Rabbi Howard Morrison

Dear Congregational Family,

In Parshat Haazinu, we find an important statement about Jewish continuity and generational connectedness. When a child is in doubt, "Ask your parent, and your parent will tell you." The Hebrew reads:

"sh'Al aVicha v'yaGedcha." Interestngly, the second letters of the three words are alef, bet gimmel. A coincidence?

In the Machzor, many passages are composed as alphabetical acrostics, following an alef, bet, gimel sequence. This was done for literary style and as a pneumonic to remember the words. Many such prayers were written before people had books. 

On Yom Kippur, two central acrostics are the short and long forms of Vidui, our confessions before God. "Ashamnu, Bagadnu, Gazalnu, etc." follows an alphabetical sequence word for word. The following Al Chet section contains a double acrostic line for each letter.

Other acrostics contain names, virtually hidden in the passages. For example the paragraph following "Shochen Ad" in the morning lists the names Yitzchak and Rivka in acrostic form. Can you find them? These two names begin the second generation of our history, a lesson of generational continuity.

The Shabbat eve poem, "Lcha Dodi," contains the author's name, Shlomo Ha'Levi. Each letter of his name begins the following stanza. 

These and other examples demonstrate the creativity and love for God by having literary style and easy to remember poetic songs in drawing closer to Hashem and our tradition.

Shabbat Shalom and Gmar Chatima Tova,

Rabbi Howard Morrison