A TRIBUTE TO PRESIDENT RICHARD M.

JOEL

Experiencing the Silence of Sinai

R abbi Norman Lamm, shlita,
in a derasha reprinted in his
book The Royal Reach, points
out that while we often speak of the
quiet before the storm, the inverse
Rabbi Menachem Penner
Max and Marion Grill Dean, RIETS

occurred at Sinai.
There was most certainly a storm:
Greatness, explains Rabbi Lamm, These words spoke the Lord with all

is born out of the womb of stillness. your congregation at the mount, from
There is no doubt that G-d could have the midst of the fire, the clouds and the
: spoken loudly enough to be heard darkness, with a great voice, and has not
It came to pass on the third day when it over the din of His creation. Instead, ceased.
was morning, that there were thunder the world is given the opportunity
claps and lightning flashes, and a thick Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi in Pirkei
to partner with the Divine at the
cloud was upon the mountain, and a Avot presents a similar idea (6:2):
moment of revelation. He speaks, it
very powerful blast of a shofar, and stands quietly in awe. In the words :
the entire nation that was in the camp of Rabbi Lamm, The word of G-d .
shuddered. comes forth when the words of man Every day, an echo resounds from Mount
Shemot 19:15 come to an end. Horeb (Sinai).
All of this, however, occurred before G-ds offer to partner with mankind In the words of Rabbi Lamm: Since
the giving of the Torah. The actual continues to this day and His voice, in that first Shavuot, the Divine Voice
revelation, according to Chazal, a certain sense, can still be heard. In still broadcasts on the same heavenly
unfolded with a backdrop of utter Parshat Va-etchanan we are told: wavelength from Sinai every day.
cosmic silence.
So why do we not hear it? Why
: are we not moved to teshuvah or
. introspection every day?
, The Lord spoke these words to your The answer is simple: We expend
entire assembly at the mountain out tremendous effort to make sure that
of the midst of the fire, the cloud, and there is never a moment of silence a
. the opaque darkness, with great voice, moment to think and to listen. Rabbi
Said Rabbi Abbahu in the name of velo yasaf. And He inscribed them on Lamm was addressing an audience
Rabbi Yochanan: When the Holy One two stone tablets and gave them to me. in the 1960s and asking them to sit
gave the Torah no bird screeched, no fowl Devarim 5:19 still, for Heavens sake. Today, the
flew, no ox mooed, none of the ophanim
What does the pasuk mean when it obsession to keep our senses flooded
flapped a wing, nor did the seraphim
chant Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh, the sea says velo yasaf? Those two words can has reached levels unimaginable in
be understood to mean He added past generations. Walking, driving,
did not roar and none of the creatures
no more. But the exact opposite sitting, standing; we are attached to
uttered a sound. Throughout the entire
translation is also valid. Onkelus our smartphones and are listening,
world there was only a deafening silence
translates: watching, communicating, and reading.
as the Divine Voice went forth speaking:
We multitask, doing and accomplishing
I am the L-rd your G-d.
everything except for the critical
Shemot Rabbah 29:9 . task of living in the moment and

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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series Shavuot 5777
contemplating the world around us. We Where is the word of G-d to be heard Have we ever considered the
dread those moments of silence, but at those moments of quiet meditation? possibility that during tefillah, the
they are so important for introspection Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen word of Hashem is actually coming
and listening for the voice of Hashem. Kook, in the first introductory essay to us? It has been said that when
to his siddur, Olat Reiyah, makes a we learn Torah, G-d speaks to us,
It is noteworthy that the holiday of
fascinating suggestion: Our souls and when we pray, we speak to G-d.
Shavuot is bereft of its own unique
mitzvot. There are no lulavim to shake, the portion of G-d within us can But we rarely pray to G-d using our
speak and can sometimes even be own words alone. We use texts that
sukkot to dwell in, matzot to eat.
heard. Our neshamot speak words of speak to us, even as we are speaking
There is just quiet. We are asked
on Shavuot not to do but to listen. truth G-dly words, through which to G-d. These texts were written by
those who understood neshamot and
Ironically, the yom tov that marks Klal we can properly learn values and set
our priorities. G-dly priorities the Anshei Knesset
Yisraels momentous proclamation of
HaGedolah with prophets among
naaseh ve-nishma is commemorated When can we hear our souls? Perhaps
that group.
through listening first and only acting at any moment of quiet in which we
later. Perhaps we have already proven truly take time away from the world. Rav Shimshon Raphael Hirsch
our ability to fulfill we will do. On However, our souls speak very softly famously explains that the word
Shavuot, we are asked to fulfill the and are difficult to hear. Tefillah, if not le-hitpalel comes from the root
second part of our promise we rushed, can allow for such a time. which means to judge. When
will listen. we pray, we judge ourselves. What
There is one time, however, that we can
does this mean? Are we supposed
But we need not wait for Shavuot, or hear them loudly and clearly when
to ask ourselves with each middle
even for Shabbat, to find the quiet we we mouth the words of the tefillot.
berachah of Shemoneh Esrei whether
so desperately need. Rabbi Yehuda The words of the siddur, which often
we are truly worthy of being granted
HaLevi in his Book of the Kuzari (3:5) seem disconnected from our everyday
our request? Rav Yosef Albo (Sefer
explains that tefillah is to the day what lives and our priorities, express the
HaIkkarim) says absolutely not.
Shabbat is for the week. Just as we true desires of our souls. By listening to
Tefillah is a request for mercy. We ask
must stop for twenty-four hours every our prayers, we hear our souls talking.
Hashem not for our due but to shower
seven days, we must pause several In fact, Rav Kook explains, our souls
love upon us, as a father would upon
times every day to reorient ourselves pray to G-d without interruption.
his children.
and remind ourselves of what is truly Most of the time, we cannot hear those
important. Our moments of prayer beautiful tefillot. Only three times a What, then, does it mean that we
provide us with an island of quiet in a day do we give a voice to the tefillot judge ourselves during tefillah?
world of deafening confusion. emanating from our neshamot. Perhaps we evaluate ourselves and our

When we use the words of the siddur,

we can compare our priorities in light of
the text composed by our Chachamim.
If I would have asked Hashem for
a different set of things, I must ask
myself: Are my priorities correct or
did Chazal perhaps have a greater
understanding of what really matters?

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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series Shavuot 5777
priorities by listening to the words we in my weekday Amidah on these hear myself. Yes, it adds to my level
utter to G-d. aspirations, what does that say about of concentration when I can hear
When we speak in our own words, my priorities? myself. But this halacha may be about
and listen to ourselves, we must The berachot, as the Gemara tells something more. I may be listening to
challenge ourselves: Am I asking for us in Megillah 17b-18a, are in a very my own tefillot listening to their
the right things? How will I use the messages and listening to my soul.
specific order. If I would have, for
things I ask for? Will they truly help example, asked for health (Refaeinu) As I whisper the Shemoneh Esreh
me in my avodat Hashem? Are there and wealth (Bareich aleinu) before having blocked all other sounds and
others I should be praying for or understanding (Ata chonen) and distractions I hear a kol demamah
am I asking only for selfish needs? repentance (Slach lanu), do I, perhaps, dakah, the calling of my soul, the
truths of G-d revealed through our
When we use the words of the siddur, have something to learn from the text
of the Shemoneh Esrei? Sages, as passed on through our
we have an even greater opportunity prayer-books for millennia. I have
to judge ourselves by comparing our The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim much that I can learn if I listen to that
priorities the hopes and desires 101:2) instructs us: voice.
that we would pray for if left to devise As I write this piece in honor of our
our own prayers in light of the text
. outgoing President Richard Joel, I
composed by our Chachamim in the
. must conclude with a personal thank
Amidah. If the themes of the berachot
. you to our Nasi. By nature, I am more
seem foreign to us, if we would have
. resistant than almost anyone to the
asked Hashem for a different set
. experience of calm silence. On many
of things, we must ask ourselves:
One should not pray just in his heart occasions, President Joel has steered
Who is right and who is wrong? Are
(without saying the words) but one must me to step back, to take the time
our priorities correct or did Chazal
actually say them with his mouth in a to just listen and take in the beauty
perhaps have a greater understanding
whisper that can be heard by his ears, around me. The voice of Hashem can
of what really matters? And if our
but not as loud as ones voice. And if be heard thundering in the walls of
prayers give voice to our own
he is unable to concentrate with just a our Beit Midrash and in the still quiet
neshamot, might we, deep down, know
whisper, it is permitted to raise his voice, voice of acts of kindness and greatness
the truth but need daily reminders?
and the words remain with him, but around the campus. Much is missed
For example, the latter half of the in public it is not permitted to bother (including large objects that one can
requests in the weekday Amidah anyone else with this. and will walk into!) if one runs around
are for the national aspirations of our holy campus with their eyes glued
The Amidah must be said softly
Klal Yisrael from kibbutz galuyot to their phone or their list of tasks to
so that my fellow mitpalelim arent
through the Mashiach. If I would complete. Thank you for opening my
distracted, but loud enough for me to
not have used half of the requests eyes, my ears and my soul!

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Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary The Benjamin and Rose Berger CJF Torah To-Go Series Shavuot 5777