In yesterday's Daf (Brochos 30a) the Gemora discusses the nusach to be used in Tefilas Haderech.
The Gemora first suggests Tefilas Haderech should be said in loshon yochid - שתוליכני לשלום . Abaye then says we should say Tefilas Haderech in loshon rabim - שתוליכנו לשלום. Rashi explains that by partnering our tefilla with others and davening collectively, we have greater zechusim and our tefilla will be heard. Indeed most of our tefillos are in loshon rabim, e.g. Shmone Esrei, every brocha we make - אלקינו etc.
Fresh from all of the great Daf Siyumim around the world, we are familiar that in a Siyum Mesechte we also say in loshon rabim: ... מודים אנחנו לפניך ... ששמת חלקנו מיושבי בית המדרש. We join with all others who are learning and being mesayem. This is the great Koach of the Rabim, which we B'H invoke each day when we join the rest of Klal Yisroel all learning the same daf.
It is interesting to note, however, in the Siyum of a Seder Mishnayes, the common printed version of the Hadran has these same words, but in loshon yochid: ... מודה אני לפניך ... ששמת חלקי מיושבי בית המדרש.
What is the reason for this difference between a siyum on Gemora or Mishnayes?
Should the tefilla really be the same in loshon rabim, but the printers of the Gemora and Mishnayes have introduced this difference?
I Pacanowski
1) Rebbi Akiva Eiger makes a very interesting comment (in the name of the Tzelach to 30a, DH Sham v'Hilchata) in his Hagahos on Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 230:1). He discusses the Gemara in Berachos 60a, which states that when one wants to leave a big city, he says, "May it be Your will, Hash-m Elokai, v'Elokei Avosai, that You should take me out of this city to safety." Why does one say this prayer in the single, not plural, form?
2) He answers that since this prayer is included together with the thanks given after one leaves the city, as the Gemara states immediately that when one leaves securely he says, "I thank You, Hash-m Elokai, that You have taken me out of this city unto peace," it follows that one says it all in the singular.
3) Rebbi Akiva Eiger writes an important rule: "Thanking is only applicable in Lashon Yachid."
4) This requires explanation -- why is thanking possible only in the singular? However, if we do accept this idea for the moment, we will also notice that the source of what we say at a Siyum of the Mishnayos is actually from the Gemara above (28b), that when one leaves the Beis ha'Midrash one says, "I thank You, Hash-m Elokai, that you have placed my portion among those who sit in the Beis ha'Midrash."
5) So it seems that the original Tefilah of thanks for learning Torah was in Lashon Yachid. The question seems rather to be, why do we say it in the plural form at the Siyum of Gemara?
6) I suggest that since learning Mishnayos is not usually done in a large group, the Tefilah was left in its original form, but a lot of people go to a Siyum of Gemara (100,000 were at MetLife last month!), so it is in Lashon Rabim.
7) After thinking about it more, it appears to me that the real question here is as follows: since the Gemara (28b) cites the prayer in the singular form, "I thank You... that You put my portion... that I get up early...," why, then, in the Hadran at the Siyum for learning a tractate of Gemara do we say it in the plural, "We thank You... that You put our portion... that we get up early..."?
8) I found, bs'd, that the Sefer Reishis Chochmah (Sha'ar ha'Ahavah, chapter 10, DH uv'Omdo) cites a different text in the Gemara: "We thank You Hash-m, our Elokim, that you put our portion...." Possibly the Hadran we say at the Siyum follows the Girsa of the Reishis Chochmah, and not the Girsa of our Gemara.
Kol Tuv,
Dovid Bloom
Dear Rabbi Bloom,
Thanks for your great reply. The Zlach and R' Akiva Eiger explain this inyan beautifully.
1. As you say, we need to understand R' Akiva Eigers statement that Hodaa can only be said beloshon yochid. Why?
I wonder if this is related to what people get up at simchas and say that Hodaa cannot be said through a shliach, but must be done by the person himself. We see this in Chazoras hashatz, we are happy to listen to all the brochos, but when the ball tefilla says Modim, all the people say their won Modim Derabonon. They cannot be yotze hodaa from the Shatz.
Have you heard this before? What is the mekor of this?
2. Indeed if we look at all of our Brochos and Tefillos, they are mostly in loshon rabim, but there are interesting exceptions.
e.g. The whole of Shmone Esre is in loshon rabbim. Elokeinu velokei avoseinu. . . All of the brochos of bakosho: Hashiveinu, Refoenu, Shma Koleinu.
But the posuk added to the beginning of Shmone Esre, Hashem sefosai tiftoch, ufi . . . is loshon Yochid. Also the tefilla added the end of Shmone Esre, Alekai netzor (Brochos 17a) is also loshon Yochid. Why?
Also the tefilla that we add to the end of Shmone Esre on Yom Kippur, Alekai ad shelo notzarti (Brochos 17a) is also loshon Yochid. Why?
Another group of examples are in Davenning and Birchos Hashachar in the morning:
Mode Ani - loshon yochid,
Birchos HaTorah - loshon rabim,
Adon Olom - loshon yochid,
Shalo Osani brochos - loshon yochid,
She'oso li kol tzorki - loshon yochid,
Hamaavir sheno me'enoy - loshon yochid,
Vihi Rotzon ... shatragileinu - loshon rabim
Yehi Rotzon . . . shtatzileini - loshon yochid. It is interesting to note that the girsa of this tefilla made by Rebbi in Brochos 16b is in loshon rabim - shatatzileinu.
The rest of the tefillos in pesukei dzimro, Ribon kol ho'olomim . . . anachnu, boruch sheomar ... nehalelcho, yishtabach . . . malkeinu - all loshon rabim
Rest of davening - Tachanun, Ein kelokeinu, Oleinu - all loshon rabim
What is the reason for all of these loshon yochid parts amongst the loshon rabim?
Maybe, using R' Akiva Eiger's answer that Hodaa must be said in loshon yochid, we can answer that Mode Ani, Adon Olom, She'oso li kol tzorki, Shalo Osani brochos, Hamaavir sheno me'enoy are Hodaa and therefore must be said in loshon yochid.
The rest of our tefillos mostly contain bakoshos and are therefore in loshon rabim to invoke the zechus of the rabim so that our tefillos should be answered. And as the Zlach that R Akiva Eiger brought, explains even not bemokom sakona, such as tefillas haderech, "leolom" we daven beloshon rabim.
In Shmone Esre, although Chazal were mesaken that it should all be beloshon rabim, maybe we could try to answer that they wanted to prefix and suffix it with tefillos that are beloshon yochid to allow the individual the chance to ask and have kavona for his own personal bakoshos.
The two Yehi Rotzons at the end of Birchos Hashachar are bakoshos and should both be beloshon rabim.
The second yehi rotzon is similar to the first, repeating some of the bakoshos - odom ro, chover ro etc Why? Rav Schwab on Tefilla (P. 46) says Chazal were mesaken the first yehi ratzon for the collective tefilla and the second one for the individual.
It is brought that the Yehi Ratzon that Rebbe originally was mesaken to be said after the 18 brochos of Shmona Esre (Brochos 16b), they were koveia after the 18 Brochos that we say each morning. Maybe, we could answer, just as they were mesaken a tefilla beloshon yochid at the conclusion of Shmone Esre, they were mesaken a tefilla beloshon yochid at the conclusion of the 18 Birchos Hashachar.
What are your thoughts, please?
Regards
Yisroel Alter
Reb Yisroel, Yasher Koach Gadol!
There is a source in a verse in Tehilim 140:7, that giving thanks cannot be done through a Shaliach.
Dovid Hamelech said:-
"I said to Hashem: 'You are my Keil'".
This is the mekor of the Avudraham, in weekday Shacharis DH u'Kesheyagia Shatz (cited by Eliyah Rabah Orach Chaim 127:1), who explains that Dovid Hamelech stressed that "I said that you are my G-d". Dovid himself said this and did not rely on anyone else to say it for him.
Avudraham writes that this is the source of the Halacha that the congregation all bow down when the Chazan reaches Modim, and say a short Hoda'ah. This is because it is not the way of a servant to give thanks and say "you are my master" through a shaliach. Every individual must accept with his own mouth "Ol Malchus Shamayim". If he would do this via a shaliach it is not a proper Kabolah because he could always deny it afterwards and say that I never asked the shaliach to say that I am a servant.
Avudraham adds that this is different from the rest of davening. One can ask Hashem for one's needs via a shaliach because for this a person will not deny that he appointed the shaliach.
Shavua Tov
Dovid Bloom
2)
(a) The simple explanation of Hashem Sefosai Tiftoch being in Lashon Yachid is because it is a more private part of the Tefilah. This would fit in with what the Mishneh Berurah, in Biur Halacha 111:2 DH Chozer asks; is the Tefilah considered as lacking if one forgot Hashem Sefosai? He concludes that it is more likely to say that if someone forgot to say Hashem Sefosai Tiftoch he is still yotzei bedieved. BH writes that it is not mamash considered as tefilah, that one would have to go back and daven again if one forgot it.
It is interesting that the BH does not cite a proof to this question from the fact that it is in Lashon Yachid unlike the rest of the tefilah, which shows that it is different to the rest of the tefilah. However the logic does seem good. It is a different part of the tefilah.
Dovid Bloom
Further follow-up reply: 2)
We saw above that the Biur Halacha says it is likely that if one forgot to say Hashem Sefosai at the beginning of Shemoneh Esreh one is yotzei bedieved because it is not mamash part of the Tefilah. I argued that for the same reason it does not have toi be in Lashon Rabim. I may be able to strengthen this argument a little with the help of the Magen Avraham 110:10 who writes that it is only a "tefilah kavua l'rabim" that has to be in the plural. This is a very important rule given to us by the Magen Avraham. At any rate, my argument is that Hashem Sefosai is not considered a prayer fixed for the community since it is not an essential part of the tefilah, at least bedieved.
And we can go further and suggest that Elokai Netzor at the end of Shemoneh Esreh is also not mamash part of the Shemoneh Esreh. In fact I found that Igros Moshe part 8 Orach Chaim 24:8 disagrees with the Biur Halacha and writes that Hashem Sefosei is me'akev in the Shemoneh Esreh. However Rav Moshe writes that Yiyhu l'Ratzon Imrei Pi is not me'akev and is a less essential part than Hashem Sefosei. He explains there at length the difference between the two. My suggestion is that this is also a reason why the end part of the Shemoneh Esreh, which is a sort of addition, is in Lashon Yachid.
Dovid Bloom
followup:
The prayer "She-Targileinu BeSorasecha"-
This is in itself quite a big inyan. The Gemara Berachos 60b states that when one washes ones hands in the morning one says the beracha "Al Netilas Yadayim". When one washes the face one says the Beracha "Ha-Ma'avir Sheina" and then we ask "She-Targileini beSorasecha". The word "She-Targileini" in the text of the Gemara is in Loshon Yochid. This is also the text of the Rosh and his son in Tur Orach Chaim #46.
However the Magen Avraham 46:4, after citing the Tur that it is She-Targileini in the singular, then cites the sefer Os Emes [even though the citation in the older edtions of the Magen Avraham is א"ח
it seems that it should be, אות אמת:א"א as I will try and explain, bs'd] that it should be in the plural, as we find in Shulchan Aruch 110:4 [that one says Tefilas Haderech in Loshon Rabim]. The Magen Avraham cites his source as Kneses Hagedolah. This is a sefer that Magen Avraham cites very often.
I looked up the Kneses Hagedolah, and indeed he writes in the name of Os Emes that it should be in Loshon Rabim, as the Gemara Berachos 30a states that one should include ones prayers together with the rest of the community.
The Kneses Hagedolah was written by Rabbi Chaim Benvinisti, who was born in 5363 (1603), and the sefer Os Emes was written by Rabbi Meir Benvinisti and published in 5325 (1575).
It seems that the first source that cites She-Targileinu in the plural is the Os Emes, whilst the text of the Gemara and the Rishonim is She-Targileini in the singular. How did the text of this prayer change from that of the Gemara to that in our Sidurim?
I found in Otzar Hachochmah, a sefer by Rabbi Tzvi Rabinovitz, called Iyunei Halachos. In volume 1, on page 70, he cites the Shulchan Aruch 46:2 that nowadays the custom is to say all the blessings of the morning in the Beis Kneses. The suggestion is that in the time of the Gemara the prayer "She-Targileni" was said at home. Therefore it was said in the singular. Nowadays it is said in shul, so it is said in the plural.
Good Shabbos
Dovid Bloom