"Come, let us bow down and bend the
knee, let us kneel [nivrecha] before the Lord our maker. For He is our
G-D, and we are the people of His pasture and the flock of His hand. O that
today you would hearken to His voice (Psalm 95:6-7)." The psalmist exhorts us
to "come" to the Beit HaMikdash. Upon arriving, we were to bow down and bend
the knee. Bowing down means to prostrate oneself upon the ground, spreading out
the hands and feet with the face toward the ground. Bending the knee refers to
resting one's calves upon the ground while holding one's upper body erect. In
general, bending the knee precedes bowing down. However, upon entering the
Beit HaMikdash, the individual would first bow down completely, demonstrating
his complete loyalty and submission to Hashem resident in His sanctuary. They
then raise themselves up, keeping their calves upon the ground and pray from
that position. The word "nivrecha" may also be translated as "let us
bless", such that the verse would read- "let us bless before the Lord our
maker." What is the reason for our bowing and kneeling before G-D? We have
our answer: "For He is our G-D, and we are the people of His pasture and
the flock of His hands." Although Hashem rules over the entire universe, He is
ours in particular. He is our shepherd, attending to our every need. With our
acknowledgment of Hashem's care and concern comes our concomitant responsibility
to listen to His voice. Just as sheep take direction from their shepherd, we
must take direction from G-D, fulfilling His commandments.
Important Numbers
![Blog Image: Tehillim[1].jpg](Local/blogimages/Tehillim[1].jpg)
