“Pardon Me”: Praying for Mercy on Rosh Hashanah
When our family moved to Israel in 1982, we did not speak Hebrew. In our early weeks in the Land our ears were attuned to the barrage of foreign words which we tried to decipher in context.
S’lichah (pronounced s’lee-KHA) was a word used at the beginning of a sentence, as when someone interrupted a group conversation to ask for something. Other times we heard s’lichah as a stand-alone, used when elbowing one’s way through a crowd or having stepped on someone’s toe.
Ah, it must mean “excuse me, pardon me!” we figured. A handy word to add to our vocabulary, for sure.
It came as something of a surprise to learn that the special prayer book used at Rosh Hashanah[1] is entitled Selichos,[2] the plural form of the noun.
…Selihos is a penitential poem that confesses one’s sins and asks God for forgiveness, but the word never occurs in the singular. The plural, selihos popularly refers to the entire liturgical routine recited in the synagogue, one that comprises multiple such poems, a hodgepodge of Psalms passages and verses, and kaddish.[3]
The Artscroll prayer book[4] refers to these as “prayers of supplication,” as indeed they are. And they are rooted in the reality that Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Ten Days of Awe (Yammin Noraim).[5]
In rabbinic tradition, God inscribes each individual’s name in His books on Rosh Hashanah. Thus the traditional greeting is “May you be inscribed (in God’s Book of Life) for a good and sweet year.” The rabbis teach that for 10 days God holds open the books of life and death for the coming year. On Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) the books are closed. One’s actions in the intervening days can change God’s mind as to what the year ahead portends. With this mindset, those serious about pleasing the LORD will especially pay attention to their deeds.
It is perfectly understandable in a merit-based religious system that one would desire every advantage possible to insure right standing with a holy God. So if 10 days of prayer may be all that is required, would not “extra credit” be a good idea? Describing the origins of Selichos, Rabbi Davis writes:
Originally, the custom was to recite Selichos only during the Ten Days of Repentance, from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur (see Hil. Teshuvah 3:4). But the spiritual genius of the Jewish people decreed that ten days was not enough, that we had to enter the judgment of Rosh Hashanah with the process of prayer and repentance already under way.[6]
Thus, by tradition, Ashkenazi Jews begin the recitation of Selichos on the 25th of the prior month (Elul), adding an extra week of prayer. Sephardic Jews begin on the 1st of Elul, extending the days of prayer to 40 – the same amount of time Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Torah from the Almighty.
The roots of observance of the Feast of Trumpets hark back to Leviticus 23. Over the years, variations in the observance of Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, arose in the diverse communities of the diaspora. Some of the prayers in Selichos were composed between the 8th and 16th centuries.
But across communal traditions core elements are found. “The central theme of all Selichos…is [Shalosh Esrey Midot Harachamim (transcribed from Hebrew)], the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.”[7]
Here we are introduced to Exodus 34. The setting is Mount Sinai. Following the Golden Calf debacle (Exodus 32), Moses reascends the mountain with two tablets he has cut from stone. The LORD descends in the cloud as Moses calls upon His name (Exodus 34:4-5).
Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:6-7).[8]
Moses responds in a posture of worship (verse 8) and says, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon[9] our iniquity and our sin, and take us as Your own possession (verse 9).”
Rabbi Yochanan’s interpretation of this passage in the Talmud provides insight into how rabbinic tradition so strongly influences how Scriptural texts are understood, and also the emphasis on the 13 Attributes during the Ten Days of Awe:
Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself in a prayer shawl [tallis] like a prayer leader [chazzan] and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them. The verse continues: “The Lord, the Lord,” and it should be understood as follows: I am He before a person sins, and I am He after a person sins and performs repentance, as God does not recall for him his first sins, since He is always “God, merciful and gracious” (Exodus 34:6).[10]
As with so many aspects of the “Judaisms”[11] which have developed over centuries, we may find some elements meaningful, some curious, and some antithetical to Scripture. We (believers in Jesus) certainly would agree that God is merciful and gracious. However, the image of a tallis-draped Almighty instructing Moses to recite 13 attributes as a formula for forgiveness runs contrary to our understanding of how a holy God was to be approached on the Day of Atonement.[12]
Many of the prayers in Selichos are Scripture based, reflecting biblical truth. Day 1 of prayer[13] begins with a statement of the rich benefits enjoyed by those who dwell in God’s house, continually offering Him praise, owning Him as their God. This is immediately followed by Psalm 145, David’s hymn extolling the greatness of the LORD in glory and power. But God’s tender mercy is also invoked: “The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works” (verses 8-9).
The themes of God’s character, including being a Righteous Judge who is rich in mercy, are reechoed in the many pages of prayer that follow. Deeply moving expressions of sorrowful repentance are also included, along with pleas for forgiveness. In Selichah 1 we find these words:
By the awesome deeds of Your right hand may we be redeemed forever, for upon Your mercy that is abundant do we trust…and upon Your righteousness we rely, and for Your forgiveness we hope and for our salvation we await eagerly. You are the King Who loves righteousness since the beginning of time, Who overlooks the iniquities of His people and removes the sins of those who revere Him.[14]
In the introduction to the Artscroll Selichos we find an interesting discussion of whether Judaism allows for intermediaries in prayer. For example, the Torah and God’s heavenly throne are appealed to by some as intercessors on Israel’s behalf.[15]
As a follower of Israel’s promised Messiah who gave Himself as our atoning ransom,[16] I revel in the reality that “there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Messiah Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Written by Wes, Life in Messiah’s Global Ambassador
How would you contrast how the biblical Feast of Trumpets was observed in Scripture with today’s observances within Judaism?
What connecting points do you find for discussing Rosh Hashanah with a Jewish friend?
Who will you cheer this holiday season with a gift basket of apples and honey or a greeting card wishing a happy New Year?
Endnotes:
[1] Rosh Hashanah, the biblical Feast of Trumpets, marks the Jewish civil new year. A basic overview of this holiday can be found at https://www.lifeinmessiah.org/feasts-rosh-hashanah. The year 5784 (since creation) begins at sundown, September 15, 2023.
[2] Modern Hebrew follows the Sephardic pronunciation, s’lichot (slee-KHOAT).
[3] Jacob Gluck, Hasidopedia Vol. 2, self-published Kindle, 2023, page 82.
[4] Selichos: The Complete Selichos with an Interlinear Translation, Artscroll Series, The Schottenstein Edition, Rabbi Menachem Davis, ed., 2019, page XXXV. Much of the material in this blog is gleaned from this book’s introduction.
[5] See https://www.jewfaq.org/days_of_awe.
[6] Selichos, page XXIV.
[7] Selichos, page XXV.
[8] To number thirteen Attributes, the twice-repeated name of the Lord is counted as two attributes.
[9] Of note, the word Moses uses in requesting “pardon” for Israel’s iniquity and sin is from the Hebrew root soleach, from which selichos derives. That word, consistently translated “forgive” or “pardon,” is found in its various forms 50 times in 49 verses in the Old Testament – and this is the very first use of the word in all the Tanakh (OT).
[10] See https://www.sefaria.org/Rosh_Hashanah.17b.6?lang=en.
[11] To be fair-minded, one may also refer to “Christianities” and “Islams,” given the variety of expressions of religious systems. We believe it correct, however, to affirm that the Scriptures, rightly divided, point to the One who alone is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
[12] The central theme of Yom Kippur is blood atonement offered in a prescribed manner in Leviticus 16. The necessity of blood is underscored in Leviticus 17:11.
[13] This is from the Ashkenazi tradition of beginning a week in advance of Rosh Hashanah.
[14] Selichos, page 17.
[15] Maimonides was a leading light who opposed appealing to anyone save God Himself. See Selichos pages XXXVII-XXXIX for discussion of the propriety of seeking angelic or human intercession, as well.
[16] Romans 5 and Hebrews 10 provide wonderful summations of Messiah’s completed work on behalf of sinners – like me!