We're going to take a break from the Bet Halevi for a few days, in order to share some beautiful thoughts that I saw on the previous Parasha, that have important lessons in Emunah and Bitachon. Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman Shlita, one of the Gedolim of Bnei Brak and Rav Shach's son-in-law, says that Yaakov Avinu called his children together and said, “I want to tell you what's going to happen at the end of time…” The Gemara in Pesachim tells us that Yaakov Avinu wanted to reveal when the end of time would come, but the Shechina left him. He said, “Maybe there is something wrong with my children like Avraham who had Yishmael and Yitzhak had Esav.”
And they said, “No, Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokenu Hashem Echad/ Hear our Father Yisrael, just like you only have one God in your heart, we have only one God in our heart.”
And Yaakov Avinu said, “Baruch Shem Kevod Machuto L’Olam Vaed/God's name should be blessed forever and ever, (when we say it, we say it quietly because Moshe Rabbenu didn’t say it) The Targum Yerushalmi says that the translation of Baruch Shem Kevod Machuto L’Olam Vaed is Yeheh Shema Raba MVarach L’Alam U L’Alme Olmaya, which is our response in Kaddish. In Kaddish it’s in Aramaic and here, it's in Hebrew.
What exactly is the connection? We know that it says whoever says Amen Yehe Shemeh Rabba.. with all his strength tears up bad decrees. So we see that obviously it has something to do, not just with Amen Yehe Shemeh Rabba but really with Keriat Shema that gives us this important lesson. So what exactly is going on?
Yaakov Avinu was looking into the future and suddenly, he gets a block in his prophecy.
Yaakov Avinu was afraid that at the end of time there would be such, Hester Panim/lack of revelation, with tremendous tragedies, difficulties, tremendous tests, and a person might feel a lack of God's kingdom. Yaakov Avinu wanted his children to see Hashem in all times, in all situations. Like the famous Midrash that one of the kings told Rabi Yehoshua, “How does the sheep survive among 70 wolves?”
And his answer was, “Gadol Hu HaRo’eh/ the Shepherd is great.” So we have to see Hashem's kingdom even in these situations.
And now for the nice insight that Rav Bergman adds: We know that when you say Keriat Shema, you have to accept God's kingdom, which means He’s in control of Echad אחד
א -1 , God is One.
ח -8 is the seven heavens and the ground,
ד is the four corners of the world.
That's what you have to have in mind- that God's in control of everything (and of course yourself).
But there’s an added aspect, that God is in control, not only in different places, but also in all different times, even in times of challenge. That's the additional lesson that Yaakov Avinu added, Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto L’Olam VaEd forever, not just all over the world, but at all times. God is in control, even in the times it looks like God is not in control, when our senses tell us the opposite. That's the power of Amen Yehe Shemeh Raba.
And that's why lo alenu, when someone loses a parent, they say Kaddish, and they say this line that God is in charge of all situations, and even in this difficult, sad situation, I still know God's in charge. I know that everything that happens has a goal.
It's going to either bring me kapara, bring out my purpose in life, or test me. And if I accept the situation properly and realize Hashem is in control, that brings me to my fruition. That brings me to my end goal.
And that's why, if you say with Amen Yehe Shemeh Raba, with kavana, which means you realize this important lesson, it tears up the bad decrees. Because you don't need the bad decrees anymore. You got the lesson; you got the point. You realize that God's name is great in all situations and that could cause the bad situation to go away. The goal of the bad situation is to connect you and give you the lesson, and you got it.
That’s the power of Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuto, and especially the last words-
LeOlam Vaed.
**If anyone would like to receive a batch of Amen Yehe Shemeh Rabbah cards leave in shul, to increase kavana, please email your address and the amount you would like to rmsetton@aol.com