Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Thursday September 24
We have been reciting the powerful prayer of Avinu Malkenu twice a day since Rosh Hashanna.  Nobel Prize Laureate of Israel, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, in his work “Yamim Noraim” (p.86), quotes from Sefer Tiferet Uziel which makes the very interesting assertion that the “katvenu” “write us in” lines of Avinu Malkenu parallel the themes of the five books of the Chumash:  Life, redemption, spirituality, ancestral ties, and repentance.  “Write us into the book of life” is parallel to Breishit which is all about creation and granting of life.  “Write us into the book of redemption and salvation” is parallel to Shmot which is about redemption and salvation of the Jewish people.  “Write us into the book of prosperity” is parallel to Vaykira which teaches us that the essence of our livelihood should be achieved with holiness.  “Write us into the book of merits” is parallel to Bamidbar since it speaks of the encampment where every tribe was a vessel to bring down the merit of the ancestors to their people.  “Write us into the book of forgiveness” is parallel to Devrim because Moses chastises the Jews for all they did wrong and it also contains the parsha of teshuva which is the key to forgiveness.  Try to find your own meaning in Avinu Malkenu drawing parallels between each of the very real and heartfelt expressions and moments in your life.  Pay special attention to those that might feel more real this year during COVID than they might have felt in the past.