Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Halakhah הֲלָכָה
On most weekdays, during Shaharit and Minhah, there is a prayer recited after the עֲמִידָה (Amidah) called תַּחֲנוּן (Tahanun). Its other name is נְפִילַת אַפַּיִם (nefilat apayim), which means “falling on your face.” People used to literally fall down on their faces and prostrate while saying this prayer. Now the custom is to recite it sitting down, while facing downward, leaning on your arm (Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim 131:1).
Does this position sound familiar? In our פַּרְשָׁנוּת/Commentary section, we saw a pasuk about Moshe falling on his face. Rashbam explained this was for prayer. A few pesukim later (Bemidbar 16:22), when God wants to wipe out Benei Yisrael, the Torah says that Moshe and Aharon both fell on their faces to cry out to God (וַיִּפְּלוּ עַל פְּנֵיהֶם, va-yiplu al peneihem).
According to Rabbeinu Behaye, our customs around nefilat apayim are based on what Moshe and Aharon did. Rabbeinu Behaye explains that nefilat apayim has different meanings:
- It’s a sign of awe before the greatness of God. We can see that Moshe felt this way when he hid his face at the burning bush (Shemot 3:6).
- It’s a way of displaying our pain while praying, in order to help us get into a mindset of תְּשׁוּבָה (teshuvah, repentance).
- It’s a way to open ourselves completely to God.
The Gemara (Bava Metzia 59b) says that when the Amidah and Tahanun are combined, that can be an extremely powerful form of prayer. This is why we recite them together.
Some Tahanun customs
- Nefilat apayim is only done if there is a Sefer Torah present where a person is praying (Rema, Orah Hayyim 131:2). If there’s no Sefer Torah, we still say Tahanun, just without putting our faces down. This is based on a pasuk (Yehoshua 7:6) that describes Yehoshua falling on his face in front of the אֲרוֹן (aron, ark).
- Tahanun is not said on festive days, such as Shabbat, Yom Tov, or Rosh Hodesh.
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