Modim - Etz Yosef

מוֹדִים

The numerical equivalent (gematria) of the word Modim is 100, which alludes to our obligation to recite 100 blessings to Hashem every day.

שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

Introduction:

One would think that the Modim prayer would jump right into the things in our lives we are thankful for, like our homes, health, and possessions.

But that is not the case.

The first few clauses of Modim focus on thanking Hashem for is the fact that He promised our nation, the nation of the Jews, that He will never forsake us as His Chosen Nation nor replace us with another nation.

The passuk in Devarim shows this two-sided relationship between Klal Yisrael and Hashem as being the sole treasured nation forever:

צוּר חַיֵּֽינוּ

What is the intent in thanking Hashem in His role as being the Rock of our Lives?

Etz Yosef asserts that the terms "Tzur" has the implication of something which other entities can be hewn from it. For example, the passuk refers to Avraham Avinu as "Tzur" in a passuk in Yeshaya as the rock in which Klal Yisrael's physical existence was hewn from, as it says:

In the context of this beracha, we refer to Hashem as "Tzur" because Klal Yisrael's spiritual existence is hen from Hashem, as the passuk says when Hashem created the first Man:

מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ אַתָּה הוּא לְדוֹר וָדוֹר

We refer to Hashem here as the Shield of our Salvation based on a passuk in Tehillim where Dovid HaMelech professes his faith in Hashem, where he says:

Introduction:

This portion of Modim has an interesting structure. First we introduce two modes of "paying tribute"to Hashem (praise and thanks) and it is followed by two "articles" which the tribute is related to (our lives and our souls).

As we will see, the determination as to which mode of tribute relates to which article will be based on how the two clauses form to create an allusion to a passuk in Tanach,

The term "Nodeh lecha" matches with "Al Chayeinu" following the passuk in Yeshaya which states:

And the term "Nesaper Tehilasecha" matches with the clause "Ve'Al Nishmosenu Hapekudos Lach" corresponding to the passuk in Tehillim:

וְעַל נִשְׁמוֹתֵֽינוּ הַפְּ֒קוּדוֹת לָךְ

When saying these words, Yaaros Devash urges us to have kavanna to thank Hashem for allowing us to wake up in the morning. In a spiritual sense, we believe that every night we "deposit" our souls with Hashem and every morning He "returns" it to us.

This phenomenon requires a special gratitude because if we were to rely on our own merits, Hashem shouldn't return our souls to us, because just like with any deposit, one only gets it back if he repays his dues to the debtor, so too Hashem gives us life and when we do aveiros we accrue "debt" to Hashem and by strict letter of the law, we should only get back our souls once we do teshuva thereby repaying that outstanding debt!

Yet, out of His great mercy, He return our souls to us anyways and gives us life so we can the opportunity to do teshuva.

Parenthetically, the Zohar teaches a practical lesson from here. Just like Hashem acts compassionately and gives us back our souls even though we still are in debt towards Him, so too one should act compassionately towards his fellow Jew who owes him money and has taken a security, the debtor should return the deposit if the indebted one is in need of it.

Zohar concludes his exhortation sharply, by saying: "And one who does not do this, is not acting in accordance to the holy nation of the Jewish people!"

Introduction:

In this portion of Modim, we begin to get into "day-to-day" scenarios in which we are thankful to Hashem.

We mention the miracles when we clearly saw Hashem's intervention and miracles which we'll never know about, which Hashem did for us behind the scenes, saving us from peril.

וְעַל נִסֶּֽיךָ שֶׁבְּכָל יוֹם עִמָּֽנוּ

"Nissim" refer to open miracles that Hashem does for us, which stay etched in our minds.

וְעַל נִפְלְ֒אוֹתֶֽיךָ

As opposed to Nissim which refer to open miracles, Niflaos refer to hidden miracles which Hashem does for us, which we never became conscious of.

The notion that niflaos refer to hidden miracles is clearly implied from the Gemara in Niddah which says:

Etz Yosef says that the idea that Hashem does miracles for us even without our knowledge is testament to His love towards Klal Yisrael, to instill into us how appreciative we need to be towards Hashem.

One such example of a "behind-the-scenes" miracles Etz Yosef brings up is how Hashem saves us from prosecuting angels and constellations who constantly do battle against us. We learn this (obscure) concept of clear and present spiritual dangers from the passuk in Tehillim which states:

עֶֽרֶב וָבֹֽקֶר וְצָהֳרָֽיִם

Simply this clause is saying that Hashem does all of these types of miracles for us at all times during the day.

However, Etz Yosef says that this phrase, which mentions the three sections of the day, is stylistic of a passuk in Tehillim and connects to "niflosecha" in particular. The passuk in Tehillim says:

The passuk implies that there is a constant danger we are in at all periods of the day, and this, presumably, refers to our constant danger from spiritual forces. The Gemara in Berachos shows just how clear and present the danger is:

הַטּוֹב...וְהַמְ֒רַחֵם

Here one should think that he is literally standing in front of Hashem, the Beneficient One and the Merciful One who grants us everything in our lives!

Introduction:

In this portion of Modim, Etz Yosef brings up a technical issue regarding where a comma is placed, which results in having two totally different interpretations of the clause. The issue revolves around if a comma is placed after the word "Mayolam", connecting it to the upper clause, or before it, connecting it to the lower clause.

Option 1: Comma after "Mayolam:"
,כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ מֵעוֹלָם

לכן) קִוִּֽינוּ לָךְ)

If the comma is placed after "Mayolam", the clause ,כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ מֵעוֹלָם is praising Hashem by saying: "And you have never ceased your kindnesses forever" and the next words קִוִּֽינוּ לָךְ is a follow-up statement,

"(Therefore) We believe in You!"

This is the position endorsed by Yaavetz. His rationale is because the phrase

,כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ מֵעוֹלָם is stylistic of a passuk in Tehillim which has the word "Mayolam:"

Option 2: Comma before "Mayolam:"

,כִּי לֹא תַֽמּוּ חֲסָדֶֽיךָ

מֵעוֹלָם קִוִּֽינוּ לָךְ

But, if the comma is placed before the word "Mayolam" the reading and the meaning of the clause changes. In the first clause we are praising Hashem "And your kindness has never ceased" and the next words are "We have believed in You forever."

וְעַל־כֻּלָּם

And above all of the berachos we have said thus far in Shemoneh Esrei, Your Name is exalted beyond all of them, and just by recounting Your acts of kindness, it does not do justice to Your true Essence, as the passuk says:

תָּמִיד

Constantly, without any interruption at all

לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד

With no interruption forever and ever. The implication of this clause meaning "forever and ever" is learned mainly from the word וָעֶד, as Chazal say in Eruvin:

Introduction:

The final section of Modim incorporates a Halachic twist alluding to the various times one is required to make a beracha to thank Hashem for saving him from specific perilous situations. This section also includes many stylistic references to the pesukim in Yeshayahu which detail Chizkiyahu's miraculous recovery from a sickness (which is incidentally one of the circumstances in Halacha when one must make a bracha of thanksgiving)

הַחַיִּים

The four letters of the word "Chayim" have the same beginning letters of the four times a person must make the bracha of Thanksgiving. The four scenarios in which the bracha of thanksgiving is warranted, (as well as the allusion found in the bracha of Modim), is codified in Shulchan Aruch:

It is then appropos that the phraseology is stylistic of the passuk in Yeshaya describing Chizkiya's song to Hashem thanking Him for granting him a recovery from his illness, as it says:

וִיהַלְ֒לוּ אֶת־שִׁמְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת

The next words in the beracha resemble a later section of Chizkiyahu's song, further alluding to the topic go this portion of Modim being a salute to the requirement to thank Hashem from releasing us from perilous situation. The passuk says:

Shibbolei Haleket Siman 230 and Taz 642:3 say that the reason we recite this paragraph on Shabbos is so that we can get extra berachos. But it begs the question, how do these terms represent berachos? It must be that the concepts and verbiage used in this Tefilla encapsulate the essence of the berachos. But how?

Two components stand out: 1) We say "Nodeh Laylokeinu..." which shows that thanksgiving is essential to berachos. And also we mention Hashem's attribute of "Moshienu" Our Savior, which as we see from the berachos instituted for those who are in danger, covers that aspect of the berachos.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה הַטּוֹב שִׁמְךָ וּלְךָ נָאֶה לְהוֹדוֹת:

Typically a vav prefix means "and" which acts to separate between a previous subject and a subsequent one.

However, in this context the vav means "therefore," which strings together the two statements as one being the fact and the subsequent one being the residual effect of that presented fact.

The interpretation of the ending clause of this bracha is thus rendered as one run-on statement:

"Your Name is Great, (in other words, Your actions come purely from Your attribute of kindness and beneficence with no ulterior motive), therefore it is correct to praise You, since there is no concern that You will bring Your beneficence to an end, which would render our past praises for naught (?).

Etz Yosef offers an alternative explanation of this last clause, this time employing the vav prefix in its standard usage- "and", as follows:

We know from Hilchos Lashon Hara that speaking negatively about people is a bad thing and should be avoided in most cases. One could have deduced that by doing the opposite, speaking highly of people, is a good thing and should be encouraged. However, Chazal, in their infinite wisdom and understanding of human nature, say that even speaking highly of people should be avoided because by singing a person's praises to an audience, one of the listeners may become jealous and mention one of the shortcomings of the subject being discussed. Chazal say:

The Chofetz Chaim brings this Gemara in his Sefer Chofetz Chaim and further illustrates the reason behind this Halacha. He writes (Hilchos Lashon Hara Chapter 9):

We see from here that the core issue of overly singing someone's praises is not inherently prohibited, rather it is a precautionary measure to prevent the listeners - or the speaker himself - from shifting the praise ceremony into also mentioning what he lacks, thus committing the sin of Lashon Hara proper.

With this understanding it would emerge that this precaution only applies to people who have deficiencies -which is everybody- because of the chance that his deficiencies will be brought up. But if the subject is a being that has no flaws, namely the Being Who is Perfect in all of His ways - Hashem - then the issue of speaking of that Being's praises would be inapplicable.

The Etz Yosef concludes, that perhaps this is the intention in the ending clause of this bracha: Your Name is the Beneficient One - and there is no evil or shortcomings in Your deeds at all - and therefore we add, "and therefore it is "permitted" to sing of your praises and deeds because it will not bring people to speak of Your flaws, because there are none, as Dovid HaMelech wrote in Tehillim: