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Vayechi Sources: Redemption
(טו) וַיְבָ֥רֶךְ אֶת־יוֹסֵ֖ף וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הָֽאֱלֹהִ֡ים אֲשֶׁר֩ הִתְהַלְּכ֨וּ אֲבֹתַ֤י לְפָנָיו֙ אַבְרָהָ֣ם וְיִצְחָ֔ק הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ הָרֹעֶ֣ה אֹתִ֔י מֵעוֹדִ֖י עַד־הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
(טז) הַמַּלְאָךְ֩ הַגֹּאֵ֨ל אֹתִ֜י מִכׇּל־רָ֗ע יְבָרֵךְ֮ אֶת־הַנְּעָרִים֒ וְיִקָּרֵ֤א בָהֶם֙ שְׁמִ֔י וְשֵׁ֥ם אֲבֹתַ֖י אַבְרָהָ֣ם וְיִצְחָ֑ק וְיִדְגּ֥וּ לָרֹ֖ב בְּקֶ֥רֶב הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(15) And he blessed Joseph, saying,“The God in whose ways my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,The God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day—
(16) The Messenger who has redeemed me from all harm—Bless the lads.In them may my name be recalled,And the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,And may they be teeming multitudes upon the earth.”
This is the first use of the root gimmel-aleph-lamed [redeem] in the Torah. It's the only one in Breishit/Genesis.
...This is something I had not previously noticed and find remarkable. For anyone else who's interested, here's the Brown-Driver-Briggs dictionary page. And, for double-checking purposes, here is part of the entry in Even-Shoshan Concordance (Jerusalem: Kiryat Sefer, 1998).
TL;DR: The root only appears twice in Exodus: In 6:6 -- which we also find in the Passover Haggadah -- and in 15:13, in the Song at the Sea. Multiple entries in Leviticus for redeeming property; in Numbers for "blood avenger"; in Ruth regarding a kinsman-redeemer. Rarely -- one or two times each -- in Job, Proverbs, Jeremiah, Hosea, Micah, Joshua, and 2 Samuel. It is used 10+ times in Psalms and more often in Isaiah.
One column under גאל from Hebrew concordance. Description below.
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Sefaria lists 125 uses of "go-ali [my Redeemer]" in the liturgy, but all of them stem from one line in Psalm 19:
(טו) יִ֥הְיֽוּ־לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃ {פ}
(15) May the words of my mouthand the prayer of my heartbe acceptable to You,YHVH, my rock and my redeemer.
Psalm 19 as a whole appears in P'sukei D'zimra, verses of song in the morning prayers.
The one line, Ps. 19:15, is part of the closing section of the Amidah for weekday, Shabbat, and festival. It appears in Ashkenaz, Sephard, and other liturgies; so it is repeated many times in Sefaria's text collection (without variation that I could find).
Here is the line from Ashkenazi liturgy for weekday afternoon prayers:
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְ֒רֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבִּי לְפָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלִי:
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be acceptable before You, Adonoy, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Ps 19:15 is part of many musical settings for the close of the Amidah. So the expression "go-ali [my Redeemer]" is recognized by many Jews, consciously or not, as a name of God.
Some congregations use(d) elaborate, formal settings for a cantor or choir. Check out the Milken Jewish music archive for examples.
Here are two examples of contemporary settings: The first includes the full verse Ps. 19:15. The second is just the final three Hebrew words.
Yih Yu L'ratzon with Cantor Abbie Strauss and Carly Abramson. Description below.
NewCAJE New Voices. "Adonai Tzuri V'Goali" by Alison Westermann. Description below.
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Isaiah uses many forms of gimmel-aleph-lamed. The expression "goaleinu [our Redeemer]" in two verses -- 63:16 and 47:4. Bible Hub link.
Though it’s a single book with a single name, the author of Isaiah 40–66 is not the same as the author of the first 39 chapters (and, indeed, many scholars discern a third hand in chapter 56–66)
-- Rabbi Peretz Rodman, a founding editor of My Jewish Learning,
NOTE: Gimmel-aleph-lamed only appears once in chapters attributed to First Isaiah (35:9).
כִּֽי־אַתָּ֣ה אָבִ֔ינוּ כִּ֤י אַבְרָהָם֙ לֹ֣א יְדָעָ֔נוּ וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֣א יַכִּירָ֑נוּ אַתָּ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אָבִ֔ינוּ גֹּאֲלֵ֥נוּ מֵעוֹלָ֖ם שְׁמֶֽךָ׃
Surely You are our Father:Though Abraham regard us not,And Israel recognize us not,You, O ETERNAL One, are our Father;From of old, Your name is “Our Redeemer.
עַל־הָרִאשׁוֹנִים וְעַל־הָאַחֲרוֹנִים דָּבָר טוֹב וְקַיָּם לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד אֱמֶת וֶאֱמוּנָה חֹק וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר: אֱמֶת שָׁאַתָּה הוּא יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ. מַלְכֵּֽנוּ מֶֽלֶךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ. גּוֹאֲלֵֽנוּ גּוֹאֵל אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ. יוֹצְ֒רֵֽנוּ צוּר יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ. פּוֹדֵֽנוּ וּמַצִּילֵֽנוּ מֵעוֹלָם שְׁמֶֽךָ. אֵין אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתֶֽךָ:
Upon the first and upon the last, [generations] [it is] a matter that is good and everlasting. It is true and faithful, a Law that will never be abrogated. Truly you Adonoy, are our God, and the God of our fathers, our King, the King of our fathers, our Redeemer, Redeemer of our fathers, our Former, Rock of our deliverance; our Liberator and our Saver which is Your Name from old, and there is no God besides You.
גֹּאֲלֵ֕נוּ יְהֹוָ֥ה צְבָא֖וֹת שְׁמ֑וֹ קְד֖וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Our Redeemer—whose name is GOD of Hosts—Is the Holy One of Israel.
Two speak; one says "an exile [gulah]" and one says "a redeemer [goalah]."
According to the one who says exile, that they were exiled to Babylon and the Shechina was exiled with them, as it says (Isaiah 43:14) "For your sake I send to Babylon."
And according to the one who says a redeemer [goalah]... as it says (Isaiah 47:4), "Our redeemer, the LORD of Hosts is Their Name"), and it is written (Micah 2:14) "goes before them; they enlarge it to a gate... [and leave by it]. Their king marches before them, God at their heads."
-- from Vayikra Rabbah 32, Sefaria community translation
Many other forms of gimmel-aleph-lamed appear in Isaiah, including "go-al-chem -- YOUR [plural] Redeemer" in verse 43:14.
כֹּֽה־אָמַ֧ר יהוה גֹּאַלְכֶ֖ם קְד֣וֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לְמַעַנְכֶ֞ם שִׁלַּ֣חְתִּי בָבֶ֗לָה וְהוֹרַדְתִּ֤י בָֽרִיחִים֙ כֻּלָּ֔ם וְכַשְׂדִּ֖ים בָּֽאֳנִיּ֥וֹת רִנָּתָֽם׃
Thus said GOD [YHVH],Your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:For your sake I send to Babylon;I will bring down all [her] bars,And the Chaldeans shall raise their voice in lamentation.
The odd expression "l'maanchem shilachti vavelah -- לְמַעַנְכֶ֞ם שִׁלַּ֣חְתִּי בָבֶ֗לָה" -- one of those JPS lists as "meaning of Hebrew uncertain" -- in Isaiah 43:14 is sometimes translated as "For your sake, I send to Babylon," although it's not clear who or what was sent. Beginning with the Jerusalem Talmud (200-400 CE), however, this verse has been understood creatively as "For your sake, I was sent to Babylon" -- proof text to show that God was in exile in Babyon, too:
"Rebbi Simeon ben Yoḥay stated: Every place to which Israel was exiled, the Divine Presence was exiled with them.
"They were exiled to Egypt and the Divine Presence was exiled with them. What is the reason? Was I not revealed to your Father’s house when they were in Egypt, the house of Pharaoh?
"They were exiled to Babylon and the Divine Presence was exiled with them. What is the reason? On your behalf I was sent to Babylon (Isaiah 43:14)...."
-- Jerusalem Talmud Taanit 1:1:17
This idea that God is also exiled means that God is also in need of rescue. This idea appears a number of times in liturgy. One such place is in prayers associated with the festival of Sukkot. One hymn for the festival is translated as "[Rescue] Yourself and Us!"
More on this hymn and related sentiments here: "God's Presence Accompanied Them"
Plus...
"Fontella Bass - Rescue Me." Description below.
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Image and Video Descriptions
"One column under גאל from Hebrew concordance." Thought bubble, part way down the column, points to listing at Breishit 48:16. Bubble text reads: #23 here is the only use of gimmel-aleph-lamed in Breishit. Even-Shoshan Concordance. Kiryat Sefer (Jerusalem, 1998)
"NewCAJE New Voices - "Adonai Tzuri V'Goali" by Alison Westermann." Video description: Five performers (all fair-skinned and young-ish) on a stage. Two singers stand near front, with two drummers and one guitarist seated behind with instruments.
"Yih Yu L'ratzon with Cantor Abbie Strauss and Carly Abramson." Video description: Two fair-skinned, young-ish women, one with guitar, sing while seated in what might be synagogue library.
"Fontella Bass - Rescue Me [high quality], Oldies." Posted YouTube description: "Studio audio sync'ed with a combination of footage from Shindig! episode 67 on November 6, 1965 and Hollywood A Go-Go Episode 45 on October 23, 1965." Images include 45 RPM single and LP cover showing Bass (Black woman, 25-ish) in form-fitting dress of the 60s. Central image in TV show portion is Bass in pantsuit with matching hat, surrounded by a host of white male musicians in suits and ties, white women in stretch pants and tops doing some kind of choreographed dance with small steps and large movements of arms and torso, and Black women in dresses adding in restrained movements (and maybe back-up voice); there is also a dance floor filled mostly with young people in suits and dresses.
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