אַתָּה גִבּוֹר לְעוֹלָם אדני מְחַיֵּה מֵתִים אַתָּה רַב לְהוֹשִֽׁיעַ:
בקיץ: מוֹרִיד הַטָּל
בחורף: מַשִּׁיב הָרֽוּחַ וּמוֹרִיד הַגֶּֽשֶׁם:
מְכַלְכֵּל חַיִּים בְּחֶֽסֶד מְחַיֵּה מֵתִים בְּרַחֲמִים רַבִּים סוֹמֵךְ נוֹפְ֒לִים וְרוֹפֵא חוֹלִים וּמַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים וּמְקַיֵּם אֱמוּנָתוֹ לִישֵׁנֵי עָפָר, מִי כָמֽוֹךָ בַּֽעַל גְּבוּרוֹת וּמִי דּֽוֹמֶה לָּךְ מֶֽלֶךְ מֵמִית וּמְחַיֵּה וּמַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעָה:
[בעשי"ת: מִי כָמֽוֹךָ אַב הָרַחֲמִים זוֹכֵר יְצוּרָיו לְחַיִּים בְּרַחֲמִים:]
וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יהוה מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים:
You are mighty forever, my Master; You are the Resurrector of the dead the Powerful One to deliver us. From the Musaf of the first day of Pesach until the Musaf of Shemini Atzeres one should say: He causes the dew to descend. From the Musaf of Shemini Atzeres until the Musaf of the first day of Pesach you should say: Causer of the wind to blow and of the rain to fall.
Sustainer of the living with kindliness, Resurrector of the dead with great mercy, Supporter of the fallen, and Healer of the sick, and Releaser of the imprisoned, and Fulfiller of His faithfulness to those who sleep in the dust. Who is like You, Master of mighty deeds, and who can be compared to You? King Who causes death and restores life, and causes deliverance to sprout forth. (During the Ten Days of Penitence add: Who is like You merciful Father, Who remembers His creatures for life, in His mercy)
And You are faithful to restore the dead to life. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Resurrector of the dead.
Birkat Avot describes who HaShem is, and why we should be praying. Birkat Gevurot describes what HaShem does. As tefila is a way to develop a relationship with HaShem, we need to understand what it is that we can request of HaShem.
This prayer, though, clearly focuses on one particular deed - something that is not typically top of mind - resurrecting the dead - see Chatimah - מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים. The summary before the Chatimah is אַתָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים and the bracha exemplifies HaShem's might (gevurah) as being resurrection: אַתָּה גִבּוֹר לְעוֹלָם אדני מְחַיֵּה מֵתִים. And, then, one of the examples of the "mighty deeds" is מְחַיֵּה מֵתִים בְּרַחֲמִים רַבִּים.
The mighty deeds conclude with: וּמְקַיֵּם אֱמוּנָתוֹ לִישֵׁנֵי עָפָר - keeps his faith with those who sleep with the dust.
And then followed with: מִי כָמֽוֹךָ בַּֽעַל גְּבוּרוֹת וּמִי דּֽוֹמֶה לָּךְ מֶֽלֶךְ מֵמִית וּמְחַיֵּה וּמַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעָה - who is like you, master of might deeds .....a King who kills and revives, and makes salvation grow.
So, why?
כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל יֵשׁ לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה ס) וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִירְשׁוּ אָרֶץ נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר. וְאֵלּוּ שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, הָאוֹמֵר אֵין תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים מִן הַתּוֹרָה, וְאֵין תּוֹרָה מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם, וְאֶפִּיקוֹרֶס. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא אוֹמֵר, אַף הַקּוֹרֵא בַסְּפָרִים הַחִיצוֹנִים, וְהַלּוֹחֵשׁ עַל הַמַּכָּה וְאוֹמֵר (שמות טו) כָּל הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ כִּי אֲנִי יהוה רֹפְאֶךָ. אַבָּא שָׁאוּל אוֹמֵר, אַף הַהוֹגֶה אֶת הַשֵּׁם בְּאוֹתִיּוֹתָיו:
All of the Jewish people, even sinners and those who are liable to be executed with a court-imposed death penalty, have a share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “And your people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever; the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, for My name to be glorified” (Isaiah 60:21). And these are the exceptions, the people who have no share in the World-to-Come, even when they fulfilled many mitzvot: One who says: There is no resurrection of the dead derived from the Torah, and one who says: The Torah did not originate from Heaven, and an epikoros, who treats Torah scholars and the Torah that they teach with contempt. Rabbi Akiva says: Also included in the exceptions are one who reads external literature, and one who whispers invocations over a wound and says as an invocation for healing: “Every illness that I placed upon Egypt I will not place upon you, for I am the Lord, your Healer” (Exodus 15:26). By doing so, he shows contempt for the sanctity of the name of God and therefore has no share in the World-to-Come. Abba Shaul says: Also included in the exceptions is one who pronounces the ineffable name of God as it is written, with its letters.
היסוד שלשה עשר תחיית המתים וכבר בארנוה וכאשר יאמין האדם אלה היסודות כלם ונתברר בה אמונתו בהם הוא נכנס בכלל ישראל ומצוה לאהבו ולרחם עליו ולנהוג עמו בכל מה שצוה הש"י איש לחבירו מן האהבה והאחוה ואפי' עשה מה שיכול מן העבירות מחמת התאוה והתגברות הטבע הגרוע הוא נענש כפי חטאיו אבל יש לו חלק לעוה"ב והוא מפושעי ישראל וכשנתקלקל לאדם יסוד מאלה היסודות הרי יצא מן הכלל וכפר בעיקר ונקרא מין ואפיקורוס וקוצץ בנטיעות ומצוה לשונאו ולאבדו ועליו נאמר (תהלי' קל"ט) הלא משנאך יהוה אשנא. והנה הארכתי בדברים הרבה ויצאתי מענין חבורי אבל אני עשיתי זה לפי שראיתי בו תועלת באמונה לפי שאספתי בו דברים מועילים מפוזרים מספרים גדולים לכן דע אותם והצלח בהם וחוזר (אלה) [עליהם] פעמים רבות והתבונן בהם התבוננות יפה ואם השיאך לבך ותחשב שהגיעו לך ענינו מפעם אחת או מעשרה הרי הש"י יודע שהשיאך על שקר ולכן לא תמהר בקריאתו כי אני לא חברתי כפי מה שנזדמן לי אלא לאחר עיון גדול והתבוננות ואחר שראיתי דעות ברורות אמיתיות וזולתי אמיתיות וידעתי מה שהוא ראוי להאמן מהם והבאתי ראיה בטענות וראיות על כל ענין וענין ומהש"י להפיקני רצוני ולהדריכני בדרך הטובה ואחזור לענין הפרק:
The thirteenth principle The Revival of the dead and we have already elucidated it. And when a person believes in all of these principles and his faith in them is clarified, he enters into the category of Israel; and it is [then] a commandment to love him and to have mercy upon him and to act with him according to everything which God, may He be blessed, commanded about a man towards his fellow, regarding love and brotherhood. And even if he does what is in his ability from the sins, because of desire and the overpowering of his base nature, he is punished according to his sins, but he [still] has a share in the World to Come and is [only considered to be] from the sinners of Israel. But if one of these principles becomes compromised for a person, behold, he exits the category of Israel and denies a fundamental [dogma] and is called an apostate, a heretic and 'someone who cuts the plantings.' And it is a commandment to hate him and to destroy him, and about him it is stated (Psalms 139:21), "Do I not hate those that You hate, O Lord." And behold, I have written at great length about these things and I have gone on a tangent from the subject of my composition, but I have done this because I saw an [important] point to it about faith - as I have collected many useful things scattered in [various] great books. And you should know them and have success with them and review (these) [over them] many times and reflect on them with a proper reflection. And if your heart carries you away to think that you understand its content from one [reading] - or from ten - you will know that it has carried you away falsely. And therefore, do not haste in your reading of it; since I did not write it according to that which [just] came to me, but rather after great analysis and reflection. And after I saw clear and true opinions and [also] those not true, then I knew what was fitting to believe from them and brought proof in the claims and proofs on each and every matter. And it is from God, may He be blessed, to fulfill my wish and to guide me in the good path. And I will [now] return to the subject of the chapter [in the Mishnah].
Why is belief in the resurrection of the dead so fundamental?
Does the fact that there is resurrection of the dead (or, what if, there isn't) change how you behave, what you believe, how you view the world and your role in it? [Do we have to believe in all prophecies? If so, the war of Gog and Magog?]
Rabbi Bick's proposal: The significance of believe in the resurrection of the dead by HaShem is belief in the total, ultimate victory of HaShem and the good over creation and nature.
We know there is bad in the world (we really know it).
(א) צַדִּ֤יק אַתָּה֙ יהוה כִּ֥י אָרִ֖יב אֵלֶ֑יךָ אַ֤ךְ מִשְׁפָּטִים֙ אֲדַבֵּ֣ר אֹתָ֔ךְ מַדּ֗וּעַ דֶּ֤רֶךְ רְשָׁעִים֙ צָלֵ֔חָה שָׁל֖וּ כׇּל־בֹּ֥גְדֵי בָֽגֶד׃
(1) You will win, O ETERNAL One, if I make claim against You, Yet I shall present charges against You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are the workers of treachery at ease?
(כ) כִּ֣י אָדָ֔ם אֵ֥ין צַדִּ֖יק בָּאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב וְלֹ֥א יֶחֱטָֽא׃
(20) For there is not one good man on earth who does what is best and doesn’t err.
We need to partner with HaShem to confront evil. Faith is Protest! Prayer is part of that protest.
Sin, evil, death exist not in spite of HaShem, but because the world was created by HaShem.
Resurrection of the dead is the victory of HaShem over creation - over us! It will be the final victory of good over evil.
(ח) בִּלַּ֤ע הַמָּ֙וֶת֙ לָנֶ֔צַח וּמָחָ֨ה אדני יהוה דִּמְעָ֖ה מֵעַ֣ל כׇּל־פָּנִ֑ים וְחֶרְפַּ֣ת עַמּ֗וֹ יָסִיר֙ מֵעַ֣ל כׇּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ כִּ֥י יהוה דִּבֵּֽר׃ {פ}
(8) Death will be destroyed forever. My Sovereign GOD will wipe the tears away From all faces And will put an end to the reproach of God’s people Over all the earth— For it is GOD who has spoken.
So, the gevurot is not about miracles like the splitting of the Reed Sea, but about overcoming the very laws of nature that HaShem created. The examples in the beracha are just that:
We fall because of gravity; HaShem lifts us up. We get sick because of bacteria/viruses/cancers/etc.; HaShem heals us. We are imprisoned (physically/emotionally); HaShem frees us.
Chazal teach us that we must say birkat Avot and birkat Gevurot before we transition into making requests. Prayer is directed to HaShem - who is beyond the natural - to the one who can revive the dead (or make salvation grow).
Interestingly, before the chatima we have the sentence - who is like you? - an expression of wonder. At what?
Before we started to pray, we were part of the natural world; we looked through that lens. Now, we understand that HaShem is beyond the natural world. It changes our perception, so now we can try to build a real relationship. But, don't forget, we started with Avot.
(יא) וְאֶעֶשֶׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל (בראשית יב, ב),
(11) “I will make you a great nation, I will bless you [vaavarekhekha], I will render your name great, and you shall be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). Rabbi Yudan said: [God said to Abraham:] ‘I will institute a blessing for you in the eighteen benedictions, but you do not know whether Mine precedes yours, or whether yours takes precedence.’ Rabbi Aḥuya said in the name of Rabbi Ze’eira: Yours precedes Mine, when one recites first: Shield of Abraham, and only then, He revives the dead.
First, we have to establish a relationship with HaShem as Avraham did - within the world. Only then can we HaShem overcome the natural world and we can create that new relationship.