In our journey through the morning prayers we have entered into the central section called “The Recitation of the Sh’ma with Her Blessings.” The recitation of the Sh’ma is enveloped with blessings, two before and one after it. We have started investigating the first blessing of this section already. It begins: “You abound in blessings, Eternal One, our Source of Strength, Who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates everything.” We saw that this formula can be understood to celebrate the complexity of existence, a complexity that includes darkness as well as light and that includes “everything” that is not only peaceful.
These words are not the blessing in its entirety. This is not a short blessing, like the one we recite before lighting candles for Shabbat, or like the “she-he-hi-yanu” blessing recited at times of joy. Over time, this blessing has accrued layers of text, so that it can occupy, not a few lines, but a few pages of the prayer book. It starts out praising God for creating the heavenly lights – the sun, moon and stars. But it does not leave it at that. Indeed, were that the main concern of the blessing, we would need to ask why it was repeating themes that are amply treated in the previous section of our prayers, the section that includes psalms that excitedly describe the entire universe and each natural phenomenon, by virtue of its very existence, as full of song and praise for the Creator. Why would this next section, which is meant to bring us to the next stage in our spiritual consciousness, merely repeat what was already celebrated? And what does the rest of the blessing offer in order to develop its initial message about embracing complexity?
The rest of the blessing draws from imagery supplied by our early mystics. It takes us up into heaven to witness how the ministering angels daily praise God’s Name. It is through this imagery that the blessing moves us forward. It engages our imagination in ways both grandiose and naïve as it pictures myriads of angelic hosts gathering to sing of God’s “Holy, holy, holy” nature. This scenario asks us to conjure up entities that our modern sensibilities have taught us to leave behind with our childhood. We no longer look around for fairies or angels, whether named Gabriel or Tinkerbell. So this angelic imagery is possibly read as alienating and unacceptable.
But the desired function of this imagery is the opposite. It seeks to make the forces of nature less abstract or generalized and more in tune with our own natures as individuals who move around, do things and interact with others. The classic image of an angel as a human being with wings stuck to her back can serve to push us to consider our limitations and our potential. Who would not wish to be able to fly around at will? (In that respect we have substituted superheroes for angels, but for the same purpose.)To imagine that we could is also to grapple with the realization that we cannot. (Peter Pan, again.)
So the first contribution this blessing makes is its challenge for us to stretch our minds and hearts. We are no longer simply to contemplate nature in all her diversity, power and magnificence, we are to try to move into realms of dreams, fantasy and spirit.
Then there is another aspect of this mental and spiritual stretching. The picture we are given to visualize is of a heavenly choir or orchestra:
In chorus, together, they reverently chant words of the living God, the Eternal Sovereign.
Adoring, beloved and choice are they all, in awe fulfilling their Creator’s Will. In purity and sanctity they raise their voices in song and psalm …
Ancient commentators embellished this image. They felt strongly that the celestial choir needed to sing “together,” not in chaotic cacophony, but as one. In order to make sure that this chorus would sing in unison, they imagined a fierce angelic conductor presiding over the assemblage. He wields a fiery baton and inspires them with awe so that they all sing together, no one angel or section singing too slowly or too fast, or in some other rhythm. Moreover, the orchestra players and choral singers cannot simply follow the conductor separately. They must also adjust themselves to each other’s energy. Thus:
And they all accept upon themselves the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, one from the other, and they give allowance one to the other to sanctify their Maker in tranquil spirit, clear language and holy melody, they all respond as one …
The angels help each other to sing in unison and to feel together the meaning of what they are doing.
So this blessing has moved us along from a reverent appreciation of nature’s richness and multiplicity, all reflecting God’s Glory, to an ideal image of communal striving. We are meant to imagine ourselves participating in that heavenly cohort – “accepting upon ourselves – one from the other” and “giving license to ourselves – one to the other,” in mutual support and inspiration.
Each angel has something to sing to God and each angel has something to get and to give to the other angels. As we continue to explore the new model of membership for building and sustaining our community, we can profit from taking this image to heart. When we give names to various levels of support that are possible for each of us there have been numerous names given to each level, from “Benefactor” to “Pillar” and so on. The question was asked what name should be given to the open-ended level that will be decided by individuals who will give an amount that their hearts prompt them to choose. The name that was chosen was “Donor.” But, as I think about it again, I would suggest – “Angel.”
image: “Angel” © MetroPilot altered and used with permission via Creative Commons License 2.0
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