Why Do Jews Sway When They Pray? - Rabbi Mordechai Becher

What’s said in this shiur

The opening of this shiur, in Rabbi Mordechai Becher’s own words — taken from the captions, so names and Hebrew terms may be approximate.

[Music] you have probably noticed that when you see Jews very often when they're praying they're doing this they were swaying back and forth we call it chuckling right you see people all different styles of chuckling I'm not going to demonstrate them but but people circle why did you do that and how what is the origin of that custom so there are a number of explanations for it one explanation is it's interesting when the Jews came to Mount Sinai it says on the Torah that at the time of the revelation they are no harm they are under Marah hug the people shook and stood far away they shook with fear so it's interesting if you look in the writings of many of our great medieval scholars some from students of Russia or similar victory and others they write is around 12th century they write that it was a custom to teach children to sway back and forth when they'd study Torah because when you study the Torah you're

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1. 0:00[Music] you have probably noticed that when you see Jews very often when they're praying they're…
2. 0:35explanation is it's interesting when the Jews came to Mount Sinai it says on the Torah…
3. 1:09supposed to imagine yourself as though you're receiving it from Mount Sinai in that revelation so…
4. 1:39all my bones declare unto you God who is like you in other words as reviewed…
5. 2:13pray why do they suckle when they learned what's going on so assume by your high…
6. 2:45is the soul of the human being so the soul is compared to a candle he…

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