[Avodah] Retzei

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, March 28, 2007 5:24 pm R Saul Mashbaum <smash52 at netvision.net.il>:
: It have found a source which addresses the question of the meaning and time of
: composition of Retzei. The following  is from the commentary found in Siddur
: Ashira LaShem, for Friday afternoon and evening prayers:

:> 2. “And the fire-offerings of Israel and their prayers, in Love may you
:> receive them willingly...” The Amidah was composed by the men of the Great
:> Assembly to accompany the sacrifices in the Second Temple. This phrase remains
:> from that period, although now it has connotations of asking Hashem to restore
:> the Beis Hamikdash, so that the offerings could be brought and accepted.

Well, I explained the reason for the awkward syntax -- when they added
vehasheiv, the word was hijacked from one sentence to be used in another.

But since I didn't recall this, I had to recreate the footnote. The format
isn't one conducive to long explanations. However, I found my notes. Tamid
5:1, quoted by Berakhos 11a. The siddur in the Beis haMiqdash was:
Ahavah Rabba (as explained by the gemara),
Aseres haDiberos
the 3 peraqim of Shema,
and "barkhu es ha'am" with:
     Emes veYatziv,
     Avodah -- i.e. Retzei
     birkhas Kohanim
and on Shabbos, they add one more berakhah for the departing mishmar.

But that's where I got the idea that "vehasheiv es ha'avodah" was inserted
into the berakhah. After all, birkhas Avodah (which we call by the first word,
"Retzei") was actually said in the beis hamiqdash as part of that very same
avodah!

It also shows you the size of the innovation of dropping the 10 Diberos out of
concern for the minim. It's pretty clear the minim on this one are the
Notzerim, given that they were the biggest group to omit doing /something/ to
comply to the rest of halakhah.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
micha at aishdas.org        your grip on it, it chokes; slacken your grip,
http://www.aishdas.org   and it flies away.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            - Rav Yisrael Salanter