Tefillah 075

1:
It had been my intention at this stage to continue our study with the Musaf (Additional) service, even though every Shabbat it is preceded by the reading from the Torah. I wrote in the previous shiur that we could skip over that section of the service because we have already studied the rules and regulations that govern the Torah reading ceremony in great detail. (Those interested can peruse all fifty shiurim, starting with Torah Reading 001.) However, in the meanwhile several people have pointed out to me that during those shiurim on Torah reading we did not discuss the various elements that follow the Torah reading on Shabbat. In particular, they wrote, we should note the prayer for the government, Psalm 145 (Ashré) and the return of the Torah scroll to the ark. Therefore I shall add a few comments on these matters.

2:
Let us start with the Prayer for the Government. It is the custom either during or after the reading from the Torah to congratulate the honorees by reciting a short prayer for their wellbeing; these short prayers are referred to as Mi she-beyrakh, because these are the first two Hebrew words of the prayer. After the Torah reading and the other Mi she-beyrakh prayers in most congregations it is customary to recite a prayer for the government of the country. (The prayer in Sim Shalom is on page 148 and in Va'ani Tefillati on page 373.) This custom is based on a passage in the book of Jeremiah. The prophet addresses the exiles already in Babylon:

The main thrust of the prophet's message is that the exiles not delude themselves that their stay in Babylon will be short: they must lead normal lives there and not live with their suitcases unpacked, as it were. But Jeremiah then adds an instruction that must seem rather strange: the people are to pray for the welfare of Babylon – the Babylon that has brutally exiled them from their homeland! The prophet explains this instruction: "for in its [Babylon's] prosperity you shall prosper". The commentary Metzudat David explains:

3:
The explanation of Metzudat David suggests that the reason for seeking the welfare of the country of exile is self-centered: as inhabitants of that country we shall partake in its prosperity. However, some six hundred years after Jeremiah one the the sages of the Mishnah seeks to apply the same idea also to the rulers in Judea:

(If you wish to explore this mishnah in greater depth please use this link to Avot 155.)

While, clearly, the teaching of Rabbi Ĥanina applies to any government under which Jews live, in the quoted mishnah the Hebrew term malkhut refers to the Roman Imperial government which governed the country called Judea. Perhaps that is why, in his commentary on this mishnah, Rabbi Ovadya of Bertinoro writes:

And in his commentary Rabbi YomTov Lippmann Heller explains that the mishnah is, in fact, universal in its application. The term malkhut [translated above 'government'], he says, refers to:

but rather, pray for the welfare of the king's government.

4:
The Babylonian exile lasted less than 60 years and was concentrated in one country; but the dispersion of the Jews that followed the destruction of the Bet Mikdash in the year 70 CE has lasted for nigh on two thousand years and has seen the dispersal of the Jewish people to almost every country in the world. In some of those countries, over the long centuries, the Jews fared well for a time; in others they had much to fear from an inimical government. Gradually, a 'standard' formulation was reached for such a prayer. It usually heaped hyperbolic praise on the local ruler. The standard formulation usually started with a quotation from Psalm 144:10 which refers to God as "He who gives salvation unto kings". It then implored God to "bless, preserve, protect, assist, exalt, extol and raise on high our Lord [the king] and the members of the government." Of course, the personal name of the ruler was supplied. The text then continued to pray for the king's welfare and that God might "put into his heart and into hearts of all his counsellors compassion to deal kindly with us." The standard prayer then ended with a prayer that God redeem Israel and restore the Jews to their homeland.

5:
I have found almost identical wording in a 19th century prayerbook of the oriental Jews (in Arabic-speaking lands) and in a 19th century prayerbook of occidental Jews (in European countries).

To be continued.

For several shiurim we were discussing the priestly blessing. Hayyim Halpern has sent me the following curiosity, which I pass on for those who might possibly be interested.

Your students might like to see a talk by "Spock" (Leonard Nimoy) on the special salute of his planet which is the special finger blesssing arrrangement of Kohanim [priests]. It's from "Star Trek". I noticed that the Kohanim unwind the tefilin on their palms so that they can do the special finger arrangement. I just noticed that some sephardim do not since the winding on their finger does not obstruct the special "salute." They unwind to wash the hands, then rewind for the brachah.