Vetaheir Libeinu
We say in the Amidah for Shabbos and Yom Tov, "Vetaheir libeinu le'avekha be'emes", usually translated simply as "And purify our hearts to serve You in truth."
"Vetaheir libeinu" provides an interesting contrast to "veyacheid levaveinu li'ahavah ulyir'ah es shemekha -- and unify our hearts to love and be in awe of Your name", said in the last berakhah before the morning recitation of Shema. Libeinu stands distinct from levaveinu, the same two-veis "levav" that we find in Shema, "And you shall love Hashem your G-d bekhol levavekha, with all your heart." There, Chazal interpret the word as "beshnei yitzrekha -- with both your inclinations". In "veyacheid levaveinu" we speak of unifying the warring urges of a complex heart, which notably has one veis for each inclination, "levav". Here we ask for surcease from that complexity, that Hashem render the single-veis "leiv" tahor, pure of other inclinations. (While many question the accuracy of "tahor" as being defined "pure", "zahav tahor" does mean "pure gold".)
"Le'avdiacha". Rav SR Hirsch explains the root /ayin-beis-dalet/ as a more intensive form of /aleph-beis-dalet/, to be lost (just as an ayin is like an alef, but is supposed to be voiced). To lose one's goals to another's', working entirely for another person. Here we speak of taharah from inappropriate goals so that one can work entirely toward the aims Hashem spelled out for us.
I would think that a Ba'al Mussar would focus on "vetaheir libeinu", while the Chassid would read them as secondary to the next -- le'avdikha. True to the fork in the hashkafic road between Litta's focus on sheleimus, wholeness and completion, and Chassidus's focus on deveiqus, cleaving to G-d.
Bi'emes -- in/through truth: At first I took this to be an adverb for le'avdekha. However, I want to draw attention back to the first thing I skipped in this quote, the opening letter, "vav -- vetaheir". It begins with a prefix meaning "and". This makes our phrase part of a list, along with, "qadsheinu bemitzvosekha, vesein chelqeinu beSorasekha, sab'einu mituvekha, vesamcheinu biyshu'asekha". In all of those cases, the noun at the end of the phrase is the means by which we ask for the thing described by the rest of the phrase; for example "Sanctify us through your mitzvos". (The mem in "mituvekha" deserves comment. Another time.) So, here too, emes would be the means, not a modifier for le'vadekha.
Taking the phrase all together: We are asking for Hashem to give us emes, by which we will get the taharas haleiv necessary to answer only one calling -- His.
"Vetaheir libeinu" provides an interesting contrast to "veyacheid levaveinu li'ahavah ulyir'ah es shemekha -- and unify our hearts to love and be in awe of Your name", said in the last berakhah before the morning recitation of Shema. Libeinu stands distinct from levaveinu, the same two-veis "levav" that we find in Shema, "And you shall love Hashem your G-d bekhol levavekha, with all your heart." There, Chazal interpret the word as "beshnei yitzrekha -- with both your inclinations". In "veyacheid levaveinu" we speak of unifying the warring urges of a complex heart, which notably has one veis for each inclination, "levav". Here we ask for surcease from that complexity, that Hashem render the single-veis "leiv" tahor, pure of other inclinations. (While many question the accuracy of "tahor" as being defined "pure", "zahav tahor" does mean "pure gold".)
"Le'avdiacha". Rav SR Hirsch explains the root /ayin-beis-dalet/ as a more intensive form of /aleph-beis-dalet/, to be lost (just as an ayin is like an alef, but is supposed to be voiced). To lose one's goals to another's', working entirely for another person. Here we speak of taharah from inappropriate goals so that one can work entirely toward the aims Hashem spelled out for us.
I would think that a Ba'al Mussar would focus on "vetaheir libeinu", while the Chassid would read them as secondary to the next -- le'avdikha. True to the fork in the hashkafic road between Litta's focus on sheleimus, wholeness and completion, and Chassidus's focus on deveiqus, cleaving to G-d.
Bi'emes -- in/through truth: At first I took this to be an adverb for le'avdekha. However, I want to draw attention back to the first thing I skipped in this quote, the opening letter, "vav -- vetaheir". It begins with a prefix meaning "and". This makes our phrase part of a list, along with, "qadsheinu bemitzvosekha, vesein chelqeinu beSorasekha, sab'einu mituvekha, vesamcheinu biyshu'asekha". In all of those cases, the noun at the end of the phrase is the means by which we ask for the thing described by the rest of the phrase; for example "Sanctify us through your mitzvos". (The mem in "mituvekha" deserves comment. Another time.) So, here too, emes would be the means, not a modifier for le'vadekha.
Taking the phrase all together: We are asking for Hashem to give us emes, by which we will get the taharas haleiv necessary to answer only one calling -- His.
posted by micha @ 1/06/2006 01:15:00 PM
