Avram Was the First to Call the Almighty “Adon Olam”
Parshas Lech Lecha Rabbi Yissocher Frand
The Gemara says (Brachos 7b) that from the time the world was created, no one used the term “adon” (master) until Avram came along and called the Almighty “Adon,” as it is written, “And he said, ‘Ado-shem, 'how will I know that I will inherit it?” (Bereshis 15:8). The Maggid of Vilna wrote a Chumash commentary called Ishei Yisrael. The Maggid of Vilna raised the question: why do the morning prayers begin with the recital of “Adon Olam” (Master of the World)? (Many of us only begin the morning prayers with Adon Olam on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; however, in virtually all siddurim, Adon Olam is printed right at the beginning of every day’s morning prayers.)
The Maggid of Vilna answered his question by citing a Gemara in Maseches Tamid (30a): The morning Tamid offering was slaughtered as early as possible. The Gemara says that when the approximate time for slaughtering the Korban Tamid arrived, the person in charge sent a designated individual to check on the status of the sky. When the time arrived, the designated person proclaimed “Bar-ka-ee” (indicating that the time had arrived). At that point, the person in charge asked: “Has the eastern sky lit up all the way to Chevron?” (which is southwest of Yerushalayim, so the sun usually rises later there). If the answer was in the affirmative, the shechting (ritual slaughter) of the Tamid would proceed. Now, if the sun had already risen in Yerushalayim, why was it important that the sky also be illuminated all the way to Chevron? The answer is that as we start the avodas Hayom (daily service) in the Beis Hamikdash, we want to invoke the zechus avos (patriarchal merit) of those who are buried in Chevron.
The Maggid of Vilna says that it is for a similar reason that we begin Shacharis with the words “Adon Olam,” because it was Avraham who first called the Ribono shel Olam by the name Adon. Therefore, to invoke his memory, we begin our prayers by invoking the title “Adon Olam“.
