19 Mar THE BRACHOS OF HASHEM’S LIGHT

The bracha of Sim
Shalom continues,
“Bar’cheinu Avinu.
kulanu k’echad – Bless
us our Father (Hashem),
all of us as one.” The
Rokei’ach interprets
this to mean, ‘Like our forefather
Avraham, who is known as the one,” as
it says in the verse in Yecheskal [33:24],
“Echad hayah Avraham – Avraham

was the one and only.” This is an all-
encompassing request, for the Torah says

about Avraham, “V’Hashem beirach es
Avraham b’kol – And Hashem blessed
Avraham with everything.”
The wonderful siddur Bi’ur HaTefilah
explains the phrase ‘kulanu k’echad’
differently. He interprets it to mean,
“Bless us our Father, for we are all
behaving nationally as one,” with achdus,
unity. This practice is sure to find favor
in the Eyes of our Heavenly Father. As
the posuk proclaims, “Hinei matov
u’mana’im, sheves achim gam yachad
– How good and how sweet it is when
brothers (and sisters) live together in
harmony.”
The great Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch

zt”l, zy”a, wrote in his ethical will that
the only thing he asks from his righteous
children is that if one of them is hurt
by another sibling, they should forgive
and make up, and that will bring the
truest pleasure to their parents in the
next world. It is the same way with our
Father in Heaven: When we are tolerant
and forgiving of our fellow Jews, we are
certainly then worthy of Divine blessing.
We then continue that Hashem should
bless us, “B’Ohr Ponecha – With the
Light of His Countenance.” This request
includes a lot of blessings, as we say
immediately afterwards, “With the light
of Your Countenance, You bless us with
the Torah of life, love of kindness, charity,
blessing, life and peace.” The Noam
Megadim in Parshas Nasso gives an
interesting reason why we condense our
request into the one petition for Hashem’s
light. He cites a fundamental Gemora in
Taanis [8b] which relates that during the
days of Rav Shmuel bar Nachmeini, there
was a deathly plague and a famine. The
people were in a quandary. To daven to be
rid of both was too much. They therefore
thought to daven that the plague should
end and deal with the famine. Rav Shmuel
bar Nachmeini decided otherwise: Daven

for sustenance from the famine, since
Hashem only gives sustenance to the
living. The Noam Megadim says that we
see from here that it is preferable to ask
Hashem for only one thing at a time. We
therefore ask for Hashem’s Light, which
bestows upon us many blessings. This
is similar to the recommendation that
when you go to a Rebbe for a blessing,
you should ask simply for menuchas
hanefesh, the contentment of your soul,
for this embraces all blessings.
Earlier, we said that the Ashkenazim do
not ask outright for life. This is where
they slip in the request, for as we said,
with Hashem’s Countenance comes the
blessings of life and peace.
We continue, “Ki b’Ohr Panecha
nasata lonu – With the Light of Your
Countenance, You gave us…” The Olas
Tomid identifies when Hashem actually
graced us nationally with the light of His
face. He clarifies that this happened at
Har Sinai when Hashem appeared before
our entire nation.
The bracha continues that with this
light He grants us Toras chaim, the Torah
of life. As the verse testifies, “Ki Hu
chayecha v’orech yomecha – The Torah
is your life and the length of your days.
It is called chaim – in the plural – for
we consume its dividends in this world
while its principal reward remains for
the next world.
The Kolbo says that ahavas chesed
goes together with Toras chaim. He
explains that Toras chaim refers to Torah
shebichsav, the Written Law, while
ahavas chesed refers to Torah shebal
peh, the Oral Law, as it is referred to in
the verse, “Toras chesed al l’shonah –
The Torah of kindness on her lips.”
As to the literal definition of ahavas
chesed, the Siddur Mefurash explains,
in his primary interpretation, that it
means that Hashem loves us out of
kindness even if we don’t deserve it.
As the verse testifies in Hoshea [14:5],
“Ohaveim n’davah,” that Hashem loves
us freely and generously. The second
interpretation of the Siddur Mefurash,
which is the more popular understanding
and is also the explanation of the Olas
Tomid, is Hashem will grant us the love
of kindness, that we should not practice
chesed just out of duty, rather we should
want to do acts of kindness. We find
this notion by our mother Rivkah who
went out with a pitcher braced upon
her shoulder. Rav Yonasan Eibshutz
explains that this was to advertise that

she was available to give drinks to people,
thus manifesting ahavas chesed.
The blessing concludes, Boruch Attah
Hashem, Hamevoreich es Amo Yisroel
BaShalom – Blessed are You, Hashem,
Who blesses His Nation Yisroel with
Peace.” The Ohr Tzadikim reveals an
ancient powerful segula for zikaron, for
one’s memory, in these closing words. He
says that the first letters of “Hamevoreich
es Amo Yisroel,” hei, alef, ayin, and yud
total 86, the gematria of E-l-ohim. He
says that when we think of the fusion of
Hashem, which is the attribute of mercy
mentioned in Baruch Attah Hashem and
the allusion to E-l-ohim, the attribute
of strict judgement, it is a strong aid for
memory.
When we thank Hashem for the blessing
of Peace, we should do so with the
awareness that tranquility is not simply
because we have a good spouse, a nice
nature, or even that we are masters of tact.
It’s because Hashem is the Oseh Shalom,
the Maker of Peace, as we say in the
bracha of Yotzeir Ohr, and we therefore
thank Him heartily for the blessings of
solace, harmony and tranquility.
In the merit of asking Hashem for the
lofty package of His divine light, may we
be blessed with long live, good health,
and everything wonderful.