Berachot 9:2
Does prayer come from the heart, or is it a response to the world around us?
注诇 讛讝讬拽讬谉 讜注诇 讛讝讜注讜转 讜注诇 讛讘专拽讬诐 讜注诇 讛专注诪讬诐 讜注诇 讛专讜讞讜转 讗讜诪专 讘专讜讱 砖讻讞讜 讜讙讘讜专转讜 诪诇讗 注讜诇诐 注诇 讛讛专讬诐 讜注诇 讛讙讘注讜转 讜注诇 讛讬诪讬诐 讜注诇 讛谞讛专讜转 讜注诇 讛诪讚讘专讜转 讗讜诪专 讘专讜讱 注讜砖讛 诪注砖讛 讘专讗砖讬转 专’ 讬讛讜讚讛 讗讜诪专 讛专讜讗讛 讗转 讛讬诐 讛讙讚讜诇 讗讜诪专 讘专讜讱 砖注砖讛 讗转 讛讬诐 讛讙讚讜诇 讘讝诪谉 砖专讜讗讛 讗讜转讜 诇驻专拽讬诐 注诇 讛讙砖诪讬诐 讜注诇 讛讘砖讜专讜转 讛讟讜讘讜转 讗讜诪专 讘专讜讱 讛讟讜讘 讜讛诪讟讬讘 讜注诇 砖诪讜注讜转 专注讜转 讗讜诪专 讘专讜讱 讚讬讬谉 讛讗诪转:
One who sees shooting stars, earthquakes, lightening, thunder or storm-winds says, “Blessed is the One whose might fills the world.” One who sees mountains, hills, seas, rivers or deserts says, “Blessed is the One Who creates material existence.” Rabbi Judah says, One who seas the great sea (i.e. the ocean) says, “Blessed is the One Who creates the great sea.” This is when he has not seen it for some time. Regarding rainfall and good tidings one says “Blessed is the One Who is good and does good.” Regarding bad tidings one says, “Blessed is the true judge.”:
Comment:
This Mishnah instills a sensitivity to the wonder of material existence, and links that sense of awe to a Jewish vocabulary of prayer. The stimulus to prayer is not simply physical beauty or the emotion of gratitude. Rather, our Mishnah includes terrifying spectacles and horrifying news as cause for prayer, reflecting the sentiment expressed by Job to his wife, “Shall we accept the good from God, and not the bad?”(2:10) This is not so much a heroic form of piety as a strategy for viewing the universe as orderly and firmly within God鈥檚 control.
Questions for Discussion:
- Should a person who experiences these phenomena indirectly, such as one who is blind or deaf, also respond with blessing?
- Can you find or even compose a blessing for something that you see today?
