Shabbes Maariv – First Three Brachos of Shemoneh Esrei

Shiur 7 – Shabbos-Maariv-The First Three Berochos of the Shemoneh Esrei

We will begin to discuss the shemoneh esrei.

אֲ-דֹ-נ-ָֽי שְׂפָתַֽי תִּפְתָּֽח, וּפִֽי יַגִּֽיד תְּהִלָּתֶֽךָ

Hashem, open my lips, and my mouth will tell of Your praise

Chazal tell us that when we daven the shemoneh esrei, we stand before the shechinah. When we stand in His presence, we are overwhelmed and cannot utter any words. Therefore, we ask Hashem to open our lips and to help us speak.

וֵֽאלֹקי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אֱלֹקי אַבְרָהָֽם, אֱלֹקי יִצְחָֽק וֵֽאלֹקי יַֽעֲקֹֽב

The G-d of Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov

The Avos made a place for themselves to be connected to Hashem. In other words, Hashem is not just a king of the world, but He is a King specifically over the Avos. We see this in Chazal when they say that the phrase elokei Avrohom is like saying the malchus of Hashem. From the place that the Avos created, there is a place for all Jews to be connected with the malchus of Hashem.

הָאֵֽ-ל הַגָּדֽוֹל, הַגִּבּֽוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָֽא

The great G-d, mighty and awesome

From this, we note that the Avos had a special connection to the malchus of Hashem; Hashem interacts with the world in a way that is intended for the sake of Klal Yisroel. Chazal say in Yuma 66 that when Klal Yisroel went into golus, Doniel did not say ‘gibor’ since he did not see gevuras Hashem being done with Klal Yisroel. When the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, Yirmiyahu did not say ‘norah’ since Hashem was not interacting with norah towards Klal Yisroel.

Norah and gevurah were not how Hashem was interacting with Klal Yisroel. However, if it had been done to other nations, surely it would still have been suitable for Doniel and Yirmiyahu to have said these attributes in accordance with how Hashem was interacting with the rest of the world. but these attributes are intended just for Klal Yisroel and therefore, if Hashem was not interacting with Klal Yisroel with them, then it was like there was no norah or gevurah at all.

These attributes are intended to be a help for Klal Yisroel.

אֵֽ-ל עֶלְיֽוֹן, גּוֹמֵֽל חֲסָדִֽים טוֹבִֽים, וְקוֹנֵֽה הַכֹּֽל

The supreme G-d, Who bestows good kindness and acquires everything

These attributes are in a deeper realm. They are not recognizable. This is opposed to the previous qualities gadol, etc., which are recognizable.

Just like a kinyan is not recognizable in the money itself (who the owner is), so too are the kinyonim of Hashem. Hashem is the owner of everything in the world, but this is elevated and hidden, and is not part of the recognizable interaction between Hashem and the world.

וְזוֹכֵֽר חַסְדֵֽי אָבֽוֹת, וּמֵבִֽיא גוֹאֵֽל לִבְנֵֽי בְנֵיהֶֽם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמֽוֹ, בְּאַֽהֲבָֽה.

And He remembers the kindness of the Avos, and He brings the redeemer for the children of their children for the sake of His name, with love.

What started out as elokei Avrohom, etc., will end up becoming a revelation of the shem haetzem, the shem י-ה-ו-ה in the world. This means that in the beginning, the avos made a place where they were connected with the malchus of Hashem. This was not clearly revealed in the reality of the world. However, when Hashem brings Mashiach , He will remember the connection that the avos made with His malchus (’chasdei avos’), and based on this, Mashiach will reveal  י-ה-ו-ה  into the world and then Hashem’s connection and interaction with the world for our sake will be clear to everyone.

מֶֽלֶךְ עוֹזֵֽר וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ וּמָגֵֽן

The King Who helps and saves and shields

This is a recollection of what we have said until now. ‘Melech’ corresponds to Hashem being Elokei Avrohom, Elokei Yitzchok etc. ‘Ozer’, Hashem’s help to us corresponds to hagodol,hagibor etc. which speaks about Hashem’s interaction with the world in a way designated for the sake of Klal Yisroel. ‘Moshia,’ Hashem takes us out of our tzarros. This corresponds to gomel chasodim tovim vekoneh hakol which speaks about Hashem helping us. ‘Mogen’, Hashem preserves, corresponds to vezocher chasdei avos umevi goel, etc. which speaks about Hashem preserving the place of connection which the Avos made within the malchus of Hashem and Hashem will bring this into the world through Moshiach.

אַתָּֽה גִּבּֽוֹר לְעוֹלָֽם, אֲדֹ-נָֽי. מְחַיֵּֽה מֵתִֽים אַתָּֽה, רַֽב לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ

You are mighty forever. You resurrect the dead, abundant to save

Hashem does not abandon any human being. Even the lowest human being is suitable for eternal life through techiyas hameisim. Hashem has made the structure of a human being so that it is impossible for him to be lost from eternal living.

מַשִּֽׁיב הָרֽוּחַ וּמוֹרִֽיד הַגֶּֽשֶׁם

Who blows the wind and makes the rain come down

Hashem ensures that the world will constantly be growing because the world is important to Him.

סוֹמֵֽךְ נֽוֹפְלִֽים וְרוֹפֵֽא חוֹלִֽים וּמַתִּֽיר אֲסוּרִֽים, וּמְקַיֵּֽם אֱמֽוּנָתֽוֹ לִֽישֵׁנֵֽי עָפָֽר

Who supports the fallen, heals the sick, frees those in bondage, and maintains His faith to those sleepers of dust.

Humans are supposed to be upright. Nevertheless, Hashem supports those who have fallen and are not upright. Hashem also does not abandon those in a more problematic state, such as those who are ill and not functioning correctly. Hashem does not abandon them, but He cures them. Hashem stays connected with and frees even those who are so far from Him that they are in a state of captivity. The brocho then changes from the second person (‘atoh gibor’) to the third person umekayem emunoso (His faith) because the person of lishenei ofor is so far away from Hashem that he can’t speak to Hashem in a direct way of the second person. He is not just sleeping in the dust; he is like dust. His existence is finished, without almost any tzuras ho’odom left in him, but Hashem still maintains His faith in him.

מִֽי כָמֽוֹךָ בַּֽעַל גְּבוּרֽוֹת, וּמִֽי דּֽוֹמֶה לָּֽךְ, מֶֽלֶךְ מֵמִֽית וּמְחַיֶּֽה וּמַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעָֽה

Who is like You Master of might and who is similar to You The King who causes to die and makes live and makes sprout the salvation

Whenever I think about this, I picture a person gathering up the leaves and soil in his backyard. Then, Hashem in techiyas hamesim will turn this pile into a human being!

אַתָּֽה קָדֽוֹשׁ וְשִׁמְךָֽ קָדֽוֹשׁ, וּקְדוֹשִֽׁים בְּכׇל־יֽוֹם יְהַֽלְלֽוּךָ סֶּֽלָה

You are holy, and Your name is holy and holy ones praise You every day

This bracha relates to Hashem as kodosh. Kodosh means that He is separated from our grasp. Our seichel grasps that which is tangible, but His reality is far beyond anything tangible.

So, we started off the shemoneh esrei feeling overwhelmed from being in the presence of Hashem and feeling like we had no place to exist. But then we speak about the Avos who made a place for us. Now again, we speak about our importance before Hashem and how He will never abandon us, however bad the situation. He will support the fallen, heal the sick, and give techiyas hamesim even to those who are like dust.

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Written by Rabbi Rapport