זָכְרֵֽנוּ לְחַיִּים מֶֽלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים וְכָתְבֵֽנוּ בְּסֵֽפֶר הַחַיִּים לְמַעַנְךָ אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים:
Remember us for life, King, Who desires life and inscribe us in the Book of Life, for Your sake, Living God.
זָכְרֵֽנוּ לְחַיִּים
Remember us for life
Rashi: Because these are days of judgment and our lives hang in the balance, we pray to Hashem to remember us for life
Why are we using the word remember here? Do you think God could forget? What does it mean to remember us for life? And why collective not singular?
מֶֽלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים
King, Who desires life
כִּ֣י לֹ֤א אֶחְפֹּץ֙ בְּמ֣וֹת הַמֵּ֔ת נְאֻ֖ם אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֑ה וְהָשִׁ֖יבוּ וִֽחְיֽוּ׃ (פ)
For it is not My desire that anyone shall die—declares the Lord GOD. Repent, therefore, and live!
Why do we need to be reminded that God delights in life? What does it mean for God to delight in life?
וְכָתְבֵֽנוּ בְּסֵֽפֶר הַחַיִּים
And inscribe us in the Book of Life
וְעַתָּ֖ה אִם־תִּשָּׂ֣א חַטָּאתָ֑ם וְאִם־אַ֕יִן מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִֽסִּפְרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתָֽבְתָּ׃
And now, if You will bear their sin, but if not, erase me, I pray You, from Your book that You have written.
The imagery of the Book of Life is powerful. Why does the prayer connect remembering with inscribing? Can we have one without the other?
לְמַעַנְךָ אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים:
For Your sake, Living God
Rashi: We ask HaShem to grant us life for His sake, i.e., so that we can fulfill His commandments.
What does it mean for God to be doing this for God's sake? Isn't it for our sake? Why the shift in language?