JUDAICA - Wisdom In Torah

ming at the Brandeis Camp Institute in southern California
became a model for Jewish educators everywhere. In 1974,
Boston Hebrew College honored him with its Philip W. Lown
distinguished service award. Bardin wrote two books, Pioneer
Youth in Palestine (1932) and Jews and the Sea (1943). In
1977, the name of the institute in southern California was officially
changed to the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, honoring its
founder. It is now the largest Jewish institutional landholding
outside of the State of Israel and features year round educational
activities for Jews of all ages and all levels of learning
and observance.
Website: www.americansforjews.org.
[Bezalel Gordon (2nd ed.)]
BAREKHI NAFSHI (Heb. יִׁ שְפַנ יִכְ רָ ּב; “Bless the Lord, O my
soul”), initial words of Psalm 104. The central theme of this
psalm is the glorification of God as the Creator of the universe,
the majesty and beauty of which testify to the wisdom of the
Master of all creatures. This psalm is regarded as one of the
loftiest and most beautiful examples of ancient Hebrew poetry
and a magnificent expression of monotheism. According to
traditional Ashkenazi custom, this psalm is recited in private,
on the afternoons of the Sabbaths between Sukkot and Passover,
together with the 15 “Psalms of Ascent” (120–134). The
reason for this custom may well be the analogy of this psalm
with the account of creation given in Genesis and read on
the Sabbath following the Sukkot festival (Shabbat Bereshit).
After Passover the recitation of Pirkei *Avot replaces that of
the Psalms. The praise of the Creator and the creation is also
the reason why Psalm 104 is recited on New Moons after the
morning service (and in the Sephardi rite also before the evening
service).
Bibliography: Baer S., Seder, 266 ff.; Eisenstein, Dinim,
56.
BAREKHU (Heb. ּוכרָ ְ ּב), opening word of the call to worship
by the sheli’aḥ ẓibbur at the formal beginning of the
daily morning and evening services. The full invocation is
Barekhu et Adonai ha-mevorakh (“Bless ye the Lord who is
[to be] blessed”). The congregation responds Barukh Adonai
ha-mevorakh le-olam va-ed (“Blessed be the Lord who is
[to be] blessed for ever and ever”). “Bless,” in this context, is
the equivalent of “praise.” Barekhu is also recited by the person
who is called up to the Torah reading and is followed by
the same congregational response. In the morning and evening
services Barekhu also serves to introduce the reading of
the Shema; this accounts for the absence of Barekhu before
the *Minḥah service which lacks the Shema. Barekhu is considered
to be one of the devarim she-bi-kedushah (lit. “holy
things”) and may only be recited in the presence of a quorum
of at least ten grown male Jews (minyan; Sof. 10: 7; Sh. Ar. OḤ
55:1). The invocation Barekhu possibly originated in the time
of Ezra, as might have the practice of standing at Barekhu;
compare with Nehemiah (9:5) “Then the Levites… said, ‘Stand
barenboim, daniel
up [cf. the practice of standing at Barekhu] and bless the Lord
your God from everlasting to everlasting and let them say:
Blessed be Thy glorious Name, that is exalted above all blessing
and praise.’” A shorter formula, Barekhu et Adonai, occurs
in Psalms 134:1–2 and 135:19. In the opinion of R. Akiva,
the liturgical invocation, in accordance with scriptural precedent,
should consist simply of Barekhu et Adonai, whereas
the formula Barekhu et Adonai ha-mevorakh was advocated
by his contemporary, R. Ishmael (Ber. 7:3). The latter formula
was preferred by most of the amoraim (Bet. 50a; TJ, Ber. 7:4,
11c), and became standard. There is evidence that in the early
period Barukh Adonai ha-mevorakh… was the response to
Barekhu only in the Torah reading, while different responses
were used for Barekhu as the invocation to worship. These
were Barukh Shem kevod malkhuto le-olam va-ed (“Blessed be
His Name, whose glorious kingdom is for ever and ever”), the
standard response when the Divine Name was mentioned in
the Temple of Jerusalem; and Yehe Shemeih rabba mevarakh
le-alam u-le-almei almayya (“Let His great Name be blessed
for ever and to all eternity”; Sif. Deut. 306, ed. by M. Friedmann
(1864), 132b). In the course of time, however, Barukh
Shem kevod… became the response to the Shema only: Yehe
Shemeih rabba… was reserved for the Kaddish; and Barukh
Adonai ha-mevorakh… became the exclusive response to
Barekhu. At one time Barekhu was also used as a summons to
recite Grace after Meals, but in the amoraic period, it was felt
that this second-person form of address removed the leader
from group participation and the invitation was standardized
to Nevarekh (“Let us bless”; Ber. 7:3 and 49b–50a; TJ, Ber. 7:2–3,
11b–c; Tosef. Ber. 5:18). This objection, however, did not apply
to Barekhu in the synagogue. The Reader may employ the
“you” form but only when inviting the congregation to join
him in prayer. Even then, he repeats the congregational response,
thus associating himself with the praise of God. The
Sephardi rite, as well as some ḥasidic congregations, retained
the paradoxical practice (Sof. 10:7) of reciting Barekhu at the
conclusion of the daily morning and evening services when
there is no Torah reading. The custom accommodates worshipers
who arrive too late to hear Barekhu at the opening of
the services.
Bibliography: Liebreich, in: HUCA, 32 (1961), 227–37; M.
Kadushin, Worship and Ethics (1964), 135–41; J. Heinemann, Ha-Tefillah
bi-Tekufat ha-Tanna’im ve-ha-Amora’im (19662), English abstract,
v–vi, and index, S.V.
[Herman Kieval]
BARENBOIM, DANIEL (1942– ), Israeli pianist and conductor.
Born in Buenos Aires to parents of Jewish Russian
descent, Barenboim started piano lessons at the age of five
with his mother, and then with his father, who remained his
only other teacher. He gave his first public recital at the age
of seven. Further education included Markevich’s conducting
classes in Salzburg (1954), and studies in Paris and Rome.
Barenboim settled in Israel in 1952. Following his British and
American debuts (1955, 1957), he toured widely and soon be-
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