Blessed is the “Place”. What is meant here is Blessed is God. Jews, except in prayer never say the name of God as printed in the prayer book or Bible, instead a euphemism or circumlocution is used. The word ‘God’ is a word used to denote the Deity and is not the name of the Deity; it is itself just a word. Jews frequently use circumlocutions, so in speech, or in the written word, instead of the name of God we say “the Master of the Universe” or ‘The Above One” or “The Holy One Blessed be He” or most commonly “the Name”. The word “Place” is used here. As God is everywhere, in every ‘place’ so the word “Place” can be used to refer to God. One commentator suggests that the alteration of one of the letters in the Hebrew 'Hamakom', to Hamakayaim infers that here we are speaking of the “One who makes everything exist”

“Place” also has a special meaning in Jewish thought. When Abraham obeys God’s testing command to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen Ch 22 V 1-2), the Bible tells us that God tells Abraham to take his son and go to the land of Moriah and offer him up on one of the mountains which I (God) will show you (Abraham) the narrative continues “On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the PLACE afar off ” (Gen. Ch. 22 V.4).

When Jacob leaves his parents home to find a wife in Haran, he came to the "Place". The narrative continues with the story of his dream of a ladder going up to Heaven. When he wakes in the morning he says "Surely the Lord is in this "PLACE "and I did not know it." And he was afraid and

said “How full of awe is this PLACE this is none other than the House of God and the Gate of Heaven (Gen.Ch 28.V.10-17)

The Torah tells us when we are told about bringing of the first fruits, it says “and you shall put them in a basket and you shall go to the PLACE that God will choose” (Deut. Ch.26 V.2). Our Rabbis tell us that all these “PLACES” are the site of the future Temple in Jerusalem.

It seems to imply that there is an esoteric connection between “Place” which we use instead of God’s name and “The Place” meaning the Temple. The Rabbis tell us that “The Shechina” God’s essence has never left the site of the Temple throughout our wanderings waiting as it were, for us to finally fulfill our destiny.


haggadah Section: Commentary / Readings
Source: My Journey Through the Haggadah, Yekutiel Atkins