Megillah, Daf Yod Zayin, Part 5
Introduction
Today’s section begins to deal with the Amidah, called by the rabbis "tefillah." This well-known prayer consists of 18 (actually 19) blessings that must be recited in the correct order. Our section asks how we know this, and then proceeds to explain why those who created the Amidah, arranged it in such an order.
תפלה מנא לן? דתניא: שמעון הפקולי הסדיר שמונה עשרה ברכות לפני רבן גמליאל על הסדר ביבנה.
אמר רבי יוחנן, ואמרי לה במתניתא תנא: מאה ועשרים זקנים ובהם כמה נביאים תיקנו שמונה עשרה ברכות על הסדר.
The Amidah prayer: From where do we know this? As it has been taught: Shimon Hapakuli organized eighteen blessings in the presence of Rabban Gamaliel in a fixed order in Yavneh.
R. Yohanan said (others report, it was stated in a baraita): A hundred and twenty elders, among whom were many prophets, drew up eighteen blessings in a fixed order.
Both of these sources attribute the creation of the Amidah to various characters in Jewish history. However, they attribute it to different periods. The first source says that the order was established by Shimon Hapakuli in front of Rabban Gamaliel, the patriarch after the destruction of the Second Temple. The second tradition says it was established by 120 elders, a group that included prophets. Elsewhere this group is called "The Men of the Great Assembly." The Talmud will later deal with the contradiction between these two sources.
In any case, what is most important is that when they created it, they gave it a specific order. One who changes that order has not fulfilled his duty. The Talmud below will explain the order.
תנו רבנן: מנין שאומרים אבות – שנאמר +תהלים כ"ט+ הבו לה‘ בני אלים, ומנין שאומרים גבורות – שנאמר +תהלים כ"ט+ הבו לה‘ כבוד ועז, ומנין שאומרים קדושות – שנאמר +תהלים כ"ט+ הבו לה‘ כבוד שמו השתחוו לה‘ בהדרת קדש.
Our Rabbis taught: How do we know that the blessing of the Patriarchs should be said? Because it says, "Ascribe unto the Lord the sons of might" (Psalms 29:1).
And from where do we know that we say the blessing of mighty deeds? Because it says, "Ascribe unto the Lord glory and strength" (ibid). And from where do we know that we say sanctifications? Because it says, "Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due His name, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."
This section is a basically a midrash on Psalms 29 and the order of praises of God. First we praise God for "the sons of might" which is interpreted as the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the first blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh, which ends "magen Avraham." Next we praise God for "mighty deeds." This ends with "mehayeh metim," the resuscitation of the dead, the mightiest deed of all. The third blessing is "kedushah," which is God’s sanctification.
ומה ראו לומר בינה אחר קדושה – שנאמר +ישעיהו כ"ט+ והקדישו את קדוש יעקב ואת אלהי ישראל יעריצו, וסמיך ליה וידעו תעי רוח בינה.
What reason did they have for saying "understanding" after holiness? Because it says, "They shall sanctify the Holy One of Jacob and shall stand in awe of the God of Israel" (Isaiah 29:23), and next to this, "They also that err in spirit shall come to understanding" (v. 24).
Following "kedushah" sanctification, we say "understanding" which ends, "who grants wisdom to people. This follows the order of the verses in Isaiah first sanctification, and then understanding. We should also note that "understanding" is the first of the "requests" in the Amidah. These are the sections said only as part of the weekday Amidah. They are not said on Shabbat or holidays.
ומה ראו לומר תשובה אחר בינה – דכתיב +ישעיהו ו‘+ ולבבו יבין ושב ורפא לו. אי הכי לימא רפואה בתרה דתשובה! – לא סלקא דעתך, דכתיב +ישעיהו נה+ וישב אל ה‘ וירחמהו ואל אלהינו כי ירבה לסלוח.
What reason did they have for saying "repentance" after "understanding"?
Because it is written, "Understanding with their heart, they will repent and be healed" (Isaiah 6:10).
If that is the reason, healing should be mentioned next to repentance?
Do not think such a thing, since it is written, "And let him return to the Lord and He will have compassion upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly forgive" (Isaiah 55:7).
The blessing after "understanding" is repentance. This follows the order of Isaiah 6:10. It also implies that once a person understands his sins, he will repent. Makes sense.
The problem is that the verse mentions healing immediately after repentance. So why doesn’t the blessing over healing follow the blessing over repentance?
This is because there is another verse that implies that forgiveness follows repentance. This is indeed the order of the blessings.
ומאי חזית דסמכת אהא, סמוך אהא! – כתב קרא אחרינא: +תהלים ק"ג+ הסלח לכל עונכי הרפא לכל תחלואיכי הגואל משחת חייכי. למימרא דגאולה ורפואה בתר סליחה היא.
But what did you see to rely on this verse? Rely rather on the other!
There is written another verse, "Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit"(Psalms 103:3-4). This implies that redemption and healing come after forgiveness.
The problem is that we now have one verse that implies that healing should follow repentance, whereas another verse implies that forgiveness should. So which is it? The answer comes from a third verse. This verse implies that forgiveness should come before healing and redemption, which are later blessings.
והכתיב ושב ורפא לו! – ההוא – לאו רפואה דתחלואים היא, אלא רפואה דסליחה היא.
But it is written, "And he will repent and be healed"? That refers not to the healing of sickness but to the healing [power] of forgiveness.
So now the Talmud returns to the earlier verse that implies that healing follows repentance. What do we do with that verse? That verse, the Talmud answers, refers not to physical healing, but the emotional and spiritual healing of forgiveness.
I think this is a very prescient piece of Talmud. There indeed are different kinds of healing physical and spiritual/emotional. Human beings need both.
ומה ראו לומר גאולה בשביעית?
אמר רבא: מתוך שעתידין ליגאל בשביעית, לפיכך קבעוה בשביעית,
והאמר מר: בששית – קולות, בשביעית – מלחמות, במוצאי שביעית בן דוד בא.
מלחמה נמי אתחלתא דגאולה היא.
What reason did they have for saying redemption in the seventh blessing?
Rava said: Because they [Israel] are destined to be redeemed in the seventh year [of the coming of the Messiah], therefore the mention of redemption was placed in the seventh blessing.
But a Master has said, In the sixth year will be thunder, in the seventh wars, at the end of the seventh the son of David will come?
War is also the beginning of redemption.
The blessing for redemption "goel Yisrael" is the seventh. This, according to Rava, accords with the idea that Israel will be redeemed in the seventh year after the coming of the Messiah. This idea is more spelled out in Sanhedrin 97a, which describes the events over the course of a seven year cycle that follow the arrival of the Messiah.
The problem is that according to that source, the "son of David" the Messiah will come only at the end of seven years, which is really the eighth year. The beginning of that year will be a time of great wars.
The answer is that these wars will be the beginning of redemption. In another words, the redemptive process, at least according to this text, is also accompanied by violence.