[Avodah] N'kom L'aynaynu

[Ezra Chwat via Avodah]

"It's not enough to ask Him to take vengeance; we also ask that you and
I should be around to see it happen.... Or maybe this request is more
significant than I realize?"

This is not the place to expound on the value of Divine vengeance on the
persecutors of Israel, as this is well expressed in Torah , reiterated in
Neviim and Ketuvim, reinforced in Hazal and re-emphasized in Kabbalah. I
will also avoid lecturing on the most basic Hillul Hashem when such
vengeance is lacking (eg- Sam I 17; Kings II 19; Ezek. 20).

Let's limit it to this: By nature and definition, the effectivity of
vengeance is directly proportionate to the immediacy to the crime. The IDF
recently realized this by expediting the legal process of the destroying
of terrorist's home, after discovering that after a few months they were
losing the point. The ultimate and archetypical avenger- Moshe Rabbeinu
(Ex. 2, Deut. 32), wastes no time in slaying the Egyptian.

The original nusach of Avinu Malkenu (and Av Harachamim where this
appears as well) clearly contains the immediacy clause, a few examples
from Mahzorim written in the time of the Rishonim will suffice:

Bimhera beyamenu https://www.wdl.org/en/item/7382/view/1/223/
Biyamenu l'eyneinu: http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Vat.ebr.326 fol. 32v,
and the same, fol. 65b Avinu malkenu n'kom leyneinu
Avinu malkenu N'kom BiYamenu: http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Vat.ebr.323
fol. 17r
L'eyneinu:
http://rosetta.nli.org.il/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE26730681
leaf 10a

Needess to say, a Siddur ot Mahzor that lacks this clause is merely
conforming to the censored version.

This is not a Hashkafa issue. The centrality of vengeance in a
nation-against-nation attrition can be felt only to the degree that one
see's himself in the geographic and epochal context of a nation. I can
see how, (Moshe Rabeinu aside), immediate vengeance is less of a value
in the context of individual attrition. Needless to say, between Jews we
are commanded to refrain from any vengeance (Lev. 19) except for murder
(Num. 35).

Dr. Ezra Chwat