The Days of Awe are upon us. We will soon be ushering is a new year. And it is through prayer that we connect to G-d.
And while there some uniform prayers that are recited in all congregations, one is frequently baffled by the different versions of the prayer book.
This question about the multiple nuscha’ot, or versions of the liturgy was addressed by the great Chassidic leader Rabbi DovBer, known as the the Maggid of Mezritch, and the successor to the Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of the Chassidic movement.
The following is based on a translation by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan (The Chasidic Masters/Moznaim)
The question was raised as to why there are different customs regarding the order of prayer [such as Ashkenaz and Sephard], and how each individual should pray.
Rabbi Dovber cites a tradition of our Sages that when a person would enter and leave the Holy Temple, he would have to bow 13 times, paralleling the 13 gates of the Temple. These are also alluded to in the Book of Ezekiel, which prophesies about the future Temple. There he states that each tribe will have its own gate when the holiness of Jerusalem is restored to the status it had in the time of the Temple.
What is the significance of these thirteen gates?
It is known that the Temple here on earth paralleled the celestial Temple. The Holy Temple on high therefore also has a gate for each tribe, as explained in the writings of the great sixteenth century Kabbalist, the Ari.
The term gate in relation to the spiritual Temple is that it was the channel through which G-d’s light and energy would be generated onto the world and into the souls of each individual.
Paralleling these gates were the 13 times that a person had to bow. These kneelings involved the transmission of the spiritual sustenance that flows through these gates.
The concept of prayer is therefore the key with which each individual enters through his own gate. We are thus taught that prayer is “the ladder standing on earth, with its head reaching the heavens”. (Gen. 28:12) Each gate has its own combination, and it is for this reason that there are different orders of prayer. Each of the twelve tribes has its own liturgy that corresponds to the spiritual composition and needs of that particular tribe.
The thirteenth gate, however, is for the individual who does not know from which of the twelve tribes he originates. Since he does not know which gate to use, he can use this one to enter the King’s courtyard.
Thus there used to be thirteen different liturgies, one for each tribe that best expressed the individual character of that tribe. The thirteenth gate was a “generic” one that fit every tribe.
Rabbi Dove Ber then proceeds to show the connection of the thirteen gates to the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy that are invoked during these upcoming Days of Awe.
The last of the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy is the one called “v’nakeh-and He cleanses.” As it is the last of the Thirteen Attributes it incorporates the preceding twelve.
Rabbi Dovber then identifies the thirteenth—all encompassing—version of the liturgy as the one that is based on the teachings of the Ari.
“Knowing the paths of heaven as he did, the G-dly Ari taught a way for those who do not know from which tribe they originate. For this reason, he arranged a special order of prayer based on all the others.
It may then be asked why the other twelve gates were needed, since they are all included in the thirteenth. Why is the thirteenth gate not enough?
The answer is, however, that each tribe originally knew its own particular order of prayer, and it was certainly best for each one to enter through its own gate..
Now that people do not know the tribe of their origin, and we also do not know which customs apply to which tribes, it is best to follow the order arranged by the Ari, which is universal.
The prophet Ezekiel predicted that in the Ultimate Future there would only be twelve gates in Jerusalem [one for each tribe]. The reason for this is that everyone will then know his own tribe.
The Ba’al Shem Tov once remarked that while the liturgy can be compared to a key that opens the gates of heaven for us, prayer that is said with sincerity and heartfelt emotion is like an ax that can break through any gate and barrier.
Whichever of the “thirteen gates” is ours, let us truly unite—and break through all the barriers— with the one desire we all have: to be blessed with a year of peace in the Land of Israel and peace throughout the world — with the coming of our righteous Moshiach. Amen!