(ד) הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ כִּ֥י כָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא׃
(4) The Rock!—His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is He.
(ו) ד"א הצור - התקיף. תמים פעלו - פעולתו שלימה עם כל באי העולם...
(ז) כי כל דרכיו משפט - יושב עם כל אחד ואחד ונותן לו את הראוי לו: אל אמונה - בעל פקדון:
(י) ד"א הצור - התקיף תמים פעלו - פעולתם של באי העולם שלימה לפניו: מתן שכרם של צדיקים ומאחר פורענותם של רשעים.
(יא) כי כל דרכיו משפט - למחר כשהוא יושב בדין עם כל אחד ואחד, ונותן לו את הראוי לו...
(יב) ואין עול - כשאדם נפטר מן העולם באים כל מעשיו ונפרעים לפניו ואומרים לו: כך עשית ביום פלוני, ואי אתה מאמין בדברים הללו? והוא אומר הן והן! והוא אומר לו חתום, שנא' (איוב לז) ביד כל אדם יחתום:
(יג) צדיק וישר הוא - והוא מצדיק את הדין ואומר: יפה דנתוני. וכן הוא אומר למען תצדק בדבריך תזכה בשפטיך.
(6) Variantly: "The Rock": "the Resolute." "Perfect is His work": His work is whole with all creatures, and His ways are not to be brought into question...
(7) Thus: "For all of His works are justice": He sits in judgment with everyone and gives him what he deserves. "a faithful G-d": trustworthy....
(10) Variantly: "The Rock": the resolute one. "Perfect is His work": The work of His creatures is "whole" before Him. He delays the reward of the righteous and He delays the punishment of the wicked....
(11) "For all of His ways are justice." In the future, when He sits in judgment with each one, He gives him what he deserves.
(12) "Without wrong": When a man departs from the world, all his deeds come and present themselves to him one by one, saying: "This is what you did on this and this day. Do you believe it?" The man: "Yes, I do." The deed: "Sign!" — and he signs, viz. (Iyyov 37:7): "He makes the hand of every man sign."
(13) "Righteous and just is He." He (the man) vindicates His judgment (of him), saying: "Correctly did You judge me," viz. (Psalms 51:6) "So that You are (found) righteous in Your words, vindicated in Your judgments."
The midrash below is from a second century C.E. text called "Sifrei Deuteronomy." Most of the Midrash is about God sitting in judgment of humanity at the end of days. In prayer, we are not in pursuit of "truth", but rather attempt to have a personally meaningful, spiritual experience.
Discuss:
- If you knew that every deed that you do in this world was going to be recorded and played back in front of you at the end of your life, how would you act on a daily basis?
- Does this text cause you to dread the future or look forward to it?
(א) וּנְתַנֶּה תֹּקֶף קְדֻשַּׁת הַיּוֹם כִּי הוּא נוֹרָא וְאָיֹם וּבוֹ תִּנָּשֵׂא מַלְכוּתֶךָ וְיִכּוֹן בְּחֶסֶד כִּסְאֶךָ וְתֵשֵׁב עָלָיו בְּאֱמֶת
(ב) אֱמֶת כִּי אַתָּה הוּא דַּיָּן וּמוֹכִיחַ וְיוֹדֵעַ וָעֵד וְכוֹתֵב וְחוֹתֵם וְסוֹפֵר וּמוֹנֶה וְתִזְכֹּר כָּל הַנִּשְׁכָּחוֹת וְתִפְתַּח אֶת סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרוֹנוֹת וּמֵאֵלָיו יִקָּרֵא וְחוֹתָם יַד כָּל אָדָם בּוֹ.
(ג) וּבְשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל יִתָּקַע וְקוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה יִשָׁמַע וּמַלְאָכִים יֵחָפֵזוּן וְחִיל וּרְעָדָה יֹאחֵזוּן וְיֹאמְרוּ הִנֵּה יוֹם הַדִּין לִפְקֹד עַל צְבָא מָרוֹם בַּדִּין כִּי לֹא יִזְכּוּ בְּעֵינֶיךָ בַּדִּין וְכָל בָּאֵי עוֹלָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרוֹן כְּבַקָּרַת רוֹעֶה עֶדְרוֹ מַעֲבִיר צֹאנוֹ תַּחַת שִׁבְטוֹ כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפֹּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקֹד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי וְתַחְתֹּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיָּה וְתִכְתֹּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם
(ד) בְּרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן, וּבְיוֹם צוֹם כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן. כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן, וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן, מִי יִחְיֶה, וּמִי יָמוּת, מִי בְקִצּוֹ, וּמִי לֹא בְּקִצּוֹ, מִי בַמַּיִם, וּמִי בָאֵשׁ, מִי בַחֶרֶב, וּמִי בַחַיָּה, מִי בָרָעָב, וּמִי בַצָּמָא, מִי בָרַעַשׁ, וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה, מִי בַחֲנִיקָה, וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה, מִי יָנוּחַ, וּמִי יָנוּעַ, מִי יִשָּׁקֵט, וּמִי יְטֹּרֵף, מִי יִשָּׁלֵו, וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר, מִי יַעֲנִי, וּמִי יַעֲשִׁיר, מִי יֻשְׁפַּל, וּמִי יָרוּם. וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רֹעַ הַגְּזֵרָה.
(1) We lend power to the holiness of this day. For it is tremendous and awe filled, and on it your kingship will be exalted, your throne will be established in loving-kindness, and you will sit on that throne in truth.
(2) It is true that you are the one who judges, and reproves, who knows all, and bears witness, who inscribes, and seals, who reckons and enumerates. You remember all that is forgotten. You open the book of records, and from it, all shall be read. In it lies each person's insignia.
(3) And with a great shofar it is sounded, and a thin silent voice shall be heard. And the angels shall be alarmed, and dread and fear shall seize them as they proclaim: behold! the Day of Judgment on which the hosts of heaven shall be judged, for they too shall not be judged blameless by you, and all creatures shall parade before you as a herd of sheep. As a shepherd herds his flock, directing his sheep to pass under his staff, so do you shall pass, count, and record the souls of all living, and decree a limit to each persons days, and inscribe their final judgment.
(4) On Rosh Hashanah it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed - how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by lapidation, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted. But repentance, prayer and righteousness avert the severity of the decree.
The "Unetane Tokef" is one of the central pieces of liturgy in Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Mahzor. Focus especially on section two. How does it relate to the midrash that we read above? Note the similarity of the image of "every person's insignia" that appears here and that appears in the earlier midrash.
והאבדתי הנפש - ענוי שיש בו אבידת נפש. ואי זה זה? זה אכילה ושתיה.
The verse states: "I will destroy that soul," meaning an affliction that can cause death. And what is that? That is refraining from eating and drinking.
What is the benefit of experiencing something a "little like death" every year?
How is the Yom Kippur experience a "little like death"?