[Avodah] Keil melech neeman

[David E Cohen]

R' Micha Berger asked:
> How can the Prof attribute it to the Zohar Chadash (published to include
> material found in Tzafas)? It's already in the Machzor Viri...

He was not attributing the idea of 248 words to the Zohar Chadash, only the
solution of having the chazzan repeat the words "Hashem Elokeikhem emes."
He writes explicitly that it was known in Ashkenaz long before that (its
earliest source being in the Tanchuma), and that it was the reason for the
old minhag Ashkenaz of saying "Keil Melekh ne'eman" (he does not mention the
"Midrash Aggadah" about the 613 words).  I apologize if this was not clear
from my original post.


> If someone can explain how not stopping helps complete 248 words if one
> already said KMN, I would appreciate it.

I think it's just saying that the 248th word is "emes," so you need to join
it together with keri'as shema`, rather than pausing after "Ani Hashem
Elokeikhem" and then proceeding with "Emes ve-yatziv..."  In other words, it
seems to be providing a different reason for a din that the gemara already
gives us a reason for (Berakhos 14a-b).

--D.C.