[Avodah] Keil melech neeman

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, December 21, 2006 12:29 pm, Rich, Joel wrote:
: Does anyone know why we say this before shma when we are saying it
: byichidut (& it seems a hefsek) rather than repeating hashem eilokeichem
: emet at the end of the shma (as the chazan does)?

The Mukaczer in Darkhei Chaim veShalom actually says you should repeat Hashem
Elokeichem emes (HEE), even beyechidus.

But repeating HEE is also problematic, as it means the Chazan is speaking
between Shema and Emes veYatziv. So it too is a hefseiq. There are reasons why
we allow it for a Chazan as in his role for setting the minyan's pace -- a
rationale that doesn't work for anyone else.

To avoid this problem, the Moroccan minhag is for the Chazan to repeat "Hashem
E-lokeikhem" and the qahal answers "Emes". This avoids anyone going from Shema
to the berakhah and then back to Shema again. No hefseiq.

I discussed Keil Melekh Ne'eman in my shi'ur. (Recording at
<http://www.aishdas.org/asp/2006/10/shema-yisrael.shtml>, about 1/3 of the way
in.) The shiur decayed in attendance to non-existence, and I called it quits
after Shema so I didn't get to HEE.

According to R' Saadia Gaon, Birkhas Ahavah should get an "amein" afterward by
the person saying it, as it is the last of the the berakhos hasemuchos
lechaveirtos that are before Shema. As Sepharadim do after birkhas Shalom in
the Amidah, and we do after Bonei Y-m, the former end of bentching.

Machzor Vitri and the Ramban explicitly tell you not to say amein, as the
berakhos afterward are also semuchos. Which is why "Emes veYatziv" doesn't
begin "barukh". And the Ramban rules out Keil Melekh Ne'eman for the same
reason. For that matter, the Ramban says "birkhas ahavah" is a birkhas
hamitzvah for shema, and therefore Keil Melekh Ne'eman poses a second problem

The geonim and Sepharadi rishonim have no mention of Keil Melekh Ne'eman.
Since it's not in the Rambam's siddur, RYBS didn't say it.

The Machzor Vitri is the first source.

But yet another possible explanation if that "keil melekh ne'eman" is an
expansion of the same amein that R' Saadia Gaon provides.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

-- 
Micha Berger             Spirituality is like a bird: if you tighten
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