Why do we speak of Hashem as the Master of Legions in this blessing?

Eliyahu Rabba writes that this is based on the verse in Amos (4:13), "He turns the dawn into darkness and tramples upon the heights of the earth; Hashem, Lord of Legions, is his Name." In this verse, we speak of the fact that Hashem turns the dawn into darkness and demonstrates His mastery even upon the highest places and mightiest beings of the earth. The verse closes by saying that Hashem thereby shows that he is the Lord of Legions.

The commentators explain that we ought not to think that Hashem just created the world at the beginning of time, with all the wonderful things that it contains, and then just allowed it to follow its own merry way. Rather, Hashem constantly exhibits his mastery over the world. If his creatures do not utilize their world in the way which it is meant to be used, then Hashem will take back all the gifts which he has given to them. Thus the verse says that not only did Hashem create the dawn, and the entirety of the universe at the dawn of time; but even today he will turn the dawn into darkness and trample upon the heights of the world if that is necessary in order to re-establish his mastery over his world. Thereby, Hashem demonstrates that he is the Lord of Legions. That is the idea of this verse in Amos.

Says Eliyahu Rabba: this very idea is brought out in our blessing. We speak of Hashem in the way in which He relates to his world during the nighttime. And in this blessing we wish to emphasize that Hashem shows something to us even when He takes things away. When Hashem plunges his world into darkness, that, too, has a lesson for us. Not only did He once create the world and allow it to stand; but from then on he continues to remain Master of the world, as the Master of Legions.

Thus in this blessing, in which we speak of the fact that not only does Hashem give, but at times He finds it necessary to take away, we close by giving Hashem this title: "Hashem, Master of Legions is his Name."

Copyright (c) 1997 by Rabbi Levi Langer

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