Q&A: He Who Chooses Songs of Praise
He Who Chooses Songs of Praise
Question
With God’s help,
Hello,
Why does God want people to pray to Him? As I understand it, you argue that there is not much active providence in our time. I don’t completely agree with that, but still.
In any case, what is the idea behind praises and thanksgiving? And the rest of the prayer service that is not requests and supplications.
Answer
I didn’t understand your question. If the Holy One, blessed be He, is not involved, then the main problem is with thanksgiving and requests, and you’re דווקא asking about the rest?
Praises would be explained the way you would explain them. And I explained the thanksgiving in the second book of the trilogy (it is not thanksgiving for present involvement, but for creation itself).
Discussion on Answer
I didn’t understand anything. Without side comments about my approach or in general, what are you asking?
Okay, the question is very simple: what is the purpose of all the parts of the prayer service that are perfectly legitimate according to your view?
For example, Pesukei DeZimra, which for me feel extremely long if you try to focus even just on the meaning of the words. Or some of the blessings before and after the Shema, Kedusha DeSidra, the Song of the Day, Pitum HaKetoret, and so on.
What interest does the Holy One, blessed be He, have in His world that people should praise Him, and that He chose this?
Why do you think they are legitimate according to my view? In my opinion too, it’s long and unnecessary. But the length is not the issue here.
As for your question, it was not the Holy One, blessed be He, who chose this, but the Sages who instituted the prayer service. I assume that in their view it is important for us to praise Him as part of our service of Him (recognition of His greatness and power and of our dependence on Him, and gratitude).
So in practice, is the purpose of prayer on the subjective, psychological level for us? To “fix” us (so that we remember the Holy One, blessed be He) and not Him, and that’s all?
I thought of that, but the length of the prayer service made that claim feel somewhat implausible to me…
I’m asking specifically about the rest because the rest is what I don’t understand.
Why pray if God intervenes a lot—that I understand very well. And the fact that you hold otherwise is not what bothers me. Nor is it what bothers me why they instituted that.
But I’m looking for an explanation of why we need all the praises, and as they say in Yishtabach, “He Who chooses songs of praise.”
Seemingly, He could have chosen otherwise, no? I thought maybe it’s for ourselves, to remember the Holy One, blessed be He, just as we recite the morning blessings because we understand that we could have been nonexistent, and so through the morning blessings we remember the Holy One, blessed be He, and so on. But to say that about the whole prayer service—Pesukei DeZimra and so on—sounds a bit forced to me…