Aleinu - Al Kein part 5
וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶךָ, לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָרֶץ. יַכִּירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל, כִּי-לְךָ תִּכְרַע כָּל-בֶּרֶךְ, תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן
and then all of humanity will call in Your Name (to serve You), (and then) all the Earth’s wicked will turn toward You (in repentance), (and) all the inhabitants of the world will recognize and know (that You are the King), that all knees will bow down to You (to accept Your Kingdom), (and) in Your Name all nations will swear in truth (and no longer mention other gods)…
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וְכָל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶךָ
and then all of humanity will call in Your Name (to serve You)
The term “בְּנֵי בָשָׂר–b’nei basar” refers to those who are on a very low level and cannot even be referred to as “b’nei adam.” They don’t conduct themselves as human beings. Even they will come to some recognition of Hashem and His guidance of the world.
לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָרֶץ
(and then) all the Earth’s wicked will turn toward You (in repentance)
Even the wicked (a higher level than “b’nei basar”) will turn to Hashem and not have any desire for anything else besides Hashem.
יַכִּירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל
(and) all the inhabitants of the world will recognize and know (that You are the King)
All the dwellers of the world (a higher level than the wicked) will gain an internal, deeper recognition of Hashem, at the level of “וְיֵדְעוּ–v’yeid’u,” which refers to something that is settled and affixed in one’s mind and heart. This level is far greater than mere intellectual knowledge of Hashem, which does not enter one’s heart and mind. When one has “y’dias Hashem,” his actions, speech, and behavior all reflect his feeling the Presence of Hashem.
Intellectual knowledge alone is severely lacking because it does not impact the way we live our lives. In fact, “שִׁוִּיתִי ה' לְנֶגְדִּי תָמִיד–Shivisi Hashem l’negdi samid (I have set Hashem before me always)” is the starting point of our serving Hashem, and it is also the pinnacle. There are a multitude of levels of feeling the presence of Hashem. Our spiritual level is completely determined by our level of “Shivisi” [Sifsei Chaim –Midos v’Avodas Hashem 1 – based on the Vilna Gaon], so our life’s work is to continue, through learning Torah and performing mitzvos, to gain a deeper and deeper level of “Shivisi.”
At the time when Hashem will return His Shechinah to Yerushalayim and bring down the final Beis HaMikdash, all the “dwellers of the earth” will reach this level of “y’dias Hashem” – the pinnacle of “Shivisi.”
כִּי-לְךָ תִּכְרַע כָּל-בֶּרֶךְ
that all knees will bow down to You (to accept Your Kingdom)
Kneeling indicates a total nullification to the One we are kneeling to. All will kneel before Hashem, indicating total subservience to Hashem.
תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן
(and) in Your Name all nations will swear in truth (and no longer mention other gods)
Swearing to Hashem refers to a strong bond with Hashem. The tongue represents the power of speech, which differentiates man. Man’s power of speech will be bound only to Hashem.
[This segment is based on the sefer Rinas Chaim, by Rabbi Chaim Friedlander, and on the Pathway to Prayer Siddur, by Rabbi Mayer Birnbaum.]