3823 —מדוע חב"ד אינם אומרים את י"ג עיקרי האמונה לאחר התפילה

B"H, 17 Tishrei, 5716.

Brooklyn.

Haraha"g vavac"h iy"a nu"n oseik b'tzt"z Chaim Tzvi

Shalom u'Vrachah!

In response to your letter from the end of Elul, in which you ask why Anash do not say the Thirteen Principles of Faith every day, and why they are also not mentioned in the Siddur of our Rebbe the Alter Rebbe.

a) The answer to your first question is found in your second: since they are not mentioned in the Siddur of our Rebbe the Alter Rebbe, therefore we do not say the Principles.

b) As for why our Rebbe did not include them in his Siddur, I have not received an explicit explanation for this. However, one can suggest several reasons for omitting their recitation during prayer: a) The essence of prayer—as explained in the Talmud—is to arrange praise for G‑d and to request one's needs; saying "Ani Maamin" (I believe) does not fit into these two categories. b) In general regarding matters of prayer, any addition to what was established by the Men of the Great Assembly and brought by early authorities requires proof for its acceptance. In other words, anyone who establishes a new prayer text or recitation for the public must bring clear evidence and foundation for it—not upon those who refrain from accepting additions. It is well known how particular we are about every word and letter in the prayer text and how many allusions there are within it. Even those who do recite the Thirteen Principles do so after prayer; even this requires proof. It is already known that there is a source from our master the Arizal (brought at the beginning of Etz Chaim Shaar Aleph): he did not desire any piyyut or poem composed by later authors—only those composed by earlier ones that were established according to truth. But those later ones who did not know Kabbalah do not know what they are saying and err in their speech order without any knowledge at all, etc. Therefore, as above, one should be careful with additions. As Scripture says explicitly (Kohelet 5:1): "For G‑d is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few." See also there in Ibn Ezra's commentary. If a person wishes to increase prayers and supplications, he can do so by saying Tehillim (Psalms), etc., which are pleasant songs of Israel.

c) All of the above—aside from section a)—relates to additions to prayer in general; regarding specifically the Thirteen Principles: they are not included in the Arizal's Siddur nor in several early Siddurim. It requires investigation to find out who first instituted their daily recitation in writing. Furthermore, it is known that several great leaders of Israel were uncomfortable establishing that only some mitzvos be called "principles," unlike others; also regarding their number—not everyone agrees with Rambam that there are thirteen principles—the matter is well known.

d) I am aware of what is brought in Sefer Mishmeret Shalom quoting Reb Pinchas of Koretz—that it is a segulah for livelihood to say Parshas HaMan and the Thirteen Principles each morning upon rising. Clearly, segulos prescribed for specific places or times are not relevant to Klal Yisrael's standard prayer text; nor is such guidance always applicable everywhere or at all times.

By the way: "When your wellsprings spread outward," this is an answer from King Moshiach.

Due to the holiness of Yom Tov, my revered father-in-law did not personally sign this letter; I am signing on his behalf.

Summary

The Rebbe writes that Chabad does not recite the Thirteen Principles daily because they are absent from the Alter Rebbe's Siddur and adding texts to established prayers requires strong justification. Instead, one should focus on traditional prayers as set by early authorities.