First Blessing 20: Commentary

Hashem means God always was, is, and will be, and, He is the Master of All Things. You must keep this in mind every time you say Hashem.

Elokainu – “Our Lord” means ‘The One Who guides us with direct Providence.’ In other words, God responds to everything that we do.

Elokei Avoteinu – “The God of our Fathers” means, ‘You direct us with general Providence’, meaning, you have a vision for the world, and You are able to guide the world without our knowing it at all times.

Elokei Avraham – “The Lord of Abraham” means ‘The One who chose Abraham because of Abraham’s attribute of kindness.’

Elokei Yitzchak – “The Lord of Isaac” means ‘The One Who chose Isaac because of Isaac’s attribute of strength.’

Elokei Yaakov – “The Lord of Jacob” means, ‘The One Who chose Jacob because of Jacob’s attribute of beauty, or truth, or completeness.

The word Elokei – “Lord of …” is repeated three times to teach us that God had an entirely different relationship with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is our way of saying that just as God had a different relationship with each patriarch, God has an entirely different relationship with each one of us. Every time I daven, I have the possibility of developing an entirely different relationship with God. Therefore, the Amidah that I am about to recite should not be limited to all the others that I have recited before. I hope to be privileged to create a totally new relationship with God.