The Hebrew phrase ''b'rov am hadrat melech'' (ברב עם הדרת מלך, "in multitudes there is glorification of the king") is a concept in

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in t ...

that the more Jews that are present in a single place, the more God's honor is increased.Borchardt, Reuvain. "Where Everyone Wins". '' Hamodia Prime'', December 11, 2019, p. 21 This concept has applications to the performance of Torah commandments in a public setting, as well as the gathering of Jews to protest

Sabbath desecration Sabbath desecration is the failure to observe the Biblical Sabbath and is usually considered a sin and a breach of a holy day in relation to either the Jewish '' Shabbat'' (Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall), the Sabbath in seventh-day chur ...

or other willful violations of Torah law by, for example, the government.

Sources

The concept is derived from , "In the multitude of people is the king's glory; but in the want of people is the ruin of the prince." According to the

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

, the word "king" here refers to the King of Kings, God. Thus, large worship gatherings are understood to bring more honor to God.

Examples

Examples of this principle include: * The Talmud records a disagreement regarding recitation of the blessing on the

havdalah Havdalah ( he, הַבְדָּלָה, "separation") is a Jewish religious ceremony that marks the symbolic end of Shabbat and ushers in the new week. The ritual involves lighting a special havdalah candle with several wicks, blessing a cup of ...

candle. According to

House of Shammai The House of Hillel (Beit Hillel) and House of Shammai (Beit Shammai) were, among Jewish scholars, two schools of thought during the period of tannaim, named after the sages Hillel and Shammai (of the last century BCE and the early 1st century C ...

each person recites the blessing individually (as this involves less delay and leaves more time for

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("com ...

), while according to the

House of Hillel The House of Hillel (Beit Hillel) and House of Shammai (Beit Shammai) were, among Jewish scholars, two schools of thought during the period of tannaim, named after the sages Hillel and Shammai (of the last century BCE and the early 1st century CE) ...

one person recites the blessing on behalf of everyone present (due to the principle of ''b'rov am hadrat melech''). * The Talmud attempts to explain why the

shofar A shofar ( ; from he, שׁוֹפָר, ) is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes. Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-altering devices, with all pitch control done by varying ...

is blown in the

mussaf Mussaf (also spelled Musaf or Musof) is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to th ...

prayer of

Rosh Hashana Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

, rather than the earlier

shacharit ''Shacharit'' ( he, שַחֲרִית ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning ''tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers. Different traditions identify different primary components o ...

prayer, using the principle of ''b'rov am hadrat melech'', as more people are typically found in the synagogue during ''mussaf''. (However, the Talmud then rejects this explanation, as ''

hallel Hallel ( he, הַלֵּל, "Praise") is a Jewish prayer, a verbatim recitation from Psalms which is recited by observant Jews on Jewish holidays as an act of praise and thanksgiving. Holy days Hallel consists of six Psalms (113–118), which ...

'' (when recited) is recited in ''shacharit'' even though ''b'rov am hadrat melech'' would suggest it be recited in ''mussaf''.) B. Rosh Hashanah 32b

References

{{Halakha Jewish law principles Jewish theology Hebrew words and phrases in the Hebrew Bible Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law