Part 12
Adon Olom
Adon Olom was authored and added to our Siddur
by Rabbi Yochonon Ben Zachai, who lived some five hundred
years after the founding of the Jewish Community in Worms.
[Editor's Note: Many say that it was written in the 11th
century by R' Shlomo Ibn Gabirol.] They were reluctant to
change their previously established order of prayer, and
consequently agreed to recite Adon Olom only once a
year, on Yom Kippur evening. Other communities followed the
guidelines of Rabbi Yochonon Ben Zachai and instituted
Adon Olom as part of their daily schedule.
On closer inspection of the text of Adon Olom, it
appears that it was originally designed as part of the
evening prayers as it ends with the phrase, BeYodo afkid
ruchi be'eis ishan ve'o'iroh — Into His hand I
shall entrust my spirit when I go to sleep . . . and when I
shall awaken. This phrase indicates that it was composed with
the intention of being a closing prayer before retiring for
the night. This explains why it was only recited on Yom
Kippur evening in Worms, which suggests the question why we
currently recite it in the morning as well.
The Apter Rov explained how the first part of Adon
Olom incorporates different interpretations and meanings
to various Names of Hashem that are used throughout our
prayers. Adon Olom was thus instituted to be recited
as the opening song of our morning prayers, as it serves as a
declaration of the correct meanings at all the numerous times
that we will be mentioning His Name during the day.
People in earlier generations were capable of concentrating
for longer periods, and would pronounce each Name of Hashem
with the correct meditation. Later generations found this
concentration too difficult and therefore Adon Olom
was instituted at the onset of our prayers in the morning to
serve as our initial declaration as to the correct meaning of
His Names, to apply whenever one of them will be pronounced
throughout the entire day.
Another reason why Adon Olom is said in the morning is
that we want to connect it to the one recited the previous
evening, as our preparation for our morning prayers begins
the night before. This coincides with the actual text which
reads as, "Beyodo afkid ruchi be'eis ishan ve'o'iroh
— Into His hand I shall entrust my spirit when I go to
sleep and [when] I shall awaken.
The Avudram begins his classic commentary on the Siddur
by initially explaining the relevant prayers recited
before retiring for the night and then continues with those
of the morning service. This also indicates the preparatory
connection between the morning and its prior evening
prayer.
The Rambam (Hilchos Dei'os 4;5) also writes that a
person's day begins the night before. A person should sleep
eight hours per night and always arise before daybreak. He
should therefore go to sleep the night before at the
appropriate time that will enable him to obtain sufficient
sleep and arise on time: be'eis ishan ve'o'iroh
— you should go to sleep so as to awaken on time
too.
In some communities the custom is to repeat Adon Olom
at the end of our morning prayers. The Rebbe of Kotz suggests
that this repetition is to negate any possible haughty
thoughts that a person might have. After having prayed with
concentration, a person might feel that his success in life
is well deserved. We therefore repeat the Adon Olom
upon concluding our tefillos, to stress that
personally we are still at the commencement of our prayers.
Any success is a direct gift of Hashem and not as a result of
our own efforts in prayer.
By repeating Adon Olom we are confirming our
realization that even after our efforts in prayer, we are in
the same position as previously, and any success is solely
due to His benevolence.
In other communities, it was an honor to be asked to lead as
the Chazan for the opening singing of Adon Olom.
An interesting episode occurred to the Chavos Daas after he
resigned as the official rov of the town of Lisa. He traveled
to a neighboring city, and in shul the gabbai
told him that the entire congregation would like to honor
him with Adon Olom. He answered that he would prefer
if the Adon Olom would honor him with a congregation
instead. From his comment, the executive realized that he was
temporarily out of a job, and that city soon appointed him as
their new rov.
The song of Adon Olom attributes everything that
occurs in creation — whether in the past, present or
future — solely to the Almighty. We therefore begin our
daily tefillos with this declaration so that we should
realize that Hashem should always be our first try. If one
comes to pray only after having been unsuccessful with every
doctor, hospital and specialist — then he has not truly
appreciated the power of prayer. Hashem is the Only One that
can change a situation for the better, and He must be our
first port of call.
An example will serve to illustrate the Divine power of
assistance.
Imagine you have a large elephant on one side and a small
aperture on the opposite one. We want the elephant to go
through this small hole, and we ask for Divine assistance. If
our prayers are answered, we normally imagine that either the
elephant is reduced in size to enable it to pass through, or
alternatively, the hole is enlarged sufficiently to enable
the elephant to traverse.
Both of these notions are incorrect when describing His
supreme powers. Our faith in Hashem must be that both the
elephant remains large and the hole remains small — and
despite that He can make the elephant pass through the hole.
This must be the strength of our faith in Hashem and His
powers.
A story is told about a rov who wrote a commentary on the
Siddur entitled Siach Yitzchok and took it to the
Vilna Gaon for his approbation. Near the beginning of the
commentary the rov explained that a Yid davens three
times a day, and that Shacharis corresponds to Avrohom
Ovinu, Mincha to Yitzchok and Ma'ariv to
Yaakov.
Since it was Avrohom Ovinu who was the first person to
acknowledge Hashem as the Master of the World, we
appropriately begin Shacharis with the words Adon
Olom — the Master of the World. When the rov
returned to the Vilna Gaon a few weeks later, the Gaon told
him that his whole commentary was worth writing, just for
that comment alone.
As the Adon Olom forms the "letterhead" of the
complete Shacharis prayer, it sets the tone on which
the merit of our complete tefilloh is based.
