The tenth bracha of the Shemoneh Esrei concerns our prayers for the ingathering of the exiles and the onset of the final Redemption. I once had the privilege to hear Rav Matisyahu Salomon, Shlit”a, (Matisyahu Chaim ben Ettel, may he have a refuah shelaima from Hashem b’soch shaar cholei Yisroel) at an Agudah Convention. He posed an intriguing question. What is the most important blessing in the Shemoneh Esrei? As soon as he asked this question, my mind started to ponder. Perhaps it’s Refa’einu, since ‘Bereishis bora, first comes health’ (the word bora is the root of brius, meaning health). Or perhaps the bracha of Sim Shalom, the blessing of Peace. As Rashi tells us, “Im ein shalom ein klum – If there’s no peace there’s nothing.” Or maybe I wondered if it is the bracha of Attah Chonein, regarding our intellect, for what are we if we can’t reason? How surprised I was when he answered with a flourish that the most important blessing of the Shemoneh Esrei is “T’kah b’shofar gadol l’cheiruseinu,” our bracha that we beseech Hashem to initiate the final Redemption!
The blessing begins “T’kah b’shofar gadol – Blow the great shofar.” The Eitz Yosef explains that this is based on the verse, “Va’haya b’yom hahu yitakah b’shofar gadol – It will be on that day [of the Redemption, that] He will blow the great shofar.” The Siddur Hamesifta says that it is called the great shofar because it can be heard all around the world. The Resisei Layla [#50] says something very poetic and moving. He explains that the power of this shofar comes from the accumulated cries and screams of the persecuted, tormented, and tortured Jews throughout the ages.
The Pirkei d’Reb Eliezer identifies this shofar as the right horn from the ram that Avraham Avinu slaughtered instead of Yitzchak at the akeida. The left horn of that ram was used at Matan Torah. Since a ram’s right horn is larger than the left one, it is called the shofar gadol. In Pathways to Prayer, Rabbi Birnbaum, Shlit”a, says that it is called the shofar gadol because of its great significance as the instrument that heralds the Redemption. This is analogous to the Mediterranean Sea, which is called the Yam HaGadol, the Great Sea, not because of its massive proportions but rather because of its significance in its proximity to Eretz Yisrael.
We then say “V’sa neis l’kabeitz galu’yoseinu,” which Rashi explains from Yeshayah [5:26] means, “Raise the great flag so everyone can see it and come back home.” In this blessing, we first say, “L’kabeitz galu’yoseinu,” to gather our exiles, and then we ask again, “V’kabseinu yachad mei’arba kanfos ha’aretz,” and gather us together from the four corners of the world. Why the repetition? The Siddur Meforesh explains that the first request, where we simply ask to gather the exiles, refers to the ten lost tribes that are all in one place. The second request, to gather us from the four corners of the world, refers to the tribes of Yehudah and Binyamin that are scattered all over the place. The bracha emphasizes v’kabseinu yachad, gather us together. The Rokei’ach comments that it will be unlike the time of Ezra where we didn’t come all together. Rather, then, only 40,360 Jews came to Eretz Yisrael with Ezra.
The blessing ends, “Baruch Attah Hashem, M’kabeitz nidchei amo Yisrael – Blessed are You, Hashem, Who gathers those that have been pushed aside in the nation of Yisrael.” Included in this are those who are off-the-derech, those who have been pushed aside by trauma, by pain or by the lure of the hedonistic society in which we live.
The Shaarei Tzion then concludes that the word nidchei has the gematria of 72. Seventy-two is the ineffable Name yud-hei-vav-hei when written out ‘in full.’ In this ‘in full’ form of gematria, the letter yud is spelled out as it is pronounced, yud-vav daled, which added together equal 20. Likewise, the hei becomes hei-yud equaling 15, vav becomes vav-yud-vav, or 22, and the last hei again becomes hei-yud which equals 15. These letters thus yield a sum total of 72.
In the merit of our praying for the redemption, especially during the Three Weeks, may Hashem bless us with long life, good health, and everything wonderful.
Transcribed and edited by Shelley Zeitlin.
