Commentary: On the Prayer Book (Siddur)

The First Blessing Before the Morning Shema‘

“A new light [shall shine over Zion]”

I found it written in a responsum of the geonim that one should not include this phrase. The reason is that one does not recite a blessing over a light that is not yet in existence, as he is receiving no benefit from it. As for the blessing, “Blessed are You, Lord, Creator of the lights,” that [blessing] is recited over the light of the day.

But I, Eleazar ben R. Nathan, maintain that the custom of our ancestors is like the Torah itself. For the blessing refers to the lights that were created in the six days of Creation, which are the sun, the moon, and the light that the Holy One hid away for the righteous in the future [see b. Ḥagigah 12b]. This is the meaning of the phrase: to Him who makes great lights (Psalms 136:7) [also part of the first blessing before the Shema‘]; it refers to the sun, moon, and the light that the Holy One hid away for the righteous in the future, as it is written: Arise, shine, for your light has come (Isaiah 60:1). To Him who makes great lights is similar to the phrase To Him who makes the heavens (Psalms 136:7), namely, the verb makes refers to creations that are renewed every day. May He renew the light of Zion, and we pray that we will merit His light together with the righteous. [ . . . ]

Kaddish

“May His great name [sheme] be blessed”

These four letters [of the word sheme; shin mem yod alef] correspond to the four letters of the glorious name, that is, may God be magnified in the name yah.¹ When the Holy One hears Israel raise their voices to recall before him that oath [after Amalek; see Exodus 17:16], which they express in the form of a prayer, and they pray for the magnification of the full name of God, and He hears them respond in this manner with all their strength, He declares, “woe to these children who were exiled from their father’s table,” as stated in tractate Berakhot [3a]. This is because they mention the incident with Amalek, who angered the Almighty and caused the division of the name and great sorrow up high. When the angels hear the sound of this sorrow, they shake and grow pale and draw back. For they do not know the cause of this sorrow emanating from above, as they do not understand the Aramaic language.

Consequently, we start Kaddish with the words “magnified and sanctified,” which are in Hebrew, after the verse: Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself (Ezekiel 38:23), before switching to Aramaic in the next word. For if we were to say, “the name yah,” the angels would recognize and understand the reason for mentioning this name. They would say, “how can the name yah be magnified other than through the yah that was removed from the name over the business of Amalek,” and they would realize that there is sorrow before the Almighty due to the mention of this name. If so, whenever Israel would start Kaddish, the angels would obstruct them and cause confusion, preventing the words from ascending up high. This would mean that Israel would be unable to praise God in this worthy manner, and the holy name would be neglected. Therefore, we recite the prayer in Aramaic, so that they should not comprehend it and stop the sorrow from rising before the Holy One. Afterwards, we continue by praising God in Hebrew:

“Blessed [and praised], etc.”

These seven expressions of praise correspond to the seven heavens, all of which must be brought together in order to praise God in a beautiful, melodic manner. None of these praises provides any clue regarding the source of the sorrow up high, and no one can discern anything in them other than lofty praise. Accordingly, they are recited in Hebrew, “May the name of the Holy One [kudsha], blessed be His name, be magnified.” The numerical value of kudsha, which is kodesh in Hebrew, is 410, which is the number of years that the First Temple stood. During that period, the glorious name was indeed blessed, as the seven priests² would utter it in its written form. Now we must comfort Him from His sorrow, and therefore we return to Aramaic and say, “beyond all blessing and consolation.” You should know and understand the reason for this consolation, as we comfort Him only for the sorrow that is found above. Since we are consoling Him over this sorrow, we switch back to Aramaic for this part. You can search nearby for the rest of the commentary on the passage “may [the prayers] be accepted, etc.” [ . . . ]

Sabbath Morning Service

The Nishmat [“May the soul of every living being, etc.”] passage consists of 285 words, which match the number of words in these sections: 83 words from Verily you shall keep My Sabbaths (Exodus 31:13) to and He rested (Exodus 31:17); 64 words from Observe the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5:11) to the Sabbath day (Deuteronomy 5:14); 30 words from God finished (Genesis 2:2) to had made (Genesis 2:3); and 108 words in A Psalm, a Song, for the Sabbath day (Psalms 92), from It is good to give thanks (Psalms 92:2) to in whom there is no unrighteousness (Psalms 92:16). Since these amount to 285 words, Nishmat is comprised of 285 words as well. It is recited only on the Sabbath and festivals, which are also called “Sabbath” [see Leviticus 23:15]. Do not cite as proof against this claim the fact that pious individuals recite Nishmat every day, as the sages instituted only that it should be recited on the Sabbath.

“By the mouth of [the upright].”³ Each line has three letters, making a total of twelve. These correspond to the mentions of “holy, holy, holy” in the Yotser section in the morning [the first blessing before the morning Shema‘], and in the Eighteen Blessings,⁴ and in the Order of Holiness [the “u-va le-Tsion” passages], and again in the Afternoon Service. Thus, we say holy twelve times a day, which correspond to the twelve tribes, about which it is stated: You shall be holy (Leviticus 19:2). They also correspond to the twelve holy ones that surround the throne of glory, three on each side. They are as follows: Kokabiel, Padiel, and Michael to the right; Sariel, Ḥamuel, and Shemaiel to the left; Gabriel, Raphael, and Ahmiel behind him; and Raguel, Remiel, and Uriel before Him, with the throne in the middle, just as the boxes of phylacteries are sewn closed on each of its four sides, with the writing in the middle.

“By the mouth of the upright.”

This song was established by the patriarchs, who are called “the upright ones” [see b. Avodah Zarah 25a]—the numerical value of yesharim [upright ones] is the same as that of avot ha-‘olam [forefathers of the world]. It also includes an extra allusion to Isaac and Rebecca,⁵ as he did not have another partner. The stanza contains four praises, each consisting of three letters, corresponding to the four banners [of the encampments of the Israelites in the wilderness] and twelve tribes—three for each banner. The four banners correspond to the four holy ḥayot angels [see Ezekiel 1:5] and the four directions of the compass, and also to the twelve months of the year, with the four seasons, three months for each season. Likewise, there are twelve stitches in phylacteries. These all correspond to the twelve tribes. Similarly, on the breastplate there were four rows of precious stones, three stones and three tribes for each row [see Exodus 28:15–21]. And as stated, there are also four sanctifications every day, each of which includes the phrase “holy, holy, holy,” making a total of twelve, again corresponding to the twelve tribes. Therefore, the next passage begins, “And in the assemblies of the tens of thousands,” as the encampments and the banners are the camps and the tens of thousands and the assemblies. They also correspond to the Torah itself, which is described in a fourfold manner, as it is written: Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out (Job 28:27), and which contains four aspects, as it is written: [My doctrine] shall drop as the rain, [my speech] shall distil as the dew; as the small rain [upon the tender grass], and as the showers [upon the herb] (Deuteronomy 32:2).