Intention in the blessings — and it contains a single seif: in the blessings, one should have in mind the meaning of the words. When one mentions the Name (the Havaya), one should have in mind the meaning of its reading according to lordship (אדנות) — that He is אדון הכל, the Master of all; and one should have in mind its writing in yod-heh — היה הוה ויהיה, that He was, is and will be. And when mentioning אלהים, one should have in mind that He is תקיף בעל היכולת ובעל הכחות כולם — the Mighty One, Master of capability and of all the forces.
The 4 levels of study — Siman ה׳, 1 seif
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רמת המתחיל
Level 1 — Beginner & Intermediate
Vocalized Hebrew text of the seif with a fluent English translation. Pedagogical explanation: the kavanah of the meaning of the words in the blessings (פירוש המלות), the twofold intention when mentioning the Tetragrammaton (the Havaya) — its reading according to אדנות (אדון הכל, the Master of all) and its writing in yod-heh (היה הוה ויהיה, above time) — and the intention of the Name אלהים (the Mighty One, Master of all powers). Modern practical cases of the everyday blessings.
In-depth pilpul: is kavanah in the blessings me'akevet or only le-mitzvah? The meaning of the words, what is me'akev (the first berachah of the Amidah, the first verse of the Shema — cf. siman 60–63, 101) and the ideal kavanah everywhere; why the Tetragrammaton calls for two intentions (אדנות and הוי״ה), why one reads Ad-nai and not as it is written; the meaning of the Name אלהים (takif, baal ha-kochot, ha-teva / the gevurah) and the relation הוי״ה ↔ אלהים (transcendence / immanence); the dikduk of the nekudot (the SA HaRav).
Structured summary for review and memorization: the kavanah of the meaning of the words in the blessings, the twofold intention of the Tetragrammaton (אדון הכל · היה הוה ויהיה), the intention of the Name אלהים (תקיף בעל הכחות), and the relation between the two Names. Conduct le-maaseh for kavanah in everyday life, with a referral to the Rav for what is me'akev and for the precise cases (cf. siman 60).
The Choulhan Aroukh HaRav of the Admour HaZaken on Orach Chaim siman 5 (where the Rav develops 3 seifim): full text, the precision of the psak relative to the Mechaber, the dikduk of the nekudot under the aleph (chataf patach / sheva), the intention "be-elyonim u-ve-tachtonim" of the Name אלהים, and the yichud of the Names הוי״ה and אלהים at the level of principle (the way of the Tanya, Shaar haYichud veha-Emunah) — for in-depth study, a referral to a Chabad Rav.
Rebuild this siman according to the Rabbanim YOU follow. Choose your Poskim (Rav Ovadia, the Admour HaZaken, the Rebbe, Ben Ish Chai, Mishna Berura, Rav Mordechai Eliyahu…) — Daat AI rebuilds the siman with their opinions, their reasoning, and their disagreements. If your Poskim do not address a point, the AI asks you before expanding.
In the blessings, one has in mind the meaning of the words one utters: the berachah is an avodah of the heart, where the mind accompanies the mouth.
אֲדוֹן הַכֹּל
The reading of the Name
The Tetragrammaton is read according to the vocalization Ad-nai: one has in mind that He is אדון הכל, the Master of all — the lordship over the whole creation.
הָיָה הֹוֶה וְיִהְיֶה
The writing in yod-heh
One also has in mind the writing of the Havaya in yod-heh: היה הוה ויהיה — He was, is and will be, above time: transcendence itself.
בַּעַל הַכֹּחוֹת
The Name אלהים
When mentioning אלהים, one has in mind that He is תקיף בעל היכולת ובעל הכחות כולם — the Mighty One, Master of capability and of all the forces.
מְעַכֶּבֶת אוֹ לְמִצְוָה
The scope of kavanah
Kavanah is the ideal of every berachah; in certain places it is me'akevet (the first berachah of the Amidah, the first verse of the Shema). Cf. siman 60–63 and 101.
הוי״ה וֵאלֹהִים
The relation of the Names
The Havaya (transcendence, above time) and אלהים (the force deployed in creation): their yichud is at the heart of the matter — at the level of principle, the way of the Tanya.
Structure of the Siman — the components of the single seif
Component
Subject
Theme
Detail
פירוש המלות
הכלל הפותח
The meaning of the words
In every berachah, having in mind the meaning of the words one utters (יכוין בברכות פירוש המלות) — the berachah is not a mere formula, but an avodah of the heart.
קריאת השם
בַּאֲדֹנוּת
The reading of the Havaya
When one mentions the Name (the Havaya), one has in mind the meaning of its reading according to אדנות: that He is אדון הכל, the Master of all.
כתיבת השם
בְּיוּ״ד הֵ״א
The writing of the Havaya
One also has in mind its writing in yod-heh: היה הוה ויהיה — He was, is and will be, above time.
שם אלהים
בַּעַל הַכֹּחוֹת
✦ Le-maaseh
When mentioning אלהים: that He is תקיף בעל היכולת ובעל הכחות כולם, the Mighty One, Master of all forces (the SA HaRav adds: be-elyonim u-ve-tachtonim).
Kavanat haShemot — the intention of the two Divine Names
Source
Register
Contribution
Central idea
הוי״ה — קריאה
אדנות
Lordship
One reads the Name Ad-nai: the intention that He is אדון הכל, the Master of all — sovereignty over the whole creation.
הוי״ה — כתיבה
היה הוה ויהיה
Transcendence
The intention of the writing in yod-heh: He was, is and will be, above time — the transcendence beyond the created.
שם אלהים · שו״ע הרב
בעל הכחות — le-maaseh
✦ Le-maaseh
אלהים: takif baal ha-yecholet u-baal ha-kochot kulam. The yichud of הוי״ה and אלהים (transcendence and force in creation) is, at the level of principle, the way of the Tanya (Shaar haYichud veha-Emunah); for in-depth study, see Level 4 and a Chabad Rav.
Frequently asked questions — Siman ה׳
What is the kavanah of the blessings, according to Siman 5?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh, Orach Chaim 5:1, in the blessings one must have in mind the meaning of the words one utters (yechaven ba-berachot peirush ha-milot). A berachah is not a mere recited formula: it is an avodah of the heart, in which the mind accompanies the words the mouth pronounces.
What intention should one have when mentioning the Tetragrammaton, according to Siman 5?
The Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 5:1) teaches a twofold intention. For the reading of the Name (which one pronounces Ad-nai): that He is אדון הכל, the Master of all. For its writing in yod-heh (the Havaya): היה הוה ויהיה, that He was, is and will be — above time.
What intention should one have when mentioning the Name אלהים, according to Siman 5?
According to the Choulhan Aroukh (Orach Chaim 5:1), when mentioning אלהים one must have in mind that He is תקיף בעל היכולת ובעל הכחות כולם — the Mighty One, Master of capability and of all the forces. The Choulhan Aroukh HaRav adds: over the beings above and below (be-elyonim u-ve-tachtonim).
Is the kavanah of the meaning of the words indispensable in every blessing, according to Siman 5?
The kavanah of the meaning of the words is the ideal to aim for in every berachah. According to the poskim, it is more particularly me'akevet (indispensable) in certain places — such as the first berachah of the Amidah and the first verse of the Shema (cf. siman 60–63 and 101). For conduct le-maaseh when one has missed the kavanah, one follows the ruling of a competent Rav.
Why does the Tetragrammaton call for two distinct intentions, according to Siman 5?
Because the Tetragrammaton is written differently from the way it is read. One reads it according to the vocalization Ad-nai (אדון הכל, the Master of all, the intention of lordship); and one also has in mind its writing in yod-heh, היה הוה ויהיה (He was, is and will be). The sense of the reading expresses sovereignty, that of the writing the transcendence of time.