Halakha Mazmur 119:164: Mishneh Torah, Reading the Shema, Shulchan Shel Arba & Likkutei HaPardes

Blessings are recited before the Shema and after it. When reading the Shema by day, two blessings are recited before it, and one after it. When reading it at night, two blessings are recited before, and two after it.

And you need to know that because the sages z”l said, “a bat kol went out and said that a cup of blessing is equal to forty pieces of gold, it is clear from this that each blessing of the hundred blessing equals ten pieces of gold.”²⁴⁰B. Hullin 87a. Since there are four blessings in birkat ha-mazon said over the cup of blessing – you do the math. This is also an allusion to the tradition that one said say at least a hundred blessings per day. And there’s support for this in the verse: “one ladle (kaf) of ten [shekels] of gold filled with incense,”²⁴¹Nu 7:14. that is to say, every “one from Ka”F,²⁴²Ka”F is numerically equivalent to 100. which are the one hundred blessings equal to “ten gold [pieces].” And you will also find in another place, “esreh zahav mishkalam” – “ten gold shekels in weight”²⁴³Gen 24:22, the value of the gold armbands Eliezer gave Rebekah as a present after she gave his camels water at the well. to which armbands Scripture follows with the phrase “Then I bowed low in homage to the Lord and blessed the Lord.”²⁴⁴Gen 24:48, immediately preceded in 24:27 with “And I put the ring on her nose, and the bands on her arms,” i.e., the ten shekel gold bands, which are equal to one blessing. The reason why every blessing is equal to ten shekels of gold is to hint that it is possible to include the 10 sefirot in each and every blessing. And the reason for 100 blessings every day is their correspondence to the 10 sefirot, ten blessings for each and every sefirah. And this what is written, “And now, O Israel, what (mah) does the Lord your God demand of you.”²⁴⁵Dt 10:12. And our sages z”l said, “Don’t read mah – “what,” but rather me’ah –“a hundred,”²⁴⁶B. Menahot 43b. that is to say, “A hundred the Lord your God demands of you.” And there are 99 letters in this verse; adding the letter aleph makes it 100.²⁴⁷That is, adding an aleph to the word mah, making it me’ah, give the verse 100 letters. In his commentary to the Torah R. Bahya brings this interpretation as the sod – “the mystical interpretation” of Dt. 10:12. And we found in King David (peace upon him), who said, “The utterance of the man set on high [‘al],”²⁴⁸2 Sam 23:1. The Hebrew word ‘al is numerically equivalent to 100. because one hundred men of Israel a day used to die in that generation, and deeply moved by this, David instituted [tiken]100 blessings.²⁴⁹Midrash Tanhuma Korah 12. Tiken – “instituted” of course also has the connotation of tikkun – “repair,” as in the sense of a cosmic repair through blessings of a world diminished by the loss of 100 lives. He didn’t institute them per se, but rather re-established them, since they had been forgotten, and David came along and re-established them.²⁵⁰Ibid. According to this midrash, Moses originally established the blessings, and afterwards, whne they had been forgotten, David came along and re-established them, and after David’s era they were forgotten again until the sages of the Talmud re-established them (Chavel). And thus is written, “So [ki khen] shall the man who fears the Lord be blessed [yivorakh].”²⁵¹Ps 128:4. The word yivorakh – “shall be blessed” is spelled without a vav, which means that by the numerical equivalent of K”I Khe”N – 100 – will the person who fears the Lord both bless and be blessed.²⁵²Lacking the vav, the Hebrew word can be read either actively as yivarekh – “he will bless,” or passively as yivorakh – “he will be blessed.” Therefore a person needs to recite 100 blessings and fulfill them each day. And on Shabbat, when it is not possible because the Amidah for Shabbat contains only seven blessings, as it is written, “I praise You seven times on theday,”²⁵³Ps 119:164. the day which is well-known and special, namely, Shabbat, our sages z”l already said, “one completes them with aromatic herbs and fancy fruits.”²⁵⁴B. Menahot 43b, i.e., one enjoys lots of extra snacks and aromas that require blessings to make up for the shortage of blessings.

And the beginning of the Law, “And the Lord spoke all these words, saying.” This is to tell you that if Israel did not accept the Torah, the world would not have survived. As so do we find – that the Holy One, Blessed be He, established a condition with the act of creation, as it is written (Psalms 76:9), “the earth feared, and was silent.” At first, it was afraid, and in the end, it was silent. And it is written (Psalms 75:4), “I established its pillars forever, selah.” Hence the whole congregation answers, “Amen. May His great name be blessed for ever and ever.” And that is [the meaning of] that which David said with the holy spirit (Psalms 119:164), “Seven in the day have I praised You.” And [we answer it also] because we have found that the Ten Commandments are included in the Ten Utterances (of creation); and kaddish is said about the Ten Utterances. And in the same way as the Commandments are only said with ten, so too was the ordinance that kaddish be with ten. And we bow four bowings during kaddish. And these are them: “May His great name be glorified and sanctified in the world that He created” – all that is with one bowing. “Quickly and soon” – he bows and says, “May His name […].” Then when be begins to say the seven praises, “Blessed, praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He" – he bows for all of them [once]. And when he reaches, “praise and consolation,” he bows. All of these bowings are of prostration. And the bowing of, “He who makes peace in His heights,” is optional. I have found that these four bowings correspond to the four names [of God] found in the verse (Malakhi 1:11), “For from where the sun rises to where it sets, My name is honored among the nations, and everywhere incense and pure oblation are offered to My name; for My name is honored among the nations, said the Lord of Hosts.” The meaning of [the words of] Kaddish: “May [His great name] be glorified and sanctified,” based on the verse (Ezekiel 38:23), “I will be glorified and sanctified.” But how can man glorify (literarily, grow) the holy name of the Holy One – lest it is lacking, as it were, God forbid?...