Episode 15: Acknowledging What Is (G’vurot)
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Acknowledging What Is
It’s the second blessing of the Amidah, the fourth installment of our Amidah series, and an all-around enlivening episode! By diving deep into G’vurot, Josh, Ellen, and Eliana explore many questions including: What does it mean to be brought back to life? How is g?d the “owner of the powers,” and can they be rented? And how many movie and musical theater references can we make in an hour without really trying? Plus, listen to the end to hear a song of Eliana’s all about gratitude.
What is YOUR superpower?
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(1:39) Niggun – ניגון – a wordless melody.
(5:23) You can find Episode 13: Who is Present? (Avot V’Imahot) here.
(5:31) Find My People’s Prayer Book Vol. 2 here.
(5:48) Gevurot – גבורות – powers. This is the section of the Amidah we’ll be discussing in this episode.
(6:26) Atah gibor leolam adonai mechayeh metim atah rav lehoshia.
אתה גיבור לעולם ה מחיה מתים אתה רב להושיע.
Your might, G?d, is boundless. You give life to the dead; great is your saving power. (Translation based on Sim Shalom Siddur)
(6:36)
Mechayeh metim – מחיה מתים – bringing life to the dead
Mechayeh hakol – מחיה הכל – bringing life to everything
(7:32) Siddur – סידור – prayer book.
(7:37) Find the most recent Mishkan T’fillah: A Reform Siddur here.
(8:45) Drash it – interpret it. Based on the word midrash – מדרש – interpretation.
(9:53) Bubbe – Yiddish for grandmother.
(10:56) Find The Romemu Siddur here.
(11:32) The Talmudic discussion of what to say to a friend after not seeing each other for a long time is from Berachot 58b:6
(12:22) A Golem is a mystical clay creature brought to life. Learn more here.
(15:48) Find Does The Soul Survive? By Rabbi Elie Kaplan Spitz here.
(16:22) Learn more about Rabbi Hillel Norry here.
(17:14) You can explore more of Victoria Hanna’s work here. .
(18:41) Watch that scene from Phenomenon here.
(19:56) Mashiv haruach umorid hagashem – משיב הרוח ומוריד הגשם – You whirl the wind and bring down the rain (Rabbi Jill Hammer’s translation).
(20:20) Pesach – פסח – Passover. Learn more here.
(20:27) Morid hatal – מוריד -הטל – You bring down the dew.
(20:43) Learn more about Geshem and Tal.
(21:12) Piyut – liturgical poem.
(22:21) Daf Yomi is studying a page of Talmud every day, finishing the entire Babylonian Talmud in 7 years. Learn more here.
(27:16) “There is no water except Torah” – Bava Kama 17a
(28:04)
Mechalcel chayim b’chesed mechaye meyeh metim berachamim rabim somech noflim v’rofeh cholim u’matir asurim umekayem emunato lisheini afar mi chamocha ba’al gevurot umi domeh lach melech memit umechaye umatzmiach yeshuah.
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 וּמְחַיֶּה וּמַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעָה:
You sustain the living through kindness and love, with great mercy you give life to the dead. You support the falling, heal the sick, loosen the chains of the bound, and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. Who can be compared to You, who is like You Almighty? The sovereign who brings death and life and causes redemption to flourish. (Translation from Lev Shalem Siddur)
(30:45) Learn more about Amichai Lau Lavie here. Learn more about URJ Kutz Camp here.
(33:10) Ram venisa, gadol venorah, mashpil geim adei aretz, umagbiha shefalim adei marom, motzi asirim, podeh anavim, veozer delim, veoneh leamo be’et shavam elav.
רם ונישא גדול ונורא משפיל גאים עדי ארץ מגביה שפלים עדי מרום מוציא אסירים ופודה ענווים ועוזר דלים ועונה לעמו ישראל בעת שועם אליו.
Great and glorious G?d lowers the prideful, lifts up those who are in the dust, releases the captives, redeems those who are poor, helps those who are downtrodden, and calls out to those people, whenever they call out to G?d.
(35:44) Betzelem elohim – בצלם אלהים – created in the image of G?d.
(38:41) The line sheinei afar – שיני עפר – sleeps in dust – is from Daniel 12:2.
Verbatim misheinei admat afar yakutzu aleh lechayei olam ve’eleh lacharfot lidron olam.
וְרַבִּ֕ים מִיְּשֵׁנֵ֥י אַדְמַת־עָפָ֖ר יָקִ֑יצוּ אֵ֚לֶּה לְחַיֵּ֣י עוֹלָ֔ם וְאֵ֥לֶּה לַחֲרָפ֖וֹת לְדִרְא֥וֹן עוֹלָֽם׃
Many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, others to reproaches, to everlasting abhorrence. (Translation from Sefaria)
(39:38) Samuel I 2:6
Adonai memit umechaye morid sheol vayaal.
יהֹוָ֖ה מֵמִ֣ית וּמְחַיֶּ֑ה מוֹרִ֥יד שְׁא֖וֹל וַיָּֽעַל׃
The Lord deals death and gives life casts down into sheol and raises up. (Translation from Sefaria)
(43:00) Aseret yemei teshuva – עשרת ימי תשובה – ten days of repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Learn more here.
(43:08) Mi chamocha av harachamim zocher yetzurav bechayim berachaim.
מִי כָמֽוֹךָ אַב הָרַחֲמִים זוֹכֵר יְצוּרָיו לְחַיִּים בְּרַחֲמִים
Who is like you our loving Origin, Who remembers all beings for life and peace (Eliana’s translation)
(44:00) V’ne’eman atah lahachayot metim. Baruch atah adonai mechaye hametim.
וְנֶאֱמָן אַתָּה לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה מְחַיֵּה הַמֵּתִים:
And You are faithful to restore the dead back to life. Blessed are You, Adonai, Resurrector of the dead. (Translation from Sefaria)
(45:07) Noteah betocheinu chayei olam – נטע בתוכנו חיי עולם – Who implants within us eternal life.
(45:15) Chatima gevurot – חתימה גבורות – the structured blessing to end this section.
(53:06) “I took a deep breath and listened to the old brag of my heart. I am, I am, I am.” – Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
(56:01) Listen to Bikkurim (The Fruits of Our Tree) here.