Barukh she'amar

Barukh she'amar (Hebrew: בָּרוּךְ שֶׁאָמַר, baruch sheamar, or other variant English spellings), is the opening blessing to pesukei dezimra.

According to authorities beginning with Jacob b. Asher, the prayer must be sung to a melody;[1] according to authorities beginning with Or Zarua II , it should be said standing.

According to Or Zarua II, Barukh she-Amar contains 87 words, which number is the gematria of the Hebrew word paz (פז‎) meaning "refined gold.".[2] An alternative text is printed in some Sephardic prayer books, often alongside the more common version.

Purpose

Barukh she'amar acts as a transition in the prayer service. In the Syrian tradition, the common melody for the prayer is derived from that of Hatikvah.[3]

Origin

According to Jacob b. Asher and Isaac Aboab I, Barukh she-Amar is described by the Sefer Hekhalot, though no extant manuscript contains this reference.[lower-alpha 1] Moses b. Jacob, Amram b. Sheshna, Natronai b. Hilai, and Saadia b. Joseph attest to its popular use by the 9th century. According to the Mishneh Torah (c. 1175), this prayer was instituted by the Great Assembly;[4] Or Zarua II [lower-alpha 2] (c. 1300) claims "this is the best of the praises, because it was not established by the Great Assembly but rather was given to the wise tradents by way of a note from heaven."[5]

In the Sephardic and Oriental liturgy, as well as Nusach Sefard, the custom is to recite most of the additional psalms of Shabbat (except for Psalms 92 and 93) prior to Barukh she-Amar on Shabbat.[6]

Aspects of God

There are seven aspects of God mentioned in Barukh she'amar. These are:[7]

  1. God spoke and the world came to be.
  2. God speaks, does, decrees, and fulfills.
  3. God is merciful.
  4. God rewards those who fear Him.
  5. God is eternal.
  6. God rescues and redeems people.
  7. Blessed is God's name.

Halakhah

Barukh she'amar becomes the initial part of the daily Jewish morning prayer, in "history-periods" of serious difficulty for the whole Jewish people; when there are not persecutions, ongoing diasporas or anything else serious for the Jews, Shacharit begins as always.[8]

References
  1. "Tur, Orach Chaim 51:1". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  2. Idelsohn, Abraham (1932). Jewish liturgy and its development. p. 80.
  3. Kligman, Mark (2008). Maqām and liturgy: ritual, music, and aesthetics of Syrian Jews in Brooklyn. p. 90.
  4. "Mishneh Torah, Prayer and the Priestly Blessing 7:12". www.sefaria.org. Retrieved 2023-02-07.
  5. Or Zarua f. 15b. N.b. that before the prayer he summarizes, "And this is Barukh she-Amar as the Great Assembly instituted by way of note".
  6. Adler, Cyrus. The Jewish Quarterly Review, Volume 11. p. 260.
  7. Isaacs, Ronald (1997). Every Person's Guide to Jewish Prayer. p. 113.
  8. Compendio dello "SHULCHAN 'ARUKH". Meqor Chajim (-VOLUME PRIMO- et -VOLUME SECONDO-) Kefar Chasidim/Rekhasim, Israel 1992
  1. According to Idelsohn, Barukh she-Amar appears in "Hechaloth Gedoloth F. 22". This is an unfortunate error; he meant Halakhot Gedolot pg. 22 (Berlin 1891).
  2. There is no reliable information about the author of this book, which is widely attributed to "David b. Judah". This line entered standard rabbinic literature through David HaLevi Segal.


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