The First Blessing of the Amidah
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ByAndrew Pepperstone
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Sefer Breisheet
סידור אשכנז, ימי חול, תפילת שחרית, עמידה, אבות ג׳

1. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹקֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ

2. אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם אֱלֹקֵי יִצְחָק וֵאלֹקֵי יַעֲקֹב

3. הָאֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא

4. אֵל עֶלְיוֹן

5. גּוֹמֵל חֲסָדִים טוֹבִים

6. וְקוֹנֵה הַכֹּל

7. וְזוֹכֵר חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת

8. וּמֵבִיא גוֹאֵל לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם לְמַֽעַן שְׁמוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה:

9. מֶֽלֶךְ עוֹזֵר וּמוֹשִֽׁיעַ וּמָגֵן:

10. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה' מָגֵן אַבְרָהָם:

Siddur Ashkenaz, Weekday, Shacharit, Amidah, Patriarchs 3

1. Blessed are You, YHVH, Our God and God of our ancestors

2. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob

3. The great, mighty, and awesome God

4. God Most High

5. Who performs acts of loving- kindness

6. And Creator of All

7. And remembers the loving-kindness of our ancestors

8. And brings a redeemer to their children’s children for His name’s sake, with love.

9. Helping, saving, and shielding king!

10. Blessed are You, God, shield of Abraham.

  1. Anomalies: What is strange? unexpected? ambiguous? Where is the language choppy or unclear?

  2. Theme: If you had to identify an underlying or unifying theme, what might it be?

  3. Connection: Which of these lines do you relate to? Which do you not connect to?

The Literary Approach to the Siddur:

Every line of the Siddur (the Jewish prayerbook) is quoting or referring to the Bible.

What happens if you were to notice the biblical source, and analyze it for meaning?

The second line of this blessing is a direct quote from the story of Moses at the Burning Bush, when he encounters God for the first time.
שמות ג׳:ה׳-ט״ז

(ה) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַל־תִּקְרַ֣ב הֲלֹ֑ם שַׁל־נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עוֹמֵ֣ד עָלָ֔יו אַדְמַת־קֹ֖דֶשׁ הֽוּא׃ (ו) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אָנֹכִי֙ אֱלֹקֵ֣י אָבִ֔יךָ אֱלֹקֵ֧י אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֱלֹקֵ֥י יִצְחָ֖ק וֵאלֹקֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וַיַּסְתֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ פָּנָ֔יו כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔א מֵהַבִּ֖יט אֶל־הָאֱלֹקִֽים׃...

(יא) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹקִ֔ים מִ֣י אָנֹ֔כִי כִּ֥י אֵלֵ֖ךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְכִ֥י אוֹצִ֛יא אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃

(טו) וַיֹּ֩אמֶר֩ ע֨וֹד אֱלֹקִ֜ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה כֹּֽה־תֹאמַר֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ ה' אֱלֹקֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֱלֹקֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֱלֹקֵ֥י יִצְחָ֛ק וֵאלֹקֵ֥י יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם זֶה־שְּׁמִ֣י לְעֹלָ֔ם וְזֶ֥ה זִכְרִ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר׃

Exodus 3:5-16

(5) And [God] said, “Do not come closer! Remove your shoes from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground!” (6) [God] said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God...

(11) But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and free the Israelites from Egypt?”...

(15) God said further to Moses, “Thus shall you speak to the children of Israel: YHVH, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you: This is My name forever, This My appellation for all generations.

Questions from Rabbi Ellie Kaunfer

  1. God speaks these words to Moses in their first ever encounter! Moses is unfamiliar with God. He fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian slave master and has been living and growing a family in exile, far away from the suffering of his people. What effect do you think these words were supposed to have on Moses? Why would God call back to Moses’ ancestors in this moment?

  2. What effect do these words seem to actually have on him?

  3. The second time the phrase appears it is God explaining to Moses what he should say to the Israelites when they ask him who sent him. What effect are these words designed to have in that encounter?

  4. While in the text, God says these words to a human, in the Amidah, we say these words to God. What do you think about this? What does it mean to “flip the script” in this way?

  5. In what ways does this source text change your understanding of the blessing in the Amidah?