The Talmud, in Brachot 7a, reports two similar stories about prayer. Rabbi Yohanan asks in the name of Rabbi Yosi: How do we know that the Holy One Blessed Be He says prayers? He answers: because the verse in Isaiah 56:7 states: "I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer. It does not say "their house of prayer," but "My house of prayer." Hence, we learn that the Holy One Blessed Be He prays.
The Talmud then asks: What exactly does G-d pray? Rav Zutra the son of Tobia said in the name of Rav: G-d's prayer is, "May it be My will that My mercy may suppress My anger and that My mercy prevail over My [other] attributes, so that I may deal with My children in the attribute of mercy and, on their behalf, stop short of the limit of strict justice."
The Talmud in Brachot then continues with a fascinating story about Yishmael the son of Elisha the High Priest, who conducted the Yom Kippur service in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem. Rabbi Yishmael reports: "I once entered into the innermost part [of the Sanctuary] to offer incense [on Yom Kippur] and saw Akathriel Jah [literally, the crown of G-d], the L-rd of Hosts, seated upon a high and exalted throne. He said to me: "Yishmael, My son, bless Me!" I replied: "May it be Thy will that Thy mercy may suppress Thy anger and that Thy mercy may prevail over Thy other attributes so that Thou mayest deal with Thy children according to the attribute of mercy, and mayest, on their behalf, stop short of the limit of strict justice!" And He nodded to me with His head.
These two enchanting reports demand elucidation. Most of the commentaries explain the description of G-d's prayer as a reflection of G-d's fervent desire that the people improve their behavior and be worthy of abundant blessing. In the first passage, the rabbis deduce from the fact that the verse in Isaiah says, "My house of prayer," rather than "the people's house of prayer," that G-d prays. In G-d's prayer, He reveals His inner desire that His mercy suppress His anger, even though the anger may be justified. We are told that it is the Almighty's fervent wish that His mercy prevail over His other attributes, which usually mete out justice on the basis of strict retribution that fits the offense and give His people the benefit of the doubt, rather than accord strict justice.
The commentators further explain that Rabbi Yishmael, who served as the High Priest, did not in reality see G-d. They suggest that either Rabbi Yishmael saw an angel, or had a vision of G-d as he entered the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. The remarkable thing about this Midrash is not that G-d asked a human being to bless Him, but in the very nature of the blessing. For through the blessing that Rabbi Yishmael the son of Elisha blessed G-d, the essence of all blessings that Jews recite is revealed.
A blessing is not praise or thanks to G-d, because G-d does not need our praise. It is rather, a heartfelt request from G-d that He be "allowed" to continue to endow this world with His good grace and blessing. In essence, it is G-d's wish to increase the good that already exists. His desire to be blessed is really a desire that humankind pray on G-d's behalf that He should continue to deal with His people in a just and merciful manner.
I'd like to suggest another way of looking at these stories. Does G-d really pray? Can a human being, even one as great as Rabbi Yishmael the son of Elisha, truly bless G-d? The reality is that the perfect G-d does not need to pray or need our prayers; rather, the Talmud here informs us through these intriguing tales, that G-d needs help as well.
It is through such anthropomorphic tales that the Talmud and the Aggadot teach us that G-d "struggles," so to speak, to overcome His anger against those who betray Him and break His trust. It is as if the Immortal truly needs the blessing of the mortal, which, of course, is unfathomable.
The message, then, is directed to us, to humans of flesh and blood. We mortals must be humbled and inspired by G-d's behavior. Just as G-d seeks out others to help Him and bless Him, so should we seek out others who may help us and bless us. Just as G-d prays that His quality of mercy should overcome His anger, so too must we pray that our quality of mercy should overcome our anger.
That the most powerful Being in the world is depicted in the Talmud as needing help, is a message of hope, rather than despair. Just as G-d needs to work on His qualities so that He can overcome His anger, so too must we, mortals, struggle to do the same.
We must not be intimidated by the challenge or regard it with despair. There is hope for us all because, G-d, so to speak, is also "mortal."
It is in this struggle that we gain strength from the example of G-d.
As we enter into our "Holy of Holies" on the High Holy Days, may we encounter the messengers of G-d -- our good inclinations and the Divine presence itself, who whisper in our ears, "You can do it!" We must surround ourselves with the "holy incense," raise our voices in prayer, ask forgiveness of G-d and of ourselves and rise to the highest of possible heights. After all, we are created in G-d's image. We are, if not part of G-d Himself, surely a reflection of His image.
This is the message of the High Holy Days. The mere mortal can indeed become immortal, just like G-d. And just like G-d, may we succeed in suppressing our anger, and may our mercy prevail over all our other attributes. Amen.
May we all be inscribed in the Book of Life, and may all our prayers be answered favorably.
May you be blessed.
Mira Sucharov: What Does the Shofar Call You to Do?
Berakhot (Talmud) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rosh HaShanah - What Is Rosh HaShanah
"It seems to me to be an extraordinary example of how a judgment proclaimed with conviction as certainly true may nevertheless be entirely wrong in every detail!"
Maimonides, was seeing through the eyeglasses of Plato, so ever principle about God was as wrongheaded as Rabbi Ephraim Buchwald's scandalous title: "God's struggle to repent."
Does the Most High, Who is Omniscient, have to change His mind: Can Yahweh actually pray, and to whom, I ask, is this prayer directed to, and how is it even possible for a perfect God to repent? He made a mistake in judgment, or acted rashly, so now He has to say "sorry"? Please!
Such a God, Who doesn't know the end from the beginning, is not worthy of our worship! Cause that wouldn't be God, would it?
Where is the creativity of theology of old? Where is even occasional tolerance that use to characterize conversations of such lofty matters?
Orthodox Jews don't "do" theology anymore. Talmud they do, and very well, too. But serious engagement with theology and philosophy has fallen by the wayside, because Maimonides has thought all that needs to be thought about God, so let's return to the tractate at hand.
If G-d = God it would make sense that G-d also would offend an overly sensitive god. Just appears like someone is tip-toeing around superstition.
I guess it's a logical way to help explain why perfect and loving being would allow so much pain and suffering in the world. But it sure doesn't sound like a perfect being.
Having anger does not mean that someone has "an anger problem." Anger is very often justified.
He created everything but has no idea how it's going to turn out. Men created "free will" to explain this paradox, and fall back on "you just don't understand" when terrible things happen to great people.
He has ultimate power but cannot use it because he also already knows the future so therefore is unable to change it. I know, I know, free will. Or I just don't understand.
Any way you look at it, God created a world for us that is nothing more than a lab experiement for him and he gets mad when it goes awry? Sounds like a serious design problem. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention he gets jealous too. That sounds like a perfect creature. Come on.
When does the the "good grace and blessing" part start. 25,000 people will die today from starvation.
Of course, I was sleeping with his wife...ahhhh those were the days of poor tow cables and lowly Holy days.
I would think God would want his "O".
"G o d" is word we made up out of three symbols up to represent an idea so everyone would understand what we were talking about. How does replacing one symbol, "o" with, another one, "--" ? Does that make anything any clearer or show respect to an entity that created the Universe? One more absurd thing we humans invent to make our lives complicated.
F&F
"Have a miserable Yom Kippur!"
"I hope G-d can forgive you your many evils and sins this Yom Kippur"
I'm kind of stumped on this question.
Thanks in advance!
Yom Kippur isn't so much looking to god for forgiveness, but to those that you have wronged. Praying and fasting is only half of what you are supposed to do. The important part is that you actually speak to the people you have wronged in the last year and to ask them for forgiveness.
Sounds like a practice that all peoples should engage in.
L'Shanah Tovah Tikatevu - May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year