Composed by sages and prophets nearly 2,500 years ago, Jews recite the amida/shmoneh esrei, thousands of times in their lives. While we would hope that Jews know the basic meanings of the words, we would like to here consider some deeper meanings of those all-too-familiar words.

Over the centuries, an entire literature of commentaries has been written to elucidate those meanings. Prominent among them are those found in the prayerbook of the Vilna Gaon, the Siddur Ha’Gr”a: the commentary called Siach Yitzchak by R. Yitzchak Melzan, as well as Gr”a’s1 own comments in the commentary known as Avnei Eliyahu. Let us review some of what these commentaries tell us about the first blessing of the Amidah.

In Avnei Eliyahu, commenting on blessings 2-19 of the amida, the Gr”a regularly refers to a series of statements on the first bracha of the amida. Consider, for example, his words on the 4th bracha, atah chonen:
In the three first blessings, the orders of praise are set out based on the three phrases of prayer of Moshe; namely, “hagadol, hagibor vehanorah”…
One of the great chasadim (kindnesses) of God is to grant man knowledge….and this is the explanation of the praise, “keil elyon”, as mentioned in the first bracha of the amida.

Most readers will not understand these comments even though the Gr”a clearly considers them understandable. In his comments on the amida’s 7th bracha, re’eh ve’anyenu, the Gr”a again makes reference to the 1st bracha:
All of these praises are included in the first blessing of atah chonen which corresponds to the phrase, keil elyon as we have said before…hashivenu [the 5th bracha] corresponds to the phrase of gomel chasadim tovim....selach lanu [the 6th bracha] corresponds to the phrase of vekoneh hakol.

This also recurs towards the end of his comments on the bracha of et tzemach David:
This blessing is included in the descriptive word elokeinu [in the first bracha] which means that He is the supervisor over us in our exile and promises us to redeem us and make us hear Him promise to be our God.

Similarly, at the end of his commentary to shema kolenu, Gr”a writes that “this bracha is included in the first blessing of the amida in the words Elokei Avotenu…”

In all these passages, the Gr”a assumes that his readers understand his approach to the first blessing of the amida. However, he does not elucidate his approach, nor does it appear elsewhere in the siddur HaGr”a. Curiously, his approach is found attached to his commentary to Megillat Esther, in a siddur commentary written by his son, Rabbi Avraham. R. Avraham delineates his father’s approach to the first bracha of the amida as follows:
“Baruch, etc…”: Within the beginning of every matter there is contained more than half of what is to come, and the beginning contains all the parts of matter following it. This is why the beginning is called the ‘rosh’ [lit., ‘head’] (which is the significant control area of the whole body). This is why Moshe is considered the equal to all 600,000 men who received the Torah, as he was the first agent to receive it. The mitzva of ‘mila’ (circumcision) is considered to be equivalent to all the other mitzvoth, as this was the first mitzvah given to Avraham affecting his physical existence…Shabbat is considered equal to all other mitzvoth as it was the first negative precept kept by the Jewish people in Egypt.

Since the first bracha [of the amida] contains, in essence, the whole of what is to follow in the other blessings, the first bracha of the amida therefore contains 18 praises which correspond to the rest of the amida prayer…

Know that the praises in the amida all stem from the words uttered by Moshe, “ha’keil, hagadol, hagibor vehanorah (the God who is great, powerful, and awesome” (Devarim 10:17). This is explained in Berachot (33b), where the Rabbis relate the following story:
A certain individual uttered a list of praises (of God) before Rav Chanina, as follows: “hakeil, hagadol, hagibor vehanorah, ha’adir veha’azuz, hayarui, hachazak veheamitz vehavadai vehanichbad (G-d, the Great, the Mighty and the Awesome, the Glorious, the Powerful, the Valiant, the Fearless, the Strong, the Sure and the Honored).” R. Chanina waited until he finished and then said to him: “Why did you stop when you did? Did you finish all the praises of God? Why add all these extra words? Even the three praises that we do say [“hagadol, hagibor vehanorah”], if Moshe had not mentioned them in the Torah and the Men of the Great Assembly had not inserted them in the amida, we would not be allowed to recite even these three praises! And yet, you say all of these praises and keep going on and on. Your situation is comparable to a king who had a million gold dinars and people would praise him by stating that he has a million silver dinars. Is this not a disgrace for him? Just as a small amount of gold contains the value of much silver, so too do these three praises of Moshe contain all praises of God, and to spell out each praise individually is to minimize the level of praise2.
All the blessings of the amida are kavannot [meanings, elaborations] of these three basic praises [uttered by Moshe].

Next, R. Avraham shows how the structure of the first bracha of the amida follows these Moshe’s praises of Hashem, ha’gadol, ha’gibor, ve’hanorah. He begins with the amida’s opening phrases – “Baruch atah Hashem, elokeinu v’elokei avoteinu:

The first phrase of the amida which begins, Baruch atah, Hashem, elokeinu v’elokei avoteinu, is the explanation of Moshe’s phrase, ha’keil, hagadol, hagibor vehanorah, as follows:

The term keil refers to the infinity of God which is without limit. This corresponds to the word baruch, which refers to the blessing of God’s name, which will last forever.

The term hagadol is a reference to the humility of God “which is always found together with the greatness of God3.” Due to this humility, we are able to address God in the form of atah4 even though the Torah tells us that ‘no one shall see Me and live5.”

The term Hashem refers to the essence of God which will be elaborated upon later.

The phrase hagibor refers to the great strength of God, in that He supervises the lowly world in which we live, gives us our sustenance, heals us, and supports the falling, even those who are not worthy of support, as we mention in the next bracha, beginning with atah gibor. The corresponding term for this idea at the beginning of the amida is elokeinu. This refers to the attribute of God’s Divine Providence over us as seen in the first of the 10 Commandments, “I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt to be to you as a God (lihyot lachem lelokim),” which means “to lead them and supervise them.”

The term hanorah refers to the supplying of the needs of the Jewish people in the desert where they lived in a supernatural existence, as God did for Avraham in Ur Kasdim, and as He did in Egypt and at the Red Sea. This corresponds to the phrase, v’elokai avoteinu. This refers to the wonders done for us by God, as reflected in the shirat hayam (Shemot 15:2) where the Jewish people say, “This is my God and I will elevate Him, the God of our fathers and I will beautify Him.”

R. Avraham has now explained how Moshe’s words may be found in the words of the opening phrase of the amida’s first bracha. Skipping over the amida’s next words about the patriarchs – elokei Avraham, elokei Yitzchak and elokei Yaakov, he again seeks to show how Moshe’s praises may be founding the amidah’s next phrase, keil elyon, gomeil chasadim tovim, ve’koneh ha’kol, ve’zocheir chasdei avot, u’meivi go’el li’vnei vneihem lma’an sho be’ahava (He bestows kindnesses, possesses all, remembers the kindnesses of the patriarchs, and brings a redeemer to their children’s children for the sake of His name with love):

The term keil refers to the highest level of God, which we are unable to conceive since God is infinite and our intelligence is limited. This is why He is described as keil elyon, meaning above and beyond our understanding.

Hagadol does not mean ‘great’ in size but in ‘quality’, which corresponds to the next phrase of gomeil chasadim tovim. This refers to the quality of God’s actions in this world, especially in terms of the kindnesses which He performs for mankind.

Hagibor corresponds to the phrase ve’koneh hakol, in that the greatness and strength of God is seen in the way that He ‘repairs’ the world, in terms of healing the sick, supporting the lowly, and generally helping those who need repair. Koneh is an expression of repair, as seen in the verse (Devarim 32:6), “Hu avicha kanecha (He is your Father and repairs you).”

Hanorah corresponds to ve’zocheir chasdei avot, in that God does for us many deeds, which are beyond the bounds of nature, and will lead eventually to the redemption.

R. Avraham has shown how his father saw Moshe’s words as the basis for much of the first blessing of the amida, demystifying the Gr”a’s comments to the subsequent blessings of the amida, as laid out above6.

How can this fuller understanding of the Gr”a’s commentary to the amida illuminate one’s regular recital of these beautiful tefillot? Most basically, one now understands that the amida’s first blessing is the blueprint for all its blessings. Moreover, the words hakeil, hagadol, hagibor, vehanorah resonate with special meaning, as they directly connect one’s prayer with Moshe’s most intimate praises of God. This knowledge can empower one reciting those words, inspiring him or her to experience the same sentiments as Moshe did when he prayed to God.

Furthermore, the praises of the amida’s first paragraph now resonate with layers upon layers of meaning. For example, hakeil, which means keil elyon, reminds us that God is far above and beyond our understanding. The phrase, ve’koneh kakol, means not only that God possesses everything, but that He is the repairer of the world. This refers to the theme of tikkun olam (repair of the world), an important element of our whole tefilla experience. These and other similar ideas can focus one’s attention and make our recitation of these words more meaningful.

The Gr”a’s commentary also shows how God’s omnipotence and infinite power are reflected in the first bracha of the amida. Contrasting this with the lowly human condition can help one to develop a true sense of humility, a critical, suitable prerequisite for addressing the Omnipotent One. These precious thoughts can engender the true kavanna needed to say this prayer in a sincere way, and can create a suitable mindset for the rest of the tefilla as well. Optimally, this sense of humility can carry over to interpersonal relationships, making one more sensitive to the image of God in others.

The Gr”a’s approach also makes it clearer why the halacha requires one to return to the beginning of the amida if the first blessing of the amida is not said with full kavanna, concentration7. Since, according the Gr”a, the first bracha is microcosm for the whole amida prayer, then, in a sense, having proper kavanna for that bracha is like having proper kavanna for the entire amida.

In these ways, the Gr”a’s original approach to the amida enhances one’s appreciation of God and one’s relationship to Him. This knowledge can make the thrice-daily recitation of this prayer into the powerful influence in our lives that it should truly be, drawing us closer to both God and our fellow human beings.

fn.1 This essay will refer to the Vilna Gaon as the Gr”a (an acronym standing for (Ha)Gaon Rabbi Eliashu), as he is known throughout the Jewish world.
fn.2 Ritva (ad loc) explains: “This is to say that we simply cannot begin to appreciate God so as to praise Him. By adding our own praises we belittle Him with faint praise.”
fn.3 Megilla 31a
fn.4 Second person singular- a very personal approach, as in the French “tu” as opposed to “vous”.
fn.5 Shemot 33:20
fn. 6 Since R. Avraham’s comments are needed to fully understand the Gr”a’s commentary in the classic Siddur HaGr”a, perhaps an enterprising publisher will publish it together in a future edition of Siddur HaGr”a.
fn.7 Orach Chaim 101