Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 06

7/30/2019 Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 06

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The Roadmap to Prayer

Lesson 6

Pirchei Shoshanim 2005This shiur m ay not be reproduced in any form with out permission o f the copyright holder


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71

The Closing of Vayevorech David

The last part of this passage is in Kesuvim (Scriptures) - the Book of N echemia. I t

speaks of G -ds prom ising the Jewish people to bring them into th e Land of I srael.

I t then speaks of G -ds taking the Jewish people out of bondage and to I srael. This

then leads -to the finale of Pesuk ei D ezimra - the Shiras H ayam (The song at the

splitting of the Red Sea).

Az Yashir (Shiras Hayam)

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The very first song of praise sung by the Jews was the Shiras H ayam, the Song at th e

Red Sea. G-d split the sea so the Jews could cross over in safety and drowned the

pursuing E gyptians.

This was added to Pesuk ei D e

zimra at the time of Rav Amram Gaon. In fact, theRambam recites this after Y ishtabach, the closing blessing of Pesuk ei D ezimra .

A nyone who recites the Shiras H ayam with much joy wil l

merit forgiveness for all sins.1

This seems to be a very great reward just f or reciting a few verses in great joy. In

truth, we must examine why this portion is so important and why one needs to

recite it with joy.

1 Z ohar cited by M ishna Berura Simon 51:17

Lesson

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TT oo PP rr aa yy ee rr


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The Essence of a Transgression

The Torah commands us to obey its commands and not transgress them by

sinning. A sinner is considered as denying G-ds existence - as if he doesnt have to

fo llow G -ds commands. Thus, every sin is the sinners denial of G -ds com pletepower and dominion. As the M ishna in Pirk ei A vos (Chapters of the Fathers) teaches:

O ne who sins in pr ivate is desecrat ing G-ds N ame privately. Thus, Shiras H ayam is a

statement that one fully believes in all aspects of G -ds D ivine Providence. The

Shira states V a'yaminu BaH ashem ubeM oshe avdo which means that Israel has faith in

H ashem and in M oses H is servant. A t the splitting of the Y am Suf, it became quite clear

to one and all that G-d is all powerful and that H e comm unicates with the

righteous- as in the prophetic ability of M oshe Rabbeinu. G-d showed us H is D ivine

Prov idence as we were trapped between them and the Red Sea. H e pro tected us

from the imminent danger of the attacking Egyptians. Shir H ashirim describes that

part icularly t rying moment, Y onasi bechagvei haselah2 At that moment with no wayto escape the situation; we turned to G -d and cried out to H im in pr ayer. G -d

turned to M oshe and said, This is not the time for prayer. Speak to them to

continue and travel into the sea . Indeed, the Jews put their f aith in G -d and went

ahead into the sea. G-d then wrought the tremendous miracle of the splitting of the

sea.

Lik e a Dove

The G emora in Shabbos 130a explains another verse where the Jews are compared

to the Y onah, a dove. A s the dove fends off its attackers with its wings, so too Jews

fend off their enemies with their mitzvos which are like their w ings. Thus with theircommitment to G-d and His mitzvos together with the E munah (faith) they

exhibited at the time, they merited great m iracles and D ivine In tervention .

Likewise, someone who connects with that experience is demonstrating his

personal E munah in G -d and his personal comm itment to H is comm ands. Any sin

this individual may have comm itted is no longer due to lack of f aith in G -d, but

rather should be attributed to hum an error. H ence, it makes sense that in reciting

this portion with joy, one shows that ones faith is solid and one does not deny G -d

by sinning. Such a person deserves to be forgiven for any past m isdeeds. The Y esod

2 2:14 My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the concealm ents of the steps, show m e your appearance, letme hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is comely. Rashi comments - This issaid concerning that time when Pharaoh pursued them and overtook them camping by the sea with noavenue of escape before them because of the sea, and they could not turn because of the wild beasts.What did they resemble at that time? A dove that fled from a hawk and entered the clefts of the rocks,and a snake was hissing at her. Should she enter, there was the snake. Should she go outside, there wasthe hawk. T he H oly O ne, blessed be H e, said t o her, Show M e your appearance, the prop riety of yourdeeds, to wh om you turn in time of trouble.


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V e'shoresh H aavodah stresses, that merely reciting the words does not show ones

connection with the ideas and beliefs expressed in prayer (Tefilla). The latter is

show n in fervent, heartfelt, and emotional outpouring of Tefilla.

Let us focus our thoughts on the events that took p lace at the time of the splitt ingof the Yam Suf. This will im prove our ability to experience the uplift ing nature of

K rias Y am Suf.

Faith - Emunah: The lesson of Kr ias Yam Suf

As mentioned in the Shira, the Torah relates how everyone attained a level of

emunah - faith, unparalleled, then, in history. The A li Shor writes that Yechezkel

H aN avi didnt see in all his prophetic visions what a maid servant saw th en.

Rav Schwab ztl explains that the faith acquired at the time of the splitting of the

sea was not in the event i tself for t hat was a realit y which required no faith. Rather,it was a faith in G-ds omnipotence even after that event. Just as we witnessed then

that our very existence was due to G-ds heavenly intervention, so too we must

realize in l ife that everything is in G-ds hands.

Shira song, is better understood as a poem of praise to G -d. The reason A z Y ashir

- verses from the Torah was placed at the end of Pesuk ei D ezimra rather than at its

beginning, is that the very song (Shira) itself was only possible because of a miracle.

We need to imagine masses of Jews leaving Egypt and crossing the sea without

advance not ice. M oshe Rabbeinu who had a speech impedim ent was able to raise

his voice in song so that the millions of Jews could respond to his recital of thepoem (Shira). The Gemora in Sotah 30b mentions different opinions as to the

response of Jewish people when M oshe led them in th is song. Whether they just

repeated the f irst words of each sentence, or each word with exact precision, it was

a miracle in itself. Thus, G-d gave the Jews an opportunity to express their praise

for H ashem.

Therefor e, explains Rav Schwab, we attempt to elevate all our praise during Pesuk ei

D ezimra to a level of praise like A z Y ashir which is a heavenly inspired one.

The Miracle

Looking at the event of K rias Y am Suf itself, there are two distinct parts to the

miracle.

The splitt ing of the waters with the drying of the seabed.

The drowning of the Egyptians.


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The second miracle is evident to all and is something we can relate to since

essent ially it is nature taking its course. H owever, the f irst miracle although

experienced fi rst-hand, was incom prehensible since it defied nature. Thus, we refer

to this as E munah - a belief, even though we actually experienced it. I t was an

incomprehensible miracle. The Jewish people were at the sea, and som e already

deep into it. G-d creates a wind and instantly dries the seabed without harming the

people or drowning in them. Such a mi racle elicits a belief in G -ds pow er in any

situation in lif e - that H e may do as H e wishes without constraints. Th is is the deep

lesson of Shira praise is left for the end of the Pesuk ei D ezimra as it cannot be

attained by human endeavor alone.

The Zohar also asked th e same question. Why are these Torah verses at the very

end of Pesuk ei D ezimra instead of at the beginning, where they really belong? The

Zohar points out that as th is praise is so elevated, it was left t o be recited at the end

of Pesuk ei D ezimra so it w ill elevate us as well. We say it before the blessings(brochos) of Krias Shema so that they too, will be recited on this elevated spiritual

level.

CC uu ss tt oo mm

You should recite this section with a sense of joy as if you were crossing

the Y am Suf.

Some people recite the passages of V ayosha and A z Y ashir with the

cantillation as when reading from the Torah scroll. This is in order to

arouse a joyous feeling.

The custom is to stand for Baruch Sheomar, Mizmor L esodah, and V a'yevorech

D avid until atta hu H ashem, and V ayosha until after A z Yash ir and Y ishtabach.

LL aa ww ss

One may not skip the entire Pesuk ei D ezimra in order to reach the A midah

Shemoneh E srei with the congregation (tzibbur).

One may not engage in idle talk from Baruch Sheomar until after the A midah

Shemoneh E srei.

There are two places where certain interrupt ions are possible:


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a ) In between the paragraphs bein haperak im and

b ) In between verses or where there is a break in the verse

anyway beemtza haperek .

O ne should respond even in the middle of a verse for:

The first A men in Kaddish

A men yehei shemei r abbah

The A men of D aamiran bealma

A men of H ak eil H ak adosh

A men for the blessing of Shomeah T efilla

I f possible one should try and reach the end of a the paragraph befo re responding

To recite the blessing of A sher Y otzar after using the facilities.

or get to the end of a pasuk or to a break in a sentence when one sees one will need

to answer:

A men of any other blessing

O n the other hand

D o not respond Baruch H u varuch Shemo upon hearing a blessing

D o not respond Br ich H u in Kaddish

D o not respond by saying A men for V eyatzmach purk anei etc. in the Sefard

version of Kaddish


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According to Rav Moshe Feinstein ztl, one does answer A men to :

The added verse of T isk abeil of K addish tiskabeil

The added verse of A l Y israel veal Rabbanan in Kaddish deRabbanan

According to Rav Ovadiah Yosef shlita, its better not to answer A men to the

above-mentioned items. One should remain quiet and th ink A men in ones mind.

H e also says:

Its better not to recite the entire M odim derabbanan if one hears the

chazzans repetition of the Shemoneh E srei. O ne should just say the words

M odim anachnu l ach.

A ccording to the M ishna Berura:

One should recite the entire M odim derabbanan during the chazzans

repetition of the Shemoneh E srei

As for reciting Shema Y israel and Baruch sheim k evod etc. during Pesuk ei D ezimra:

The M ishna Berura (A shk enazim) rules to recite it w ithout Baruch Sheim k evod

malchuso leolam vaed.

Rav Ovadiah Yosef shlit a says not to do so , but continue the Pesuk ei

D ezimra out loud while everyone else is saying Shema Y israel

I f one hears thunder or sees lightning:

O ne must interrupt and recite the blessings fo r such an event since it is a

one-time opportunity that cannot be delayed.

I f one hears Kedusha, one should recite the verse:

K adosh k adosh k adosh etc.


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Baruch k evod H ashem mi mek omo

Y imloch H ashem leolam etc.3

The other verses of Kedusha are not recited. However, Rav Shlomo Z alman

Auerbach ztl rules that on Shabbos when more stanzas are added to Kedusha one

should recite those as well.

The Closing of Pesukei Dezimra

Just as we finish the final chapter of Tehilim by repeating the final verse

A l l l iv i ng sou l s w i l l pr a ise G-d, Bless G-dKol haneshama tehallel kah Hallelukah

so too at the end of the Shira, we repeat the verse H ashem yimloch leolam vaed. This

marks the end of the Shira of A z Y ashir. Although we recite one more verse about

the drowning of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, other Siddurim omit it. We then

proceed to say a few more verses on the theme of H ashem yimloch leolam vaed about

how H ashem wil l reign ultimately over the enti re world. He wil l be recognized by all

nations as the only pow er and the only king.

And G- d w i l l be t he k ing over t he en t i r eear t h ; on t hat day H ashem and H is

N am e w i l l be r ecogn ized as t he on lyone!

Vehayah H ashem le'M elech al kol haaretzbayome hahu yihyeh Hashem echad

u'sh'emo echad!

Yishtabach

A t th is point we recite the blessing of Y ishtabach, which is the closing blessing ofPesuk ei D ezimra .

3 Rav Chaim K anievsky shlita explains that although Y imloch is not integral to K edusha and it would notbe recited if one was in the middle of the blessings of Y otzeir ohr and so on, during Pesuk ei D eZ imra itshould b e recited since it is a form of praise which is the focus of Pesuk ei D eZ imra.


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BB aa cc kk gg rr oo uu nn dd

The blessing of Y ishtabach concludes the Pesuk ei D ezimra. The Gemora in Pesachim4

alludes to this blessing as the Bi rchas H ashir the Blessing of Praise. According to

one opinion this was N ishmas which we recite at the end of Pesuk ei D ezimra ofShabbos with the closing bracha of Y ishtabach. It does not begin with the usual

opening of Baruch A tta H ashem etc. since it is considered to be the follow-up to

Baruch Sheomar a Bracha H asemucha L echaverta5.

A ccording to this explanation, Rabbi D avid Cohen shlita wonders why the Tur

states that Baruch Sheomar was a heavenly-sent blessing from the post Talmudic

period and w as not humanly composed, when the Gemora states clearly that

Y ishtabach existed in Talmudic times already?

H e answers that although Y ishtabach is from the Talmud, Baruch Sheomar is not.

Accordingly, in the Talmudic period the blessing of Y ishtabach must have openedwith Baruch A tta H ashem etc. Only later the Baruch Sheomar blessing for the opening

of the Pesuk ei D ezimra was found, was the blessing of Y ishtabach altered by having

the opening Baruch A tta H ashem etc removed.

Laws

If one recited A sher Y atzar right before Y ishtabach after completing the

Pesuk ei D ezimra one should repeat the chapter of A shrei before reciting

Y ishtabach.

I f the chazan only received his Tallis and Tefillin during Pesuk ei D ezimra, he

should put them on at this point, with the appropr iate blessings.

Other individuals who received their Tallis and Tefillin during Pesuk ei

D ezimra should wait and put them on after Y ishtabach.

4 D af 118a

5 L it. a blessing that fo llow s the previous blessing


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Questions:

1. What unusual reward is prom ised for reciting A z Y ashir and in whatmanner must it be recited ?

2. What is the message of the sinner and to what is he likened in the M ishna in

Pirk ei A vos (Chapters of the Fathers)?

3. H ow does af f irming Shiras H ayam rectify ones sins?

4. To what aspect of K rias Y am Suf do we attribute E munah - Faith?

(according to Rav Schwab)?

5. What are the two categories of Pesuk ei D e

zimra regarding interruptions andwhich o f the two is stricter?

6. I f one needs to answer A men to any regular blessing or if one needs to

recite the blessing of A sher Y otzar after using the f acilities, what is the most

appropriate place for this if one is in middle of a section of Pesuk ei

D ezimra?

7. What is the law regarding saying Baruch H u varuch Shemmo and B rich H u

during Pesuk ei D ezimra?

8. I f one hears M odim D erabbanan during Pesuk ei D ezimra, should one say itwith the congregation?

9. I f one hears Krias Shema during Pesuk ei D ezimra, should one say it with the

congregation?

10. Why does Y ishtabach begin without an opening Baruch A tta H ashem?


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Answers:

1. I f one reci tes A z Y ashir with joy, one will be forgiven all sins.

2. A person who sins by transgressing the Torahs commands is stating that

he is not governed by G-d and in Pirk ei A vos (Chapter of the Fathers) is

likened to someone who desecrates H ashems N ame.

3. I f one sings A z Y ashir with joy one understands that only H ashem controls

all events in our world and that we in turn praise H im by sanctifying H is

glorious N ame.

4. That supernatural event of the sea splitting is one we cannot begin to

understand.

5. Between the paragraphs (Bein H aperak im) and in the middle of a paragraph

(Beemtza H aperek ). Th e laws regarding in middle of a paragraph are str icter.

6. One should wait and reci te A sher Y otzar between paragraphs and A men

should be recited at the end of a pasuk or at a break in a pasuk if possible.

7. O ne should never respond Baruch H u varuch Shemmo and B ri ch H u during

Pesuk ei D ezimra .

8. The M ishna Berura rules to recite it in its entirety, but Rav Ovadiah Yosefshlita rules to say just the words M odim anachnu l ach.

9. The M ishna Berura rules to recite the first verse but not Baruch Sheim k evod

malchusso leolam vaed. Rav Ovadiah Yosef shlita rules not to say it. One

should rather say whatever verses one is reciting in a loud voice.

10. I t is considered to be a Bracha H asemucha L echaverta6 to Baruch Sheomar.

6 L it. a blessing that fo llow s the previous blessing

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Roadmap to Prayer Lesson 06