The Names of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs in Tehillim and Prayers
The Names of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs in Tehillim and Prayers
Tehillim 1:1
- “Ashrei ha-ish asher lo halakh ba'atzat resha'im u'vederekh hata'im lo amad” - (Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the path of sinners).
אַ֥שְֽׁרֵי־הָאִ֗ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹ֥א הָלַךְ֮ בַּעֲצַ֪ת רְשָׁ֫עִ֥ים וּבְדֶ֣רֶךְ חַ֭טָּאִים לֹ֥א עָמָ֑ד וּבְמֹושַׁ֥ב לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֹ֣א יָשָֽׁב׃ -
In the first verse of Tehillim 1, the rashei tevot (initial letters) of the words: “ha-ish asher lo” - form, in reverse order, the name לֵאָה - Leah, while the first letters of the words: “resha'im hata'im lo” - form, in the usual order, the name רָחֵל - Rachel.
Tehillim 2:9 - Barzel
תְּ֭רֹעֵם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם
- “Tero'em be-shevet barzel, kikhli yotzer tenappētsem” - (You shall break them with a rod of iron; like a potter's vessel, you shall shatter them).
The fourth kingdom, associated with iron, must also be destroyed by iron. In Hebrew, iron, “barzel,” is an acronym formed from the names of our Matriarchs - Bilhah, Rachel, Zilpah, Leah - the four wives of Jacob, who corresponds to the sun. Just as Jacob, the father of the Twelve Tribes, journeys with his wives, so the sun shines upon the iron rod. Moreover, the word “rod” (shevet) also means “tribe.”
“Nishmat Kol Chai”
This prayer possesses special power also because it conceals the names of two Patriarchs - Abraham and Isaac, and the Matriarch Rebecca. The prayer alludes to the fact that our forefather Isaac was among the first to turn to the miraculous power of this prayer.
- “And Isaac entreated the L-rd opposite his wife, for she was barren; and the L-rd granted his plea, and Rebecca his wife conceived” - … הִוא עֲקָרָה כִּי אִשְׁתּוֹ לְנֹכַח לַיהוָה יִצְחָק וַיֶּעְתַּר
The word לְנֹכַח - (lenokhah) - means “opposite”;
In this sentence, the word לְנֹכַח (lenokhah) - לְ-נֹכַח - is composed of the initial letters of the name of the prayer - חַי כָּל נִשְׁמַת, while in the prayer itself, in the passage “The mouths of the upright,” the secret of the presence of the names of the Patriarch Isaac and the Matriarch Rebecca is concealed:
the first letters of the second word in each line spell the name Isaac in Hebrew, while the third letters of the third word in each line spell the name Rebecca:
“befi Yesharim titRomam
u'fisftei Tsaddikim titBarakh
u'vilshon Khasidim titKaddesh
u'vekerev Kedoshim titAlal”
The initial letters of the words that conclude the prayer:
“Barukh Atah Ad-nai, Melekh gadol umehulal ba-tishbahot
El hodaot, Adon ha-niflaot, borei kol ha-neshamot;
Ribono kol ha-ma'asim, Avoher be-shirei zimrah,
Melekh El chai ha-olamim, amen!” -
form the name of the Patriarch Abraham, who gave the world an example of faith in the Creator, patience, assistance, and love - for faith alone gives a person hope for a better future.
(Based on a lecture by Rabbanit Chava Cooperman in Moscow; the prayer collection by Rabbanit Leah Gerwitz, “Sha'arei Rachamim”; and Rabbi Nachman of Breslov's “Sippurei Ma'asiyot”)
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Tags: The Names of the Matriarchs in Tehillim, Names of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, Where Are the Names of the Matriarchs and Patriarchs Encoded?
