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From: Russell Hendel <rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu>
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 18:37:12 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: Coming Late to Shul

Etan Diamond in Volume 28 Number 93 asked about the many prayers for
latecomers. I actually was priveleged to hear a Shiur from the Rav,
Rabbi Dr Joseph B Soloveitchick(The Rav that year was teaching AYN
YAAKOV).

The Rav laid down the fundamental principle that ANYTHING SAID ABOUT GOD
is an assertion that THIS THING IS A MORAL NORM.

For example if the Bible says that God BURIED Moses (Dt 34) then we
learn that Burying the dead is a moral norm. Indeed, this is so, because
there is a Biblical commandment to imitate God.

So if a Rabbi wanted to indicate that something is a moral norm then
they would have the option of a) saying it is a moral norm or b) saying
that God does it.

Having explained this principle the Rav cited several otherwise strange
Agaddahs: "God wears Tefillin", "God prays" etc. Based on the above
principle the Rav concluded that wearing Tefillin and praying are moral
norms. There is a novelty here: BESIDES the religious dimension
(God-man) of praying and wearing tefillin there is ALSO a MORAL
dimension (man-man). Prayer and Tefillin have interpersonal values
inherent in them.

The Rav applied this to the VAYECHULU prayers on Friday night: These
prayers were instituted because some people came late on Friday nights
to shule and if the others left on time and these people left late then
there lives might be endangered (From walking home alone in a bad
neighborhood on Friday night).  Thus the prayers have an element of
caring for ones fellow man. Since we conclude all prayers with a prayer
for peace (Sim Shalom) it follows that a person who prayed for peace and
left early (leaving late comers behind) was being hypocritical and
demonstrating that he didn't really believe in what he was
praying. Hence his prayer would be unacceptable.

Many other comments were made during the year. I hope this sheds insight
on the complex nature of prayer

Russell Jay Hendel; rhendel@mcs.drexel.edu;
Moderator Rashi Is Simple; http://www.shamash.org/rashi