The Words of Our Lips Like Bulls

(ב) שׁ֚וּבָה יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל עַ֖ד יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֥י כָשַׁ֖לְתָּ בַּעֲוֺנֶֽךָ׃ (ג) קְח֤וּ עִמָּכֶם֙ דְּבָרִ֔ים וְשׁ֖וּבוּ אֶל־יְהוָ֑ה אִמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו כָּל־תִּשָּׂ֤א עָוֺן֙ וְקַח־ט֔וֹב וּֽנְשַׁלְּמָ֥ה פָרִ֖ים שְׂפָתֵֽינוּ׃ (ד) אַשּׁ֣וּר ׀ לֹ֣א יוֹשִׁיעֵ֗נוּ עַל־סוּס֙ לֹ֣א נִרְכָּ֔ב וְלֹא־נֹ֥אמַר ע֛וֹד אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ לְמַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֵ֑ינוּ אֲשֶׁר־בְּךָ֖ יְרֻחַ֥ם יָתֽוֹם׃ (ה) אֶרְפָּא֙ מְשׁ֣וּבָתָ֔ם אֹהֲבֵ֖ם נְדָבָ֑ה כִּ֛י שָׁ֥ב אַפִּ֖י מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃

Hosea 14:2-5

(2) Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, For you have fallen because of your sin. (3) Take words with you And return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Forgive all guilt And accept what is good; Instead of bulls we will pay [The offering of] our lips. (4) Assyria shall not save us, No more will we ride on steeds; Nor ever again will we call Our handiwork our god, Since in You alone orphans find pity!” (5) I will heal their affliction, Generously will I take them back in love; For My anger has turned away from them.

What is the connection between repentance and the emphasis on words rather than bulls? - consider the connection between the verses we discussed last week, from Isaiah 1:11, and Samuel I 15:22, which show that sacrifices have the pitfall of becoming an outward rite, almost a bribe, as though we can placate the Divine without changing.

But if so, why would words need to substitute for sacrifice? Can words replace sacrifice entirely, transforming us to higher level of spirituality, making sacrifices obsolete? Or is there something about sacrifices which is important, intrinsically, in the relationship between human beings and the divine?

במדבר רבה י״ח:כ״א

(כא) (הושע יד, ג): כָּל תִּשָֹּׂא עָוֹן וְקַח טוֹב וּנְשַׁלְמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ. אָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם בִּזְּמַן שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם הָיִינוּ מַקְרִיבִים קָרְבָּן וּמִתְכַּפֵּר, וְעַכְשָׁו אֵין בְּיָדֵנוּ אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה, טוֹ"ב בְּגִימַטְרִיָּה שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה, תְּפִלָּה תְּשַׁע עֶשְׂרֵה בְּרָכוֹת, הוֹצֵא מִשָּׁם בִּרְכַּת הַמִּינִין שֶׁתִּקְנוּהָ בְּיַבְנֶה, וְאֶת צֶמַח דָּוִד שֶׁתִּקְנוּ אַחֲרָיו עַל שׁוּם (תהלים כו, ב): בְּחָנֵנִי ה' וְנַסֵּנִי. וְרַבִּי סִימוֹן אוֹמֵר קַח טוֹב בְּגִימַטְרִיָּה נֶפֶ"שׁ, אָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּשֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ קַיָּם הָיִינוּ מַקְטִירִים חֲלָבִים וְאֵמוּרִין וּמִתְכַּפְּרִין, וְעַכְשָׁו הֲרֵי חֶלְבֵּנוּ וְדָמֵנוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹתֵינוּ, יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁתְּהֵא כַּפָּרָה עָלֵינוּ, וּנְשַׁלְמָה פָרִים שְׂפָתֵינוּ.

Bamidbar Rabbah 18:21

"Forgive all guilt and take the good (tov) that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3). Israel said, "Master of the world, at the time that the Temple existed, we would offer a sacrifice and be cleansed. But now all we have in our hand is prayer." The numerical value of tov is seventeen. Prayer [consists of] nineteen blessings. Take away from them the blessing for the malfeasers that was composed at Yavneh, and "Let the sprout of David blossom," which they ordained after it for the sake of "Probe me, Lord, and try me" (Psalms 26:2). Rabbi Simon says, "Take tov [in at-bash (matching letters based on how close they are to the center of the alphabet), which is the same] as the numerical value of soul (nefesh). Israel said, 'At the time that the Temple existed, we would incinerate the fats and the innards and be cleansed. But now behold our fat, our blood and our souls. May it be Your will that it be atonement for us and "that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3).'"

סידור נוסח עדות המזרח, שחרית לימי החול, פטום הקטורת י״ט-כ׳

(יט) רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָמִים, אַתָּה צִוִיתָנוּ לְהַקְרִיב קָרְבַּן הַתָּמִיד בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ, וְלִהְיוֹת כֹּהֲנִים בַּעֲבוֹדָתָם, וּלְוִיִּם בְּדוּכָנָם, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַעֲמָדָם. וְעַתָּה בַּעֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ חָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וּבֻטַּל הַתָּמִיד, וְאֵין לָנוּ לֹא כֹּהֵן בַּעֲבוֹדָתוֹ וְלֹא לֵוִי בְּדוּכָנוֹ, וְלֹא יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַעֲמָדוֹ, וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ: וּֽנְשַׁלְּמָ֥ה פָרִ֖ים שְׂפָתֵֽינוּ:

(כ) לָכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, שֶׁיְּהֵא שִׂיחַ שִׂפְתוֹתֵינוּ זֶה חָשׁוּב וּמְקֻבָּל וּמְרוּצֶה לְפָנֶיךָ כְּאִילוּ הִקְרַבְנוּ קָרְבַּן הַתָּמִיד בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ וְעָמַדְנוּ עַל מַעֲמָדוֹ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּֽנְשַׁלְּמָ֥ה פָרִ֖ים שְׂפָתֵֽינוּ׃ וְנֶאֱמַר: וְשָׁחַ֨ט אֹת֜וֹ עַ֣ל יֶ֧רֶךְ הַמִּזְבֵּ֛חַ צָפֹ֖נָה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְזָרְק֡וּ בְּנֵי֩ אַהֲרֹ֨ן הַכֹּהֲנִ֧ים אֶת־דָּמ֛וֹ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב: וְנֶאֱמַר: זֹ֣את הַתּוֹרָ֗ה לָֽעֹלָה֙ לַמִּנְחָ֔ה וְלַֽחַטָּ֖את וְלָאָשָׁ֑ם וְלַ֨מִּלּוּאִ֔ים וּלְזֶ֖בַח הַשְּׁלָמִֽים:

Siddur Edot HaMizrach, Weekday Shacharit, Incense Offering 19-20

Sovereign of All Worlds, you commanded us to bring the daily Tamid sacrifice in its hour, and to have priests in their service, and Levites on their podium, and Israelites in their posts; and now in our sins, the temple has been destroyed and the Tamid annuled, and we have neither priests in their service, or levites in their podiums, or Israelites in their posts; and you have stated "that we pay with the words of our lips like bulls";

Now therefore, may it be your will, O Lord our God and the God of our ancestors, that these utterings of our lips be acceptable and significant and worthy before you as though we have brought the Tamid sacrifice as it is said "that we pay with the words of our lips like bulls" and it says (Leviticus 1:11) "It shall be slaughtered before the LORD on the north side of the altar, and Aaron’s sons, the priests, shall dash its blood against all sides of the altar" and it says (Leviticus 7:14) "Such are the rituals of the burnt offering, the meal offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the offering of ordination, and the sacrifice of well-being,"

ברכות כ״ו ב:ד׳-ז׳

אִיתְּמַר, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא אָמַר: תְּפִלּוֹת אָבוֹת תִּקְּנוּם. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי אָמַר: תְּפִלּוֹת כְּנֶגֶד תְּמִידִין תִּקְּנוּם. תַּנְיָא כְּווֹתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא, וְתַנְיָא כְּווֹתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי. תַּנְיָא כְּווֹתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא: אַבְרָהָם תִּקֵּן תְּפִלַּת שַׁחֲרִית, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַד שָׁם״, וְאֵין ״עֲמִידָה״ אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיַּעֲמֹד פִּינְחָס וַיְפַלֵּל״. יִצְחָק תִּקֵּן תְּפִלַּת מִנְחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב״, וְאֵין ״שִׂיחָה״ אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״תְּפִלָּה לְעָנִי כִי יַעֲטֹף וְלִפְנֵי ה׳ יִשְׁפֹּךְ שִׂיחוֹ״. יַעֲקֹב תִּקֵּן תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם״, וְאֵין ״פְּגִיעָה״ אֶלָּא תְּפִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאַתָּה אַל תִּתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד הָעָם הַזֶּה וְאַל תִּשָּׂא בַעֲדָם רִנָּה וּתְפִלָּה וְאַל תִּפְגַּע בִּי״

Berakhot 26b:4-7

The dispute between the Rabbis and Rabbi Yehuda with regard to the times beyond which the different prayers may not be recited is rooted in a profound disagreement, also manifest in a later amoraic dispute. It was stated: Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: The practice of praying three times daily is ancient, albeit not in its present form; prayers were instituted by the Patriarchs. However, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said that the prayers were instituted based on the daily offerings sacrificed in the Holy Temple, and the prayers parallel the offerings, in terms of both time and characteristics. The Gemara comments: It was taught in a baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, and it was taught in a baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. The Gemara elaborates: It was taught in a baraita in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina: Abraham instituted the morning prayer, as it is stated when Abraham came to look out over Sodom the day after he had prayed on its behalf: “And Abraham rose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord” (Genesis 19:27), and from the context as well as the language utilized in the verse, the verb standing means nothing other than prayer, as this language is used to describe Pinehas’ prayer after the plague, as it is stated: “And Pinehas stood up and prayed and the plague ended” (Psalms 106:30). Clearly, Abraham was accustomed to stand in prayer in the morning. Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer, as it is stated: “And Isaac went out to converse [lasuaḥ] in the field toward evening” (Genesis 24:63), and conversation means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated: “A prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint [siḥo] before the Lord” (Psalms 102:1). Obviously, Isaac was the first to pray as evening approached, at the time of the afternoon prayer. Jacob instituted the evening prayer, as it is stated: “And he encountered [vayifga] the place and he slept there for the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11). The word encounter means nothing other than prayer, as it is stated when God spoke to Jeremiah: “And you, do not pray on behalf of this nation and do not raise on their behalf song and prayer, and do not encounter [tifga] Me for I do not hear you” (Jeremiah 7:16). Jacob prayed during the evening, after the sun had set.