Kavanah, Meditation while Praying

Few weeks back, I downloaded a program called Winkavanah. It is a freeware, I think, and it is downloadable from http://www.godaven.com. It is a very useful programme, offering a multitude of Kavanah tips and recommendations. It also enable you to evaluate your own Kavanah and offer suggestions to improve your Kavanah. Well, Kavanah is very important during Tephilot as we will not pray by rote (Praying for the sake of Praying). As Prayers can be equalised to Sacrifices, subsequently the Sages liken this situation to the Offerings of Noach after the flood.

Genesis 8.20-21 And Noah built an altar unto HaShem; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. HaShem smelled the sweet savour; and HaShem said in His heart: 'I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.

Then in comparison to this text:

Malachi 1.10 Oh that there were even one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might not kindle fire on Mine altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, saith HaShem of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.

In my previous posts, the Book of Malachi started off with HaShem's Dissatisfaction with the offerings presented in the Second Temple at that time. The priests just bring in sacrifices by rote, out of routine and a feeling of obligation rather than doing it sincerely; They lack concentration and, also, they lack sincerity. What does HaShem Said in Gen 8.20-21? HaShem Smelled the nice aroma brought by Noach - the sincerity and toil of hand from Noach Avinu - and Said that it was good. This is what HaShem wants; sincerity and concentration while offering Sacrifices.

When God is Rebuking Yisrael in Book of Malachi, HaShem is essentially Saying this:

'Where is the sweet savour that Noach once brought to me? Where is the sincerity that are supposed to be brought together with the Sacrifices?'

Then what is the relevancy of all these to our Tephilot?

The relevancy is this: as our Tephilot is liken to Sacrifices to HaShem, we must bring to HaShem the sincerity and concentration while we are praying. This is called Kavanah and a proper mindset is required when Prayers are recited. Our Sages said, at the minimum, you must realise that you are Praying in the Presence of the Almighty. If this minimum is not fulfilled, then we are not Praying but merely reading aloud.

This comes back to this: If your prayers are without sincerity and concentration, it will come into likeness to the conditions outlined in the Book of Malachi where everybody just offer sacrifices for the sake of offering sacrifices. So it is very important for us to be meditative and alert with every words we said during prayers. Meditate on each words you read, show it with your expressions, smile and frown where appropriate. This is the essence of Tephilot. May I am not wrong, Baruch HaShem.

Shalom.

Median Doctrine

Today post will be a little unique as I am focusing on Chinese Literature work. The works I am discussing here is of ultimate importance to the development of Chinese's Culture and Ethics. These works can be termed as the foundation of the Chinese Culture.

Verse 1. What Heaven has conferred is called The Nature; an accordance with this nature is called The Path of duty; the regulation of this path is called Instruction.

The above verse is quoted from The Median Doctrine (one of the Four Books of the Chinese) and one can clearly see that this alludes to the Path of God. The first part articulates that the Bestowals of Heaven is referred to as Nature. Well, what verse in the Torah also referring to the same matter? This is none other than the first verse in the Torah, in the book of Genesis.

Genesis 1.1 In the Beginning, Created Eloqim, the Heaven and the Earth.

In a world with a Creator, Nature is 'Bestowals' from Heaven. God Creates whatever it is available now by Words and the so-called Law of Nature is basically HaShem's Hand in Work. There is no inertia to Creation and as long as God Wills it, this world exists. If HaShem Stops to Sustain this world in a just a split second, all will go into none existence. This is what the Median Doctrine termed Nature, as Nature is a continual Bestowals by HaShem.

The second part relates to 'The Path of duty'. What is the Part of Duty? It says here in the text that a lifestyle lives in accordance to Nature is termed 'The Path of duty'. What does this mean? This roughly parallels what HaShem Desires Most out of us, living in accordance to His Ways. As Nature is just a continual Blessings from above, living in accordance to the Will of God is very important. This is referred to the Duty of each man to HaShem, to Nature that He Has Created. When HaShem Created Adam and Chava, what HaShem Have in Mind? HaShem wants them to perform their duty right and Adam is portrayed as a farmer in Genesis, with the Garden of Eden flowed with all the goodness of an ideal farmland. However, things went wrong, when Adam partook of the Forbidden Fruit, all of it goes haywire and Adam, beforehand a more spiritual than a physical being, falls becoming mortal. This is not living in accordance to Nature and this is against 'The Path of duty'. This can be seen in many instances that mankind fell and fell, all because they failed to realise their responsibility to the 'Natural Law', when things suppose to be.

Then what is the third part? For us Gentiles, this is the Seven Laws and for the Jews, it is their Torah. However, regulation of the path is only possible through the Torah. There are no other authentic sources that can teach us our own Covenant other than the Jews. Instruction or Law is the one that regulates us to conform to the Path of duty, which is then live in accordance to Nature, a continual bestowal by none other than HaShem.

Again, I might be wrong so do comment if I have done something terribly wrong. Ok?

Shalom.

Through Moshe Rabbenu or Noach Avinu?

Deuteronomy 33.4 תּוֹרָה צִוָּה-לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב:

Deuteronomy 33.4 The Law (Torah) commanded to all of you by Moshe as a possession to the assemblies of Ya'aqov.

So who is given the Law? The Congregation of Ya'akov. Who is commanded to keep the Law? None other than the Children of Yisrael. However, what is said about us? What is said to Noach Avinu?

Genesis 9.9 וַאֲנִי הִנְנִי מֵקִים אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְאֶת-זַרְעֲכֶם אַחֲרֵיכֶם:

Genesis 9.9 And I will establish My Covenant with all of you and with all of your seeds after you.

This is what God Told Noach Avinu, He will Establish a Covenant with humanity and before Establishing the Covenant, He Commanded us concerning our Mitzvah, adding to it the Seventh Law of not eating limb from a Live animal. (Ever Min Ha Chai). This is recorded in Verse 9.1 to 9.7, we have every reason to believe that the Sixth preceeding Commandments have been Given to Adam after his fall.

Subsequently we are back to square one, do we accept the Covenant as based in the Brit with Noach Avinu, or we accept the Covenant because it is reiterated through the Torah of Moshe Rabbenu? It is quite clear that from the above verses, we should accept the Covenant based on what God Has Established with Noach Avinu. However, what does the relevancy of the Sinai Revelation here to us?

Only through the Sinai Revelation that the world will know the One True Lord is who. Prior to this, I have read that before the Torah, the Patriarchs wrote a number of scrolls, from Adam to Abraham, and these are studied by the Israelites prior to the giving of the Torah. They also possess a scroll that resembles Genesis (citation needed). However, if the Torah has not been revealed to the Jews, it will be impossible for us to have the knowledge of the One and Only God.

It is interesting to know that Shem set up a study centre about the One True God in Jerusalem. However, outreach only begins in the time of Abraham.

Back to the Question, so do we accept the Covenant through Noach Avinu or through Moshe Rabbenu?

In my personal opinion, we accept the Covenant through Noach Avinu and we get to know the Covenant nowadays through Moshe Rabbenu. The Covenant is 'renewed' in Sinai because it has been spoken off explicitly and from that time on, it has became a Written Word of God. So we accept the Covenant because it has been establish by God to Noach, as stated explicitly in the Torah by God to Moshe Rabbenu. This is because the only reliable Divine record is in the Torah. This we have to Thanks HaShem because there is only one Torah Scroll.

The Law (Torah) is not our possession and this the very reason why we accept the Covenant because it has been Established to Noach. If the scroll Written about Noach or by Noach is still found, we might be able to use it for our purpose to discover the world. No doubt that the Torah is Written mostly concerning Jews but from the Torah, we can 'construct' a whole set of teaching relevant to us Gentiles, the rest of humanity.

I have heard from somewhere (citation needed) that the Jewish people is Commanded to teach the Gentiles about their responsibility to God. This is very true because only them have such ability and resource.

Malachi 1.11, the Golden Verse

Malachi 1.11, the Golden Verse

Malachi 1:11 כִּי מִמִּזְרַח-שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד-מְבוֹאוֹ גָּדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל-מָקוֹם מֻקְטָר מֻגָּשׁ לִשְׁמִי וּמִנְחָה טְהוֹרָה כִּי-גָדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם אָמַר יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת:

Malachi 1:11

For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same, My name is great among the nations; and in every place offerings are presented unto My name, even pure oblations; for My name is great among the nations, saith HaShem of hosts.

About this verse, if all of you have been reading a passage about this in my blog previously, I explained that God's Name is glorified among the nations. What does God Saying is that the idolatrous offerings are accepted by God and His Name is honoured among the Nations. I then explained in length how God Actually Foreseen our fallen intellect and still accept our offerings. However there are Sages who disagree, their opinion is recorded in Rashi's commentary:

My Name is great among the nations Our Sages stated (Menachot 110a): For they call Him the God of the gods. Even one who has an idol knows that He is the God Who is over all of them - and everywhere they donate in My Name. Our Sages, however, explained: These are the Torah scholars who are engaged in the laws of the Temple service everywhere, and likewise, every prayer of Israel that they pray anywhere is to Me as a pure oblation. And so did Jonathan paraphrase: And every time that you do My will, I accept your prayer, and My great Name is sanctified through you, and your prayer is like a pure offering before Me. This is the explanation of the verse: Now why do you profane My Name? Is it not great among the nations? As for Me, My love and My affection are upon you wherever you pray before Me, and even in exile, [offerings are] burnt and offered up to My Name.

even pure oblations it is to Me, for through you My Name is feared among the nations. Yet you profane Me and My Name.

Then why the apparent conflict? The first part tells us that some Sages agree that idolaters' offerings are accepted by the God of gods. However, some Sages disagree and opine that this passage means that God is referring to the Jews that bring offerings in a foreign land, thus glorifying God's Name. The Sages then continue on to say that since sacrifice can't be resumed, prayers are counted as sacrifice. This is consistent with Hosea 14.3 which stated that prayers are rendered as bullock sacrifice.

However, there is a paraphrase being possible; the word “nations” (Goyim in Hebrew) can mean Gentiles as well. If read in this context (which is probable, as God is rebuking Yisrael and comparing their sacrificial rite with the Gentiles') we found a whole other meaning. Even the Sages are divided over the matter as to why God Said that His Name is glorified among the Nations.

God Spoke to Malachi around 400 BCE and at that time, the Jews have just returned from exile in Babylon. Historically, the Jews are not yet dispersed in exile and have just returned. I am not sure of this, but prior to exile, are the Jews living anywhere except the Land of Yisrael. In the nations at that time, there is no Jews or Jewish Practice whatsoever and the existence of B'nai Noach are even more questionable. However, this is exceptional at Babylon, because some Jews remain there in the diaspora.

Accordingly, we can render two meaning from the above verse:

1. For they call Him the God of the gods. Even one who has an idol knows that He is the God Who is over all of them - and everywhere they donate in My Name.

2. Our Sages, however, explained: These are the Torah scholars who are engaged in the laws of the Temple service everywhere, and likewise, every prayer of Israel that they pray anywhere is to Me as a pure oblation. And so did Jonathan paraphrase: And every time that you do My will, I accept your prayer, and My great Name is sanctified through you, and your prayer is like a pure offering before Me. This is the explanation of the verse: Now why do you profane My Name? Is it not great among the nations? As for Me, My love and My affection are upon you wherever you pray before Me, and even in exile, [offerings are] burnt and offered up to My Name.

For the word of God will have layer upon layers of meaning. As I have expounded:

'Is not My word like as fire? saith HaShem; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces.' Yirmiyahu 23:29

The first meaning is the literal meaning we can derive from God's Word as God is comparing Yisrael's Sacrifice with the Nations'. The second meaning is applicable nowadays as God is saying that the Prayers of the Jews are offered as libations and sacrifices. There is no conflict in the word of the Sages, as Malbim, Rashi, and Ibn Ezra, also, echo the same point when expounding this verse. This is even recorded in the Talmud Bavli Menachot 110a.

As usual, this is my interpretation again. This might be complete nonsense; so sorry to cause such commotion if this is wrong. However, this view of mine is also echoed by Rabbi Ariel bar Tzadok in koshertorah.com

Shalom.