[Avodah] Barukh Hu Uvarukh Shemo

[Micha Berger]

On Thu, February 8, 2007 1:00 pm, David E Cohen wrote:
: Regarding "barukh hu uvarukh shemo," R' Micha Berger wrote:
:> Granikim don't say it because the only "Hu" one can give a berakhah to is
:> "Shemo". Once one distinguishes between the two, "Hu" refers to the Ein
:> Sof, for Whom the concept of berakhah is meaningless.

: How, then, are we to explain Tehillim 72:18-19? ...

Unfortunately, I'm unaware of the Gra writing a peirush to it, so I can only
guess. But I think your answer is strong.

: I have an answer to my own question, but I don't know how strong it is.
: Since Tehillim is structured as poetry, it is quite common for it to say
: essentially the same thing twice through the use of synonyms.

In fact, given Tehillim's propensity for keifel lashon, I would assert that if
anything the parallel pesuqim are far more likely to refer to two tiers of the
same basic notion than not. It's not just an "efshar lomar"; the presence of
parallelism makes it the default assumption.

The first pasuq can't be referring to the Ein Sof, as it says "E-lokei
Yisrael". I would say the two pesuqim read as a berakhah to the Sheim Hashem
in terms of our relationship to Him, and a berakhah to the universal Sheim
Hashem that will be manifest when all people come to relate to him. Along the
same lines as "... bayom hahu yihyeh Hashem echad uShemo echad." Not many
people worshipping different deities, and those who are monotheists believing
in inferior understandings of Who He is.

Tir'u baTov!
-mi

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