Tefillah Meanings: Gratitude for the Flow from Above
From Idea, to Identifying the Good, to Gratitude to its Provider
Category: Shema
Tefillah Meanings: Reflecting about the Flow from On High
For six days, we emphasize the glory of Hashem as seen through Creation.
On Shabbos, the day of rest from Creation, take a step back and watch ourselves, and how all of creation in its own way acknowledges that fact. … Which is after all the whole function of Shabbos…
Tefillah Meanings: Who Creates Lights
The conclusion of the berakhah itself is Yotzeir, “the One Who forms the luminaries.” Forms. Right now.
…
Right now, in this very moment, Hashem is creating more light, more peace, and more opportunities for us to bring them into the world.
Never despair.
Tefillah Meanings: Light and Dark
The Avudraham explains that Hashem created far more space and potential than He filled. It is humanity’s job to paint the rest of the canvas.
In his opinion darkness isn’t a thing, it’s the absence of light. When Hashem is borei space without filling all of it with light, He created darkness. Similarly, there is no such thing as evil….
Tefillah Meanings: Parsing Borkhu
What is “le’olam va’ed” (forever)? The blessing we are giving Hashem, or His inherent Blesséd nature?
Tefillah Meanings: What is a Davar Shebiqdusha?
… It would seem, therefore, that a defining feature of a Davar shebiQdushah is that it expresses the idea of making Hashem’s Holiness manifest in this world, as a part of getting to a more complete experience of Him.
In this world, we have different berakhos for major events: For good ones, “Shechiyanu” or “haTov vehaMeitiv” if many are impacted. And for ones we experience as tragic — “Dayan haEmes”. But when we get to Olam haBa, we get a clearer picture …
Ideals and Yokes
The question I started with was wondering about the first two paragraphs of Shema. (Which is what Arukh haShulchan Yomi is up to.) The first paragraph is an exercise of accepting ol Malkhus Shamayim,...
Shema Yisrael
Also, the titles were added by Rabbi Phillips. I think the second one missed the point. So I changed it here from “PLACING COMMUNITY BEFORE BELIEF IN UNITY” to what you see below. THE...
Barukh Sheim
Reciting Shema on Yom Kippur is unique in that we say the second line, “בָּרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתוֹ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד — Blessed is the name of the Glory of His Rule for all eternity.”...
What does אחָד in שמע ישראל actually mean?
Shoaib asked on Mi Yodeya: In the Shema the word used for the oneness of God is אחָד (ref.). This is startling for a Muslim, as they find in the Quran almost a transliteration...
Don’t Present Oneself as a Liar!
צריך שיהיו תפילין עליו בשעת ק”ש ותפלה. A man must have tefillin on at the time of reading Shema and prayer [Shemoneh Esrei]. – Shulchan Arukh, Orach Chayim 25:4 בשעת ק”ש ותפלה: ר”ל לכל...
Parashas Tzitzis
This week’s shiur rounds out our discussion of Shema with the third paragraph. In the first paragraph we accept Hashem as King, and that evolves to the theme of Vehayah im Shomo’ah, accepting the...
Vehayah im Shamoa
We entered Shema last week by following the detailed look at the text started with Birchas Ahavah, Kel Melekh Ne’eman and the rich first sentence of Shema. This week we looked at the second...
Shema Yisrael
In this week’s shiur we concluded Birkhas Ahavah and started Shema with the origin of “Kel Melekh Ne’eman” and some thoughts on its first sentence. Some of the topics discussed: Veha’eir eineinu beSorasekha —...
Birkhas Ahavah
The Tefillah: Beyond the Words shiur resumed this week, picking up where we left off, with birkhas Ahavah.Some of the topics discussed: Two dimensions for discussing a middah: “Ahavah Rabba” and “Ahavas Olam” How...
Yotzeir Or, part III
See the previous discussions of Yotzeir Or here (part I) and here (part II). This week we concluded our discussion of the berakhah of Yotzeir Or, as well as the shiur’s run until after...
Yotzeir Or, part II
In this second of three parts on the berakhah of Yotzeir Or we continued our look at the problem of evil. (The shiur was given during the Three Weeks.) The previous shiur focused on...
Tzitzis, Advance and Retreat
There are two descriptions of the mitzvah of tzitzis. First, from parashas Shelach (and Qeri’as Shema): … [T]hey should make for themselves tzitzis on the corners of their garments (bigdeihem) throughout their generations, and...
Saying Shema Together
When I was in High School, we would all say Shema together, with trop. Since then, I’ve only seen this practice a few times; amongst a minyan of descendents of students of the Gra...
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