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Saying “Amen” is what philosophers call a “performative utterance”. It is a formal act of acceptance and affirmation, meaning: 1. we believe this to be true; or 2. we associate ourselves with what has been said. It functions in the Torah as an assent to an oath (e.g. in Deuteronomy 27:15–26). The root ‘-m-n has a range of senses, including “to believe, to trust, to care, to be faithful”. In general, liturgical responses – such as “Blessed is He and blessed is His name” – form an essential link between the Reader and congregation, turning a prayer on behalf of the community into one assented to by the community. Special significance was attached by the Sages to the response during the recital of Kaddish, “May His great name be blessed for ever and all time”. Indeed for them, the merit of saying Kaddish is precisely that it evokes this response from the community.

You: The gods of the ancient world were at best indifferent, at worst actively hostile, to human beings. The GOD of the philosophers – abstract, conceptual, the prime mover or necessary being -can be contemplated but not addressed. The difference between the GOD of the prophets and the GoD of the philosophers is that the former knows us, cares about us, listens to us (Judah Halevi, Kuzari). Without the word “You” there can be meditation, but not prayer. The central section of most forms of the Amidah begins with the word “You”.

Blessed. When applied to GOD it means: He is the source of all blessings, not only spiritual but also physical: health, livelihood, safety and security. In prayer we learn to see our material enjoyments as GOD’S blessing, belonging as they do to the world He created and pronounced good. The root b-r-ch also means: 1. to bow, bend the knee; 2. a pool or reservoir of water. What connects these is downward movement. A blessing is what, metaphorically, flows down to earth from heaven.

There are several categories of blessings in the Siddur: 1. blessings of acknowledgement, which are forms of praise and thanksgiving; 2. blessings over the performance of commandments, which are formal declarations of intent (kavannah) that the act we are about to perform is done because GOD has commanded us to do so; 3. blessings over enjoyments (food, drink, and so on), which are acts of redemption in the technical sense of buying something back for secular use that would otherwise be holy, and thus is not available for our personal benefit.

Mizmor (“Psalm”) is found 57 times as the heading of a psalm, and is used nowhere else in Tanach. Many believe it refers to a song written to be accompanied by musical instruments. Tehillah, “song of praise”, is used only once as superscription to a psalm (Psalm 145); despite this, the Book of Psalms as a whole is known to Jewish tradition as Tehillim, “Songs of Praise”. Some psalms carry the name of the person who wrote it or to whom it was dedicated; others the occasion on which it was sung; yet others are musical directions. The term la-m’natze’ach means “for the conductor, director of music, choir-master”, and usually signals a choral work.

Selah. A word of unknown meaning. Some hold that it means “for ever”; others understand it as an affirmation, similar to the word “Amen”. Yet others see it as a musical notation, a signalled pause, or an indication of the end of a passage.

Olam. The word olam means both “universe” and “eternity” – the outermost limits of space and time. It may come from the same root as ne’elam, “hidden”. This was understood by Jewish mystics, especially of the Lurianic school, as meaning that to create a universe, the Infinite had to contract or limit Himself, otherwise Infinity would leave no space for finitude. GOD is present in the physical universe but in a hidden way. We are, explains Nachmanides, surrounded by miracles. The world is filled with the radiance of GOD but to see it we have to open our eyes. Part of the purpose of prayer is, in this sense, to open our eyes.

Name: How GOD is perceived by human beings. When He is recognised as the supreme Sovereign, this is a “sanctification of the name”. When He is forced to exile His people – and thus seen by the nations as if powerless to protect them -this is a “desecration of the name”. The opening words of Kaddish, “Magnified and sanctified may His great name be” mean “May the sovereignty of GOD be ever more widely recognised by human beings” The closing words of Aleinu, “On that day GOD shall be One and His name One”, refer to a time – the Messianic Age – when GOD will be recognised by all. GOD does not change; human recognition of GOD does. The use of the word “name” marks the distinction between GOD as He is, and as He is humanly perceived.

Other terms are explained within the Commentary.