(א) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֽשֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם וּבוֹרֵא אֶת־הַכֹּל:
(ב) הַמֵּאִיר לָאָֽרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים עָלֶֽיהָ בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל־יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית: מָה־רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ | יְהֹוָה כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְ֒אָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶֽךָ: הַמֶּֽלֶךְ הַמְ֒רוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ מֵאָז. הַמְ֒שֻׁבָּח וְהַמְ֒פֹאָר וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא מִימוֹת עוֹלָם: אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם בְּרַחֲמֶֽיךָ הָרַבִּים רַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ אֲדוֹן עֻזֵּֽנוּ צוּר מִשְׂגַּבֵּֽנוּ מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵֽנוּ מִשְׂגָּב בַּעֲדֵֽנוּ: אֵל בָּרוּךְ גְּדוֹל דֵּעָה הֵכִין וּפָעַל זָהֳרֵי חַמָּה: טוֹב יָצַר כָּבוֹד לִשְׁמוֹ מְאוֹרוֹת נָתַן סְבִיבוֹת עֻזּוֹ: פִּנּוֹת צְבָאָיו קְדוֹשִׁים רוֹמְ֒מֵי שַׁדַּי תָּמִיד מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד־אֵל וּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ: תִּתְבָּרַךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ עַל־שֶֽׁבַח מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶֽיךָ וְעַל־מְאֽוֹרֵי אוֹר שֶׁעָשִֽׂיתָ יְפָאֲרֽוּךָ סֶּֽלָה:
(ג) תִּתְבָּרַךְ צוּרֵֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ וְגוֹאֲלֵֽנוּ בּוֹרֵא קְדוֹשִׁים. יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ לָעַד מַלְכֵּֽנוּ יוֹצֵר מְשָׁרְ֒תִים. וַאֲשֶׁר מְשָׁרְ֒תָיו כֻּלָּם עוֹמְ֒דִים בְּרוּם עוֹלָם וּמַשְׁמִיעִים בְּיִרְאָה יַֽחַד בְּקוֹל דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וּמֶֽלֶךְ עוֹלָם. כֻּלָּם אֲהוּבִים. כֻּלָּם בְּרוּרִים. כֻּלָּם גִּבּוֹרִים. וְכֻלָּם עוֹשִׂים בְּאֵימָה וּבְיִרְאָה רְצוֹן קוֹנָם. וְכֻלָּם פּוֹתְ֒חִים אֶת־פִּיהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה. בְּשִׁירָה וּבְזִמְרָה. וּמְבָרְ֒כִים וּמְשַׁבְּ֒חִים וּמְפָאֲרִים וּמַעֲרִיצִים וּמַקְדִּישִׁים וּמַמְלִיכִים:
(ד) אֶת שֵׁם הָאֵל הַמֶּֽלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא קָדוֹשׁ הוּא. וְכֻלָּם מְקַבְּ֒לִים עֲלֵיהֶם עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַֽיִם זֶה מִזֶּה. וְנוֹתְ֒נִים רְשׁוּת זֶה לָזֶה לְהַקְדִּישׁ לְיוֹצְ֒רָם בְּנַֽחַת רֽוּחַ. בְּשָׂפָה בְרוּרָה וּבִנְעִימָה. קְדֻשָּׁה כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד עוֹנִים וְאוֹמְ֒רִים בְּיִרְאָה:
(ה) קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ, קָדוֹשׁ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת. מְלֹא כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ:
(ו) וְהָאוֹפַנִּים וְחַיּוֹת הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ בְּרַֽעַשׁ גָּדוֹל מִתְנַשְּׂ֒אִים לְעֻמַּת שְׂרָפִים לְעֻמָּתָם מְשַׁבְּ֒חִים וְאוֹמְ֒רִים:
(ז) בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד־יְהֹוָה מִמְּ֒קוֹמוֹ:
(ח) לְאֵל בָּרוּךְ נְעִימוֹת יִתֵּֽנוּ. לְמֶֽלֶךְ אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם זְמִרוֹת יֹאמֵֽרוּ וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת יַשְׁמִֽיעוּ. כִּי הוּא לְבַדּוֹ פּוֹעֵל גְּבוּרוֹת. עוֹשֶׂה חֲדָשׁוֹת. בַּֽעַל מִלְחָמוֹת. זוֹרֵֽעַ צְדָקוֹת. מַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעוֹת. בּוֹרֵא רְפוּאוֹת. נוֹרָא תְהִלּוֹת. אֲדוֹן הַנִּפְלָאוֹת: הַמְ֒חַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל־יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית: כָּאָמוּר לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּֽוֹ: אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל־צִיּוֹן תָּאִיר וְנִזְכֶּה כֻלָּֽנוּ מְהֵרָה לְאוֹרוֹ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה יוֹצֵר הַמְּ֒אוֹרוֹת:
(1) Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Former of light, Creator of darkness, Maker of peace, Creator of all things.
(2) He illuminates the earth [and provides light] for those who dwell on it, with compassion; and in His goodness renews every day, continually, the work of creation. How many are Your works, Adonoy; You made them all with wisdom, the earth is full of Your possessions. The King Who alone is exalted from then, Who is praised and glorified and uplifted, from the beginning of time. Eternal God, in Your abundant mercy, have compassion on us, Master, Who is our strength, Rock, Who is our stronghold Shield, of our deliverance, [Be] a stronghold for us. The blessed Almighty, great in knowledge, prepared and made the rays of the sun. [The] Good [One] created [everything] for the glory of His Name: the luminaries He set around His strength (His throne). The chiefs of His hosts are holy beings, the exalters of Shadai continually recount the glory of the Almighty and His holiness. Be Blessed, Adonoy, our God, for the excellent works of Your hands, and for the light-giving luminaries which You formed; they will glorify You forever.
(3) Be blessed our Former, our King, and our Redeemer—Creator of holy beings. Praised be Your Name forever, our King, Who forms ministering angels; and Whose ministering angels all stand at the height of the Universe, and proclaim with reverence, in unison aloud the words of the living God, King of the Universe. All of them are beloved, all of them are pure, all of them are mighty and all of them perform with awe and reverence the will of their Possessor. And they all open their mouths in holiness and purity, with song and music, and they bless, and praise, and glorify, and revere, and sanctify, and proclaim the sovereignty of—
(4) the Name of the Almighty, the King, the Great, the Mighty, the awesome One; holy is He. And they all take upon themselves the yoke of Divine sovereignty one from the other, and give leave to one another to sanctify their Former in a spirit of serenity with clear speech and pleasantness, all exclaim Kedushah in unison and reverently exclaim:
(5) Holy, holy, holy is Adonoy of Hosts, the fullness of all the earth is His glory.
(6) And the Ofanim and the holy Chayos, with a mighty sound rise toward the Serafim. Facing them, they offer praise and say,
(7) Blessed is the glory of Adonoy from His place.
(8) To the Blessed Almighty, they offer pleasant melodies; to the King, the Almighty, [Who is] living and enduring, they utter hymns and make praises heard. For He alone is the Performer of mighty deeds, Maker of new things; Master of battles, Sower of acts of righteousness, Causer of deliverance to sprout forth; Creator of cures. Awesome in praise, Master of wonders, He renews in His goodness, each day, continuously, the work of creation, as it is said: “[Give thanks to Him] Who makes the great luminaries,” for His kindness is everlasting.” Shine a new light upon Zion, and may we all soon be privileged to [enjoy] its brightness. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Former of the luminaries.
(א) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֽשֶׁךְ עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם וּבוֹרֵא אֶת־הַכֹּל:
(1) Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Former of light, Creator of darkness, Maker of peace, Creator of all things.
I make weal and create woe—
I the LORD do all these things.
Lawrence A. Hoffman (My People's Prayer Book: The Sh'ma and Its Blessings, pp. 50)
“Who forms light and creates darkness” Each of the Sh’ma’s blessings responds to a specific philosophic topic that exercised thinkers in late antiquity, thereby commenting implicitly on how Jewish belief differed from that of others at the time. Our benediction on creation emphasizes light, in particular, because the ancients saw the universe divided into light and darkness, two realms that they identified further with good and bad, or sometimes, spirit and matter. An extreme form of this dualism led to the notion that there must be two gods, or at least, an all-powerful god and a lesser power called a demiurge. The demiurge, or second deity, was regarded as the source of darkness, materiality and evil. While Jews too associated God primarily with the light of the universe, they stopped short of the radical dualism that would have compromised the principle of monotheism. They therefore attributed not just light but darkness also to God. But they were ambivalent about God’s role in “creating darkness,” so in the final line of the blessing, the chatimah, they mention only, “Blessed are You, Adonai, creator of the lights.
"Makes peace and creates everything" The midrash says, "Great is peace; it is equal to everything." Some commentators conclude that we therefore mean, "By making peace, God implicitly created everything."
Marc Brettler (My People's Prayer Book: The Sh'ma and Its Blessings, pp. 45-46)
“Makes peace and creates everything” Except for the last word, this is a quotation from Isa. 45:7, which reads hara, “trouble,” not hakol, “everything.” The biblical context makes “trouble” a better translation then the usual word, “evil,” because it is juxtaposed with shalom, “peace” in the sense of tranquility... Our verse is thus polemical, emphasizing Judaism’s monotheistic faith, according to which a single deity must be responsible for the opposites of light and darkness, peace and trouble. This polemic served little function in later periods, where, if anything, it was problematic, since it explicitly attributes the creation of trouble to God, and for this reason, was revised in the liturgy. Though deeply indebted to biblical precedents, the liturgy is not enslaved to the Bible, which it regularly revises to fit the changed needs of worshippers.
Judith Plaskow (My People's Prayer Book: The Sh'ma and Its Blessings, pp. 45, 53)
“Makes peace and creates everything” The blessings surrounding the Sh’ma are replete with images of divine power. But here, the liturgy sidesteps the ultimate expression of that power: God’s responsibility for evil. In rendering Isaiah 45:7, “I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create evil” as “who forms light and creates darkness, makes peace and creates everything,” the Rabbis introduce a euphemism that avoids attributing evil to God. Of course, it is true that “everything” includes woe and evil, but the word conjures—and is probably meant to conjure—the plenitude of creation, rather than its destructive or negative aspects.
This alteration of Isaiah raises the question of truth in liturgy. Do we want a liturgy that names the truths of our lives, however painful or difficult they may be, or do we want a liturgy that elevates and empowers, that focuses on the wondrous aspects of creation alone? Are these goals in conflict, or can hearing truth itself be empowering?
הַמֵּאִיר לָאָֽרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים עָלֶֽיהָ בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל־יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית: מָה־רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ | יְהֹוָה כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ מָלְ֒אָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶֽךָ:
He illuminates the earth [and provides light] for those who dwell on it, with compassion; and in His goodness renews every day, continually, the work of creation. How many are Your works, Adonoy; You made them all with wisdom, the earth is full of Your possessions.
You have made them all with wisdom;
the earth is full of Your creations.
Kedushat Levi, by Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, is one of the chasidic classics. It was composed in Ukraine in the late 18th-century
אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל־צִיּוֹן תָּאִיר וְנִזְכֶּה כֻלָּֽנוּ מְהֵרָה לְאוֹרוֹ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה יוֹצֵר הַמְּ֒אוֹרוֹת:
Shine a new light upon Zion, and may we all soon be privileged to [enjoy] its brightness. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Former of the luminaries.
Marc Brettler (My People's Prayer Book: The Sh'ma and Its Blessings, pp. 59)
"Shine a new light on Zion" The theme of light is transformed into a petition, to which the entire part of the blessing may be seen as a prelude, explaining why the petition should be answered. This movement from prelude to petition is common to biblical prayer as well... God is like a powerful patron, who may be swayed by hearing petitioners recount his great accomplishments. Here, the request for redemption is couched in teh metaphor of light, following a biblical tradition that a new light will usher in teh eschatological age (e.g. Isaa. 60:19, Zech, 14:7). The earlier discussion of God as a creator of light thus explains the expectation that God will be able to grant the request, which is, after all, just one more light.
His steadfast love is eternal;
Derush Chidushei HaLevana is an early 17th-century treatise by Rabbi Yom-Tov Lippman Heller (the “Tosafot Yom-Tov”) on the topic of the cycles of the moon.
וְעוֹד, הֲרֵי דָּוִד הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אָמַר (תהלים קלו ז) "לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים" בִּלְשׁוֹן הוֹוֶה... כִּי אִלּוּ יְצֻיַּר שֶׁיָּסִיר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרֵךְ שִׁפְעוֹ מֵהַבְּרוּאִים , יַחְדָּו יִכְלוּ אַף יָסוּפוּ כְּרֶגַע . וְהַשְׁתָּא, אִי אָמַרְתְּ בִּשְׁלָמָא שֶׁנִּקְרְאוּ 'גְּדוֹלִים' אַף שֶׁאֵינָם שָׁוִים אֲבָל בְּעֵרֶךְ אֲחֵרִים, אִם כֵּן שַׁפִּיר קָאָמַר "לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים", הַיְנוּ אוֹתָם שֶׁבְּמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, שֶׁמְּחַדְּשָׁם בְּכָל יוֹם.
Furthermore, King David praises God “Who makes the great luminaries,” using the present tense... Unquestionably, were God to withdraw His Creative energy from the created beings, they would all cease to exist immediately. Accordingly, it can be said that if the sun and the moon could both be considered as great luminaries even though they are not identical, because they are “great” in comparison to other celestial bodies, then the words of praise “Who makes the great luminaries” are appropriate, the intent being that the “great luminaries” brought into being at the time of Creation are renewed each day.
The Talmud is the textual record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and structured as commentary on the Mishnah. Tractate Berakhot (“Blessings”) is part of the Talmud and discusses the laws of prayers, focusing on the Shema, the Amidah, and blessings, including those recited in the context of eating.
אֶלָּא אָמַר רָבָא: כְּדֵי לְהַזְכִּיר מִדַּת יוֹם בַּלַּיְלָה וּמִדַּת לַיְלָה בַּיּוֹם. בִּשְׁלָמָא מִדַּת לַיְלָה בַּיּוֹם כִּדְאָמְרִינַן: ״יוֹצֵר אוֹר וּבוֹרֵא חֹשֶׁךְ״, אֶלָּא מִדַּת יוֹם בַּלַּיְלָה, הֵיכִי מַשְׁכַּחַתְּ לַהּ? אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: ״גּוֹלֵל אוֹר מִפְּנֵי חֹשֶׁךְ וְחֹשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר״.
Rather, Rava said: The reason we recite: “Who creates darkness” is in order to mention the attribute of day at night and the attribute of night during the day, and thereby unify day and night as different parts of a single entity. The Gemara continues and asks: Granted, the attribute of night is mentioned during the day, as we say: Who forms light and creates darkness, but where do you find the attribute of day mentioned at night? In the blessing over the radiant lights recited at night there is no mention of “Who forms light.” Abaye said: Nevertheless, the attribute of day is mentioned at night in the words: Rolling away light before the darkness and darkness before the light.
night is as light as day;
darkness and light are the same.
Rabbi Bahya ben Asher (1255-1340) wrote his commentary in Spain during the Middle Ages. It incorporates the literal meaning along with allegorical, Midrashic, and Kabbalistic interpretations.
שלמה המלך ע"ה המשיל נפש צדיק לאור מפני שהנפש אור שכלי לוקח מכסא הכבוד, והאור ההוא אינו אלא מעצמותו וגופו, איננו בא לו ממקום אחר ואיננו תלוי בדבר אחר, והמשיל נפש הרשע לנר שאור הנר אינו מעצמו אבל תלוי בדבר אחר והוא השמן והפתילה.
King Solomon compared the soul of a righteous person to אור, “a great light,” seeing that the soul provides spiritual light. It is derived directly from the celestial throne of glory. This light is not a derivative, but originates with G’d’s essence. By contrast, Solomon compared the soul of the wicked to a lamp, suggesting that it is merely a derivative, has no staying power of its own. It depends on oil and wick to keep it going.
The Talmud is the textual record of generations of rabbinic debate about law, philosophy, and biblical interpretation, compiled between the 3rd and 8th centuries and structured as commentary on the Mishnah. Tractate Avodah Zara (“Idolatry”) is part of the Talmud and discusses the prohibition of idolatry and regulations on interactions between Jews and idolaters.
ת"ר יום שנברא בו אדם הראשון כיון ששקעה עליו חמה אמר אוי לי שבשביל שסרחתי עולם חשוך בעדי ויחזור עולם לתוהו ובוהו וזו היא מיתה שנקנסה עלי מן השמים היה יושב בתענית ובוכה כל הלילה וחוה בוכה כנגדו כיון שעלה עמוד השחר אמר מנהגו של עולם
The Sages taught: On the day that Adam the first man was created, when the sun set upon him he said: Woe is me, as because I sinned, the world is becoming dark around me, and the world will return to the primordial state of chaos and disorder. And this is the death that was sentenced upon me from Heaven. He spent all night fasting and crying, and Eve was crying opposite him. Once dawn broke, he said: Evidently, the sun sets and night arrives, and this is the order of the world.
Midrash Tanchuma is a midrash (explanation) on the five books of the Torah, structured as sermons on the opening verses of each paragraph in the Torah. Named for the talmudic sage Rabbi Tanchuma, it was composed in Babylon, Italy, and Israel c.500 - c.800 CE.
וְכִי כֻלֵּי עַלְמָא בְּנֵי מֵתִים הֲווּ, אֲבָל הָרְשָׁעִים, אֲפִלּוּ בְּחַיֵּיהֶם קְרוּיִים מֵתִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאַתָּה חָלָל רָשָׁע וְגוֹ' (יחזקאל כא, ל). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים אוֹ שְׁלֹשָה עֵדִים יוּמַת הַמֵּת (דברים יז, ו). וְכִי יֵשׁ מֵת שֶׁהוּא חַיָּב מִיתָה אַחֶרֶת. אֶלָּא רָשָׁע בְּחַיָּיו חָשׁוּב כְּמֵת, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרוֹאֶה חַמָּה זוֹרַחַת וְאֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ יוֹצֵר אוֹר, שׁוֹקַעַת וְאֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ מַעֲרִיב עֲרָבִים, אוֹכֵל וְשׁוֹתֶה וְאֵינוֹ מְבָרֵךְ עָלֶיהָ. אֲבָל הַצַּדִּיקִים, מְבָרְכִין עַל כָּל דָּבָר וְדָבָר שֶׁאוֹכְלִין וְשׁוֹתִין וְשֶׁרוֹאִין וְשֶׁשׁוֹמְעִין. וְלֹא בְּחַיֵּיהֶם בִּלְבָד, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ בְּמִיתָתָן מְבָרְכִין וּמוֹדִין לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
Does someone dead deserve another death? It is simply that the wicked during life are regarded as dead. Because on seeing the rising sun, such a one does not say the blessing, "blessed be the One who forms light." When it sets, he does not say the blessing, "who brings on evenings." Nor does he say a blessing when eating or drinking. However, the righteous do say a blessing for each and every thing that they eat and drink, and see and hear. Moreover, [these blessings] are uttered not only while they are alive, but even when they are dead.