[Avodah] Modim D'Rabbanan

[Alan Krinsky]

Two questions were raised this evening about the Modim D'Rabbanan 
recited by the kehillah during the repetition of the Amidah.

(1) As in many shuls, on the wall hangs a poster of the Modim 
D'Rabbanan. However, the text of the poster differs by one word from 
the text in all of the siddurim. Where the siddurim read 
"us-kay-me-nu"/"ut-kay-me-nu" the poster reads 
"us-cha-ne-nu"/"ut-cha-ne-nu." The issue came up, in part, because 
apparently the Daf Yomi just learned Daf Mem, Amud Alef of Sotah, 
where this prayer is discussed--and the text of the Gemara is the 
text of the poster and not the siddurim. So, does anyone know why our 
siddurim differ from the posters and the Gemara, and how this came about?

(2) Now that we are on the topic, the question was raised why we say 
this prayer at all? Or, rather, why only this prayer? Why is there 
not a parallel D'Rabbanan prayer for any or all of the other brachos 
during the repetition of the Amidah? Why should the congregation not 
respond to the other brachos, such as for refuah or geulah or shalom?

If anyone has any information or idea on these questions, I will 
happily relay them to the minyan.

Alan

Alan Krinsky
adkrinsky at netzero.net
Achrayus: http://alankrinsky.blogspot.com/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20080706/e3e5f857/attachment-0001.htm>