Why don't the Jewish people pray on their knees?Hi Serenity222-ga,
I found several explanations for the jewish people not kneeling during
prayer. As a basic answer, it is against their faith to prostate
themselves on a stone floor as was the practice of ancient idol
worshippers. It is further discussed in their teachings that prayer
should be a practice of standing, sitting, and laying face down on the
ground. I have included quotes from Jewish religious teachings and a
response from a Rabbi to a question about kneeling during Al Anon
meetings.
A quote from:
http://ohr.edu/ask/ask119.htm
"The Torah forbids prostrating yourself flat out on a stone floor, as
was the way of the ancient idol worshippers. Our Sages extended this
prohibition to include kneeling.
The Shulchan Aruch says that if you put an intervening substance
between your knees and the stone floor, then it's permitted to kneel."
a direct quote from a usenet post
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=jew+kneeling+in+prayer&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&selm=2518ie%24oh3%40access.digex.net&rnum=3
From: Alan J. Broder (ajb@access.digex.net)
Subject: Hamaayan / The Torah Spring: Parashat Shoftim
View: Complete Thread (7 articles)
Original Format
Newsgroups: soc.culture.jewish
Date: 1993-08-19 18:21:27 PST
This is not to say that the Torah disdains all bowing or
kneeling in prayer. Kneeling was part of the Yom Kippur service in
the Bet HaMikdash (and, hence, in our Yom Kippur Mussaf), and
bowing is part of every Shemoneh Esreh recitation. However, there
are Halachic restrictions dictating when and where one may not bow
or kneel. For example, kneeling on any stone floor is forbidden.
The efficacy of kneeling during prayer is learned from Moshe's
response to Korach. The Torah (Bimidbar 16:22) says that, upon
hearing Korach's accusations, Moshe "fell on his face." Several
commentators state that he was praying. (Ibn Ezra; R' Bachya).
In Parashat Eikev, as Moshe tells of the three 40-day periods
that he spent on Har Sinai, he describes them as follows:
"When I ascended the mountain to take the tablets of stone....I
sat on the mountain for forty days and forty nights..." (Devarim
(9:9).
[The second time:] "I fell on my face for forty days and forty
nights..." (9:18).
[The third time:] "And I stood on the mountain as for the first
days, forty days and forty nights..." (10:10).
On these verses, Rabbenu Bachya comments: From here Chazal
derived a strategy for prayer. One should pray sitting, he should
pray standing, and he should pray bowed down. The Halachic Code,
Tur, notes that this is, in fact, our practice with regard to the
prayer known as Tachanun. First we bow our heads on our arms, then
we sit up straight, and finally, when we reach the verse, "And we
do not know what to do, so our eyes are towards You," we stand.
This expresses our plea to G-d that we have prayed in every way
that we know how, and we now place ourselves in His hands.
(Siddur Commentators emphasize the potential power of the
Tachanun prayer, coming, as it does, immediately after the Shemoneh
Esrei which is the spiritual "high" of the whole Shacharit service.
This explains the Halacha that talking is forbidden between
Shemoneh Esrei and Tachanun, for such an interruption would sever
the latter prayer from whatever spiritual level was attained during
the former prayer.
(Chayei Adam quoting Shitah Mekubetzet)
Mother911-ga#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.# |
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6 January 2009 |
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