נְהִיגִין בְּנוּסַח עָלֵינוּ לוֹמַר: שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לָהֶבֶל וְלָרִיק — וְגַם בִּתְּפִלַּת מוּסָף דְרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה אוֹמְרִים כֵּן — וּמְדַיְּיקִים שֶׁלֹּא לוֹמַר וּמִתְפַּלְלִים כו'. הָרְקִיקָה הִיא אַחַר הָאֲמִירָה. טַעַם הָרְקִיקָה, כִּי מִדִּבּוּר מִתְהַוֶּה רוֹק, וְאֵין רוֹצִים לֵיהָנוֹת מֵרוֹק זֶה.

In the prayer beginning Aleinu,1 the wording that we customarily follow is, “…for they bow down to vanity and nothingness.” This version is also used in the Mussaf prayers of Rosh HaShanah.2 We make a point of not saying, “and they pray [to a god who]….”3

It is customary to spit after reciting the above phrase. The reason is that speaking generates saliva, and we do not wish to benefit from the saliva generated by uttering such words.

Living in This World

These words are associated with the worship of false deities.

Chassidus explains that idolatrous worship is not limited to prostrating oneself to idols or venerating the sun or the moon. There are parallels much closer to our own lives. Whenever we believe that a source other than G‑d can provide us with our needs or satisfy our desires, we are essentially bowing our heads to its supremacy and accepting it as a deity, as it were.

The passage beginning Aleinu marks the conclusion of each of the three daily prayer services. It is the bridge that connects our prayers to our mundane activities. It is thus appropriate and empowering to declare — to ourselves as well as to others — that G‑dliness is the only significant factor in our lives. Far from limiting us, this awareness expands our horizons and allows us to experience life as being beyond chance and circumstance. It enables us to tap into G‑d’s infinite power and potential in everything we do.