות דף ל”א א, רבנן עבדי כמתניתין 

וכותייהו קי”ל. ולכן אין מתפללין מתוך קלות ראש ושחוק, 

אלא מתוך כובד ראש ושמחה של מצוה כגון שעסק בדברי תורה. 

ולכן נהגו לומר פסוקי דזמרה ואשרי קודם תפלה. 

Tosafot, Berachot 31a s.v. the rabbanan behave like the Mishna

And we hold like them2. Therefore we do not rise to prayer from a place of frivolity and silliness. Rather, [we rise to prayer] from a place of solemnity and the joy of a Mitzvah, like being involved with matters of Torah. And therefore the practice (nahagu) is to recite pesukei d’zimra and Ashrei before the amida3.

This short comment of Tosafot says that we pasken like the Mishna (solemnity) over the first berayta (settled law) in addition to the second berayta which invokes the joy of a Mitzvah. In addition, Tosafot also clarifies that we fulfill the guidance of these texts through the recitation of pesukei d’zimra. Whereas for Rav Natronai pesukei d’zimra is meant to be שבח (praise) before בקשה (petition), for Tosafot pesukei d’zimra is meant to be a combination of solemnity and joy. This combination of emotions is not easy. The gemara in two places, Berachot 30b (on our Mishna!) and Yoma 4b, quotes a short comment on the verse in Tehilim:

תהלים ב:י”א

עִבְדוּ אֶת יְ-וָק בְּיִרְאָה וְגִילוּ בִּרְעָדָה

Psalm 2:11

Worship God in awe and exult with trembling

In trying to explain the apparently contradictory emotional state of both elation (גילו) and trembling (רעדה), the gemara says:

בבלי ברכות ל’ ב ויומא ד’ ב

אָמַר רַב אַדָּא בַּר מַתְנָא אָמַר רַבָּה בִּמְקוֹם גִּילָה שָׁם תְּהֵא רְעָדָה.

Bavli, Berachot 30b & Yoma 4b

Rav Ada bar Matna said in the name of Rabba, “In the place of exultation there should be trembling.”

Tosafot’s description of pesukei d’zimra as a fulfillment of both solemnity and joy appears to echo this idea of Rav Ada bar Matner in the name of Rabba. Bringing together competing emotions makes tefila difficult and leaves room for a variety of different internal experiences. We began with the idea of Hallel and praise, and now we see pesukei d’zimra as a combination of joy and solemnity. The complexity of standing before the Master of the World with both joy AND solemnity is reflected in the reality of your human relationships. When you have a deep connection with another person that can be experienced both in times of celebration and in times of loss. We hope that our friends who dance at our wedding will someday pay shiva calls to us. The challenge of standing before God is to be in both of those emotions at the same time!

Distance Based Mitzvot – A Series of Audio Shiurim

Distance Based Mitzvot – A Series of Audio Shiurim

1876, Bell Telephone

I recently had the opportunity to give a short series of shiurim on distance based Mitzvah fulfillment. Here are those three session for those who might be interested.

The first session dealt with some of the theological or spiritual implications of the debate between Rav and R. Yehoshua b. Levi in Pesachim 85b. Here in a link to the source sheet. You can also listen to the audio here. The second session was an analysis of the Halakhic implications of this very same debate. Here is a link to the source sheet and you can find the audio here. The third and final session looked at three different approaches to the telephone – beginning with the very first teshuva about the telephone, moving to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and concluding with Rav Moshe Feinstein. Here in a link to the source sheet and you can find the audio here.

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (3) – Preparation for Prayer – Berachot 32a

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (3) – Preparation for Prayer – Berachot 32a

There are two key texts that drive the discourse of pesukei d’zimra as preparation for the עמידה:

בבלי ברכות ל״ב ע״א] דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי שִׂמְלַאי: לְעוֹלָם יְסַדֵּר אָדָם שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִתְפַּלֵּל.

1) Bavli Berachot 32a] R. Simlai darshened, “A person should always first organize praise of the Holy Blessed One and only afterward pray [with petitions].”

משנה ברכות פ״ה מ״א] אֵין עוֹמְדִין לְהִתְפַּלֵּל אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ כֹּבֶד רֹאשׁ. חֲסִידִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הָיוּ שׁוֹהִים שָׁעָה אַחַת וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּכַוְּנוּ אֶת לִבָּם לַמָּקוֹם.

2) Mishna Berachot 5:1] We do not rise to pray except from a place of solemnity. The ancient pious one used to pause for an hour and then Pray in order to be able to intend their hearts to the Omnipresent One.

Both of these sources refer particularly to the amida. The statement of R. Simlai teaches us about the internal structure of the amida1. However, many view R. Simlai’s structure of שבח (praise) preceding בקשה (petition) as a broad outline for shacharit. In addition, the Mishna at the beginning of the fifth chapter of Berachot has two themes: 1) The notion of כֹּבֶד רֹאשׁ (solemnity) as the proper mind-set for prayer, & 2) The practice of the “ancient pious” ones who used to pause (שׁוֹהִים) before Prayer. This Mishna, and the beraytot that follow in the gemara on page 31b, refer to the amida in particular. However, we will encounter a large cadre of rishonim who expand the Mishna to include pesukei d’zimra as preparation to stand before God.

These texts give us three different modes of preparation that take place prior to pesukei d’zimra. First, we learn about “praise before petition.” Then we unpack the three different outlooks with which the gemara tells us to rise to prayer: solemnity, settled law, and the joy of a Mitzvah. Finally, the ancient pious ones practice of waiting in anticipation of the amida is linked to pesukei d’zimra.

Praise before Petition – שבח לפני בקשה

The majority position goes all the way back to a teshuva of Rav Natronai Gaon (Sura, second half of the 9th century) quoted by Rav Amram Gaon (Gaon of Sura following Rav Natronai) in his earliest edition of the siddur. The question that Rav Natronai Gaon answered dealt with a case in which someone came late to shul and wanted to know how to catch up to the community that was already davening. In his presentation of the answer, Rav Natronai gives one of the earliest articulations of the nature of the establishment of pesukei d’zimra:

כשתקנו חז”ל כך תקנו לומר פסוקי דזמרא ואחר כך להתפלל. דדרש ר’ שמלאי לעולם יסדר אדם שבחו של הקדוש ברוך הוא ואחר כך יתפלל…אבל לומר פסוקי דזמרא אחר תפלה, יש גנאי בדבר לומר שבח אחר תפלה…

When the Rabbis ob”m instituted the recitation of pesukei d’zimra they instituted that after its recitation then we pray [the amida]. R. Simlai explained, “A person should always organize praise of the Holy Blessed One and the pray [the amida]…But there is something degrading about reciting pesukei d’zimra after the amida, to recite praise after [the petitions] of prayer.

Rav Natronai sees R. Simlai creating the structure of the entire shacharit prayer and not simply the model of the opening three blessings of praise of the amida. This reading of the Talmudic passage is not at all obvious and contradicts the subsequent approaches of both Rashi’s Talmudic commentary and Rambam’s approach to the very same text. Nonetheless, many rishonim follow his lead, and this teshuva is quoted extensively all the way up to and including the Tur and the Shulchan Aruch2.

When seen through this lens, the main emotional posture of pesukei d’zimra is meant to be one of praise. While many of the verses that appear in this section align with that outlook, it doesn’t cover every individual phrase3. The idea of needing to praise God before making requests establishes a particular hierarchy between the Master of the World and human beings. This worldview is helpful in cultivating a prayerful personality, reminding us that God is ultimately in control and that we need to articulate our needs before the Creator of the World. 

We have seen two very similar ideas in these two apparently disparate notions of pesukei d’zimra. First, we encountered it as a kind of Hallel (Shabbat 118b, R. Yosi). Then we saw it as the praise that precedes the petition of the amida (Berachot 32b, R. Simlai). Since Hallel is itself a form of praise, the approaches of R. Yose and R. Simlai overlap and, in some ways, mirror each other. Next time, however, we will see a different approach.

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (2) – Hallel, Shabbat 118b

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (2) – Hallel, Shabbat 118b

The gemara in Shabbat 118b is the basic starting point for understanding pesukei d’zimra. 

תלמוד בבלי שבת קי”ח ב

אמר רבי יוסי יהא חלקי מגומרי הלל בכל יום…כי קאמרינן בפסוקי דזמרא. 

Bavli, Shabbat 118b

Rebbe Yosi said, “May my portion be among those who complete Hallel every day”…When we make this statement, we are referring to pesukei d’zimra.

Rebbe Yosi’s statement here is aspirational, “יהא חלקי – may my portion be;” he expresses a desire to do something beyond the letter of the law. At this early stage, the practice of pesukei d’zimra was clearly optional. Only with the formalization of the sections to be recited1 as well as berachot does pesukei d’zimra become an obligatory section of Tefila.

The gemara here presents us with two ideas of Hallel. One is the tefila recited at appointed festive occasions (מועדים); the other is a daily opportunity to praise God2. Just as Hallel is recited with a beracha beforehand and a beracha afterward,3 so too pesukei d’zimra. This idea is made explicit by the Rif in his commentary on Masechet Berachot where he brings the sugya from Shabbat 118b.

רי”ף ברכות כ”ג א

וגרסינן בפרק כל כתבי הקדש [שבת קי”ח ב] אמר ר’ יוסי יהא חלקי עם גומרי הלל בכל יום …כי קא אמרינן בפסוקי דזמרה אמרינן…ותקינו רבנן למימר ברכה מקמייהו וברכה מבתרייהו. ומאי ניהו? ברוך שאמר וישתבח. הלכך מיבעי ליה לאיניש דלא לאשתעויי מכי מתחיל בברוך שאמר עד דמסיים [ליה] לשמונה עשרה 

Rif Berakhot 23a

And it is written in the chapter kol kitvei (Shabbat 118b): R. Yosi said, “May my portion be among those who complete Hallel every day”…When we make this statement, we are referring to pesukei d’zimra…And the Rabbis instituted that people recite a blessing before them and a blessing after them. And what are these blessings? Baruch she-Amar and Yishtabach. Therefore a person is forbidden from interrupting once they recite Baruch she-Amar.

The basic structure of pesukei d’zimra mirrors Hallel – an opening and closing beracha surrounding verses and chapters of praise4. Once this structure is in place, we have one way of approaching this unit of tefila. Hallel on Sukkot comes along with a certain type of joy. While that kind of overwhelming joy is not possible, and not appropriate, on a daily basis, we have some emotional direction when entering into pesukei d’zimra. Our starting place is that of joy. The idea that we are meant to approach God with joy is a powerful reminder of the nature of the relationship that many seek to cultivate with the Creator.

Beginning our day with joy is not always easy. The siddur is, in some ways, an emotional and spiritual roller coaster. As we will see though our study of pesukei d’zimra, even within this one section there are different – and sometimes competing – themes, values and ideas that we encounter along the way. Learning to become aware of our own internal experience and then working to direct those feelings towards God is not easy. I hope and pray that we are able to joyfully stand before the Creator of the World every day of our lives. The reality of the world in which we live is that such an aspiration may sometimes be impossible. It is perhaps this reason that R. Yosi introduces us to pesukei d’zimra with a plea to be blessed to complete these words with joy every day.

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (1)

Introduction to Pesukei d’Zimra (1)

Introduction

The siddur is the most important work of Jewish spirituality. Developing an internal prayer-life for people of all ages is not easy. What sometimes helps me engage in the discipline of regular davening is a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the siddur. The more that I can appreciate what each section, prayer, paragraph, sentence and even word is doing, the more that I appreciate the hard spiritual work daily tefila.

Working to cultivate a prayerful personality and struggling to engage in the mitzvah of davening may or may not be the same process. For some, developing a personal relationship with the Creator of the World is a private matter that does not overlap with the hard work of regular daily tefila. I have found that for me, the more attuned I am to the meaning provided by the siddur the more I am able to develop that personal relationship with God. 

These essays will develop some broad introductory concepts about the nature of pesukei d’zimra with an eye toward a wider conversation about how these ideas can help us grow spiritually. There are three very different ways to conceptualize the role of pesukei d’zimra. 

  1. There is only one direct reference to this section of the siddur in the gemara. This text, the starting point for our analysis, refers to pesukei d’zimra as Hallel. 
  2. For a prominent group of rishonim, pesukei d’zimra serves as preparation for the recitation of the amida. 
  3. And finally, there is a smaller group that understands pesukei d’zimra functioning on its own track, apart from the amida and not exclusively as a kind of Hallel. 

My hope is that with a wider angle lens we might better appreciate broader messages embedded in pesukei d’zimra. We will then summarize the various approaches and harness each idea to help build more prayerful personalities.