Tuesday, 14 August 2012


Brochas Daf Ches amud aleph

Raish Lokish said anyone who has a Beis Knesses in his town and fails to attend Tefillah is called a Shochein Ra, a bad neighbour. 

Why specifically is he designated a bad neighbour, as opposed to some other name?
The Mishkan (mem, shin, chof, nun) held four main keylim, the Aron, also called the Mita (mem), the Shulchan (shin), the Mizbeach, also called Cisei (chof) and the Menorah, also called Ner (nun).
Post the Churban, the Anshei Knesses haGedolah instituted the current form of the three daily Tefillohs in recognition of what we had lost. We retained Torah, which represents the Aron/Mita (mem), but lost the other three keylim. The Tefillohs therefore hint at three lost Tamidim: "Aish Tamid" which represents the Mizbeach/Cisei (chof), the "Ner Tamid" which represents the Menorah/Ner (nun), and the "Lechem Tamid" which represents the Shulchan (shin).

Therefore, one who fails to daven in shul is designated a Shochein Ra. Interestingly, the same keylim: Mita, Shulchan, Cisei and Menorah are tangentially referred to on daf Tes as the keylim which the Shunamite woman requests her husband to provide Elisha (Melochim Beis, Daled), perhaps creating a Shochein Tov for herself.

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