Prayer choreography: during the “Amidah” prayer, one is
instructed to bow at the beginning and end of the “Avot” (Patriarchs – we add
Matriarchs]) and the “Hodaha” (Thanksgiving). That’s it – if you want to bow
more often, you are instructed not to. However, according to Rabbi Joshua ben
Levi, a Kohen bows at the end of each benediction. A king bows at the end and
the beginning of each benediction.
The principle seems to be: the greater the position the more
the person is humbled in prayer. I like this idea of imposing increasing
humility – not professing it, but actually doing something physical which
demonstrates it. Everyone is humble before G-d - some need it more than others.
A person without humility is described as a “dish without
salt.” But someone who over-states their humility is compared to a dish which
is over-salted. Even in our humility, we need to be properly seasoned!
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