Pensamento Judaico sobre Êxodo 22:19

Because prayer is service of the heart, we have connected the chapter on prayer with the chapter on the olah, total offering. As an olah is an offering that "rises" towards G'd in its entirety, since the whole of the animal is being offered on the altar, so is prayer an offering of the heart which rises toward Heaven in its entirety. When our sages describe prayer without concentrating on its meaning, as being comparable to a body without soul, they mean that the warmth of feeling generated by genuine prayer, parallels the ongoing fire on the altar that burns the olah. In Vayikra Rabbah 7, Rabbi Pinchas notes that the Torah does not describe the fire on the altar as being "on" the altar. The Torah does not require that the "fire on the altar burn on it," rather it does say “aysh hamizbeach tukad bo," the fire on the altar shall burn within it, meaning that the entire altar should be permeated by it. (Leviticus 6,2) So our hearts are to be permeated by the outpouring of our prayers. The Talmud Berachot 32, tells us that we have to arrange the praise of the Lord before proceeding with voicing our requests from Him. Since the requests concern mostly our temporal needs, our sages (Shabbat 10) describe the supplicant as someone who temporarily abandons his concern with the values of the world to come, in favour of the mundane needs of this world he lives in at the time. If this is so, the opinion held by many, (including Maimonides chapter one hilchot tefillah ) which claims that prayer has been legislated by the Torah, is hard to understand. If the purpose of prayer would be exhausted by our asking for our needs, why should it matter to G'd whether we ask for them or not? We should be entitled to forego the opportunity to ask G'd for His kindness, assistance, etc. However, just as we have described the institution of sacrifice as designed to arouse certain emotions within us which will bring us closer to G'd, so prayer, by means of the trust we express when we ask Him for our needs, will bring us closer to Him. The conviction that He cares, that His Providence watches over us, all this helps to strengthen the existing ties between us and the Creator. The thanks we express for what He has done for us and for others, all help to cement our relationship with hashem. The early Chassidim, men of piety and devoutness, are described by the Talmud Berachot 32, as having prepared for prayer an hour ahead of time, and as having spent another hour winding down from the spiritual high achieved during prayer, before returning to the mundane tasks in their lives. Actually, they did exactly what our sages have since built into the formal liturgy that we follow nowadays. The hymns of praise, keriyat shema, are our introduction and preparation for prayer, i.e. the part during which we voice our requests. On the other hand, we are told that he who fails to enunciate the keriyat shema audibly, has failed in his purpose, since the praise of G'd and our assuming the yoke of Heaven are to be made known to our fellow men. On the other hand, he who raises his voice during the supplication part of the prayer service, is described as lacking in faith, as a prophet of the ido Baal. (Berachot 24) Channah already demonstrated that requests need not be aired audibly. If the High Priest Eli considered her as a drunken woman, this was not because she did not raise her voice in prayer, but because she had chosen a time of day he did not consider suitable for offering up prayer. (compare Samuel I chapter 1) He watched her closely to find out what she had to say to him, since most other women milling around the entrance of the tabernacle always spoke to him. Understanding Eli's error, she told him that her remarks were addressed to Him who does not need audible expression of her words in order to be able to hear and understand them. Since Channah came to the tabernacle after having dined, it was natural for Eli to have misconstrued her purpose, and to have judged same by outward appearances. In fact, one must not raise one's voice, so as not to create the impression that one considers G'd hard of hearing. When Ishmael was close to death, (Genesis 21,17) G'd considered his state of being "as he was then," not the loudness of his prayers. The mental anguish that he was suffering at that moment was the decisive element that led to his rescue. On the other hand, all those paragraphs in the liturgy that teach us knowledge and comprehension have to be recited aloud. "Hear O Israel!"- these words we have to hear with our own ears; they are directed both at ourselves and at our fellow Jews.

(1) Although we have pointed out that the first two of the ten commandments are in a class by themselves since they express the existence of G'd and the exclusive nature of His G'dliness, the shema yisrael expresses the link between that Oneness and the malchut, the majesty which is a manifestation of that Oneness. Our prophets view the messianic message as one in which "on that day G'd will be king over the whole earth, on that day He will be One and His name will be One." (Zachariah 14,9) (2) By this phrase the prophet expresses that Oneness is synonymous with Majesty. An ideal kingdom is one in which everything is based on a unified system emanating from a single source. This is the reason the sages inserted the line about G'ds Majesty in the recital of the keriyat shema. This is also the reason it is included in the Mussaph prayer on the New Year's day, when ten verses dealing with G'ds Majesty form the first of the three major benedictions of the amidah, central prayer. The paragraph commencing with the words "and now Israel, hear the statutes, social laws etc," (4,1) is to be understood thus. Since you have heard directly from Me the first two commandments about My nature, remember this as something you keep on hearing forever three times daily. Anochi and lo yihyeh, are not to be viewed as alternatives to the recital of keriyat shema, rather recital of keriyat shema is the insurance that you will not forget what you have heard at Sinai, and will ensure that lesson will stand you in good stead throughout future generations. Moses used the shema in a different context. He explained that what it represented had been revealed to Israel. The line of baruch shem etc. however, being something that he had overheard the angels use in Heaven, could only be whispered, since it had not been revealed. However, on the Day of Atonement when we are like angels, free from sin, we too can and must recite this line in an audible manner. (3) Although, generally speaking, love relationships exist between equals or at least between people who have a great deal in common, there are two love relationships that need not be affected by the similarities between the parties concerned. One is the love that the recipient feels for the one who endows him, keeps him alive, does undeserved favours for him, etc. Thus children love parents since the latter are providers. The greater the benefits received, the greater the love by the recipient for the donor. Since G'd is the great Provider, absolute love by us for Him is quite natural, and the word ve-ahavta, you shall love (Him) is quite in place. The second reason that true love for G'd is possible, lies in His very uniqueness. When someone owns a variety of artifacts, each similar in nature, it is difficult to love one of those artifacts especially, since it is not distinctive enough to evoke that special feeling of love. When, however, the object in question is absolutely unique, the affection one feels for it can be termed love, without such love having to be requited. (compare Aristotele's ethics, book nine)

After these observations, we are entitled to view the sacrifices of the forefathers and kings of Israel in a similar light. All the sacrifices mentioned in the Torah,-other than those connected with atonement- express the desire of the donor to achieve a closeness with G'd. Creatures who have attained the level of articulate beings, are entitled to offer these animal sacrifices to G'd, and to perfect themselves by a variety of sacrificial rites so that their minds will be cleansed and their souls will be purified from slag. This is what our sages mean (Tossaphot Menachot 130 commencing with the word 'Michael') that the angel Michael, minister of the Interior at the celestial Court, presents the souls of the Just before the Almighty on the celestial altar. The consecration offering, which Aaron and his sons were commanded to bring, to enable them from then on to perform "holy service," combined the ingredients needed for atonement, namely the he-goat as well as the ram for the total offering. This was to express the priest's desire to achieve closeness with G'd. Add to that the commandment to the whole nation to bring offerings since "today the glory of G'd will appear," (Leviticus 9,4) and it is clear that when both considerations are present during the presentation of the sacrifices, the presence of the shechinah can be attained. Sometimes, due to faulty kavanot, thoughts or objectives, such a presence does not result. Only fools rush in without proper preparation. (Kohelet 4,17) Manoach, (Judges 13,15) invited the angel as if he were a human being to a meal on the one hand, and suggested that the nature of that meal be an offering. This combination of valid and invalid intent voids the value of the offering. The angel was quick to respond "if it is a meal, I cannot eat it, since angels do not eat in that sense of the word; if however, it is an offering, it should be addressed to G'd and to no one else." (compare Exodus 22,19, "he who sacrifices to elohim, another deity, even an agent of G'd, will be destroyed; only to the Lord exclusively.") It is interesting that in Parshat Ha-azinu, when quoting the sayings of our enemies. (Deut. 32,37-39) G'd responds to the erroneous impression of the gentiles that offerings are accepted by intermediaries, i.e. "elohim,” by saying "I, I am He." This means that there is no other elohim, agent with Me. The offerings must be addressed to "My holy name only."