attributes of mercy
on the divine's (literally, metaphorically, or otherwise) and on ours
One of the things that one hears a lot at the Yom Kippur service – honestly, one of my very favorite parts– is the repetition of what's known as the Shosh Esrei Middot of Rachamim, or the Thirteen Forms of Mercy (what it says on the box, yes).
It's a beautiful singing of part of Exodus 34:6-7, and it's a key chunk of traditional Jewish theology that appears a lot in the Yom Kippur service (as well as the penitential prayers of the Slichot service, a couple-ish weeks back).
You may remember: Just after the Exodus, Moses goes up on Sinai and then things get hectic (Golden Calf, smashing tablets, etc.) God keeps asking a lot from Moses, who longs for more from this relationship:
"Oh, please show me your glory!" (Exodus 33:18)
❤️🔥
God relents, tells Moses that though he won't experience of the divine fully (what mortal could??) he could stand in the cleft of the mountain and catch some effulgence in the wake of the Holy One passing-by:
וַיֵּ֤רֶד ה' בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם ה'׃ (ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר ה' ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ ה' ׀ ה' אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ (ז) נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙
God came down in a cloud; God stood with Moses there, and proclaimed the name God. God passed before him and proclaimed: “God! God! A compassionate and gracious deity! Slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin– (Exodus 34:6-7,)
These words also show up all over the Bible; it's been a core part of Israelite/Judean/Jewish theology for some time.
October Zoom Salon! October 5, 2pm ET/ 11 am PT
HARVEST JOY
At Sukkot, the holiday of the fall harvest, we are commanded to rejoice. And even if we know that this rejoicing is a choice--even so, showing up for t actually, not just in theory, but with our full bodies and full selves--demands more than just theory. We'll look at Hasidic ideas and practices on rejoicing and the deeper meanings of this season to help us find the open-hearted energy that can nourish us, and those around us, on a deeper level, despite all the hard things that might be swirling around now.