Episode 11: Pool of Blessings (baruch atah yud-hey-vav-hey)
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Pool of Blessings
When we said we were going to dig deep into the Amidah, we meant it! In this week’s episode, Josh, Ellen, and Eliana explore/geek out over just three words- Baruch, Atah, and a four-letter name we can’t even pronounce. These three words begin the Amidah, appear at the end of every section of the Amidah, and begin every traditional blessing, and there is so much to explore, including (but not limited to): knees, curtain calls, praying to a “You,” Jewish numerology, and diving into the pool of blessing.
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(3:19) Gevurah – גבורה – strength.
(3:40) You can find Episode 9: Palace Enough For Me (Adonai S’fatai Tiftach) here.
(3:45) You can read more about Amidah here.
(4:08) Siddur – סידור – prayer book. Learn more here.
(4:13) Baruch ata yud hey vav hey – ברוך אתה יהוה – Praised Are You Yud Hey Vav Hey. Keep listening for a more expansive explanation!
(4:51) Berech – ברך – knee. Birkayim – ברכיים – knees.
(5:54) Learn more about the act of bowing in the Zen tradition here.
(6:42) Learn more about the practice of bowing at the end of performances here.
(7:11) Learn more about Jack Kornfield here.
(8:56) Breicha – בריכה – pool.
(9:37) Learn more about Joel Lurie Grishaver here.
(10:56) Learn more about Reb Andrew Hahn here.
(11:02) Kedusha – קדושה – the third section of the Amidah that emphasizes holiness. You can learn more here.
(11:12) Kevodo maleh olam – כבודו מלא עולם – The Holy One’s glory fills the universe.
(11:33) Ayeh mekom kevodo – איה מקום כבודו – Where is G?d’s glory?
(13:03) “Echadity” is Ellen’s way of saying oneness. אחד – echad – one.
(13:29) Learn more about Rabbi Jay Michaelson here.
(14:46) Aleph through taf – Josh is referencing the entire Hebrew alphabet. א – ת is the Hebrew way of saying A – Z.
(15:45) Learn more about Martin Buber’s concept of I and Thou here.
(18:29) Haya – היה – was
Hoveh – הווה – is
Yihyeh – יהיה – will be
(18:44) Vehoo haya vehoo hoveh vehoo ihiyeh betifarah – והוא היה והוא הווה והוא יהיה בתפארה – G?d was, G?d is, G?d will be for all time. Learn more about Adon Olam here.
(19:13) You can find Episode 7: The Jewish Space-Time Continuum with Yoshi Silverstein here.
(19:30) You can find Aryeh Kaplan’s book Jewish Meditation here.
(20:46) Gematria is a system of mystical meanings in the numerical equivalents of Hebrew letters. You can follow along with Josh’s explanation using this chart:
י ה ו ה = 26
Love – Ahavah: אהבה = 13
13 x 2 = 26
Caved – Weight/Honor: 26 = כבד
(21:57) Midrash – מדרש – interpretation. Learn more here.
(22:13) Echad – אחד – one.
(22:39) Learn more about י ה ו ה here.
(22:34) Find Rabbi Shai Held’s essay “We’re All Royalty” here.
(23:34) B’tzelem Elohim – בצלם אלהים – In the image of the Holy One.
(24:23) Havayah – הויה – experience.
(27:53) Learn more about Rabbi Brad Artson here.
(28:07) Learn more about Rabbi Joel Alter here.
(28:34) You can watch the clip from The Good Place of Janet being marbleized here.
(31:29) You can find the podcast Death Sex and Money here.
(32:19) Nevarech Et Yah – נברך את יה – We Bless You. You can find Marcia Falk’s work here.
(34:24) Avarech – אברך – I will bless. You can listen to Ma Avarech by Dalilah Lavi here.
(35:15) Avarech Et Yah – אברך את יה – I will bless You.
(36:06) Brucha At Yashchina – ברוכה את יה שכינה – Blessed Are You Breath of Shechina, a grammatically feminine version of Baruch Ata Adonai, which blesses a feminine aspect of G?d.
(37:27) Beruche Ateh – ברוכה אתה – a way of saying Baruch Atah that is not masculine or feminine. You can learn more about brin solomon here, find its Siddur Davar Hadash here, and read more about the project here.
Hashemoteh – השמותה – name for Hashem that is not masculine or feminine.
(39:38) Chatima – חתימה – seal. Here, it refers to the blessing that ends each prayer in the Amidah.
(40:25) Chatimot – חתימות – plural for seals.
(41:35) Baruch atah adonai shomeah tefillah – ברוך אתה יהוה שומע תפילה – Praised are You G?d who hears prayer.
(42:16) Learn more about Rabbi Steve Sager here.
(42:59) Magen Avraham – מגן אברהם – Shield of Abraham. Stay tuned for an episode exploring this soon!
(43:54) Gevurot – גבורות – powers.
(44:04) Shabbat Shira – שבת שירה – translates to Shabbat of Song. Learn more here.