Tefilah: Waking Up Jewish

Leaving Early

“At the end of our tefillos, we say the Aleinu prayer, standing with complete concentration” (Rema 132,2). “One should say Aleinu with fear and awe, for all of the Heavenly Hosts listen and Hashem stands with them. They all respond to the person reciting Aleinu by saying, ‘Happy is the nation whose hope is in Him. Happy is the nation who Hashem is their G-d’” (Mishna Berura 132,8).

The Arizal reveals that while all parts of Shacharis generate a tremendous amount of kedusha, their effect on us is not immediate. When Ashrei, Lamnatze’ach, uva l’Tzion and Aleinu are said after Shemoneh Esrei, that is the time of “yeridas hashefa,” the moment when all of the kedusha created by our tefillos comes down to us. If we leave shul before reciting them, the kedusha descends but does not find us (Siddur Arizal).

Occasionally, time pressures may force us to leave shul early for an urgent appointment. But if we find ourselves leaving early every day, we must understand that we are losing out on the fruits of our prayers. Every effort should be made to stay in shul until the very end of the services.

Text Copyright © 2011 by Rabbi Daniel Travis and Torah.org