Skip to main content

HALLEL FOR ROSH CHODESH ADAR: PARAGRAPH FOUR

The “Servant of God” who is singing the Hallel sees life as a series of challenges to grow as a human being and maximize his potential. He understands that each situation promises an opportunity of eternal blessing as celebrated in paragraph three.

 

Mordechai and Esther were involved in a complex series of relationships that were personal, political, and religious. They looked back on the Purim story and rewrote the Book of Esther. They insisted that people committed to spiritual growth constantly review their actions and learn from their mistakes. Their ability to review and change was the most significant step toward independence.


King David lived through his challenges with a vision of one day standing before the nation and raising the “Cup of Salvation,” acknowledging God’s help and guidance through every stage of his life. He committed himself to recognize how each event, no matter how painful, was one step toward his ultimate vision of being God’s servant in its highest sense.


We sing this paragraph of the Hallel with the same vision of our ultimate success as God’s servants: We too, will lift the “Cup of Salvations” in an acknowledgement of God’s guidance and help in becoming independent.


“What can I respond to God

for all the good He has given to make me independent?


I will lift up the cup of salvation

and I will call out in God’s Name.


I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.

Death to His pious ones is precious in God’s eyes.


Please God, allow me to be Your servant.

I am Your worker, the son of Your maidservant,


You unlocked my chains.

I will bring an offering of thanks to You,


and I will call out in the Name of God.

I will fulfill my promises to God in front of all His nation.


In the courtyards of God’s House,

in the center of Jerusalem.

Hallelukah!”


By:  Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, n;;y

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Birchat Hamazon

By: Machberes Avodas Hashem The Chafetz Chaim taught: "At the conclusion of the main portion of Grace after Meals we add a series of,' May the All Merciful.' We add numerous such petitions, indicating that a request to God after the performance of a mitzvah is especially acceptable before Him (Michtevei haRav Chafetz Chaim, page 45)." One of the primary issues of the Exile is, "You wrapped Yourself in a cloud that no prayer can pierce (Lamentations 3:44)." It is more difficult to pray during the Three Weeks than other times during the year because we experience this "cloud." With COVID unfortunately around, this year proves to be even more difficult because our time in shul has changed drastically, and we have never experienced the pain of the three weeks while in a situation similar to the present state of the world. We can use this strategy of the Chafetz Chaim, that of praying immediately after the performance of a mitzvah, so that we may feel t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Creation

 All was destroyed during the month of Av. Creation began on Elul, and, so it will again. We recite this prayer for the New Month focusing on Creation. “God created the world in order to do good to an other (Derech Hashem 1:2:1).” Creation was an expression of absolute love, the “other” had done nothing to earn it. This is why Elul, the month of Creation is also the month of intense love between God and Israel. I recite this prayer imaging myself participating in the final Heavenly planning meetings before Creation. I am not praying as one who has already existed and experienced success and failure, but as one who has the opportunity to see the world before Creation, and request in this moment of intense love all that I could possibly need and want. I use this prayer to prepare for all my Elul prayers until the 25th of the month when Creation began. For what shall I ask? What will I need to succeed? How will I define success? What do I hope to achieve? Rabbi Simcha Weinberg
Post a Comment
Read more

Who clothes the naked

"Certainly those determining acts of her life were not ideally beautiful. They were the mixed result of a young and noble impulse struggling amidst the conditions of an imperfect social state, in which great feelings will often take the aspect of error, and great faith the aspect of illusion. For there is no creature whose inward being is so strong that it is not greatly determined by what lies outside it." "But we insignificant people with our daily words and acts are preparing the lives of many Dorotheas." "Her finely-touched spirit had still its fine issues, though they were not widely visible. Her full nature like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to t...
Post a Comment
Read more