Sep 18, 2026 · 1 hr 25 min · 10 segments
The added blessing in the Amidah: Who are we cursing?This article examines a possible target of the curses as found in the extra blessing of the Amidah (veLamalshinim) (…
Gavin MichalHost
Who are we cursing? I've based myself on Professor Rabbi Urvain Kimmelman for this research, and today we're going to examine the 12th blessing of the Shemona Esrei, of the Amidah.
Amidah has 19 blessings, originally it had 18 blessings, one extra blessing was added, so it's called the 18 blessings of Shemona Esrei, the 18 blessings, but in fact there are 19 blessings.
We're going to analyze the 12th of these 19 stroke 18 blessings today in an attempt to discover who this blessing is referring to because it is a blessing, it's called a blessing but it is in fact a cursing, a cursing.
And all of a sudden, by the time we get to the twelfth blessing, we have this very unusual, hard to call it a blessing, a curse.
Who are we referring to? We ask for these communities or this community to instantly perish, which
is quite rough.
And the text of this prayer, which today is known as Birkat Haminim, the blessing or perhaps the curse, sometimes blessing can mean a curse.
And the question is, who are these heretics that we are cursing? Our study is going to take us into a fascinating window of first century Judaism.
and to see how the Jews were defining themselves at that moment in time when Christianity was being birthed.
But as we shall see, although most interpretations suggest that the target of these curses is indeed Christianity, our research is going to take us to a slightly different space.
that we are referring to or cursing?
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Who are we cursing? I've based myself on Professor Rabbi Urvain Kimmelman for this research, and today we're going to examine the 12th blessing of the Shemona Esrei, of the Amidah.
Amidah has 19 blessings, originally it had 18 blessings, one extra blessing was added, so it's called the 18 blessings of Shemona Esrei, the 18 blessings, but in fact there are 19 blessings.
We're going to analyze the 12th of these 19 stroke 18 blessings today in an attempt to discover who this blessing is referring to because it is a blessing, it's called a blessing but it is in fact a cursing, a cursing.
And all of a sudden, by the time we get to the twelfth blessing, we have this very unusual, hard to call it a blessing, a curse.
Who are we referring to? We ask for these communities or this community to instantly perish, which
is quite rough.
And the text of this prayer, which today is known as Birkat Haminim, the blessing or perhaps the curse, sometimes blessing can mean a curse.
And the question is, who are these heretics that we are cursing? Our study is going to take us into a fascinating window of first century Judaism.
and to see how the Jews were defining themselves at that moment in time when Christianity was being birthed.
But as we shall see, although most interpretations suggest that the target of these curses is indeed Christianity, our research is going to take us to a slightly different space.
that we are referring to or cursing?
