A word of Torah:
Last week I shared with you a Talmudic text that suggests that each of the patriarchs instituted one of the daily prayer services. They “prove” this by a creative reading of a verse. This week we focus on Isaac, who the midrash tells us instituted minha—the afternoon service, derived from the verse in Genesis: Isaac went out meditating in the field toward evening (va-yetze Yitzhak la-suah ba-sadeh lifnot arev, Gen. 24:63). In the next verse he meets Rebecca and we are told he loves her (the first expression of love in the Torah).
The meaning of la-suah, here translated as “meditating” is not clear so the rabbis look to Ps. 102:1, where it is written: A prayer of a lowly person who is faint and pours out a plea (siho) before God. Isaac must have felt lowly and faint after being almost sacrificed by his father. What is his spiritual response?
For Isaac, the spiritual life is about connection. He seeks to feel connected to others. His meeting with Rebecca is an I-Thou encounter, to borrow the language of Martin Buber. Unlike Abraham, his life is not about a journey but a series of conversations and encounters. Minha means gift. He understands that life is a gift to be cherished and at its core it is about creating meaningful relationships.
Both the “proof” verses for Abraham and, as we will see next week for Jacob, have within them the word makom/place. They are both spatially oriented. Isaac’s verse does not mention place, for he is people-oriented.
Minha is also different from the morning or the evening service because it alone does not have the Shema prayer. The Shema is to be recited with the rising and the setting of the sun. It reminds us of the passage of time, and the wonders of creation. The Shema calls us to pay attention to the unity that underlies the universe. Minha is said in the midst of a busy day. To ask us to seek a sense of oneness in the middle of a work day is unrealistic. The minha service is much shorter than the other services but it serves an important purpose—to remind us even amidst the hurly burly of our existence that our lives can have meaning and purpose. Minha is a gift, asking us to take a pause from the pressures of deadlines and responsibilities by taking a deep breath before we plunge back into our lives.
Rebecca offers us another spiritual model. As she feels two children struggling in her womb (Gen. 25:22), she is uncertain what to do. She hears no heavenly voice. She understands there are no obvious answers, but the journey (va-telekh) is about searching for answers and making difficult choices. Derash-- inquiring and reflecting are key elements of her spiritual path. She is a seeker.
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