But do we, today, really, take the Rambam as dispositive in these matters? Did you say Machnisei Rachamim in Slichos yesterday, and/or today? Do you say the third verse of Shalom Aleichem every week? I know people who don't, davka because of the "davening to an intermediary" problem, but it's far from the majority position.I have a multipart answer to this. First, in terms of Shalom Aleichem, I am not at all convinced that this is praying to an angel. Sure, some people don't say it, because that is how they cast it. But that does not mean tha everyone who does say it thinks they are praying to an angel and thinks that it OK. If it is directing a request to an angel, and that is problematic, why specifically Barchuni leShalom as problematic? What about Boachem leShalom?! We are asking the angels to do something, to enter in peace, to leave in peace, etcetera!
And once you say that praying to an angel (who has no will of his own) is OK as an intermediary, then where's the outrage at praying to a chassidic tzadik, who, as they believe, has nullified his will such that he effectively has no will, and is doing (and thus a revelation of, in a sense) the will of God, coming from? Is it just "they're doing this bad thing" or is there some other inter-group rivalry driving it?
Puk chazi still rules...
Indeed, if instructing an angel to bless us is *praying* to an angel, how on a peshat level could Yaakov Avinu have forced the angel to do this, in parshat Vayetzei? In parshat Vayishlach, according to Rashi who says that Yaakov sent malachim mamash, how could he have asked them to give Esav his gifts? Instructing is not the same as praying.
Indeed, it seems that the construction of the song Shalom Aleichem is a reenactment of the brayta in Shabbat 119b:
It was taught, R. Jose son of R. Judah said: Two ministering angels accompany man on the eve of the Sabbath from the synagogue to his home, one a good [angel] and one an evil [one]. And when he arrives home and finds the lamp burning, the table laid and the couch [bed] covered with a spread, the good angel exclaims, 'May it be even thus on another Sabbath [too],' and the evil angel unwillingly responds 'amen'. But if not, the evil angel exclaims, 'May it be even thus on another Sabbath [tool,' and the good angel unwillingly responds, 'amen'.Where the assumption is that everything is set up nicely. This is not a request, but rather, describing the steps the angels are taking. Not that the angels have independent will, and we are asking them to do these things. Rather, we are taking them through the paces.
In terms of Machnisei Rachamim (available here at piyut.org), R' Richard Wolpoe last year had an attempted explanation or apologetics, within the bounds of Rambam, that it is requesting that the sound system works. Indeed, Chazal were not heretics, but they believed that the angels delivered prayers to Hashem (and thus there are instructions about not praying in Aramaic). Even so, one should not direct one's prayers to the angel, but to Hashem. We see this fleshed out in the Apochryphal book of Tobit. See my discussion in the comment section at eLomdus. Adjuring angels to deliver the message may or may not be problematic. Read the piyut and draw your conclusions.
But there is a better explanation of Machnisei Rachamim, and it speaks directly to the issue of The Rebbe, The Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference. "The Orthodox" nowadays are in general indifferent to theology, and ignorant of theology. We don't think about it, we don't really care about it, and that is really why we don't bother protesting Chabad theology that much. We are more concerned with actions than theology. Do you really think that the hamon am who sing Barchuni LeShalom are treating it as a tefillah directed towards angels? Most people do not even think about the translation of the words. It is a nice song, with a nice tune, and it is traditional to sing it to welcome Shabbos. There is no underlying theology to it. Similarly, do you think the majority of Jews think about even the plain meaning of machnisei rachamim? In America, I think if you ask many products of a yeshiva education to whom Machnisei Rachamim is directed, they would not know it is directed towards angels. And people say it, without thinking, because it is in their selichot. Halevai that people would actually think about the words they are saying. But they are mostly saying them by rote, and this is especially the case when you have to say things quickly to keep up with the tzibbur, and where there is much else to say.
This is akin to the distinction sometimes made between an apikores and an am ha`aretz -- that "today there is no such thing as an apikores: there is only the am haaretz."
In contrast, Lubavitch is extremely Rebbe-centered to start off with.
Update #1: And see his response there, and my comment there as well. Also, this is all if they are really doing it. See the comment section of this post for more details.
Update #2: In the comment section, both Akiva and Devorah assert that this is not Chabad practice. In the comment thread at Thanbook, he questions that assertion.
At any rate, here are a bunch of posts relating to this issue at the Daas Torah blog. It starts with a comment in a post about Dr. David Berger. That comment read in part:
And, if they look at his picture while praying it is correct. It is discussed by the radvaz in his teshuvos. Many sefardim do that with baba Sali.There were several follow-up comments, and posts. Thus, the context of the Radvaz was seeing one's (living) teacher during learning. And the Radvaz in another teshuva objected to images being used in shul. In terms of actual practice, we have the following exchange reported in another post:
Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver said...=============================== There is no such "Chabad custom"; it's totally false. Please delete this libel.
There are 48 comments on that last post at present, so check it out. And check out the clarification by someone else in those comments, that perhaps they were not directing their tefillot to the picture, in the second of the two instance.
Update #3: They also talk there of a custom of some to have children look at a picture of the Rebbe before saying Shema.
Update #3: They also talk there of a custom of some to have children look at a picture of the Rebbe before saying Shema.
In Rabbi Olensky's shul in North Miami Beach, FL there was a picture of the Rebbe next to the Aron. This was in effect, praying to the Rebbe.
In Rabbi Dalfin's shul in North Bay Village, FL, there was a picture of the Rebbe in the sanctuary (back wall, opposite Mizrach) that the Chassidim would turn to face while davening.
These are two examples of shuls that I personally visited while on vacation where I saw Lubavitcher Chassidim praying to a picture of the Rebbe on the wall.