Tefillah 054

35:
Having discussed the issue of the inclusion of the matriarchs in the Avot benediction we can now turn our attention to two other important issues that consideration of this benediction raises. The first issue to be discussed is the general content of the benediction; the second is the text of the b^erakhah which concludes it.

36:
In the previous shiur we noted that the first part of the benediction – the part which consists of a string of biblical quotations – is constant and unchanging in the versions which have survived. This is not the case with the latter part of the benediction. In the present format of the benediction as it appears in our prayerbooks, the text is as follows:

37:
This version of the text appears to make a subtle shift towards the end from historical considerations of the past to eschatalogical considerations of the future. The God we worship at this present time was the God of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and because of their virtues will at some future time redeem their ultimate descendents by sending a messianic redeemer.

38:
However, this is not the original intention of the passage and is a misinterpretation of the text. We know this from comparison with other versions that have survived. For example, here is the first benediction of the Amidah according to the prayer rite that was used in Eretz-Israel from ancient times until the middle ages:

(Please click here to read the text of the Eretz-Israel version of this benediction in Hebrew.)

We note that the content of this version is centered on the past and the present but there is no mention of the future. God was the Protector of our ancestors and has been the Protector of Israel throughout history. There is no reference at all to any future redemption.

39:
But, to tell the truth, neither is there a reference to a future redemption in the version of the benediction that we use today. The perceived reference comes from a misunderstanding. A more literal translation of the latter part of the benediction would be as follows:

The intention of the benediction is to refer to the Exodus from Egypt as the supreme example of God's protective power: because of the extraordinary merits and virtues of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob God sent a redeemer, Moses, to their grandchildren, enslaved in Egypt. I know that this interpretation of the b^erakhah will seem novel to those who have been nurtured from childhood with the teaching that the latter part of the benediction is eschatalogical in nature and deals with a future redemtption; but let me assure you that this is not a personal interpretation, but one naturally assumed by many scholars (Rabbi Adin Steinzaltz, for example, in his two-volume work on Jewish ritual). It must have been Israel's later suffering in prolonged exile that shifted the meaning from the Moses the Liberator to an ultimate Messianic Saviour. (My interpretation of the text also preserves its essentially historical ambience.) A sure sign that the refernce to the redeemer is a later interpolation – as demonstrated by its complete absence in the version of Eretz-Israel – is the addition of the phrase "King, Helper, Saviour and Shield". This was necessary, according to the rabbinic system, so as to restore the connection between the conclusion of the b^erakhah with the concept of "protection" which had been disrupted by the addition.

40:
The conclusion of the benediction is "Shield of Abraham". The Gemara [Pesaĥim 117b] already notes that this is surprising and that one would have expected the conclusion of the benediction to refer to all the patriarchs rather than just one of them. The explanation given in the Gemara is based on God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:2:

41:
This last reference alone would suggest that there is no room for the inclusion of Sarah in the conclusion of the benediction: if her son and grandson are specifically excluded because it is only Abraham who is 'the blessing' it should logically follow that Sarah cannot be included either. But there is a greater reason for arguing against any change in the concluding formula of the benediction. One of the great halakhic luminaries of the renaissance is Rabbi Yeshayah Horowitz [1565-1630]. In his renowned book Shnei Luĥot ha-Brit he refers to one of the benedictions recited in the early morning benedictions (see Tefillah 002 and the following shiurim for a complete discussion on these). He writes [in his notes of Ĥullin 61] :

It follows clearly from this discussion that the alteration of existing benedictions is not permitted by halakhah. Therefore there should be no change in the wording of the b^erakhah "Shield of Abraham".

To be continued

Because of personal commitments the next Shiur in this series will probably be on 11th August.