Great Love
This week I had the opportunity to study with Professor Moshe Halbertal, who presented to the JUF Rabbinic Action Committee. Halbertal pointed out that, if we pay careful attention to the prayers of the Siddur, we can better understand what our tradition teaches about God and us.
Halbertal asks, what does the Siddur teach us about God’s love? Often, people who are familiar with the Siddur have a hard time answering. The answer can be found in the second blessing before the Shema:
"You have loved your people, the house of Israel, with a great love. You have taught us Torah and commandments, decrees and judgments. (This is the beginning of the blessing as it appears in the evening/Ma’ariv prayer: אַהֲבַת עולָם בֵּית יִשרָאֵל עַמְּךָ אָהָבְתָּ. תּורָה וּמִצְות חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים אותָנוּ לִמַּדְתָּ.) … Blessed are You, Who loves His people Israel. "
In contrast to the view that the commandments are an expression of harshness (Halbertal referred to writings of Paul, Augustine, and Luther), our Siddur teaches God’s gift of Torah is the clearest sign of His love for us.
אַהֲבַת עולָם בֵּית יִשרָאֵל עַמְּךָ אָהָבְתָּ. תּורָה וּמִצְות חֻקִּים וּמִשְׁפָּטִים אותָנוּ לִמַּדְתָּ. עַל כֵּן ה' אֱלקֵינוּ בְּשָׁכְבֵנוּ וּבְקוּמֵנוּ נָשיחַ בְּחֻקֶּיךָ. וְנִשמַח בְּדִבְרֵי תורָתֶךָ וּבְמִצְותֶיךָ לְעולָם וָעֶד: כִּי הֵם חַיֵּינוּ וְארֶךְ יָמֵינוּ וּבָהֶם נֶהְגֶּה יומָם וָלָיְלָה: וְאַהֲבָתְךָ אַל תָּסִיר מִמֶּנּוּ לְעולָמִים. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. אוהֵב עַמּו יִשרָאֵל:
אַהֲבָה רַבָּה אֲהַבְתָּנוּ, ה' אֱלקֵינוּ. חֶמְלָה גְּדולָה וִיתֵרָה חָמַלְתָּ עָלֵינוּ: אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ. בַּעֲבוּר אֲבותֵינוּ שֶׁבָּטְחוּ בְךָ. וַתְּלַמְּדֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים כֵּן תְּחָנֵּנוּ וּתְלַמְּדֵנוּ: אָבִינוּ הָאָב הָרַחֲמָן. הַמְרַחֵם. רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ. וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּנוּ לְהָבִין וּלְהַשכִּיל. לִשְׁמעַ. לִלְמד וּלְלַמֵּד. לִשְׁמר וְלַעֲשות וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּורָתֶךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: וְהָאֵר עֵינֵינוּ בְּתורָתֶךָ. וְדַבֵּק לִבֵּנוּ בְּמִצְותֶיךָ. וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶךָ. וְלא נֵבושׁ לְעולָם וָעֶד: כִּי בְשֵׁם קָדְשְׁךָ הַגָּדול וְהַנּורָא בָּטָחְנוּ. נָגִילָה וְנִשמְחָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ: וַהֲבִיאֵנוּ לְשָׁלום מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפות הָאָרֶץ. וְתולִיכֵנוּ קומְמִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵנוּ: כִּי אֵל פּועֵל יְשׁוּעות אָתָּה. וּבָנוּ בָחַרְתָּ מִכָּל עַם וְלָשׁון. וְקֵרַבְתָּנוּ לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדול סֶלָה בֶּאֱמֶת: לְהודות לְךָ וּלְיַחֶדְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה', הַבּוחֵר בְּעַמּו יִשרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה:
[With] a great love have You loved us, Lord, our God; [with] a great and superabundant compassion have You had compassion upon us. Our Father, our King - for the sake of our fathers who trusted in You and You taught them the laws of life; so [too] grace us and teach us. Our Father, the merciful Father, the merciful One - have mercy upon us, and put into our hearts to understand and to comprehend and to listen and to study and to teach and to keep and to do and to preserve all of the words of the study of Your Torah with love. And enlighten our eyes in Your Torah, and make our heart cling to Your commandments, and unite our hearts to love and fear Your name; and may we never be embarrassed ever. Since we have trusted in Your great and awesome holy Name, let us rejoice and be gladdened by Your salvation. And bring us in peace from the four corners of the Earth, and lead us erectly to our Land; as You are God who preforms salvations. And You have chosen us from among all nations and languages, and have brought us close to Your great name forever in truth, to praise You and unify You with love. Blessed are You, Lord, who chooses His people, Israel, with love.
That was also taught in a baraita: One does not recite: An eternal love [ahavat olam]; rather, one recites: An abounding love [ahavah rabbah]. And the Rabbis say that one recites: An eternal love, and so it says: “And an eternal love I have loved you, therefore I have drawn you with kindness” (Jeremiah 31:2).