Festival Of Faith

Open your siddur and you’ll find, right after Shacharis, the Ani maamin’s, the Thirteen Principles of Faith. Piskei Teshuvos (1:132) notes that “many have the custom to say them” and brings sources in the footnotes. The ArtScroll Siddur (page 178) declares their recital as “a commendable practice.”

The Klausenburger Rebbe (Ki Sisa 5740) describes their daily recitation by his great-grandfather, the Divrei Chaim of Sanz: “He would say them b’lahav eish kodesh, with holy flames of fire, until it seemed like the walls of the house were trembling. Each phrase was translated into Yiddish. Ani maamin — ich gloyb! When all 13 were completed, he would repeat them all a second and a third time with equal devotion.”

Apologies if I’ve made you feel a little guilty for not saying them on a daily basis. Honestly, I don’t know anyone who does. Why not, though?

These are the principles in which we believe, to the point of willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice. Being prepared to die for something is what makes us truly alive. A major cause of anxiety and depression is not seeing a compelling reason to get up in the morning.