Parashat Shemot: Prayer in the Parashah
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Devash: Prayer
Illustration credit: Rivka Tsinman

Prayer in the Parashah תְּפִלָּה

We read in our parashah about God’s revelation at the burning bush:
שמות ג׳:ו׳
וַיֹּאמֶר: אָנֹכִי אֱלֹקֵי אָבִיךָ אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב…
Exodus 3:6
God said: “I am the God of your father, God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Yaakov…”
Seem familiar? We use very similar language in the opening line of the Amidah, our central prayer:
סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, עמידה, אבות
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'
אֱלֹקֵינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבותֵינוּ.
אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק, וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקב.
Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Amidah, Patriarchs
Blessed are You, Lord
Our God and God of our ancestors
God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Yaakov
When we speak to God in the Amidah, we use God’s own words from when God spoke to Moshe for the first time!
Did you ever wonder why we repeat the word “אֱלֹקֵי (Elokei, God of),” three times in this line in the Amidah? It could have said, “God of Avraham, Yitzhak, and Yaakov,” instead of, “God of Avraham, God of Yitzhak, and God of Yaakov.” Why all the repetition?
One possible reason is to remind ourselves of this encounter at the burning bush, which is the only story where this exact phrase appears in the Torah. (And the phrase itself is repeated three times throughout this story! See Shemot 3:6, 3:15, and 4:5.)
  • When Moshe heard these words from God, he was surprised and a little frightened. Could that be how tefillah feels sometimes?
  • How might your Amidah change if you think of God speaking to you (like God spoke to Moshe), instead of only thinking about you speaking to God?
  • Try it out! When you say these words in the Amidah, imagine you are standing by the burning bush and speaking with God, just like Moshe. What is that experience like?