[Avodah] structure of shmoneh esrai

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, Jul 15, 2013 at 09:11:33AM -0400, M Cohen wrote:
: I was listening to a tape from R Bulman z'l who mentioned agav that the 12
: request are also structured in groups of 3.
: 
: 3 for individuals spiritual needs (daas/teshuvah/slicha) + 
: 3 for individuals guf needs (geulah/refuah/parnassa) + 
: 3 for Klal Yisroel's spiritual needs (geulah/leaders for justice/leaders for
: torah) +
: 3 for Klal Yisroel's guf needs (rebuild J'm/moshiach/shma koleinu)
: 
: He didn't mention a source for this - is this his own vort, or have pple
: heard/seen this vort in earlier mforshim?

I'm not an earlier meforash, but it's in Ashirah Lashem
<http://www.aishdas.org/siddur.shtml>, pg 6 fn 2. Barukh Shekivanti,
since I couldn't have heard said tape. But I also explain it "horizontally",
giving parallel meaning to the first, second and third in each set of
three (you'll need a fixed-width font to see the table, or go to the
PDF at <http://www.aishdas.org/siddur_pg.pdf#page=10>:

    The requests of the weekday Amidah follow a formal structure. We
    make four basic requests, and each request has three components: a-
    providing a state where the request can be granted in its fullest;
    b- curing what is currently wrong with the item in question; c-
    satisfying the need itself.

    We start with the hope that each Jew could find a stable relationship
    with Hashem. We request that Hashem perfect the domain of that
    relationship, the mind and soul (Birkhas haDa'as). We then ask that
    Hashem bring us to return to Him (Teshuvah), and that He ignore our
    past transgressions so that He may treat us the way He did (Selichah).

    The second request is for prosperity and physical well being for
    every Jew. We beseech Hashem to return us to Israel (Ge'ulah),
    restore the health of all who are sick (Refu'ah), and to grant wealth
    to the land and the people in it (Shanim).

    After addressing the spiritual and physical of individuals, we discuss
    the nation as a collective whole. First, we pray for a restoration
    of justice. It is hardest to see G-d's "Hand" in history when our
    sense of justice is violated. We therefore ask Hashem for a return
    to Jewish autonomy (Qibutz Galiyos), where we can restore a halachic
    judicial system (Hasheves haMishpat) and see evil punished (Minim),
    and good rewarded (Tzadiqim) -- both by man and by Hashem.

    Last, we ask for the arrival of the messianic age. This entails
    returning to Jerusalem (Binyan Yerushalayim) with a king at our head
    (Moshiach ben David) and Hashem providing all of our needs (Shomeia
    Tefillah).

				Domain		Repair		Culmination
				""""""		""""""		"""""""""""
    Spiritual Return		Da'as		Teshuvah	Selichah
    Physical Contentment	Ge'ulah		Refu'ah		Shanim
    Justice			Qibutz Goliyos	Hasheves	Tzadiqim
    						Hamishpat / Minim
    Ultimate Redemption		Binyan Y-m	Mashiach	Shomeia Tefillah

You'll notice that I took the liberty of making one correction compared
to my siddur. I now group "Velameshumadim" (Velamalshinim, for you
modernists) with Hashivah Shofeteinu, as I tend to think of punishing
the wicked as a step before the final goal. When I composed the siddur,
punishing the wicked and rewarding the tzadiqim were framed as parallel
descriptions of the ultimate justice.

Also, I have since wondered how the structure would stand up to Nusach EY,
in which there were 18 berakhos, by combining Binyan Y-m and Es Tzemakh
David into one. Then if EY also structured their baqashos in such triads:

				Domain		Repair		Culmination
				""""""		""""""		"""""""""""
    ...
    Justice			Qibutz Goliyos	Mishpat		Minim
    Ultimate Redemption		Tzadiqim 	Y-m & Mashiach	Shomeia Tefillah

So the first triad would be about Justice in the sense of punishment in
particular. Al haTzadiqim ends up being about tzadiqim as the ones who
would be ressemed. And otherwise everything else fits.

Or maybe the structure was itself the nequdah that the machloqes between
nusachos revolves upon, and Nusach EY rejected it.

-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Zion will be redeemed through justice,
micha at aishdas.org        and her returnees, through righteousness.
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