Bar-Ilan University
Parshat Hashavua Study Center
Parshat Tzav 5774/March 15, 2014
This series of faculty lectures on the weekly Parsha is made possible by the Department of Basic Jewish
Studies, the Paul and Helene Shulman Basic Jewish Studies Center, the Office of the Campus Rabbi,
Bar-Ilan University's International Center for Jewish Identity and the Computer Center Staff at Bar-Ilan
University. For inquiries, please contact Avi Woolf at: opdycke1861@yahoo.com.
1010
Prayer instead of Sacrifice
By Natan Aviezer*
This week's reading continues to detail the laws of sacrifice. Here we shall deal with the
connection between sacrifice and prayer, based on the assertion by Rabbi Joshua ben Levi:
"The prayers were instituted to replace the daily sacrifices." In other words, the Sages
instituted prayer to take the place of the sacrifices, which could no longer be offered after the
destruction of the Temple. Even according to the view of Rabbi Jose b. Rabbi Haninah, who
held that "the prayers were instituted by the Patriarchs" (loc. cit.; Abraham instituted the
morning service, Isaac instituted the afternoon service, and Jacob, the evening service), the
laws governing prayer were determined in accordance with the laws of sacrifice.
The times set for the prayers were determined according to the timing of the sacrifices: the
morning and afternoon services according to the span of hours during which the two regular
offerings of the day could be brought, and the evening service as optional, since sacrificial
offerings were not given at night (although the evening service is obligatory today). The
additional prayers recited on Sabbaths and Festivals—Musaf—were instituted in place of the
*
Natan Aviezer is a Professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and author of Bereshit Bara and
Emunah be-Idan ha-Mada.
additional sacrificial offerings on those days.
Some sacrifices were obligatory, such as
offerings of the community and sin- and guilt-offerings, and in their stead obligatory services
were instituted. Other sacrifices were optional, such as votive and freewill offerings (Lev.
7:16), and in their stead we have a freewill prayer, as Maimonides explains (Hilkhot Tefillah
1.9-10):
If a person wishes to pray the entire day long, he is entitled to do so…but one
is forbidden to say freewill prayers on Sabbaths and Festivals since freewill
offerings were not made on these days, only obligatory offerings.
What is the object of prayer? Some will say that it is our way of addressing the Holy One,
blessed be He, so that He will respond favorably to the petition of the person praying and help
that person, both in time of trouble and in providing their daily needs. But if we delve a bit
further into the matter, we see that this perception of the essence of prayer can hold only if the
Holy One, blessed be He, is likened to a king of flesh and blood. A mortal king is not aware
of the needs of each and every one of his subjects, and therefore these needs must be specified
to him.
Is it necessary for us to do so also when addressing the Holy One, blessed be He, as if He did
not know our needs and troubles? Does a "reminder" have to be sent three times a day?
Clearly prayer, which plays a considerable part in Judaism, is quite a different matter. Its
primary objective is to remind us that all that we have comes from Him. We are the ones
who have need of prayer, as many commentators have noted.1 The purpose of prayer is to
remind us, time and again, of our utter dependence on the beneficence of the Holy One,
blessed be He, and to help us focus on building a stronger tie with the Creator.
This sense of prayer also finds expression in the Hebrew root of the word. In all European
languages the word denoting prayer means to request or petition (beten in German, prier in
French, and молиться in Russian), whereas in Hebrew, the root p-l-l means to call to mind or
bring to attention (see Gen. 48:11).
This interpretation is consonant with Maimonides'
explanation that the purpose of prayer is to cause us to recognize our utter dependence on the
Holy One, blessed be He (Guide for the Perplexed 3.32).
The Torah emphasizes that we must always remember our dependence on the Creator (Deut.
10:12). Acknowledging the involvement and centrality of the Creator in our lives elevates us
to lofty spiritual heights, and therein lies the importance of prayer. The greater the spiritual
height we obtain, the more worthy we will be of receiving spiritual and material bounty from
1
For example, Nahmanides, in his interpretation of Ex. 13:16 (near the end); Sefer Ha-Hinukh,
commandment 430, "Benedictions" (in the reasons for the commandment); "Ma-hi Tefillah?," Siddur
Otzar ha-Tefillot, Vilna 1914, Preface to Part I, pp. 8-11.
the Holy One, blessed be He, and then one might say that our prayers have been answered.
Moreover, by means of prayer we draw closer to the Holy One, blessed be He, and also in this
regard one could say that our prayers are being answered, as it says in Psalms: "As for me,
nearness to G-d is good" (73:28). That is to say, the very fact of being near to G-d is the
benefit that comes from prayer.
The notion of being near to the Holy One, blessed be He, connects the idea of prayer with the
idea of freewill offerings, for both of them serve as a means of achieving this objective.
Regarding the first verse dealing with the sacrifices—"When any of you presents an offering
to the Lord" (Lev. 1:2)—commentators have said:2 "Why is it called korban, an offering?
Because the person brings his soul close (mekarev) before his Maker," and Rashi remarks
here that this refers to freewill offerings.
Does the belief that the Holy One, blessed be He, is alone the source of all good entail that
human beings should forego any practical steps to see to their needs? Is faith flawed by
trying to help oneself with earthly things?
This question has been discussed at length in religious writings throughout the generations.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, of blessed memory, one of the greatest rabbinic authorities of the
twentieth century, was asked whether there is any prohibition against buying an insurance
policy, whether so doing could be interpreted as showing a lack of faith in divine providence.
His answer was unequivocal:3 Not only is insuring one's possessions and business permitted,
it is even obligatory, as is taking any generally accepted measures to safeguard one's wealth.
We are not permitted to cast aside accepted measures of safekeeping and put our trust solely
in Providence. Such behavior contravenes the Talmudic principle that one should not rely on
miracles.
Rabbi Feinstein wrote further that the same applies regarding all daily human needs. The
expectation that prayer alone will provide a person a livelihood is certainly against Jewish
tradition and is absolutely forbidden. Rabbi Feinstein stressed the duty of working to earn
one's living, and said that even a sick person must, when necessary, obtain the best medical
assistance possible.
Under no circumstances may a sick person refrain from obtaining
medical treatment and rely on miracles and prayer curing him.
Rabbi Feinstein's position is characteristic of the stand that has been taken by great rabbis
throughout the ages. In an interesting letter sent by Maimonides to the Jews of Provence
(southern France) in the twelfth century, he sharply criticized their involvement in prayer and
2
Yalkut Teimani, a midrash in: Mehkarim be-Yahadut Teiman, 1999.
3
Iggerot Moshe, Orah Hayyim, Part II, resp. 111.
mystical calculations.4 He wrote that the Jews had made this mistake in the past, when they
were engrossed in the world of the occult and thus did not pay sufficient attention to their
military preparedness to ward off the attack that Rome was about to mount against them.
Maimonides ascribes their military defeat, the destruction of the Temple and the exile that
followed in its wake to their having ignored the practical aspects of life. According to him,
had they put their minds properly to military efforts and diplomacy, the outcome of the
confrontation with Rome might have been different. Maimonides did not claim there was no
need for prayer in addition to military preparation for war. He only opposed the approach of
relying solely on prayer without taking the necessary military measures. A physical threat
must be met through physical means, in accordance with the Talmudic principle stated above.
Lastly, we must note that a restriction is placed on the content of prayer. Since divine
providence operates in a manner that is hidden from the eye (Bava Metzia 42a), it is forbidden
to pray for an obvious miracle. The Mishnah presents an illustration: if a person approaches
the city where he lives and from a distance sees a house going up in flames, it is forbidden
for him to pray that the house which is burning not be his house, because the people in the
city already know whose house is burning, and restoring the house which is burning to its
condition prior to the fire would require a change in the laws of nature, and there is no chance
that such a thing could ever take place (Berakhot 9.3).
Praying to the Holy One, blessed be He, is a fundamental part of Judaism and provides an
avenue of communication between human beings and their Creator, but it does not mean that
prayer is a means of obtaining gifts from the Holy One, blessed be He. The ways of the Lord
are hidden from us, and thus they will remain forever.
Translated by Rachel Rowen
4
Iggerot ha-Rambam, Part III, Iggeret 33, "Iggeret le-Ziknei Tzarfat."