Surely the most famous passage from the Torah is the Shema, the verse from today’s Torah portion that proclaims: “Hear O Israel! The Holy One is our God, The Holy One alone.” That verse is recited twice during public prayer (morning and afternoon services) and once in bed before going to sleep for the night. Many synagogues emblazon those words above the Aron Kodesh, the Holy Ark, or on the wall of their Sanctuary. And, traditionally, those are the last words a Jew recites immediately before dying.
What does the recital of the Shema, clearly of such importance to Judaism, signify for the believing Jew? The Rabbis of Midrash Devarim Rabbah explained that the Shema “involves accepting the Kingdom of Heaven.” In other words, the Shema is the Jewish Pledge of Allegiance: by reciting it, we renew our loyalty to God alone, and affirm that we remain God’s loyal servants in word and in deed. Small wonder, then, that it is what brackets our day—among our first words in the morning and our last at night. From waking to slumber, the Jew is summoned to strengthen God’s rule.
Early on, the ancient rabbis read this editorial understanding of the Shema’s message into the liturgy by adding another line immediately after this one. They inserted “Barukh Shem Kevod Mal’khuto Le-Olam Va-ed (Blessed is the name of God’s glorious Domain forever and ever).” Curiously, the Talmud in Tractate Berakhot insists that worshipers whisper this line, almost silently. The sole exception to this traditional practice is on Yom Kippur, at which time alone the congregation chants this affirmation as loudly as the Shema itself.
Why did the rabbis of the Talmud mandate the silent recitation of “Barukh shem…” and why did they also insist that we recite it out loud on the holiest fast day of the year?
According to Midrash Devarim Rabbah, there are two ancient explanations for this puzzling practice:
The first explanation traces the origin of the Shema to the deathbed of the Patriarch Jacob. As he lay dying, he gathered his children around him, and expressed his fear that they would not continue to serve God alone. His children responded, “Hear O Israel (Jacob’s other name), only Adonai is our God” to which he weakly responded “Barukh Shem…” We imitate the dying words of our ancestor Jacob, an affirmation of Jewish continuity in the service of God, and we also imitate his weakness, perhaps in recognition of our own finitude and the limits of each individual Jew. As individuals, we can only do a little, but as members of the Jewish people, as heirs to the brit, the covenant, we are indeed testimony to God’s sovereignty and greatness. Hence, the softness of our response is really an affirmation of God’s covenant with the Jewish people as a whole.
A second midrash relates that Moses ascended to heaven and heard the angels above praise God by chanting “Barukh Shem…” When he returned to the Jewish people at Mt. Sinai, he taught them to say this after they had recited the Shema. The Midrash asks, “Why doesn’t Israel make this declaration publicly (aloud)? Rabbi Assi replied, “This can be compared to a man who stole jewelry from the royal palace which he gave to his wife, telling her, ‘Don’t wear these in public, but only in the house.’”
Since Moses had “stolen” the praise that the angels used, he told the Jews to recite it, but silently. Our silence reminds us that we bear the burden of having to strive to imitate the angels while simultaneously recognizing that we are but impostors. We cannot attain to the level of purity that is our goal, yet it remains our task to keep trying anyway.
Why, then, do we recite the line out loud on Yom Kippur? Because, the Midrash explains, “On Yom Kippur when Israel are as pure as the ministering angels, they do recite publicly, “Blessed by the name of God’s glorious domain forever and ever.”
On the day that we transcend all bodily needs and focus exclusively on our spiritual responsibilities, our moral shortcomings, and our obligations to God, we most closely approximate the holiness of the angels. And on that day alone we merit to use their lines without embarrassment.
The next time you whisper “Barukh Shem…” remember your significance as a member of a covenant people and your need to become a bit more angelic.