Wednesday, September 25, 2024

שייכות קול השופר עם אם סיסרא

The מנהג has already become widespread in all Jewish communities that we blow 100 blasts. They have relied, for this number, on the 100 cries that סיסרא's mother cried over her son. (שופטים ה) It was known to the חכמים as a tradition that the number of her cries was 100. דבורה sings about סיסרא's mother. מבעד" החלון נשקפה" until "תשיב אמריה לה" is 101 letters that contain the cries and wails of סיסרא's mother who was in pain over the loss of her son. The rest of the dialogue there is not words of pain, but rather of consolation.

What has one to do with the next? Why did they not set up the number to be 101 like the amount of her cries? [1]

The answer is that the sound of the שופר inspires mercy on the descendants of יצחק who was bound like a ram on the מזבח, whereas all the cries that סיסרא's mother cried were cries of cruelty, a cruelty the likes of which is difficult to find any place else in the entire world. A mother who is crying over the loss of her son should know the pain of other mothers who are also crying over the loss of their sons. But she was not like that, and all of her consolation was "certainly he is busy dividing up the spoils of war". This is how she mitigates her pain.

The 100 sounds of mercy made by the שופר should counterbalance the cries for סיסרא's mother that were full of cruelty, except for one, which is the pain that a mother has over her son. That one cry of mercy the sound of the shofar is not מבטל.

Therefore, the 100 sounds are corresponding to the 100 cries of cruelty.

[1] Yemenites do not blow 100 sounds, based on the opinion of the רמבם.

ספרדים indeed do blow 101, in that they add a תרועה גדולה (what אשכנזים refer to as תקיעה גדולה) at the end of davening: either before עלינו or after, which also doubles as a formal end to the service (similar to the תקיעה גדולה blown at the conclusion of נעילה). This number is the gematria of מיכאל, the intention being to strengthen his ability to defend כלל ישראל. (A full treatment of מיכאל's role in defending כלל ישראל is beyond the scope of this article, but see מדרש עשרת הדברות אות ו where he is referred to as such, being described as a כהן גדול who offers the souls of the righteous as קורבנות on the Heavenly מזבח. See also מדרש לקח טוב שמות כג:כ where he is identified as the מלאך who protected כלל ישראל in the מדבר. He is also charged, as per מלבים ישעי' ו:ו with bringing נבואה to נביאים, and keeping track of all the מעשים טובים that every Jewish person does.)

Another reason for blowing an extra תרועה גדולה is to confuse the שטן so that he does not prosecute against the כלל ישראל for going home after davening to eat and drink as though they have no fear of judgment.

Adapted from 'ספר התודעה (אליהו כי טוב) פרק שני 'מאה קולות

The Prayer for the Congregation

Many moons ago we began a series on the liturgical texts that are found between the reading of the הפטורה. Our last installment in that series can be found here.

The next piece of liturgy that is found in many rites is the Prayer for the Congregation. The concept of this prayer is that the שליח ציבור takes the opportunity (specifically on שבת morning where the shul is well-attended) to bless the ציבור that he represents, particularly (in some versions) those who contribute to the shul in a significant way, whether monetarily or otherwise.

To that end, we can explain the ספרדי custom (as rendered here by Haham Solomon Gaon at the tercentenary service for British Jewry) in which the חזן or Minister says the Prayer aloud on behalf of the congregation, to which they respond אמן. The prevalent אשכנזי custom, however, in which everyone mumbles to themselves with the חזן finishing off aloud as in most parts of תפלה, would seem to be out of place here.

Below we present a few (text as well as audio) samples of Prayer for the Congregation from the rites of which I was able to find samples.

:(אשכנז (מנהג פולין

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבותֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקב. הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת כָּל הַקָּהָל הַקָּדושׁ הַזֶּה עִם כָּל קְהִלּות הַקּדֶשׁ. הֵם וּנְשֵׁיהֶם וּבְנֵיהֶם וּבְנותֵיהֶם וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם. וּמִי שֶׁמְּיַחֲדִים בָּתֵּי כְנֵסִיּות לִתְפִלָּה. וּמִי שֶׁבָּאִים בְּתוכָם לְהִתְפַּלֵּל. וּמִי שֶׁנּותְנִים נֵר לַמָּאור וְיַיִן לְקִדּוּשׁ וּלְהַבְדָּלָה וּפַת לְאורְחִים וּצְדָקָה לָעֲנִיִּים. וְכָל מִי שֶׁעוסְקִים בְּצָרְכֵי צִבּוּר בֶּאֱמוּנָה. הַקָּדושׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יְשַׁלֵּם שכָרָם וְיָסִיר מֵהֶם כָּל מַחֲלָה וְיִרְפָּא לְכָל גּוּפָם וְיִסְלַח לְכָל עֲונָם. וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכָל מַעֲשה יְדֵיהֶם עִם כָּל יִשרָאֵל אֲחֵיהֶם. וְנאמַר אָמֵן:

ספרדי:

מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב וּמֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וְדָוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה, וְכָל הַקְּהִלּוֹת הַקְּדוֹשׁוֹת וְהַטְּהוֹרוֹת, הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת־כָּל־הַקָּהָל הַקָּדוֹשׁ הַזֶּה, גְּדוֹלִים וּקְטַנִּים, הֵם וּנְשֵׁיהֶם וּבְנֵיהֶם וְתַלְמִידֵיהֶם, וְכָל־אֲשֶׁר לָהֶם. מַלְכָּא דְעָלְמָא הוּא יְבָרֵךְ יַתְכוֹן, וִיזַכֶּה יַתְכוֹן, וְיִשְׁמַע בְּקָל צְלוֹתְכוֹן, תִּתְפָּרְקוּן וְתִשְׁתֵּזְבוּן מִכָּל צָרָה וְעַקְתָּא, וִיהֵא מֵימְרָא דַּיהֹוָה בְּסַעְדְכֶם, וְיָגֵן בַּעַדְכֶם, וְיִפְרוֹשׂ סֻכַּת שְׁלוֹמוֹ עֲלֵיכֶם, וְיִטַּע בֵּינֵיכֶם אַהֲבָה וְאַחְוָה, שָׁלוֹם וְרֵעוּת, וִיסַלֵּק שִׂנְאַת חִנָּם מִבֵּינֵיכֶם, וְיִשְׁבּוֹר עֹל הַגּוֹיִם מֵעַל צַוָּארֵיכֶם, וִיקַיֵּם בָּכֶם מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב יְהֹוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֽוֹתֵכֶ֗ם יֹסֵ֧ף עֲלֵיכֶ֛ם כָּכֶ֖ם אֶ֣לֶף פְּעָמִ֑ים וִיבָרֵ֣ךְ אֶתְכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֥ר לָכֶֽם׃ בשבת תשובה וְיִכְתָּבְכֶם הָאֵל בְּסֵפֶר חַיִּים טוֹבִים
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