{"id":46596,"date":"2018-11-13T15:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-11-13T15:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/?p=46596"},"modified":"2018-11-13T15:00:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-13T15:00:11","slug":"avinu-malkeinu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/avinu-malkeinu\/","title":{"rendered":"Avinu Malkeinu"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05e0\u05d5, \u05d4\u05d7\u05d6\u05d9\u05e8\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d1\u05ea\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05da<\/strong>
\nOur Father, our King, return us to You in perfect repentance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Avinu Malkeinu<\/em> is one of our most prominent and most passionately and powerfully recited tefilos<\/em> in these days of Aseres Y\u2019mei T\u2019shuvah<\/em>.\u00a0 In fact, the same is true during the very last moments of N\u2019ilah<\/em>, which is the climax of Yom Kippur and the 40 days of awe and unique closeness to Hashem.<\/p>\n

In almost every shul<\/em> in which I have davened<\/em>, the chazan<\/em> and responders seem most passionate about the ending of the phrases rather than the words \u201cAvinu Malkeinu<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Perhaps we should place at least as much passion into the beginning of each line.\u00a0 I have heard stories and parables that all end with someone being petrified of a major court case as they walk into the courtroom.\u00a0 When the judge makes his appearance, they breathe a huge sigh of relief when they see that the judge is their father.<\/p>\n

Although the judgment of every aspect of our lives and that of our loved ones is being sealed on Yom Kippur, the Judge is our loving Father.\u00a0 He chose us as His nation and He loves us more than we can imagine.\u00a0 He is also Malkeinu<\/em> \u2013 the King of all kings.\u00a0 He is All-Powerful and All-Capable.\u00a0 Nothing is out of His abilities.<\/p>\n

Regardless of which line of Avinu Malkeinu<\/em> we are currently saying, what we are asking for is in the hands of our loving, All-Powerful Father.\u00a0 That is something we should feel passionately about and internalize.\u00a0 This bitachon<\/em>, as we say the two words \u201cAvinu Malkeinu<\/em>,\u201d will also be a tremendous z\u2019chus<\/em> for Hashem to grant whatever request is made at the end of the line.<\/p>\n

A second consistency I have noticed is that the second responsively recited phrase \u2013 \u201c\u05e9\u05dc\u05d7 \u05e8\u05e4\u05d5\u05d0\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4\u2013Sh\u2019lach r\u2019fuah sh\u2019leimah<\/em>… (Send complete recovery\u2026)\u201d \u2013 is belted out at a much higher decibel level than the others, and especially much louder than the one before it, \u201c\u05d4\u05d7\u05d6\u05d9\u05e8\u05e0\u05d5\u2013Hachazireinu<\/em>…\u201d<\/p>\n

Without in any way detracting from the heartfelt pleas for those who are ill, perhaps t\u2019shuvah<\/em>, which is what we are focused on for these ten days (and should be focused on every day), should get the same fervor and passion.<\/p>\n

What are we really asking for? \u00a0Isn\u2019t t\u2019shuvah<\/em> up to us? \u00a0How can we even ask Hashem to return us? \u00a0What is t\u2019shuvah \u201csh\u2019leimah\u201d<\/em>?<\/p>\n

There are many answers to this, but we would like to focus on one in particular.\u00a0 In these days, there is a heightened focus on seeking and obtaining forgiveness from those we have hurt or harmed in any way.\u00a0 Often, there are people who we do not realize were hurt by us.\u00a0 There have been incidents where people\u2019s feelings have not come out for years. \u00a0For all those years, they live with the hurt and say nothing.\u00a0 Perhaps one understanding of our phrase is that Hashem should help us by enlightening us when we sit down to think about from whom we need to ask forgiveness.\u00a0 There can be no complete t\u2019shuvah<\/em> without forgiveness from each person whom we hurt or harmed.\u00a0 We must put forth great effort to think about whom we hurt.\u00a0 However, we need Hashem\u2019s help, as we always do.\u00a0 We need Him to open our eyes to someone we have not thought about.<\/p>\n

Lastly, let us remember the origin of the Avinu Malkeinu<\/em> prayer.\u00a0 The Gemara in Taanis<\/em> (25b) relates that during a famine, Rabbi Eliezer, the gadol ha\u2019dor<\/em>, prayed the longest tefilah<\/em> of 24 brachos<\/em> for rain.\u00a0 No rain fell.\u00a0 Then Rabbi Akiva, his student, prayed a very short tefilah<\/em> (two of the Avinu Malkeinu<\/em> phrases) and it started raining.\u00a0 A heavenly voice announced: It is not because Rabbi Akiva is greater, but rather simply because Rabbi Akiva was \u201cmaavir al midosav<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

HaRav Yisrael Salant explains: There was absolutely nothing wrong with the way Rabbi Eliezer conducted himself.\u00a0 He was exacting.\u00a0 Right was right and wrong was wrong \u2013 that was his path of serving Hashem.\u00a0 Since the Jewish people at that time did not deserve rain, and since Rabbi Eliezer was exacting in judging others, he could not bring about the rain.\u00a0 On a judgment level, the people did not deserve the rain at that time.<\/p>\n

However, since Rabbi Akiva was not exacting with others and, even when he was 100 percent correct, he nonetheless stepped aside in favor of others and forgave others \u2013 even when they were 100 percent wrong \u2013 he was able to bring the rain, even though it was not deserved.<\/p>\n

The rewards of being \u201cmaavir al midos<\/em>\u201d are no less than overturning decrees, as we see in the above incident, and extending life when death was the true judgment, as seen in another incident related in the Gemara Rosh HaShanah<\/em>.\u00a0 As the saying goes, \u201cThey don\u2019t pay the big bucks for nothing.\u201d\u00a0 It is very<\/em> difficult to overlook hurt and to forgive others, especially if they haven\u2019t apologized or they apologized half-heartedly.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, we are in control of the method of judgment applied to us.\u00a0 Will we be judged exactingly, or will we be judged with the compassion and \u201cabove-and-beyond\u201d measure we apply to others? \u00a0It is all in our hands.<\/p>\n

May we all merit a g\u2019mar chasimah tovah<\/em> and a complete m\u2019chilah<\/em>, s\u2019lichah<\/em>, and kaparah<\/em> this Yom Kippur.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u05d0\u05d1\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5 \u05de\u05dc\u05db\u05e0\u05d5, \u05d4\u05d7\u05d6\u05d9\u05e8\u05e0\u05d5 \u05d1\u05ea\u05e9\u05d5\u05d1\u05d4 \u05e9\u05dc\u05de\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e4\u05e0\u05d9\u05da Our Father, our King, return us to You in perfect repentance. ***** Avinu Malkeinu is one of our most prominent and most passionately and powerfully recited tefilos in these days of Aseres Y\u2019mei T\u2019shuvah.\u00a0 In fact, the same is true during the very last moments of N\u2019ilah, which is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133662,"featured_media":41475,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[339],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yom-kippur"],"yoast_head":"\nAvinu Malkeinu - Jewish Holidays<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/holidays\/avinu-malkeinu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avinu Malkeinu - 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