As we know, every word in our prayer is exact, each word reflecting a deeper meaning and intent. 7 Raban Gamliel said to the sages: "Is there anyone who knows how to formulate a blessing against the heretics and the wicked?" Shmuel Hakatan ("the small") arose and formulated it.Ī little knowledge of the author of this prayer will help us to understand it better. Shimon the cotton merchant arranged the eighteen blessings of the Amidah before Raban Gamliel in Yavneh. It is against this backdrop that the Talmud relates 6: In the generation that witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans, the Jews were further plagued by members of various sects who took delight in informing on the rabbis to the Roman authorities, and in devising various ways of enticing the unsuspecting Jews to abandon the path of their forefathers. Originally, the Amidah contained only eighteen blessings. May he have none who extends kindness, and may no one be gracious to his orphans…" 5 Hardly a manifestation of the above cited dictum, based on King David's own words, to pray for the cessation of sins but not sinners!īack to the prayer we are discussing, which is one of the nineteen blessings of the most central Jewish prayer, the Amidah. May a creditor search out all he has, and may strangers despoil his labor. May his sons wander, and should ask and search from their ruins. May his sons be orphans and his wife a widow. May his days be few, and may someone else take his office of dignity. We find King David praying that "when he is judged, let him emerge guilty, and let his prayer be accounted as a sin. Which brings us to your question: How can we then do the exact opposite and pray for the wicked to be punished three times a day in an established prayer? 4įurthermore, if we look at the book of Psalms, only a few chapters after the verse that Beruriah cited to teach us that one should pray for the cessation of sins rather than the punishment of the wicked, we find King David doing the exact opposite! "Rather," she concluded, "pray for them that they should repent, and there will be no more wicked people."Īs we can see clearly from this episode, one should not pray for others to be punished, rather we should pray that they repent and do teshuvah. Furthermore, the end of the verse continues, '…and let the wicked be no more.' Since the sins will cease, there will be no more wicked men! 2 His wife Beruriah said to him, "What makes you think that such a prayer is permitted? Is it because the verse states 3 'Let sinners cease from the earth'? But is it written ' chotim'-sinners? Rather it is written ' chataim'-that which causes one to sin, namely the evil inclination. Once, Rabbi Meir prayed for mercy regarding them, so that they would die. There were certain hooligans who resided in the neighborhood of Rabbi Meir, and they caused him much misery and anguish. While you ask your question from what some may call a "modern moral standpoint," this sentiment is actually expressed in the Torah and is part of halachah ( Torah law), as can be seen from the following episode in the Talmud: 1 Is it a problem that I feel this way? Can I maybe replace this part with my own prayer? What if I don't want my enemies to be "uprooted, smashed, destroyed, lowered and subjugated"? Maybe I wish for them understanding and wisdom to realize that they're doing wrong so that they can repent. I'm bothered by the prayer that calls for the destruction of our enemies.
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