Aleinu: It is our duty

Aleinu

“It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to acclaim the greatness of the One who forms all creation. For Go did not make us like the nations of other lands, and did not make us the same as other families of the Earth. God did not place us in the same situations as others, and our destiny is not the same as anyone else's. And we bend our knees, and bow down, and give thanks, before the Ruler, the Ruler of Rulers, the Holy One, Blessed is God. The One who spread out the heavens, and made the foundations of the Earth, and whose precious dwelling is in the heavens above, and whose powerful Presence is in the highest heights. Adonai is our God, there is none else.

Our God is truth, and nothing else compares. As it is written in Your Torah: "And you shall know today, and take to heart, that Adonai is the only God, in the heavens above and on Earth below. There is no other."

Therefore we put our hope in You, Adonai our God, to soon see the glory of Your strength, to remove all idols from the Earth, and to completely cut off all false gods to repair the world, Your holy empire. And for all living flesh to call Your name, and for all the wicked of the Earth to turn to You. May all the world's inhabitants recognize and know that to You every knee must bend and every tongue must swear loyalty. Before You, Adonai, our God, may all bow down, and give honor to Your precious name, and may all take upon themselves the yoke of Your rule. And may You reign over them soon and forever and always. Because all rule is Yours alone, and You will rule in honor forever and ever.

As it is written in Your Torah: "Adonai will reign forever and ever." And it is said: "Adonai will be Ruler over the whole Earth, and on that day, God will be One, and God's name will be One.”

“It is significant that this prayer is part of the letter to the Philippians. Philippians 2:10 tells us, “that in honor of the name given Yeshua, every knee will bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth – every tongue will acknowledge that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord”. The “Aleinu” would have been quite familiar to a first century Jewish audience and it would have been obvious that Rav Sha’ul (Paul) was quoting from this prayer.

The “Aleinu” was also a favorite prayer of the Jewish martyrs. In fact, those martyrs, during the Middle Ages, made use of the “Aleinu” as their dying song. During the persecution of Jews in Blois, France, in 1171 CE they were accused of murdering a Christian child during Passover. As a result many masters of the Torah were massacred at this time. The death of these saints was accompanied by a solemn song resounding thru the stillness of the night causing those who heard to wonder at the melodious strains, which they had never heard. It was ascertained afterwards that the martyred saints had made use of the “Aleinu”.

One eyewitness account sent to Rabbi Jacob of Orleans, read in part:

"When the flames blazed and licked the bodies of the victims, they raised their voices in a unison melody at first it was a low chant and afterwards a high-sounding melody. The people [Gentiles] came and said: 'Which of your songs is this? For we have never heard such a melody from you before.' Yet we knew it very well, for it was the chant of the Aleinu."

So what was Rav Sha’ul (Paul) communicating to his “Gentile” audience about the Messiah? The pre-existence of the Messiah was a familiar concept in rabbinic Judaism and so Paul was not drawing on Christian themes but on ancient Hebrew understanding. From a Hebrew perspective, this prayer looked to the unity of mankind under the Kingship of God. It was a firm proclamation of the Divine Unity of God. Yeshua, who was the ultimate Jewish martyr, died for the sins of all mankind in order to bring that unity and restoration, and the fulfillment of God as the supreme King of the Universe.

Consider adding this special prayer to your daily prayer time. One of the benefits of this prayer was to reveal the difference between Israel’s relationship with God and the view of God the surrounding nation’s exhibited. Let us answer the call to be set apart.” Dr. Diana Dye