The Basics of Ahavah Rabbah

Ahavah Rabbah is one of two prayers that occurs in every morning service, including Shabbat, just before the Sh'ma. In English it is often referred to as the prayer about Revelation. Ahavah Rabbah tells us of God's love for us and how that love is reflected in God's gift of Torah to the Jewish people.

Immediately after saying this prayer which thanks God for the gift of Torah, we recite words of Torah -- the Sh'ma and V'ahavta. The two lines of the Sh'ma are bracketed by the Ahavah Rabbah, telling us of God's love for us reflected in the giving of Torah, and the V'ahavta, telling us of our obligation to show our love to God by living God's Torah. At Beth Am, we sing the final lines of Ahavah Rabbah, "bring us from the four corners of the earth and lead us in pride to our land" to the melody of Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel.

In the evening service, Ahavah Rabbah is replaced with Ahavat Olam, a similar prayer that is more appropriate for saying at the end of the day.

Commentary:

I am constantly amazed at how a single prayer can capture me and support me in so many different ways depending on my life situation. Ahavah Rabbah, the prayer said just before the Sh'ma in the morning service, is one of those which seems to adjust itself to my life without ever changing a single letter.

When I lost my job last year and confronted the self-doubt and misery that can accompany that situation, I was attracted suddenly to the opening words, "Ahavah rabbah ahavtanu - Strong is the love with which You love us". By meditating on those words I could see through the cloud that encircled me to a small glimmer of light, the light of God's love, that reached out to me. God's love was so great, so much bigger than I was, that it could find even me.

"V'lo nei-vosh l'olam vaed. May we never be ashamed."

When I began to consider a major career change, my focus shifted. "V'tein b'libeinu l'havin ul'haskil. Grant our hearts understanding." Muddling through the myriad of possibilities for my life's direction, it was difficult to choose to make a big change. I wanted an answer. I wanted someone to come and tell me what to do. Rather than focus my desire on the people around me who could not answer my questions, I was able to focus it on God. Combine this line from Ahavah Rabbah with the last line of Mah Tovu - "aneini b'emet yishecha - answer me God with Your saving truth" - and I had a way to channel my confusion and inspire hope that an answer would eventually come.

As I have marched off in a new direction I now find that different words jump out at me "v'da-beik libeinu b'mitzvotecha. Let our hearts cling to Your mitzvot." Or in some translations, "capture our hearts." Dabeik, to cling to God's mitzvot is, as Rabbi Lawrence Kushner states, even more than that - a fusion with God. So as I pray v'da-beik libeinu, I ask for my will to be fused with God's so that every one of my actions can be made according to God's will.

And as world events continue to take center stage, as I find the fear of anti-Semitism reawakening from childhood and creeping into my psyche, I am comforted to find a new line ready to support me. "V'lo nei-vosh l'olam vaed. May we never be ashamed." In the past I had been puzzled about the existence of this line in the prayer altogether. But now a new meaning has washed over me. To never be ashamed of the gift of God's love means to be proud to be a Jew, to be proud of my belief in the Torah that God has given us as a sign of this love. It is a confidence that I never saw before, a strength that helps me calm my fears.

The prayers of our weekly service sometimes seem repetitive, the same every day, every week. But I have come to believe that the prayers don't have to change. . .life does that for us.

Amy Asin

Prayer Text:

Text from Congregation Beth Am's Shabbat Morning Siddur (prayerbook)

A-ha-vah ra-bah a-hav-ta-nu, Adonai Eloheinu, chem-lah g'do-lah vi-tei-rah cha-mal-ta a-lei-nu. A-vi-nu mal-kei-nu, ba-a-vur a-vo-tei-nu v'i-mo-teinu sheh-bat-chu v'cha va-t'lam-deim chu-kei cha-yim ken t'cho-nei-nu u-t'lam-dei-nu. A-vi-nu ha-av ha-ra-cha-man ha-m'ra-chem ra-chem a-lei-nu. V'tein b'li-bei-nu l'ha-vin u-l'has-kil li-sh'mo-a lil-mod u-l'la-meid li-sh'mor v'la-a-sot u-l'ka-yeim et kol div-rei tal-mud to-ra-teh-cha b'a-ha-vah.

V'ha-eir ei-nei-nu b'to-ra-teh-cha, v'da-bek li-bei-nu b'mitz-vo-teh-cha, v'ya-ched l'va'vei-nu l'a-ha-va ul'yir-a et sh'meh-cha, v'lo-nei-vosh l'o-lam va-ed. Ki v'shem kod-sh'cha ha-ga-dol v'ha-no-ra ba-tach-nu, na-gi-la v'nis-m'cha bi-shu-a-teh-cha.

Va-ha-vi-ei-nu l'sha-lom mei-ar-ba kan-fot ha-a-retz, v'to-li-chei-nu ko-m'mi-ut l'ar-tzei-nu, Ki eil po-el y'shu-ot a-ta, u-va-nu va-char-ta mi-kol am v'la-shon, v'kei-rav-ta-nu l'shim-cha ha-ga-dol seh-la beh-eh-met, l'ho-dot l'cha ul'ya-ched-cha b'a-ha-vah. Ba-ruch ata Adonai, ha-bo-cheir b'amo Yis-ra-eil b'a-ha-vah.

With great love have You loved us, Adonai, our God; with abundant compassion have You cared for us. Our Source, our Sovereign, for the sake of our ancestors who trusted in You and whom You taught the laws of life, be gracious and teach us, too. Our nurturing Parent, compassionate One, deal lovingly with us. Give us a heart to understand and to perceive, to liste, to learn and to teach, to keep, to do, and to fulfill all the words of Your teaching with love.

Enlighten our eyes with Your teaching, help our hearts cleave to Your mitzvot. Unite our hearts in love and awe of Your name, that we might never be brought to shame. For in Your great, holy and awesome name have we trusted; let us be glad and rejoice in Your deliverance.

Bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth, and lead us proudly back to our land. For You are the Power that enacts deliverance, who has drawn us closer to Your great name, above all, with truth, that we may lovingly offer You praise, proclaiming Your Oneness. Praised are You, Adonai, who loves the people Israel.