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Sefirot Amidah Yosef and Yehuda VaYigash
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בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְקוָק, אֱלֹקינוּ וֵֽאלֹקי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ, אֱלֹקי אַבְרָהָם, אֱלֹקי
יִצְחָק, וֵֽאלֹקי יַעֲקֹב. הָקל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא, אֵל עֶלְיוֹן,
גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים, קוֹנֵה הַכֹּל, וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵּי אָבוֹת, וּמֵבִיא
גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַֽהֲבָה:Love 13
Echad One and Names
13+13 = 26 Havaya
Colors
מֶֽלֶךְ
עוֹזֵר
וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ
וּמָגֵן:
Instead of paraphrasing Rabbi Kaplan, I thought it important
to quote him directly as this is such an incredible lesson, I doubt there is a
single person who would not benefit tremendously,
He writes: The first paragraph in the Amidah concludes with
four words that are designated to bring Hashem closer to the worshiper. These four
words are 'Melech - King, Ozer - Helper, Moshia - Rescuer, and Magen -
Shield,'
Whereas in the first part of this paragraph we relate to
Hashem in a general manner, here we develop our personal relationship with Him.
These four words are the key to the entire Amidah. If one says them correctly,
one is left in a perfect spiritual space for the rest of the service. Even if
one has said the first parts of this paragraph without proper concentration, if
these four words are said properly, they will bring the worshiper to such a
closeness to Hashem that the rest of the Amidah will be perfect. Let us look at
these four words in detail.
The first word is 'King' (Melekh). We begin by
looking at Hashem as our king and at our relationship to Him as that of a
subject to a king. A king is far away, in his capital city, in his palace. If
you want something from the king, you must send him a formal request, and it
goes through his staff, his ministers, his secretary. Then, if you are lucky,
after a few months you may get a reply. Therefore, when we address Hashem as
King, we see Him as majestic but distant. Help is available from him, but not
closely available.
In the next word, we address Hashem as 'Helper'
(Ozer). Now we see him as much closer than a king. A 'helper' is
someone whom we can readily approach. He is a friend whom we know we can
always call on and who always will make himself available.
Therefore, when we call Hashem 'Helper,' we realize that we can call
on Him at any time and He will be there for us. This is a relationship
much closer than that to a king. In saying this word, we are
beginning the process through which we draw closer to Hashem. Third, we
address Hashem as 'Rescuer' (Moshia). Again, a rescuer is much closer
than a helper. A rescuer is someone who is available to save you when you are
drowning in a river; he is right t