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When God Prayed for Mercy Before Judging Israel

Berakhot records God's own prayer that mercy defeat anger, then shows God studying Torah, wearing tefillin, and crowned with Israel's name.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Prayer Inside the House of Prayer
  2. The Judge Prays Before the Verdict
  3. God Wrapped Himself in Prayer
  4. The Crown With Israel's Name

God's prayer is that mercy should defeat anger.

That is what the Talmud says. This is not a prayer for rain or victory or harvest. It is the Creator praying that the Creator's own wrath should yield to the Creator's own compassion. The one who will do the judging is asking that judgment be exceeded by something better.

The Prayer Inside the House of Prayer

In Berakhot 7a, of the Babylonian Talmud, a sage reads a verse from Isaiah with unusual attention. Isaiah says my house of prayer. God's house. Not their house, not your house. If the Temple is where God prays, the sages ask, what does God pray?

The answer arrives in halting, bold language. May it be my will that my mercy overcome my anger, and that my mercy prevail over my other attributes, and that I treat my children with compassion, and go beyond what strict law requires.

God prays for God's children the way a parent prays who knows the verdict but hopes for more than the verdict. Strict judgment has a weight. The prayer is asking that weight be lifted before it falls.

That is the theological surprise. Not that God judges, but that God asks permission from God's own mercy to do something other than judge strictly.

The Judge Prays Before the Verdict

The rabbis are imagining something they cannot quite say directly. Judgment and mercy are not separate forces fighting over Israel. They are aspects of the same divine governance, and they exist in tension. The tension is real. When Israel sins, strict judgment has a legitimate claim. The question is whether mercy can exceed that claim.

The image of God praying is the rabbis' answer to that question. The judge who wants the verdict to go a certain way prays before pronouncing it. That prayer is not a weakness. It is the most honest thing possible to say about how the universe is governed: there is judgment, and there is something that keeps trying to exceed judgment, and that something is also divine.

The prayer is not information about God's body or emotional need. It is aggadic language for an internal divine reality that no other language could carry.

God Wrapped Himself in Prayer

Berakhot continues in a direction that makes the picture more physical and more strange. Rabbi Avin bar Rav Ada, in the name of Rabbi Yitzhak, asks what is written in God's tefillin. The arm-tefillin, in Jewish practice, contains the Shema. But God's tefillin contain another verse: who is like your people Israel, one nation on earth.

God wears Israel's name on the arm that acts and at the head that commands.

Then the tallit. Psalm 104 says God covers himself with light as with a garment. The rabbis read the covering of light as a cosmic prayer shawl. The same God who commanded Israel to wrap themselves in fringed garments for prayer wraps himself in the metaphysical equivalent and stands before his own court.

God studying Torah also appears in this cluster of Berakhot passages. The Zohar says God studies the Written Torah by day and the Oral Torah by night. The Creator who gave the law returns to it, not because he forgot it but because study is itself a form of devotion, and the God who demands love of learning from Israel demonstrates that love from the source.

The Crown With Israel's Name

One last image in the Berakhot tradition completes the scene. God wears a crown. All the letters of the Hebrew alphabet adorn it, the building blocks of creation itself arranged as decoration on the head of the one who spoke them into existence. Between two staves of the crown is a precious stone engraved with words that name the bond between heaven and people: Israel, my people. My people are mine.

The crown takes the name of Israel. God's glory and Israel's covenant are written on the same object. The judgment that falls on Israel falls on someone whose name is already engraved where God's dignity rests.

PrayerMercyTalmudTorahJudgment
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From the tradition

Sources

4 sources

The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Berakhot 7aTalmud Bavli, Berakhot

Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yose: From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays? As it is said: "And I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer" (Isaiah 56:7). It does not say "their prayer," but "My prayer"; from here we learn that the Holy One, blessed be He, prays.

What does He pray?

Rav Zutra bar Toviya said that Rav said: "May it be My will that My mercy subdue My anger, and that My mercy prevail over My attributes, and that I conduct Myself toward My children with the attribute of mercy, and that for their sake I enter within the boundary of strict justice."

It was taught: Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha said: One time I entered to offer incense in the innermost place, and I saw Akatriel Yah, the LORD of Hosts, who was sitting upon a high and exalted throne, and He said to me: "Yishmael, My son, bless Me!" I said to Him: "May it be Your will that Your mercy subdue Your anger, and that Your mercy prevail over Your attributes, and that You conduct Yourself toward Your children with the attribute of mercy, and that for their sake You enter within the boundary of strict justice." And He nodded to me with His head. And this teaches us that the blessing of an ordinary person should not be light in your eyes.

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Avodah Zarah 3bTalmud Bavli, Avodah

But Rav Yehudah said that Rav said: The day is twelve hours. During the first three, the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and engages in Torah. During the second three, He sits and judges the entire world; when He sees that the world is liable to destruction, He rises from the throne of justice and sits upon the throne of mercy.

During the fourth three hours, what does He do? He sits and teaches Torah to the schoolchildren, as it is said: "Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand the message? Them that are weaned from the milk, drawn from the breasts" (Isaiah 28:9). For whom shall He teach knowledge, and to whom shall He make understand the message? To those weaned from the milk and those drawn from the breasts.

And originally, before the giving of the Torah, who would teach them? If you wish, say: Metatron; and if you wish, say: He did both this and that.

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Berakhot 6aTalmud Bavli, Berakhot

Rabbi Avin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzchak said: From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, dons phylacteries? As it is said: "The LORD has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength" (Isaiah 62:8).

"By His right hand" - this is the Torah, as it is said: "At His right hand was a fiery law unto them" (Deuteronomy 33:2). "And by the arm of His strength" - these are the phylacteries, as it is said: "The LORD will give strength unto His people" (Psalms 29:11).

Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said to Rav Chiyya bar Avin: These phylacteries of the Master of the world, what is written in them? He said to him: "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the earth" (1 Chronicles 17:21).

And does the Holy One, blessed be He, take pride in the praise of Israel? Yes, as it is written: "You have declared the LORD this day" (Deuteronomy 26:17), and it is written: "And the LORD has declared you this day" (Deuteronomy 26:18). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: You have made Me a single distinct entity in the world, and I will make you a single distinct entity in the world.

You have made Me a single distinct entity in the world, as it is said: "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4); and I will make you a single distinct entity in the world, as it is said: "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the earth" (1 Chronicles 17:21).

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Berakhot 55aTalmud Bavli, Berakhot

Anyone who prolongs his prayer and expects it to be answered, will ultimately come to heartache, as it is stated: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick” (Proverbs 13:12). Similarly, Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Three matters evoke a person’s sins, and they are: Endangering oneself by sitting or standing next to an inclined wall that is about to collapse, expecting prayer to be accepted, as that leads to an assessment of his status and merit, and passing a case against another to Heaven, as praying for Heaven to pass judgment on another person causes one’s own deeds to be examined and compared with the deeds of that other person. This proves that prolonging prayer is a fault.

The Gemara resolves the apparent contradiction: This is not difficult. This, where we learned that prolonging prayer is undesirable, refers to a situation when one expects his prayer to be accepted, while this, where Rav Yehuda says that prolonging prayer prolongs one’s life, refers to a situation where one does not expect his prayer to be accepted. How does he prolong his prayer? By increasing his supplication.

As for the virtue of prolonging one’s mealtime at the table, which Rav Yehuda mentioned, the Gemara explains: Perhaps a poor person will come during the meal and the host will be in a position to give him food immediately, without forcing the poor person to wait. The Sages elsewhere praised a person who acts appropriately at a meal, as it is written: “The altar, three cubits high and the length thereof, two cubits, was of wood, and so the corners thereof; the length thereof, and the walls thereof, were also of wood” (Ezekiel 41:22), and it is written in the continuation of that verse: “And he said unto me: This is the table that is before the Lord.” The language of this verse is difficult, as it begins with the altar and concludes with the table. Rather, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar both say: As long as the Temple stood, the altar atoned for Israel’s transgressions. Now that it is destroyed, a person’s table atones for his transgressions.

With regard to what Rav Yehuda said in praise of one who prolongs his time in the bathroom, the Gemara asks: Is that a virtue? Wasn’t it taught in a baraita: Ten things bring a person to suffer from hemorrhoids: One who eats the leaves of bulrushes, grape leaves, tendrils of grapevines, the palate and tongue of an animal, as well as any other part of the animal which is not smooth and which has protrusions, the spine of a fish, a salty fish that is not fully cooked, and one who drinks wine dregs, and one who wipes himself with lime and clay, the materials from which earthenware is made, and one who wipes himself with a stone with which another person wiped himself. And some say: One who suspends himself too much in the bathroom as well. This proves that prolonging one’s time in the bathroom is harmful.

The Gemara responds: This is not difficult. This baraita, which teaches that doing so is harmful, refers to where one prolongs his time there and suspends himself, while this statement of Rav Yehuda refers to where one prolongs his time there and does not suspend himself.

The Gemara relates the benefits of prolonging one’s time in the bathroom. Like that incident when a matron [matronita] said to Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi El’ai: Your face is fat and full, like the faces of pig farmers and usurers who do not work hard and who make a plentiful living. He said to her: Honestly, those two occupations are prohibited to me; rather, why is it that my face is nice? Because there are twenty-four bathrooms between my lodging and the study hall, and when I walk I stop and examine myself in all of them.

And Rav Yehuda said: Three things curtail a person’s days and years: One who is invited and given the Torah scroll to read and he does not read, one who is given a cup of blessing over which to recite a blessing and he does not recite a blessing, and one who conducts himself with an air of superiority.

The Gemara details the biblical sources for these cases: One who is given the Torah scroll to read and he does not read, as it is written of the Torah: “It is your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:20). A cup of blessing over which to recite a blessing and he does not recite a blessing, as it is written: “I will bless them that bless you” (Genesis 12:3); one who blesses is blessed and one who does not bless does not merit a blessing. And with regard to one who conducts himself with an air of superiority, as Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Why did Joseph die before his brothers, as evidenced by the order in the verse: “And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation” (Exodus 1:6)? Because he conducted himself with an air of superiority, and those who did not serve in a leadership role lived on after he died.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Three matters require a plea for mercy to bring them about: A good king, a good year, and a good dream. These three, kings, years, and dreams, are all bestowed by God and one must pray that they should be positive and constructive. The Gemara enumerates the sources for these cases: A good king, as it is written: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord as the watercourses: He turns it whithersoever He will” (Proverbs 21:1). A good year, as it is written: “The eyes of the Lord, thy God, are always upon it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year” (Deuteronomy 11:12). And a good dream, as it is written: “O Lord, by these things men live, and altogether therein is the life of my spirit; wherefore You will recover me [vataḥlimeni], and make me to live” (Isaiah 38:16). Due to their apparent etymological similarity, the word taḥlimeni is interpreted as deriving from the word ḥalom, dream.

Similarly, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Three matters are proclaimed by the Holy One, Blessed be He, Himself: Famine, plenty, and a good leader. The Gemara enumerates the sources for these cases: Famine, as it is written: “For the Lord has called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years” (II Kings 8:1). Plenty, as it is written: “And I will call for the grain, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you” (Ezekiel 36:29). And a good leader, as it is written: “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying: See, I have called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah” (Exodus 31:1–2).

With regard to Bezalel’s appointment, Rabbi Yitzḥak said: One may only appoint a leader over a community if he consults with the community and they agree to the appointment, as it is stated: “And Moses said unto the children of Israel: See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel, son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah” (Exodus 35:30). The Lord said to Moses: Moses, is Bezalel a suitable appointment in your eyes? Moses said to Him: Master of the universe, if he is a suitable appointment in Your eyes, then all the more so in my eyes. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: Nevertheless, go and tell Israel and ask their opinion. Moses went and said to Israel: Is Bezalel suitable in your eyes? They said to him: If he is suitable in the eyes of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and in your eyes, all the more so he is suitable in our eyes.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: Bezalel was called by that name on account of his wisdom. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Go say to Bezalel, “Make a tabernacle, an ark, and vessels” (see Exodus 31:7–11), Moses went and reversed the order and told Bezalel: “Make an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle” (see Exodus 25–26). He said to Moses: Moses, our teacher, the standard practice throughout the world is that a person builds a house and only afterward places the vessels in the house, and you say to me: Make an ark, and vessels, and a tabernacle. If I do so in the order you have commanded, the vessels that I make, where shall I put them? Perhaps God told you the following: “Make a tabernacle, ark, and vessels” (see Exodus 36). Moses said to Bezalel: Perhaps you were in God’s shadow [betzel El], and you knew precisely what He said. You intuited God’s commands just as He stated them, as if you were there.

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: Bezalel knew how to join the letters with which heaven and earth were created. From where do we derive this? It is written here in praise of Bezalel: “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Exodus 31:3); and it is written there with regard to creation of heaven and earth: “The Lord, by wisdom, founded the earth; by understanding He established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:19), and it is written: “By His knowledge the depths were broken up and the skies drop down the dew” (Proverbs 3:20). We see that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, the qualities with which the heavens and earth were created, are all found in Bezalel.

On a similar note, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, only grants wisdom to one who already possesses wisdom, as it is stated: “He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to they who know understanding” (Daniel 2:21). Rav Taḥalifa, from the West, Eretz Yisrael, heard this and repeated it before Rabbi Abbahu. Rabbi Abbahu said to him: You learned proof for this idea from there; we learn it from here: As it is written in praise of the builders of the Tabernacle: “And in the hearts of all who are wise-hearted I have placed wisdom” (Exodus 31:6).

Related to what was stated above, that one should pray for a good dream, the Gemara cites additional maxims concerning dreams and their interpretation. Rav Ḥisda said: One should see any dream, and not a fast. In other words, any dream is preferable to a dream during a fast. And Rav Ḥisda said: A dream not interpreted is like a letter not read. As long as it is not interpreted it cannot be fulfilled; the interpretation of a dream creates its meaning. And Rav Ḥisda said: A good dream is not entirely fulfilled and a bad dream is not entirely fulfilled. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is preferable to a good dream, as a bad dream causes one to feel remorse and to repent. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream, his sadness is enough for him; a good dream, his joy is enough for him. This means that the sadness or joy engendered by the dream renders the actual fulfillment of the dream superfluous. Similarly, Rav Yosef said: Even for me, the joy of a good dream negates it. Even Rav Yosef, who was blind and ill, derived such pleasure from a good dream that it was never actually realized. And Rav Ḥisda said: A bad dream is worse than lashes, as it is stated: “God has so made it, that men should fear before Him” (Ecclesiastes 3:14), and Rabba bar bar Ḥana said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: That is a bad dream that causes man to fear.

With regard to the verse: “The prophet that has a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What has the straw to do with the grain? says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:28), the Gemara asks: What do straw and grain have to do with a dream? Rather, Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai: Just as it is impossible for the grain to grow without straw, so too it is impossible to dream without idle matters. Even a dream that will be fulfilled in the future contains some element of nonsense.

On a similar note, Rabbi Berekhya said: Even though part of a dream is fulfilled, all of it is not fulfilled. From where do we derive this? From the story of Joseph’s dream, as it is written: “And he said: Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream: and, behold, the sun and the moon

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