The scene just before the splitting of the sea is probably the greatest dramatic moment in the Chumash for the nation. Standing there by the edge of the Sea, there was tension, there was terror, and there was, of course, sarcasm. This is the beginning of all Jewish humor. Here is what anyone would recognize as the signature of Jewish humor, the mockery of things which undercuts all decorum or sanctity. “There weren’t enough graves in Egypt?,” they ask.
I believe that understanding the source of this line is the key to understanding the major disagreement between Hashem and Moshe about prayer by the side of the Sea.
Over the years, I see that there are many different styles of Davening. Some Daven very long, some very short. We had an award at an EB dinner one year for the shortest Davening.
There is no real standard for length of Davening, as a story in the Gemora in Berachos shows. R Eliezer’s students commented to him about someone who Davened very quickly. R’ Eliezer said, he’s not quicker than Moshe Rabenu, who Davened for his sister in five words: Keil Na, Refa Na La ("Please, Hashem, heal her now”). Later, the students saw someone who Davened very long, and R’ Eliezer pointed out that he wasn’t longer than Moshe Rabenu, who Davened once for 40 days and 40 nights.
At the side of the Sea, Hashem and Moshe Rabenu seem to disagree about what the length should be. Moshe Is Davening for salvation, and Hashem tells him to stop already. “Mah Titzhak Alai” -- (what are you calling out to me for -- speak to the Jewish people and have them move).
But Moshe Rabenu also knew they were in need of a speedy redemption. He too saw that the Egyptians were approaching. Why was he intent on Davening for a long time?
Someone who once lived here made me aware of an insight from R’ Kook about long and short Davening. The insight can be applied to this moment. There are two kinds of Davening, R’ Kook says. One is a Davening that creates. This is a Davening in which the person actually evolves on the spot. This is what we mean by calling it L’hitpallel, a reflexive verb. Plilut is judgment, what happens in court. When one is L’hitpalel, it means we are judging ourselves. Davening is an act of growth. That takes time. It’s a process, with movement through levels. This is a longer Davening, certainly like that of Moshe Rabenu on Har Sinai for 40 days.
The other is a type of Davening that crystallizes what has already formed inside. It articulates what is already there. Verbal expression takes that which is deeply embedded and brings it into a reality that is more tangible. It’s not as real as action of course, but it certainly makes it more real. That is why people with dreams are often told to express them. Whether it’s the types of dreams that take one to Sand Hill Road or the dreams of the night, one can make them more tangible on paper or by speaking.
The disagreement between Moshe and Hashem is about what kind of Davening is needed here. Moshe thought that this line of sarcasm showed that the Jews were in need of real work, which would take a long Davening.
Hashem, on the other hand, knew that what had happened in Egypt prepared the Jews for this moment. They only needed to crystalize it and nothing more. So they needed only a short Davening.
What about “there weren’t enough graves in Mitzrayim?” That was a temporary lapse. Obviously this is an observation that only the omniscient would be able to make. Moshe of course thought it showed that there was more work to be done.
We are celebrating this weekend a project that emphasizes daily learning. That’s the proper cadence of learning: daily. The same goes for Davening -- the proper cadence is daily. The Gemora in Berachos says that there are two signs down here on earth for the end of the night. There are several “watches” in the Heavens and they each have markers down here in everyday life. The end of the night has two signs -- either a mother nursing her baby or a wife speaking to her husband. Both of them are frequent daily occurrences.
The Maharasha says that the image of a child nursing denotes learning. We take in the Dvar Hashem (Hashem’s word), which is supposed to be our daily milk. A woman speaking to her husband is an image of Davening, as we are speaking to Hashem. They are both early morning images, as they should be for us. They each take pride of place as the first actions of the morning, learning and Davening.
Just as we are celebrating learning, we should be marking daily Davening. Long or short, but always daily.
Congregation Emek Beracha 4102 El Camino Real Palo Alto, CA 94306
