Feb 27 first It is proper to chant the Baruch She'amar blessing in a melody, rather than just recite it. In our community, this is not done on weekdays, as people generally have little time due to their work responsibilities, but on Shabbat and Yom Tob, we sing Baruch She'amar. The Kaf Ha'haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Jerusalem, 1870-1939) brings that one who sings Baruch She'amar in a pleasant tune earns great rewards. A verse in Shir Hashirim (5:11) says, "Rosho Ketem Paz" ("His head is fine gold"), which alludes to the fact that one who sings Baruch She'amar, which consists of 87 words – the Gematria of the word "Paz" – is rewarded with a "golden crown." The Or Zarua (Rav Yishak of Vienna, 13 th century) tells the story of a person who passed away and then appeared in a dream to the community's Hazzan, informing him that special rewards were being prepared for him in the afterlife because he always chanted Baruch She'amar in a beautiful melody. The Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1806), in Shem Ha'gedolim, tells of a sage named Rav Shimshon ben Eliezer, who lived in the 14 th century, and coauthored a work on the laws of Tefillin which was titled "Baruch She'amar." The reason for this title, the Hida explains, is that Rabbi Shimshon, who was orphaned at a young age and would come to the synagogue alone, always sang Baruch She'amar in an especially beautiful way. Already as a child, he was nicknamed "Baruch She'amar." Naturally, then, this became the name of the book he coauthored. These stories underscore the great importance of chanting Baruch She'amar in a pleasant, stirring melody.