And Then G-D
said to Moses, "Come up to Me on the mountain top and be present; and I
will give you tablets of stone, and the Torah and commandments which I have written,
that you may teach them."
So with those
words of G-D, Moses made his way up to the mountain top, with his very own
group of advisors, but reached a plateau and advised them to stay put, and he
finished upward to the top all alone.
And as Moses approached the mountain top and a cloud covered it, the
sincere and joyous glory of G-D rested upon the top, and upon the 7th Day, G-D called out for Moses in the
midst of the fog, and Moses approached G-d, waiting upon the mountain for 40
days and for 40 nights.
The prayer ‘Ahavat
Olam’ (אהבת עולם, Eternal
love) is the second prayer that is recited during evening services, ‘Ma’ariv’.
It is the parallel blessing to Ahava Rabbah (Abundant Love) that is recited
during morning services, Shacharit, and likewise, is an expression to G-d for
the gift of the Torah and its Commandments.
Ahavat Olam
‘Ahavat olam beyt yisrael am-ha
ahavta,
Torah u-mitzvot, hukim u-mish-patim
otanu limad'ta.’ This is the
very 1st sentence of this beautiful prayer.
With everlasting love, You have loved
Your people Israel. You have taught us the Torah and its Mitzvot. You have
instructed us in its laws and judgments.
Therefore, Adonai our G-d, when we
lie down and when we rise up, we shall speak of Your commandments and rejoice
in Your Torah and Mitzvot.
For they are our life and the length
of our days; on them we will meditate day and night. May you never take away
Your love from us. Praised are You, Adonai, for loving Your people Israel.
The
prayer is done with reflection upon G-d’s love for the people Israel through
the gift of Torah and its commandments.
It
is such a meaningful and powerful prayer, full of true meaning, of heart, of
love, of faith, of reverence, and derived from fact, and that of a true story,
this Parsha/Portion.
Prayer
is really beautiful and full of history; we are so blessed to have prayers
based on The Torah and its commandments!
Each
and every single day, I get up and upon standing, or at least my attempt, I
“Thank G-d” for allowing me to get out of bed, stand up, be alive, and Thankful
for the day ahead! Then stretch and wash. This is my manner of prayer every morning
daily. My very own tailored “Modeh Ani”…..because I do indeed give Thanks for
awaking my soul:
Translation:
I offer thanks before you, living and eternal King, for You have mercifully
restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great. The prayer is Talmudic in nature, although my
version each and every day is “Barry” in nature.
Prayer comes
from the heart. Prayer comes from one’s soul, from a person’s experiences in
life. Is Torah, the commandments, and the mitzvahs that we read and studying,
be it daily, weekly, or at our own leisure, help us have a basis or base for
our own prayer? Absolutely and
positively! Extremely IMPACTFUL!!!!
My morning
prayers are recited and said partly in Hebrew (Tefillin) and washing of my
hands, and the remainder in plain English , just expressing ‘Thanks’ and a
bright outlook, day in and day out, in my own words. It is indeed prayer at its
finest, because it comes from my heart and my soul and my beliefs and my study
of the Torah! It starts my day the RIGHT-ous way!
And, Each and
every evening at dinner, each member of my family has to share one thing that
they would change to make better that day, and one aspect that you’re
‘Thankful’ for…….. Does it take thought, does it take time, and does it take
heart and soul? Yes, it does! Do my kids
play possum of sorts? Of course, but they do participate, and it is this that allows
them to say aloud, ‘Thank You G-d for (fill in the blank), or an interpretation there of.
We are so
very blessed to have Torah and its teachings/commandments and the prayers based
upon those teachings, whether it in Hebrew, English, Spanish, Yiddish,
Portuguese, etc, and be it read and recited, and/or just said aloud as you go
along, like I do daily!
It is not the
format, but rather the heartfelt soulness one gives of him/herself in
prayer. Words can be mixed, tunes can be
off, but one’s feelings hold true with sincere prayer and Torah!
Baruch Ata
adonoi elo heynu melach ha-olam.......…..and may all of you find a
spiritual bond with Torah and YOUR personal journey through prayer.
-Amen-
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