The fast-paced routine of life often distracts us from serving Hashem. If only we didn’t have so much on our daily schedule, always running from one place to another, we could sit with peace of mind and daven to Hashem with no time pressure. No chazzan to keep up with, no work to run off to, no meetings to catch. Ahh! How geshmak that would be!
Consistency and routine has the ability to destroy, like dripping water that can erode a rock over time. Consistency can rob us of our emunah, as it gives us the tendency to think that life is “routine” and “normal.” We might think to ourselves that “normally, my skill and efforts provide me with my needs, but once in a while I see a story of hashgachah pratis, where Hashem orchestrates events…and then that passes and things return to “normal.” The klipah of “Tamid / consistency” tells us that the laws of nature are consistent, and flashes of emunah and hashgachah are only occasional.
We fight the klipah of Tamid with the kedushah of Tamid, and that is our goal when we say the parshah of the Korbon Tamid in the morning. Shacharis was established corresponding to the Korbon Tamid which was brought every morning in the Beis Hamikdash, and Minchah corresponds to the afternoon Tamid (which is why the Korbon Tamid is also recited before Mincha). With this we bring holy consistency to our lives, to counteract the fast-paced routine that tries to distract us from avodas Hashem. (Of course there is also “Maariv,” but being that that is done at the very end of the day, it is less threatened by our fast-paced daily routine),
The establishment of Shacharis and Minchah ensures that we always make space for Hashem within the routine of our day. No matter what we do for a living or where we travel, a Yid makes space in his daily schedule for a morning and afternoon encounter with the Creator of the world. We daven in the morning to start our day right, and again in the afternoon to pause our “normal” routine and infuse G-dliness into our day. Chazal taught us to make davening to Hashem part of our daily schedule. It is part of our routine, but really it is there to break our routine and remind us that nothing is “normal” and everything is Hashem!
The Korban Tamid was brought every single day, rain or shine. It didn’t matter what else was happening in the Beis Hamikdash that day, no matter how the kohen felt that particular morning or no matter how many other challenges had to be navigated to make it happen. We are human, and the reality is that there are so many things going on in our life and each morning can look so different from the previous one. The Korbon Tamid teaches us that no matter how I feel on any particular day, no matter what I have going on in life right now, nothing is more important than carving out a little bit of time for Hashem! We stand before Hashem in the morning and afternoon, and we pledge our allegiance, no matter what “life” throws at us. No matter what I did – or didn’t do – yesterday or the day before, today is a new day, and I will start it with ‘G-d-consistency.’
It is through the Tamid that we keep Hashem front and center in our minds – Shivisi Hashem L’negdi Tamid!
We’ll end with the holy words of the Zohar, which describe the greatness of the Yid who wakes up in the morning to go daven and say korbonos:
Rav Shimon Bar Yochai said: “At the time that one wakes up in the morning, lays tefillin on his arm and head, wraps himself in a tallis, and leaves his home to daven, four holy malachim attach themselves to him, and escort him from his home, all the way to the Beis Knesses. They call out before him: ‘Give honor to the image of the holy King, give honor to the son of the King!’ A spirit of kedushah rests upon the Yid, and a Heavenly voice calls out and says ‘ ישראל אשר בך אתפאר ‘, ‘Yisroel, in whom I am glorified!’ Once in shul, one should bring an atonement for himself by reciting the parsha of korbonos, etc…”
Moment of Mindfulness:
While saying the Korban Tamid during Shacharis or Minchah, have the intention to shatter the klipah of consistency, which tries to conceal Hashem with the fast-paced routine of life. Commit to try and see Hashem in your life and to remember Him wherever you go and whatever you do with holy consistency.
This article was found in Nekuda Tova Issue 15.