Friday, September 22, 2023

When To Say ברוך שם

The Gemarah Yoma (37a) says that when the people hear the Kohan gadol uttering the שם המפורש the people say ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו and the Gemarah says the source תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אוֹמֵר: ״כִּי שֵׁם ה׳ אֶקְרָא הָבוּ גוֹדֶל לֵאלֹהֵינוּ״, אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאֲנִי מַזְכִּיר שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אַתֶּם הָבוּ גּוֹדֶל.  The Gemarah Taanis (16a) says וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁאֵין עוֹנִין ״אָמֵן״ בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״קוּמוּ בָּרְכוּ אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִן הָעוֹלָם עַד הָעוֹלָם וִיבָרְכוּ שֵׁם כְּבֹדֶךָ וּמְרוֹמַם עַל כׇּל בְּרָכָה וּתְהִלָּה.  Why do we need two pessukim to tell us that amen is not uttered in the Mikdash?  

Rav Soloveitchik explains these two Gemarot are two different discussions.  The Gemarah in Yoma is talking about the response of the nation to hearing the שם המפורש.  The Gemarah tells us for that that, כִּי שֵׁם ה׳, when the name of Hashem is pronounced, it obligates a response of ברוך שם.  The Gemarah in Taanis is another discussion about the response of kohanim to a beracha in the Mikdash.  That is not a din in hearing the name of Hashem annunciated, but a din in the קיום of the shem Hashem being uttered.  The נ"מ is even after Shimon Hatzaddik passed away and the שם מפורש was no longer used, still the kohanim would respond with ברוך שם because there is a קיום of the announcement of שם מפורש and that timeframe obligates a ברוך שם.  With this idea Rav Soloveitchik explains that is the מחייב for saying ברוך שם in Shema.  The Gra (on Orach Chayim siman 5) says that in Shema when one says the name of Hashem one has to have kavana not only for אדנות like every beracha for also for the explanation of הוי"ה.  In other words, in Shema there is a kium of mentioning the name of Hashem and hence we say ברוך שם.  

On Y.K. the blood is sprinkled אחת למעלה ושבעה למטה.  The אחת is drawn down into the 7 middot of a person.  To bring the holiness of Y.K. into a person.  The Alter Rebbe explains in great depth in the שער היחוד והאמונה how שמע ישראל is יחודא עילאה and ברוך שם  is  יחודא תתאה.  On Y.K. we given a lot of attention to ברוך שם because we want to take the kedusha of the day and be able to put it into a כלי to use throughout the year.

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