Praise Hashem

כי שם ה' אקרא הבו גודל לאלקנו

The Sifri says ר' יוסי אומר: מנין לעומדים בבית הכנסת ואומר ברכו את ה' המבורך, שעונים אחריהם ברוך ה' המבורך לעולם ועד? ת"ל כי שם ה' אקרא הבו גודל לאלהינו וכו ...  ומנין שלא ירד דניאל לגוב אריות, אלא כדי שיעשה לו המקום נסים וגבורות בשביל לקדש שמו בעולם? שנאמר כי שם ה' אקרא.  The Sifri equates the din of answering a דבר שבקדושה and the halacha of mesirat nefesh.  What is the connection between these two laws?  We see that the yesod of the din is the same, kiddush shem Hashem in public.  Sometimes that is accomplished by giving up one's life and sometimes that is accomplished by answering to the "call of the Lord" in public.

The Gemorah in Yoma (37a) learns out from this possuk the obligation to answer ברוך שם after a blessing said with the announciation of Hashem's name which is done in the Mikdash.  How does this fit with the Sifri that learns out all responses in a synagogue from here?  The Gemorah Peshacim (50a) says that nowadays we don't read the name of Hashem as it is written, we only say the name of אדנות.  We can understand this two ways.  Either by mentioning אדנות it is a new way of pronouncing the name of Hashem or that even though we have not pronounced the words as written, it has the chalos of pronouncing the name as הויה.  What the Sifri is teaching us is that when there is a tzibbur is performing a דבר שבקדושה that has the chalos of mentioning the name of Hashem to obligate an answering of הבו גדול לאלקנו.  (Rav Soloveitchik.)