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In a United States convention of neurologists from all over the world, one of the main topics was the phenomenon of people fainting upon getting up from bed.
One of the speakers was Professor Linda McMaron of Great Britain and she gave a lengthy speech regarding her study on this issue. She elaborated that after many years of study and investigation on this subject, she came to the conclusion that the fainting is caused by the sharp transfer between laying down and standing up.
Professor McMaron said that it takes 12 seconds for the blood to flow from the feet to the brain. But when a person quickly stands up upon waking up, the blood gets ‘thrown’ to the brain too quickly and the result is fainting. She suggested that each person, even one that does not have a tendency to faint, upon waking up should sit on the bed, and count slowly till 12 to avoid dizziness, weakness, and/or fainting.
Her speech was rewarded with loud applause and enthusiastic feedbacks.
Another Professor, a Jewish religious man, asked permission to speak.
He said: “By us, the Jews, there is an old tradition, thousands of years old, to say a prayer of thanks to the Creator of the World for meriting us to wake up healthy and whole. The prayer is said immediately upon waking up, while one is still on the bed and sitting down. There are 12 words in this prayer and if one regulates himself to say it slowly with concentration, it takes exactly 12 seconds to says it… 12 words in 12 seconds.
He said the prayer slowly in Hebrew:
Mode Ani Lefanecha Melech Chai VeKayam, Shehechezarta Bi Nishmati Bechemla Raba Emunatecha
The auditorium burst into a standing applause that roared throughout the auditorium. This time, it was for the Creator of the World.
I saw that somewhere.. Just forgot where.
I heard this from my rav. Very cute story.
It’s a cute story – unfortunately I don’t buy it.
Several things are inaccurate on both “professors” parts. For one, modeh ani is not thousands of years old – the earliest source we have for it as far as I know is the Seder HaYom from the time of the rishonim (it also doesn’t take most people 12 seconds to say modeh ani), and physiologically I believe that the Professor McMaron quote is incorrect (i.e. I doubt it was ever said) – blood would, if anything – get thrown away from the brain.
That shouldn’t take away from the fact that Hashem “set that up years ago” with regards to … well … everything – but this isn’t necessarily the best anecdote as far as I can tell
The Mishna Brura does say explicitly not to jump out of bed and to rather wait a bit. I am sometimes extremely Machmir on this.
The Msgen Avraham (1:3) also says that even though one should get up strongly like a lion to serve Hashem, one shouldn’t stand up immediately because it’s dangerous as it says in Gemara Gittin 70a.
OK. I believe twelve seconds passed.
1. It isn’t a “hiddush” about waking up being compared to reviving from the “near death” of sleep. The idea appears in many cultures.
2. The way to date a tefilah isn’t necessarily by looking for the oldest “siddur” that has it, but to see whose siddurim don’t have and seeing when they split. If both Ashkenazi and Sefardi sidduring have something, it probably dates back at least to the period that the Talmuds were being written (before the Ashkenazi/Sefardi split). Physical sidduring don’t last very long since they are heavily used and wear out, whereas a nusach will survive and leave its trace on future siddurim.
“If both Ashkenazi and Sefardi sidduring have something, it probably dates back at least to the period that the Talmuds were being written”
????? ????? Source? Please?
Today, most siddurim (particularly Ashkenazi siddurim) borrow plenty from Sephardi and Sephard siddurim. In addition plenty of the changes and additions that “survive” to this day are changes made by maskilim and/or due to censorship and/or kabbalistic additions/renditions which did not exist before the Ari, and in some cases not until the Shloh, etc etc.
The Seder HaYom is the accepted source for Modeh Ani according to both Sefardim and Ashkenazim as a “temporary replacement” for “Elokai Noshomo” which can’t be said until one washes his hands – and which tradiontally would not be said until one reached shul.
The Abudraham is seemingly the mekor for the part which says “sh’hechezarta bi nishmosi” – but the Modeh Ani portion is not found anywhere before the Seder HaYom to my knowledge.
“Physical sidduring don’t last very long since they are heavily used and wear out, whereas a nusach will survive and leave its trace on future siddurim.”
There are B”H a decent amount of siddurim that are still in understandable or printable condition from many years ago.
Siddurim have only been printed for the last few centuries. Before that they were handwritten and very expensive. Indeed, prior to the invention of typesetters and pulp paper, all sefarim were very expensive. From records of early printers, it appears that books that were heavily used frequently have no surviving copies (and with pre-1500, even fewer existed).
If there is a record of someone introducing a tefilah, that answers your question. If it suddenly appears, that allows you to date it. Consider dating the origin of the prayers for the Israeli government and the IDF.
Do the temanim say “Modeh ani”? Does anyone not say it? In what early siddurim is it absent? Is it attributed by contemporaries to an author (as would be the case if it is recent, meaning the last 1500 years).
“Siddurim have only been printed for the last few centuries. Before that they were handwritten and very expensive. Indeed, prior to the invention of typesetters and pulp paper, all sefarim were very expensive. From records of early printers, it appears that books that were heavily used frequently have no surviving copies (and with pre-1500, even fewer existed).”
Correct. But they still exist(the most prominent of which include that of Rav Saadia Gaon and the Machzor Vitri) – both of which do not contain “modeh ani”.
“If there is a record of someone introducing a tefilah, that answers your question. If it suddenly appears, that allows you to date it. Consider dating the origin of the prayers for the Israeli government and the IDF.”
Not sure what you’re looking for here.
“Do the temanim say “Modeh ani”? Does anyone not say it? In what early siddurim is it absent? Is it attributed by contemporaries to an author (as would be the case if it is recent, meaning the last 1500 years).”
I haven’t a clue if they say “Modeh ani” – I don’t have one of their siddurim handy, and I don’t know if there is anyone today that doesn’t say it. We are a giant blurb of different ‘cultures’ in yiddishkeit today where it becomes increasingly difficult to hold on to the mesorah that ones parents or grandparents (etc etc) held to. Just look at the yeshivishe sefardim and see how few today really stay to their nusach. Siddurim are no exception and nusach-wise have suffered several waves of significant change. Not everyone who wrote a siddur was a talmud chochom (in fact, as I mentioned some were – or are – maskilim, amaratzim, etc etc). Their changes for whateer reasons have made their way into our siddurim today. If illegitimate nuschaos have penetrated mainstream siddurim, what makes you think that other legitimate nuschaos haven’t penetrated mainstream siddurim?
And as I wrote twice, yes: “modeh ani” is attributed across the board to the Seder HaYom – Rav Moshe ben Machir.
There are several “entry points” throughout time which demonstrate the opposite of your claim:
1. Kabbalistic additions from the Ari
2. Kabbalistic additions from the Shloh (who was metaken the nusach of today’s Kabbolos Shabbos +/- ana b’choach – that’s debatable),
3. Maskilishe additions (noting most did not affect both nuschaos).
4. Ma’atikim who did and did not necessarily do the best jobs
5. Today’s matzav in E”Y where plenty is borrowed from different nuschaos depending on who authors the siddur and/or from the jumble of nuschaos from having come into a common living place (e.g. Nusach Ashkenaz never said “ein kelokeinu” after davening on a weekday until Ashkenazim swallowed in some of the minhagim of the Sefardim)
You have yet to bring one anecdotal piece of evidence to claim, “If both Ashkenazi and Sefardi sidduring have something, it probably dates back at least to the period that the Talmuds were being written (before the Ashkenazi/Sefardi split).”
Point me to a sefer, a teshuva, something that bares some level of evidence to what you’re claiming – because I really don’t see it.
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