הורית לנו לומר שלש עשרה וכו' וזכור לנו היום ברית שלש עשרה כמו
שהודעת לענו מקדם
You taught us to say the thirteen
[middos of rachamim] and remember for us today the bris of the 13 like you
taught the humble back then. [From our selichos]
This is composed of two different
elements. 1] The yud gimel middos are called a bris as it says "henei
Anochi kores imcha bris." 2] "Horeisa lanu" – You taught us.
This means that "HKB"H wrapped himself up like a shaliach tzibbur and
taught Moshe the 13 middos". [Rosh Hashana 17b]
The Torah says "Neged kol amcha
e'ese niflaos" – Opposite the whole nation I will perform these wonders. Rashi
says that the word "niflaos" comes from the word "nifleenu"
which means separate. Hashem is promising us that he will separate us from the
nations and His shechina will dwell exclusively upon us. We must understand why
the promise of Hashem's shechina dwelling among us is found in the 13 middos.
We know that the Avos decreed that we
daven. What is the relationship between their "Avos-dikeit" and the decree of tfilla.
Rashi teaches us that on the third
day grass was created but didn't start growing until the sixth day because
there was nobody to appreciate the rain and have halaras hatov. On the sixth
day when man was created he davened and greenery began to sprout.
Why do we learn specifically with
regard to rain that it is dependant upon man and his appreciation more than all
the other phenomena of nature? The answer is that with rain the giver-receiver
relationship is clearly evident more than by all other phenomena in nature. The
earth needs rain, receives it and grows. The essence of rain is kabbala and therefore
specifically here we learn the need to appreciate and daven.
We also have to understand the words
of Rashi. First he says that man must have hakaras hatov and concludes with the
statement that man had to daven. He started with hakaras hatov and ended with
davening. We see that one cannot have tefilla without hakaras hatov.
Tfilla mean making yourself a
receiver and hakaras hatov enables the receiving. That is the reason that
skipping mashiv haruach umorid hageshem is a critical part of tfilla which may
not be skipped unlike "matter assurim" which if skipped is not
critical. The essence of tfilla is expressed in "mashiv haruach". It
is an appreciation of being a receiver from HKB"H which is what tfilla is
all about.
If hakaras hatov is necessary for
tfilla and there rain is the paradigm for tfilla, certainly the
"bris" is a necessary aspect of tfilla. Bris symbolizes the
relationship of the giver and receiver in a very deep, intense way. This is why
the Avos decreed that we should daven. It was not just another decree like that
of the anshei knesses hagdola but part and parcel of their roles as
"mekablei habris".
All of the brisos that were made were
only a preparation for the greatest and most significant of them all – the bris
of the 13 middos. There is no greater connection between Hashem and the Jewish
people than this bris of the 13 middos which brings us forgiveness. In the
Aseres Hadibros it says "Anochi" that is interpreted to mean
"Ana Nafshi ksavis yihavis" -
I wrote and gave my soul. About this covenant we find even greater "Anochi
Anochi moche pshaecha" –I I erase your sins. A double Anochi. Here we find
that the bris itself became a tfilla. It is as if the rain falls together with
"Mashiv haruach umorid hageshem".
We return to where we started. There
are two elements thzt come together. There is the bris of the 13 middos and the
fact the "horeisa lanu" – Hashem wrapped Himself up like a shaliach
tzibbur and showed Moshe this seder hatfilla. It was necessary to SHOW and
ILLUSTRATE this tfilla because of its profound depth. Here the very bris
became a tfilla. It is a new creation. The 13 midos begin "Hashem
Hashem" – Hashem before the sin is the Hashem who creates a new reality of
existence after the sin [and we should no longer be worthy if not for our
tshuva].
[Maamarei Pachad Yitzchak 124 – See
there further where it is explained that this new bris created such a strong
bond between Hashem and the Jewish people that nevuah was now precluded from
being received by the goyim].
