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2 Devarim Rabba, Parshat
VaEthanan, Haviva
to trumpet the shofar in the third blessing. Why
does Rabbi Akiva insist on moving the kingship
prayers rather than the time of shofar blowing?
Apparently, Rabbi Akiva shares a set of assumptions with Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri that
have not been made explicit. Both rabbis accept
the now familiar three-part structure of the
tefillah. The first section opens with praise: of
God as the God of history (avot), nature (
gevurot), and transcendence (kedushat Hashem),
and the last closes with what is generally classified as thanksgiving: commemorating the temple service (avodah), giving thanks (hoda-ah),
and the priestly blessing (birkat kohanim). In
its core, where supplications are made on weekdays, the Rosh Hashanah prayer focuses on
three blessings particular to the holiday: commemorating the holiday (kedushat hayom), recognizing the God of remembrance (zikhronot)
and celebrating the shofar (shofarot); each is accompanied by shofar blasts.
Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri
also seem to agree that shofar blowing must be
restricted to the middle section of the tefillah, the
section reserved on regular days for entreaty before the Almighty. Blowing the shofar in the first
section is impossible, because the shofar blast is
a plea rather than an act of praise. The shofar is
our way of wordlessly beseeching God — a desperate crying that cannot be put into words.
If so, this is the essential distinction be-
tween these two sages. According to Rabbi
Yohanan ben Nuri, these prayers belong in the
initial section of the amidah — exaltation. We
laud God for God’s royal standing and majestic
position that both transcends and controls the
world. We join the angels in declaring God’s
kingship. Just as they responded to our accept-
ance of the yoke of the kingship of heaven with
the declaration of the Sh’ma by calling out
“holy holy holy,” today we join their daily dec-
laration with special aplomb. 2
I Will Have Mercy on Him, Mercies
TAMAR BIALA
O, Ephraim is my precious son, the child of my delight. Whenever I speak of him, I remember him
all the more. That’s why my very innards yearn for him. I will have mercy on him, mercies — so
says the Lord. (Jer. 31: 20)
Mj 2r6 ol ye 6m 2 Wmh 5N= 2 le 6 doe W>r3= 4z 4a 3 r-kz 5 oByr1B 4d6yD2m 1 y= 1Mye 1v 7e 8v 6dl 3y 3 Ma 1My 1r6p 4a 3 yl 1 ryQ 1y 6 Nb 2h 8
\fy /al hymry| /h Ma 7n 4 W>m 3j 8r6a 8
Tamar Biala, who lives in
Jerusalem, is the co-editor of
Dirshuni — Midrashei Nashim
(Yediot Acharonot Press/Jewish
Agency, 2009), an anthology
of midrashic writing by
contemporary Israeli women.
This midrash was translated
by Yehudah Mirsky.
Once there was a woman in our neigh- borhood whose husband died a year after they were married; she was left
with a baby boy. The widow did not look to get
married, being busy raising the child. When he
grew, he, too, gave her great love, and sought
paths and byways to gladden her and make her
smile all her days.
When that boy grew to 17, he went with
other boys from the neighborhood to explore the
land. When night descended, he fell into a pit
by the road; the men came and told her, This is
what we found (Genesis, 37:32). All night she
wanted to scream, Torn, torn to pieces! (Genesis,
37:33) but her neighbors quieted her, fearful as
they were of a mother’s wailing for her son.
