[Avodah] Hamakom yinachem eschem

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, Dec 08, 2011 at 06:20:38PM -0500, Prof. Levine wrote:
> Tonight I raised the issue of why we do not use the singular when we say 
> Hamakom when she is the only one sitting.  Someone said that this was 
> raised when some rabbi was present and he said that one should use the 
> plural "since the Neshama of the deceased is also present."...

I have heard that too, but I think it's a general issue. Do you say
"Shalom Aleikhem" even to just one person?

Besides, what if you're at a daughter mourning her mother, do you say
"eskhen" instead of "-em"? (For that matter, "neshamah" is lashon
neqeivah, maybe if the niftar was a man as well...)

I think that either
1- we simply don't customize such matbei'os, or
2- we address "you and yours". Perhaps there is a general notion about
blessing people as part of the community more than as individuals. We
are even pretentious enough to say "Selach lanu", admitting others'
guilt rather than to stand alone...

(Can anyone tell I'm blogging about the intro to Shaarei Yosher these past
couple of months?)

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where
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