Yotzeir Ohr #9-10
(Installment #9 was a recommendation to listen to some online shiurim; installment #10 follows.)
לא-ל ברוך נעימות יתנו. למלך א-ל חי וקים, זמירות יאמרו, ותשבחות ישמיעו
To the blessed G-d they shall offer sweet melodies; to the King, the living and enduring G-d, they shall sing hymns and proclaim praises.
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“לא-ל ברוך–L’Keil Baruch” means “to the Blessed G-d.” The Name “Keil” represents might and power. “Blessed” means recognizing that He is the source of ALL. The mal’achim sing to Hashem with sweet song, as they recognize that all power in all areas of the world belong only to Hashem. “The sweetness of the melody expresses the love in the heart; and this love is the gift “they give”...out of their gratitude to Him.” [HaRav Avigdor Miller in Praise, My Soul]
Although this concluding paragraph of the brachah of Yotzeir HaM’oros is referring to how the mal’achim sing to Hashem, HaRav Avigdor Miller zt”l explains that the purpose of the mal’achim singing and praising Hashem is to provide us human beings with a model. Our mission here is to sing Hashem’s praises and honor Him through Torah, tefilah, emulating His ways, mitzvos, praise, and gratitude. By doing so, we achieve d’veikus – coming closer to Hashem – as we learn and grow throughout our lives to think about Him in all we say and do. Should I think about this, say this, do this are all answered by the question: What do I really think Hashem wants of me in this situation? That is what HaRav Miller referred to as developing a “Torah mind.” That is what learning Torah must lead to: refined character, kindness, compassion, and greater and greater awareness and love of Hashem, and love for His children, all resulting in serving Him magnificently with great love, joy, and contentment.
David HaMelech writes: “My soul, praise Hashem. I will praise Hashem with my life; I will sing to my G-d as long as I live” (T’hilim 146:1-2). That is our mission in this world. Above, we described an inner private way of fulfilling our mission of praising Hashem with our lives. Certainly that must flow over into the way we act in public and how others perceive us. Will others praise Hashem as a result of our behavior? Will they say, “Blessed is G-d, whose chosen nation is the model of behavior for the world”? Will our fellow brothers and sisters say, “Blessed are the parents and teachers of this individual/group who taught them how to live a life that brings others to love Hashem and His children”? Part of true love of Hashem is to cause others to love Hashem and His children. That can only be accomplished by “praising Hashem with our lives.”
May we all merit, b’ezras Hashem, to sing praise to Hashem with sweetness in a way that also enables others to sing praise to Hashem in sweetness until the day when the whole world will recognize Hashem and sing to Him sweetly.