I want to link an oddity about the first word in the book of Leviticus with the traditional rituals that begin and end the central prayer of Jewish liturgy, the amidah. The first word in the book of Leviticus is va-yikra/and God called. The traditional commentators noticed that the final letter in that word, an aleph, is written much smaller than the other letters in the Torah scroll. A number of commentators suggest that it is either a call for Moses to be humble (small) before God or a reflection that Moses is a great leader because he is humble. This is confirmed in Numbers 12:3, where we are told that “Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any person on earth.” Humility can be a good quality in a leader. Too often, leaders become caught up in their own self importance and believe in their infallibility. 

        It is traditional to take three steps back at the end of the Amidah as you recite the words: oseh shalom bimromav—You (God) who make peace on high, make peace for us and the world. The choreography is usually explained as copying the etiquette of leaving the presence of a king. You bow your way out facing the king and showing your lowly status compared to his. I learned another interpretation by Shlomo Fox, who taught that the only way to successfully make peace is by creating space for your opponent. You can’t be right in the other’s face. Space will create room for the other person to present their concerns. 

        According to the mystics, stepping back is the way the world is created. God contracts God’s self in an act of tzimtzum/withdrawal, thereby creating the space for the world and all it contains to exist. The  aleph written in small letters is to remind us to make space for others.

        It has a second meaning as well. As the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet, the aleph  represents the oneness underlying all of creation. The ritual at the beginning of the amidah reflects this meaning. The tradition is to bow at the beginning as follows: On the first word barukh/Praised--- we bend our knees. On the second word atah/You-- we bend forward at our waist. On the third word Adonai/God --we stand up straight.

        Why do we stand up straight rather than bow when we say God’s name? This bowing practice does teach us that we should recognize our limitations. We are human and therefore  mortal. We are bound to make mistakes. We express this recognition as we bend and bow to a reality that we too often forget in our hubris. Yet, God does not seek cringing servants. When we actually say God’s name, we stand erect. God wants us to stand before God. Actually, it would be more accurate to say God wants us to stand with God. Standing with God reminds us that, despite our limitations, we are the ongoing creators of this world and must strive to bring about its redemption. 

        Our world desperately needs both rituals, leaving space for others and standing together.

       Adapted from Judaism Disrupted: A Spiritual Manifesto for the 21st Century