AMIDA: God, open my lips….

 

ה’ שפתי תפתח ופי יגיד תהִלתך
Before we begin the ‘amida, we recite a very special verse from the book of Psalms, (51:15) “God, open my lips, so my mouth would proclaim Your praise”.  To understand why the Rabbis chose this verse to introduce the ‘amida, it is critical to see this verse within its original context.  Psalm 51 is a Psalm of Teshuba (=repentance, contrition). David regretted the sin he committed with Bat-Sheba. When composing this Psalm, David was in a state of deep anguish, consumed by guilt and shame. As he was imploring to God with a broken heart, at one point he felt speechless and powerless. The reader can see that suddenly, the flowing of this Psalm stops. As if David, aware of God’s Presence,  became short of words to beseech God’s mercy.  He paused. Then, he said, God, as I wish to continue praying to You, I realize that I need Your help to address You, please, give me the strength and courage to address You, “God, Open my lips, so my mouth would proclaim Your praise”.  With this extraordinary request David haMelekh conveyed the depth of his contrition and his unique humbleness.  But above all, he taught us that even the most gifted and eloquent biblical poet, when realizing that he is talking directly to God, he requires God’s assistance. 
 
The ‘amida is not a regular prayer. While in all other prayers we talk about God, in the Amida we are talking to God.  Talking about God, praising Him, recounting His blessings as we do, for example, when we read the Psalms in the first sections of our prayers, is somehow within our abilities. Talking directly to God, however, when seriously taken, might/should be an overwhelming experience. When we recite the ‘amida we are not repeating the words of David haMelekh. When saying the ‘amida, in a sense,  we are David haMelekh. Upon realizing what we are about to do, we are overcome by reverential-fear and a sense of inadequacy and powerlessness to experience His Presence; let alone to address Him with words.  
 

This verse was chosen by our Rabbis for the introduction of the ‘amida. To inspire us to feeling the humbling and overwhelming experience of addressing directly God Almighty.  

 



Kavana: Understanding the meaning

29th of Nisan, 5770. Today is the 14th day of Omer

When saying the Amida, we should delve into the meaning of every word. This mental exercise is called Kavana: consciousness / alertness. Distractions or even having a blank mind is not accepted. Kavana is required at the time of prayer and it’s mandatory in the first Berakha of the Amida.ELOKIM is one of the names of God. It is actually the first name to appear in the Torah. The closest English word to define ELOKIM will be “Almighty”. The Kuzari, written by rabbi Yehuda haLevy, explains that the word ELOKIM is written in the plural form, not to suggest that there is more than one God but to manifest that God Almighty encompasses all the powers. There is no force in the universe which is not under His control.

ELOKIM is also the way we refer to God when we want to express our perception of God acting with strict justice, (Middat haDin) in opposition to compassion. When God creates the world (nature, Bereshit chapter 1) the Torah uses the name ELOKIM, because nature is not compassionate. It’s ruled by mechanical laws like, sicknesses, death and the survival of the fittest.

But when the Torah focuses on the Creation of man (Bereshit chapter 2) the Torah uses HASHEM ELOKIM which suggests “nature” combined with “compassion”. In regards to human beings, God sometimes judges us or humanity with strict justice but we always pray to Him to be judged with compassion, consideration and patience.



Preparing ourselves to stand in front of God

Today is the 27th day of Shebat , 5771

 

The Amida or Shemona-Esre –also known in our community as lachash– is the most important prayer. It is said every day, three times a day, morning, afternoon, and evening.

When we pray the Amida we are talking directly to God.

There is nothing more meaningful in life that communicating with our Creator.

We should not start praying the Amida unprepared or unfocused. The Amida requires ‘Kobed Rosh’, a serious effort of concentration.

‘Amida’ means ‘standing’.

In preparation for the Amida we must visualize and internalize that we are standing in front of the King of Kings.

In the Jewish protocol a servant stands in front of his King, firmed, with his feet together and bowing down his head a little, in signal of submission.

Strictly speaking, Amida means: “Standing at Your service/waiting for Your command”. For this very reason, many Sephardic Jews would recite the Amida by heart, with their eyes closed, with their hands together on the middle of the chest, the right hand holding the left closed fist.

If you don’t know the Amida by heart, you should obviously read it normally from the Siddur.

The Amida should be ‘said’, articulating the words. Articulation -among other things- facilitates a better concentration.

The Amida is said ‘quietly’ (that is the meaning of the word lachash) so low no one else could hear your words, and loud enough you could hear your own whispering.

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Rabbi Yosef Bitton. YMJC | 130 Steamboat Rd. | Great Neck | NY | 11024