[HANASHIR:3623] Re: Bar'chu info

[Judy Git <hillel...>]

To be precise, "El melech ne'eman" is said when you don't have a minyan; 
privately would be without a minyan, but nine people would also say that - or - 
as I did for years - one teacher and a bunch of children.

As for the "Baruch shem k'vod," orthodox and conservative tradition is, as 
Raquel said, to say it out loud only on Yom Kippur.  Originally, this prayer 
was said in the Holy Temple on Yom Kippur by the High Priest
who would also use G-d's proper name during the service.  My semi-educated 
guess is that this is the reason that the "Baruch shem k'vod" was said out loud 
only on that day - that it was connected to the
vocalization of the Holy Name. (The literal translation of this phrase is: 
"Blessed is the name of his revered kingdom - or kinship - for ever and ever." 
Common translations generally translate "Machuto" as his
kingdom, but I suspect it's referring to G-d, Himself - his kingSHIP rather 
than kingDOM. ) Reform tradition, however, says it out loud throughout the year.

I have gone into this amount of detail so that we might hopefully avoid any 
faction feeling that the responses have not addressed them adequately.  (Does 
anyone know what the Reconstructionists do with this line??)

Judy

Hazzan David Sirull wrote:

> The el melech ne'eman that you refer to is said only when saying the Shema 
> privately. It is also said that the word amen is an abbreviation for those 
> three words.
>
> At 10:39 PM 8/3/99 EDT, you wrote:
> >In a message dated 8/3/99 2:16:26 PM Central Daylight Time, LSalvay (at) 
> >aol(dot)com
> >writes:
> >
> ><< My understanding is that "baruch Shem k'vod..." is said under one's breath
> > between the Shema and V'ahavta because it is not a quote from Torah, but was
> > added parenthetically. Therefore, it is not uttered aloud, so as not to be
> > misconstrued as part of the "quote." >>
> >
> >I concur with the above explanation. Has anyone ever heard of the practice
> >of saying "el melech ne'eman" BEFORE the Shema? I think these little "asides"
> >or "whispers" within prayers, words said only at certain times of year,
> >different body movements (bowing, taking little backward steps, etc.) are all
> >a wonderful part of the total choreography of Jewish prayer...they each add
> >so much.
> >
>
> >
> >



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