6 Minute
Siddur Snippets with Rabbi Efrem Goldberg Thanks to Yonatan Kurz for creating the graphic and for writing up and editing the Snippet
לעולם יהא אדם We say that a person should always be a ירא שמים, a G-d fearing human being, both in private and in public. We should always be willing to admit the truth, and be capable of speaking the truth in our heart. When a person wakes up, they should say the following paragraph of יהי רצון, every single day. What is this statement of ?לעולם יהא אדםThe Levush in אורח חיים סימן מוtells the background of why we introduce this paragraph and why we say שמעhere altogether. After all, are we not going to say שמעlater on in davening? Why do we say it here at all? Why is it at this point of davening as well? The Shibolei HaLeket quotes from an early Medrash called the סדר אליהו רבהthat this statement through Shema was instituted during times that the Jews were unable to recite the Shema at the normal point in davening because of the oppression and persecution that they faced; they needed to find a time to do it quietly. So the people snuck the Shema in an earlier spot in davening, rather than the part where it was prohibited and eliminated. That is why it begins with the statement that sometimes we have to express יראת שמים in hiding and quietly; we do not always have the luxury of being able to publicly proclaim our motto and theme of שמע ישראל. This is an incredible reminder to us living today of our privilege and how blessed we are to have our יראת שמיםnot only בסתר, but also בגלוי, and have the ability to proclaim our allegiance, loyalty, and love to Hashem without any fear or inhibition. This paragraph takes us back to the time of those who lacked that luxury and gift, and that is why right after we finish saying the שמע, we say a paragraph that concludes with the beracha of מקדש את שמך ברבים- because we are grateful to live in a time that we can say שמעout loud, sanctifying Hashem’s name in public. Why is it called “ ”יראת שמיםand not ?יראת ה׳Why do we say Heaven-fearing? Rav Hutner quotes the Maharal, who explains that יראת ה׳is formed by a sense of how categorically
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different we are from Hashem, while אהבת ה׳is inspired by the feeling of how close and similar we are to our Creator. When we contemplate the fact that we are children of God, and how we have so much in common that He finds expressions of himself through us, we are filled with this love and affection; אהבת ה׳gives us that desire to draw close to Him. But then we recoil and realize that as much as we have in common, despite the intimacy that we share with Him, we are categorically different. Hashem is infinite, while we are finite; He is omnipotent and omniscient, while we are limited. יראת ה׳is when we realize how absolutely different we are than Hashem. Rav Soloveitchik uses the same insight in דברי הרב to suggest why we refer to יראהas יראת שמיםand refer to אהבה as אהבת ה׳. The שמיםevokes the vast difference and huge gap between us and Hashem, so it is יראהwhen we feel awe and we have this admiration and fear, it is יראת שמים, as Hashem is in these heavens and there is such a substantial difference between us. But, when it is love, then it is אהבת ה׳. When we wake up, we proclaim “לְ עולָ ם יְ ֵהא ָא ָדם יְ ֵרא ָׁש ַמיִ ם,” to say that as much as we love Hashem and as close as we are to Him, we are categorically different, as He is in the heavens and there is a significant difference between us. In הכתב והקבלה, Rav Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg says that יראת שמיםrefers to avoiding punishment and earning reward; it is called לעולםbecause it references the way to earn eternity and be close to Hashem, not just in this world but forever. If a person wants to achieve the place of לעולםand get immortality and eternity, they must live a life of יראת שמים בסתר ובגלוי- a person must live life with a fear of G-d, where it be in private or in public. The ba’alei mussar encourage us to read this paragraph every morning, and say that first we should read it as “לעולם יהא אדם,” that even before we get up to יראת שמים, we should each strive to be an אדם- a mentsch and a person, behaving with
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6 Minute Siddur Snippets cont.
kindness and courtesy בצלם אלוקים, rather than give into our animal instincts and impulses.
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Rav Menachem Ben Zion Zaks in his commentary on Pirkei Avos points out the line of “,ְּוב ָמקֹום ֶׁש ֵאין ֲאנָ ִׁשים ה ְׁש ַּת ֵּדל לִ ְהיֹות ִאיׁש,” ִ which literally means that in a place with no men, a person should attempt to be a man. He explains that the Mishnah is referring to how we conduct ourselves when we are in private with no other people around. Some people excel at displaying their tzitzis publicly, when they are able to get attention and praise for how virtuous they are and what יראת שמים they live with. When they are in private with no one else around, they struggle to live with a sense of יראת שמים. The Mishnah is essentially telling us where there are no people around, במקום שאין אנשים, this is the crirical place to strive to be a man. That is why we remind ourselves that while we may publicly act with יראת שמיםin public when we know that positive feedback will be given, we must strive to do the same as well when we are in private, consistently being the same person through and through. Rav Schwab has the exact inverse insight, and says that this line means that we should not flaunt our יראת שמים publicly. There is a general rule of “ֹלקיָך ֱ ם־א ֱ ִוְ ַהצְ נֵ עַ לֶ כֶ ת ע,” which is that a person should walk humbly with G-d. This does not only refer to clothing in the narrow sense of tznius, but rather to our relationship with Hashem, which is one of great privacy. We do not have to flaunt that we observe great stringencies or show off that we have great fear of G-d, because the more יראת שמיםa person has, the less they show it off in public. If a person brags about their יראת שמים, it is one that is flawed and corrupt. Rav Schwab compares this to a thermos bottle, which is warm on the outside, which is a sure sign that it is broken on the inside, as true יראת שמיםis בסתר.