The High Holy Day liturgy reflects the dichotomy of our relationship with God. Prayers such as Avinu Malkenu (Page 92*) capture the duality of Divine transcendence and immanence. As we reach out to God in prayer, we call upon Avinu, our father. In doing so we evoke a relationship with the Holy One that is filled with the love, caring, and closeness characteristic of the parent – child interaction. The close nature of the relationship is emphasized by quoting verses from the prophets in the Zichronot section of the Musaf (Additional) service for Rosh Hashanah, for example, “Is not Efrayim My precious son, My beloved child?” (Page 161)
Even as we express this warm and intimate relationship, we quickly add the word, Malkenu, our King, reflecting on the huge chasm that separates us from God. In our prayers we recognize the otherness of the Holy One but try to establish the parameters of our relationship. When we sing Hayom Harat Olam (Page 158) that if we stand before God as children before a parent that God be compassionate as a loving father. However, if we are merely servants to a king then we pray for mercy from a distant sovereign.
The beautiful piyyut, Ki Anu Amecha, (Page 263) sets forth a series of relationships each meant to suggest a different aspect of the Divine – Human interaction.
“We are Your portion and You are our Destiny,” therefore we are linked throughout time.
“We are Your flock and You are our Shepherd,” therefore watch over and protect us.
“We are Your creatures and You are our Creator,” therefore we are as You have fashioned us.
“We are Your faithful and You are our Beloved,” therefore we share with each other a unique intimacy.
“We are Your chosen ones and You are our Chosen One,” we are united by mutual design and the desire to fulfill the needs of the other.
In creating the Mahzor we see that the sages tried to formulate the various aspects of their understanding of the Divine Presence. The most pervasive metaphor remains God as King. The question is what we mean by this metaphor. Dr. David Kramer of the Jewish Theological Seminary wrote,
“In biblical usage, a king was mostly what we call a petty king, a relatively insignificant local ruler similar to the Israelite judges. In rabbinic times, … Jews knew kings as rulers of empires, controlling territories from one end of the known world to the other. In European history, we see kings who claimed divine right for their absolute rule.” Which one is the Melech, the King we turn to on the High Holy Days?
The verses of the Malchuyot section (Pages 156-157) suggest that all of the above are true. God is King of Israel, King of all the earth, the King of glory and so on. We address ourselves to the God of our ancestors and our past. We address ourselves to the God who is the Creator of all and who is the Presence of the Universe. We address ourselves to the God who whose glory infuses our universe with Divine sparks of holiness. We address ourselves to the God who awaits us in the Divine Palace where we can become closer to our most perfect selves and find ourselves moving closer to God.
L’Shanah Tova Teychateymu – May you be sealed in the Book of life and blessing.
Rabbi David M. Eligberg
* All page references are to Mahzor Lev Shalem used by our congregation.
#TimeoutAgainstHate
With major league baseball and the WNBA both in playoff mode, the NHL and NBA seasons starting, and the NFL in full swing, I share with you this link to a new initiative of The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism involving sports franchises across the country. https://www.fcas.org/standuptoallhate/
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