Why does the Amidah end with Service, Gratitude, Blessing, and Peace?
The Talmud explains the Priestly Blessing's place in the Amidah.
As Jews, we have been enculturated away from spontaneous prayer.
Instead, we lean into two ideas: kevah, established structure, and kavanah, intention. We utilize the standardized language of prayer and add our intent to the words rather than create new words for our prayers.
That said, of course, you can spontaneously pray and use your words at any time.
There’s no rule against it or anything.
I like to think of it like this: The prayers are a scaffold for our ideas, principles, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. The structure of the prayers themselves is guidance for our intent, not just an empty vessel.
So what does this actually look like?
The context of the Talmudic text we’re about to look at is all about the Amidah. There are 19 blessings on a weekday and fewer on Shabbat and holidays. The first three and the last three are the same every day of the year, regardless of other changes.
We’re going to focus on the last three blessings. They are:
Retzei, about the Temple service.
Modim, thanking God for our lives and existence.
Sim Shalom or Shalom Rav, depending on the time of day, is a prayer for peace.
During the time of the Talmud, they were generally established like this, but the Sages still had something to say about it.
One other element is squeezed in there is the Priestly Blessing, which comes from this week’s Torah portion, Naso. You might have heard it before:
May God bless you and keep you.
May God shine God’s face upon you and show you favor.
May God lift up God’s face to you and give you peace.
(Numbers 6:24-26)
Where does that fit into the Amidah? Today, for those who include it, it is between Modim and Shalom.
Let’s go to the Talmud and find out more. We find it on Megillah 18a:
And why did they see fit to institute that one says the Priestly Benediction after the blessing of thanksgiving? As it is written: “And Aaron lifted up his hand toward the people and blessed them, and he came down from sacrificing the sin-offering, and the burnt-offering, and the peace-offerings” (Leviticus 9:22), teaching that the Priestly Benediction follows the sacrificial service, which includes the thanks-offering.
The Talmud asks: Why did the Sages place the Priestly blessing after Modim?
The verse is in two parts: first, Aaron blessed the people, and then, second, he came down from the sacrifices, which included a thanksgiving offering.
The Gemara asks: But the cited verse could be read that Aaron blessed the people and then sacrificed the offerings. Should we not then say the Priestly Benediction before the blessing of the Temple service?
The Gemara focuses here on the order of the verse, first blessing, then sacrifices. If that is the case, shouldn’t the Priestly Blessing appear before Retzei instead of after it?
The Gemara answers: It should not enter your mind to say this, as it is written: “And he came down from sacrificing the sin-offering.” Is it written that he came down to sacrifice the offerings, implying that after blessing the people Aaron came down and sacrificed the offerings? No, it is written, “from sacrificing,” indicating that the offerings had already been sacrificed.
The Talmud reminds us to read the text closely.
The text says “va’yered m’asot,” “he came down from the offering.” This tells us that despite the order of the verse, we should understand that he did the sacrifices and then made the blessing.
How does that impact the order now? Should it not come directly after the Temple Service section, Retzei? This is exactly what the Talmud asks.
Therefore, the Priestly Benediction should be said immediately after the blessing of restoration of the Temple service, without the interruption of the blessing of thanksgiving.
The Gemara rejects this argument: It should not enter your mind to say this, as it is written: “Whoever sacrifices a thanks-offering honors Me,” from which we learn that thanksgiving follows sacrifice, as already explained.
Apparently not, the Gemara says. Instead, we have this verse from Psalms. The order of the words of that verse is sacrifice, then thanksgiving.
Yes, that is exactly the same argument made above based on the order of the words just rejected above! How does that get resolved?
The Gemara asks: What did you see to rely on this verse and juxtapose thanksgiving with sacrifice? Rely rather on the other verse, which indicates that it is the Priestly Benediction that should be juxtaposed with the sacrificial service.
The Gemara answers: It stands to reason to have the blessing of thanksgiving immediately following the blessing of the sacrificial service, since the sacrificial service and thanksgiving, which are closely related conceptually, are one matter.
So why is this logic authoritative and not the previous one?
Because the concepts of sacrifice, avodah, meaning service, and thanksgiving are fundamentally the same.
This is a monumental idea. And it brings us back to the beginning: How do the established prayers help us understand the intention we might want to have? What does it mean for us that the Amidah is organized this way?
Service and gratitude are fundamentally linked.
We show gratitude through the ways we treat others.
When we act in service of the community or align our intentions to what we believe God wants from us, we also express gratitude.
In Pirkei Avot 1:2, it says:
שִׁמְעוֹן הַצַּדִּיק הָיָה מִשְּׁיָרֵי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עַל שְׁלשָׁה דְבָרִים הָעוֹלָם עוֹמֵד, עַל הַתּוֹרָה וְעַל הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעַל גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים:
Shimon the Righteous was one of the last of the memberes of the Great Assembly. He used to say: the world stands upon three things: the Torah, the Temple service (avodah), and acts of kindness.
There is a reason why we say that the world stands on these three things. These ideas are folded into the Amidah, as we can see.
The Priestly Blessing expresses that God cares about us.
Because it follows Retzei and Modim, service, and gratitude, we can infer that blessings follow from them. Or, said differently, our actions can lead to blessings.
And, like God to us, Aaron to the people, or parents to children, blessings come to us, or through us, to the people in our care. We take what we have and provide them forward.
But the Amidah doesn’t end with the priestly blessing, does it? The Talmud tells us more.
And why did they see fit to institute that one says the blessing beginning with the words: Sim Shalom, Grant peace, after the Priestly Benediction?
As it is written immediately following the Priestly Benediction: “And they shall put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27). The Priestly Benediction is followed by God’s blessing, and the blessing of the Holy One, Blessed be God, is peace, as it is stated: “The Lord blesses God’s people with peace” (Psalms 29:11).
Why does the Amidah end with peace? The Talmud tells us, what is the blessing from God? A blessing from God is shalom, peace and wholeness.
Peace and wholeness is the fundamental outcome we seek as human beings.
In truth, there is little else we really need than these. For each other, for ourselves, and for the community. The service, gratitude, and blessings lead us here.
At the end of the Amidah, these words are recited every day of the year, three times a day, is a reminder that service, gratitude, blessings, and peace are the essential ways we can, and probably should, walk through the world.
What’s new?
I’m looking for a new home for my “Talmud from the weekly Torah Portion” class, called Talmudic Threads. If your congregation is looking for a teaching series or scholar-in-residence, let’s be in touch!