Community Magazine November 2009

The Nighttime Prayer The Talmud relates that each of the three patriarchs established one of the three prayer services which we recite each day. Avraham instituted the morning prayer, and his son, Yizhak, initiated the afternoon minha service. Yaakov, the third patriarch, established the nighttime arvit prayer. This history of the daily prayers is far more than a tidbit of Jewish trivia; its significance extends beyond mere historical intrigue. It informs the Jewish conception of prayer and emphasizes the different circumstances under which we must pray. Though he was famously subjected to ten tests, Avraham lived a relatively peaceful and successful life. He enjoyed immense wealth and fame, and commanded respect among his contemporaries. Kings, noblemen and dignitaries afforded Avraham great honor and respect. He succeeded in his life’s mission of disseminating faith in Gd, and was given the privilege of dispensing kindness to countless people. Appropriately, Avraham established the morning prayer, the prayer recited as the sun shines brightly, in times of clarity and illumination. When people saw Avraham’s success, they immediately recognized that he was rewarded for his piety with blessing and prosperity. The story of Avraham is the story of a bright morning sky, of perfect clarity and understanding. Yizhak, too, enjoyed affluence, health and fame for most of his life. In his later years, however, the “sun” began to set – Yizhak lost his vision. Like the afternoon sun, life shone brightly upon Yizhak for most of his sojourn on earth, but this brilliant light began to wane in his later years. Hence, it was Yizhak who established the afternoon prayer, which we recite as the strong midday sunlight begins to decline. Finally, Yaakov is the symbol of nighttime, of darkness, of confusion and distress. Unlike his predecessors, Yaakov did not enjoy “sunlight.” His life was one of “darkness,” an ongoing story of frustration, struggle and heartache. After Yaakov rightfully received his father’s blessing, his older brother Esav vowed revenge, forcing him to flee from home. Still unmarried, Yaakov was forced to hide in yeshiva for 14 years, until he finally left to seek refuge with his wily uncle, Lavan. There he met his chosen mate, his cousin Rachel, for whom Lavan demanded seven years of hard work shepherding his flocks. When the long-awaited wedding night finally arrived, Lavan tricked Yaakov and brought his other daughter, Leah, to the canopy. When Yaakov protested, Lavan agreed to allow him marry Rachel – but only if he committed to yet another seven years of labor! After Yaakov finally escaped from Lavan’s home and returned to Israel, he endured the untimely death of his wife, the tragedy of RABBI ELI MANSOUR W e are not in the business of assigning grades to the righteous sadikim of antiquity. It is not for us to weigh our saintly patriarchs on the “piety scale” to determine who was greater than whom.Our Sages, however, have conveyed to us a tradition naming Yaakov the “ behir haavot ,” the “choicest” of the three patriarchs. In some respects, it appears, Yaakov’s piety exceeded that of his illustrious father (Yizhak) and grandfather (Avraham). Our job is to understand how specifically Yaakov “outshone” his predecessors, and why he was worthy of such a title. FAITH AMID DARKNESS Dedicated inmemory of Mr. Irving Semah    