Save "Stuttering on Yom Kippur"
Stuttering on Yom Kippur
Philo Of Alexandria from De Specialibus legibus (The Special Laws) 1:186-7
Every one is at this time occupied in prayers and supplications, and since they all devote their entire leisure to nothing else from morning till evening, except to most acceptable prayers by which they endeavour to gain the favour of God, entreating pardon for their sins and hoping for his mercy, not for their own merits but through the compassionate nature of that Being who will have forgiveness rather than punishment.

תְּבִיאֵנוּ אֶל הַר קָדְשֶֽׁךָ

וְשַׂמְּחֵֽנוּ בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתֶֽךָ

כְּמָה שֶׁכָּתוּב:

וַהֲבִיאוֹתִים אֶל הַר קָדְשִׁי

וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים בְּבֵית תְּפִלָּתִי

עוֹלוֹתֵיהֶם וְזִבְחֵיהֶם

לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחִי

כִּי בֵיתִי

בֵּית תְּפִלָּה יִקָּרֵא

לְכָל הָעַמִּים:

Bring us to Your holy mountain,

And make us joyful in Your House of Prayer,

As it is written:

“And I will bring them to My holy mountain,

And make them joyful in My House of Prayer;

Their burnt-offerings and sacrifices

Will be accepted with favor on My Altar,

For My House

Will be called a House of Prayer

for all peoples.”

וַהֲבִיאוֹתִ֞ים אֶל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֗י וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים֙ בְּבֵ֣ית תְּפִלָּתִ֔י עוֹלֹתֵיהֶ֧ם וְזִבְחֵיהֶ֛ם לְרָצ֖וֹן עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י כִּ֣י בֵיתִ֔י בֵּית־תְּפִלָּ֥ה יִקָּרֵ֖א לְכָל־הָעַמִּֽים׃
I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My altar; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples.”

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי יוסי מנין שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתפלל שנאמר והביאותים אל הר קדשי ושמחתים בבית תפלתי תפלתם לא נאמר אלא תפלתי מכאן שהקדוש ברוך הוא מתפלל

Along the same lines, Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays? As it is stated: “I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of My prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). The verse does not say the house of their prayer, but rather, “the house of My prayer”; from here we see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays.

וַֽיְהִי֙ אַחֲרֵי־כֵ֔ן וַיֶּאֱהַ֥ב אִשָּׁ֖ה בְּנַ֣חַל שֹׂרֵ֑ק וּשְׁמָ֖הּ דְּלִילָֽה׃
After that, he fell in love with a woman in the Wadi Sorek, named Delilah.

סְלַח לָֽנוּ. מְחַל לָֽנוּ. כַּפֶּר לָֽנוּ:

כִּי אָֽנוּ עַמֶּֽךָ וְאַתָּה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ.

אָֽנוּ בָנֶֽיךָ וְאַתָּה אָבִֽינוּ:

אָֽנוּ עֲבָדֶֽיךָ וְאַתָּה אֲדוֹנֵֽנוּ.

אָֽנוּ קְהָלֶֽךָ וְאַתָּה חֶלְקֵֽנוּ:

אָֽנוּ נַחֲלָתֶֽךָ וְאַתָּה גוֹרָלֵֽנוּ.

ֿ

אָֽנוּ צֹאנֶֽךָ וְאַתָּה רוֹעֵֽנוּ:

אָֽנוּ כַרְמֶּֽךָ וְאַתָּה נוֹטְרֵֽנוּ.

אָֽנוּ פְעֻלָּתֶֽךָ וְאַתָּה יוֹצְרֵֽנוּ:

אָֽנוּ רַעְיָתֶֽךָ וְאַתָּה דוֹדֵֽנוּ.

אָֽנוּ סְגֻלָּתֶךָ וְאַתָּה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ.

אָֽנוּ עַמֶּֽךָ וְאַתָּה מַלְכֵּֽנוּ:

אָֽנוּ מַאֲמִירֶֽיךָ וְאַתָּה מַאֲמִירֵֽנוּ:

Pardon us, forgive us, atone for us.

For we are Your people; and You are our God.

We are Your children; and You are our Father.

We are Your servants; and You are our Master.

We are Your congregation; and You are our Portion.

We are Your inheritance; and You are our Destiny.

We are Your flock; and You are our Shepherd.

We are Your vineyard; and You are our Keeper.

We are Your work; and You are our Creator.

We are Your dear ones and You are our Beloved.

We are Your treasure; and You are our God.

We are Your people; and You are our King.

We are Your distinguished ones; and You are our distinguished one.

Robert Frost interview in The Atlantic, 1962
If you remember only one thing I've said, remember that an idea is a feat of association, and the height of it is a good metaphor. If you have never made a good metaphor, then you don't know what it's all about.
וְגַ֣ם אֶת־ר֣וּת הַמֹּאֲבִיָּה֩ אֵ֨שֶׁת מַחְל֜וֹן קָנִ֧יתִי לִ֣י לְאִשָּׁ֗ה לְהָקִ֤ים שֵׁם־הַמֵּת֙ עַל־נַ֣חֲלָת֔וֹ וְלֹא־יִכָּרֵ֧ת שֵׁם־הַמֵּ֛ת מֵעִ֥ם אֶחָ֖יו וּמִשַּׁ֣עַר מְקוֹמ֑וֹ עֵדִ֥ים אַתֶּ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃
I am also acquiring Ruth the Moabite, the wife of Mahlon, as my wife, so as to perpetuate the name of the deceased upon his estate, that the name of the deceased may not disappear from among his kinsmen and from the gate of his home town. You are witnesses today.”
נחל גרר, נחל נקרא העמק ואע"פ שאין שם מים, כמו והעיר אשר בנחל (דברים ב' ל"ו) ימין העיר אשר בתוך הנחל; וזה נחל גרר היה שם העיר, וחנה שם יצחק בנסעו מגרר וישב שם, וחפר שם בארות לצורך מקנהו שהיה רב:
וילך..בנחל גרר. The word נחל describes a valley even though there was no river in that valley. We have another example of this in Deuteronomy 2,36 העיר אשר בנחל, “the city which was located in the valley,” or Samuel II 24,5 ימין העיר אשר בנחל, “to the right of the city in the valley.” The most potent proof for our statement is Genesis 26,19 ויחפרו עבדי יצחק בנחל, “the servants of Yitzchok dug in the valley.” If there had been water, a rivulet, or something in the valley, what did they have to dig for? Gerar was the name of the town in that valley, the place where Yitzchok settled. He dug many wells in that region as he owned much livestock and had to provide water for his beasts.

אוֹחִֽילָה לָאֵל. אֲחַלֶּה פָנָיו. אֶשְׁאֲלָה מִמֶּנּוּ מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן:

אֲשֶׁר בִּקְהַל עָם אָשִֽׁירָה עֻזּוֹ. אַבִּֽיעָה רְנָנוֹת בְּעַד מִפְעָלָיו:

לְאָדָם מַעַרְכֵי לֵב. וּמֵיְהֹוָה מַעֲנֵה לָשׁוֹן:

אדושם, שְׂפָתַי תִּפְתָּח. וּפִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ:

I hope in Almighty, I implore His Presence, I ask of Him to grant me eloquent speech,

So that in the congregation of the people, I might sing of His might and utter joyful songs praising His deeds.

The arrangements of thoughts belong to man, but [only] from God, comes eloquent speech.

My Master, open my lips and my mouth will declare Your praise.

(א) לאדם מערכי לב, הלב עורך ומסדר את אשר ידבר. ובאשר הבחירה ביד האדם הוא מעריך מערכות הרבה ואופנים שונים מה יענה, ובכ"ז הגמר ומענה הלשון הוא מה', וצריך עזר ממרומים שיענה מענה טוב, ר"ל גמר הפעולה, ובפרט דבור הלשון הוא מה', כמ"ש ואתפללה אל אלקי השמים ואומרה למלך שהתפלל על מענה לשון שיעלה בידו כראוי: