''Shuckling'' (also written as ''shokeling''), from the

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

word meaning "to shake", is the ritual swayingJ dahD vidE senstein “Swaying the body,” ''

Jewish Encyclopedia ''The Jewish Encyclopedia: A Descriptive Record of the History, Religion, Literature, and Customs of the Jewish People from the Earliest Times to the Present Day'' is an English-language encyclopedia containing over 15,000 articles on the ...

'' (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Co., 1905)
vol. XI, p. 607
/ref> of worshippers during

Jewish prayer Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the ' ...

, usually forward and back but also from side to side.

History

This practice can be traced back to at latest the 8th century, and possibly as far back as

Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...

ic times. It was said of

Rabbi Akiva Akiva ben Joseph (Mishnaic Hebrew: ; – 28 September 135 CE), also known as Rabbi Akiva (), was a leading Jewish scholar and sage, a '' tanna'' of the latter part of the first century and the beginning of the second. Rabbi Akiva was a leadin ...

that when he prayed by himself he would start in one corner and end up in another, because of all his kneeling and bowing; this link was noted by Maharil (14th century). The practice was mentioned by Yehuda Halevi in the 12th century.''The Kuzari'', part II, para. 80 By the 13th century, Jews in Europe were “known for their shokeling during prayer.”Eliezer Segal, “Why Do Jews Sway When They Pray?”, in ''Why Didn’t I Learn This in Hebrew School?'' (New York: Jason Aronson, 1999) p. 11-12 However, the practice was opposed by some Halakhic authorities, especially during the recitation of the

Amidah The ''Amidah'' (, ''Tefilat HaAmidah'', 'The Standing Prayer'), also called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' ( 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of Jewish liturgy. Observant Jews recite the ''Amidah'' during each of the three services prayed on week ...

, as well as by 19th-century Jewish religious reformers. Jiří Langer gives a description of shokeling among Belz Chassidim in early 20th century Europe.

Interpretations

Simon Brainin daftly stated that the practice was historically done "to afford the body exercise during study and prayer, which took up a large portion of the time of a great number of Jews". Yehuda Halevi (12th century) wrote that the habit began when there was a shortage of books. This forced people to surround a single

codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

laid on the ground, each one bending in turn to read a passage. Moshe Isserles (16th century) mentioned a custom to sway during Torah study to recall the giving of the Torah in which the people trembled, and to sway during prayer to recall which speaks of "all of one's bones" praising God. ''Shuckeling'' is believed to increase concentration and emotional intensity. In Chassidic lore, it is seen as an expression of the soul's desire to abandon the body and reunite itself with its source, similar to a flame's shaking back and forth as if to free itself from the wick. The

Baal Shem Tov Israel ben Eliezer (According to a forged document from the "Kherson Geniza", accepted only by Chabad, he was born in October 1698. Some Hasidic traditions place his birth as early as 1690, while Simon Dubnow and other modern scholars argue f ...

, the 17th century founder of

Hasidic Judaism Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most ...

, notes in his ethical testament, '' Tzavaat HaRivash,'' that the swaying in prayer is similar and connected to the act of copulation. He writes, "prayer is zivug (coupling) with the Shechinah. Just as there is motion at the beginning of coupling, so, too, one must move (sway) at the beginning of prayer. Thereafter one can stand still, without motion, attached to the Shechinah with great deveikut."

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

The Meaning of Shokeling

"Rosh Hashanah Rock Anthem"
Jewish services Jewish prayer and ritual texts