Ask The Rabbi

Ask The Rabbi

category:  Chassidut

Who blesses who?

The Rav Name: Rabbi Yitzchak Arad

Good day,
Here is my question: What does it mean to: “Bless The LORD?” And how do we do that?
Thank you In advance
Rick

Shalom and thank you for your question! It is an excellent one! When we recite our prayers, are we really doing something for G-d by ‘blessing Him’? Aren’t WE the ones who need help from ‘above’? Truly this is a fascinating discussion and a short online essay cannot do it justice, but we will touch on some ideas.


Let’s start with the literal meaning of the Hebrew term for blessing, which is ‘bracha’, in Hebrew letters ברכה. The grammatical root of the word is ברך berech, which means knee. What do knees have to do with blessings? When we bow, we are acknowledging the superiority or greatness of the entity which we are bowing to, and our own corresponding smallness. The kind of bowing done in Jewish prayer involves bending the knees first and then the upper part of the body. There is also a process from the same Hebrew root called ‘lehavrich’ להבריך, which involves bending a branch of a vine for example right down into the earth, so that it can actually take root and grow into an additional plant.


So the idea of ‘blessing’ G-d firstly means acknowledging and revealing His greatness. It is also the awareness that G-d Almighty is the source of all blessings.


There are four levels of understanding the Torah, ranging from the plain meaning to the esoteric. All of these levels were given to Moses by G-d, and the Five Books of Moses were written down immediately,  while the Oral law which includes the commentaries was handed down orally and written down at a much later stage in history when there was a danger that it would otherwise be forgotten. The commentaries in the Oral law follow a Divinely ordained system of interpretation, so that Torah scholarship always bases itself on the original principles given to Moses by G-d and handed down to the people by Moses.


In the prayer book Shai l’Mora by Rabbi S.Y. Winefield the word ‘baruch’ or ‘blessed’ is explained according to the esoteric level, the inner dimension of Torah. It is explained there that the concept of our ‘blessing’ G-d means that we are drawing down spiritual influence from the upper spiritual realms to the physical world. (Everything that exists in the physical world exists on a spiritual level in spiritual worlds which are an extension of G-dly energy.) When we draw down spiritual influence to this physical world, we are causing the name of G-d to be known and praised here. He goes on to quote from the commentary of the righteous Rabbi Y. Horowitz,  who bases his explanation on that of an earlier well-known Torah scholar, who also maintains that ‘baruch’ or ‘blessed’ means drawing down spiritual influence. An additional etymological connection is pointed out here. The word ‘baruch’ is also related to the word ‘breichah’ ברכה, which means pond. The pond is fed by a stream and theafter provides water to irrigate its surroundings. This explanation affirms the previous one. He also quotes another commentary that points out that the Hebrew word ‘baruch’ is an acronym for the sentence ‘ראש ומקור לכל הברכות”. ‘The Head and the Source of all Blessings’. In other words, when we say ‘Blessed are you Oh G-d,’ we are saying that we acknowledge that G-d is the source of all blessings. This acknowledgement humbles us and helps us become a vessel for receiving G-d’s blessings.


So when we ‘bless’ G-d, we are actually blessing ourselves. It is more complicated that that however. We are doing something for G-d after all. The Talmud teaches us that the Holy One Blessed be He desired a dwelling place in the lower realms, i.e. the physical world, and that’s why He created it. We are here to grapple with the limitations of the physical world in such a way that spiritual values should eventually reign supreme. Every time a person carries out the will of the Creator, as set out in the six hundred and thirteen laws of the Torah for Jews, or the Seven Noahide Laws for non-Jews, we are inviting G-d to dwell with us. It says in King Solomon’s Song of Songs, 5:1, “I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride…” The Song of Songs is a metaphor for the relationship between G-d and the Chosen people. This verse describes in poetic fashion how G-d ‘feels comfortable’ with us when we serve Him as He requests. So when we say our blessings as ordained by the Sages of the Great Assembly,  we are carrying out G-d’s will,  and thus making a dwelling place for Him in the physical world.


We can understand this by a simple analogy. If we have a beloved elderly parent or relative who comes to visit,  will we not make an effort to have the house tidy, making sure there are no loose rugs or objects like children’s or pet’s toys strewn over the floor? We want our visitor to be comfortable in our home and and we will spend time with him or her, offering delicacies we know he or she will appreciate. In the same way, when we say ‘Bless the L-rd’ and try to have in mind the above intentions, especially when backed up by a lifestyle that reflects G-dly values, we are making G-d ‘feel comfortable’ in the physical world that He created and recreates constantly.

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