Barekhi Nafshi

ברכי נפשי

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Hebrew

אָהֳלוֹ, בְּצוּר יְרוֹמְמֵנִי׃ וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי עַל אֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְאָהֳלוֹ
זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה לַיהוָה׃ שְׁמַע־יְהוָה קוֹלִי אֶקְרָא, וְחָנֵּנִי וַעֲנֵנִי׃
לְךָ אָמַר לִבִּי בַּקְּשׁוּ פָנָי, אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ יְהוָה אֲבַקֵּשׁ׃ אַל־תַּסְתֵּר פָּנֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי, אַל
תַּט־בְּאַף עַבְדֶּךָ, עֶזְרָתִי הָיִיתָ, אַל־תִּטְּשֵׁנִי וְאַל־תַּעַזְבֵנִי, אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעִי׃ כִּי־אָבִי
וְאִמִּי עֲזָבוּנִי, וַיהוָה יַאַסְפֵנִי׃ הוֹרֵנִי יְהוָה דַּרְכֶּךָ, וּנְחֵנִי בְּאֹרַח מִישׁוֹר, לְמַעַן
שׁוֹרְרָי׃ אַל־תִּתְּנֵנִי בְּנֶפֶשׁ צָרָי, כִּי קָמוּ־בִי עֵדֵי־שֶׁקֶר, וִיפֵחַ חָמָס׃ ◂ לוּלֵא
הֶאֱמַנְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּטוּב־יְהוָה בְּאֶרֶץ חַיִּים׃ קַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה, חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ לִבֶּךָ,
וְקַוֵּה אֶל־יְהוָה׃

Sephardi

Oholo, betzur yeromemeni; ve'atah yarum roshi al oyvai sevivotai, ve'ezbechah be'oholo
Zivchei teru'ah, ashira va'azammera l'Adonai; shema Adonai koli ekra, vachaneni va'aneni;
Lecha amar libi bakshu fanai, et-panekha Adonai avakesh; al-taster panecha mimeni, al
Tat-be'af avdecha, ezrati hayita, al-titsheni ve'al-ta'azveni, Elohei yishi; ki-avi
Ve'immi azavuni, vaadonai ya'asfeni; horeni Adonai darkecha, unecheni be'orach mishor, lema'an
Shorerai; al-titneni benefesh tzarai, ki kamu-vi edei-sheker, vifei'ach chamas; lulei
He'emanti lir'ot betuv-Adonai be'eretz chayim; kaveih el-Adonai, chazak veya'ametz libecha,
Vekaveih el-Adonai;

English

pavilion on the day of trouble. He will hide me under the cover of His tent. He will set me high upon a rock. Now my head is high above my enemies who surround me. I will sacrifice in His tent with shouts of joy. I will sing and chant praises to the LORD. LORD, hear my voice when I call. Be gracious to me and answer me. On Your behalf my heart says, “Seek My face.” Your face, LORD, will I seek. Do not hide Your face from me. Do not turn Your servant away in anger. You have been my help. Do not reject or forsake me, God, my Savior. Were my father and my mother to forsake me, the LORD would take me in. Teach me Your way, LORD, and lead me on a level path, because of my oppressors. Do not abandon me to the will of my foes, for false witnesses have arisen against me, breathing violence. ▸ Were it not for my faith that I shall see the LORD’s goodness in the land of the living. Hope in the LORD. Be strong and of good courage, and hope in the LORD!

Mourner’s Kaddish (previous page)

ברכי נפשי

BAREKHI NAFSHI

The following psalms are said from the Shabbat after Simḥat Torah until (but not including) the Shabbat before Pesaḥ.

Ps. 104

Hebrew

בָּרֲכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה, יְהוָה אֱלֹהַי גָּדַלְתָּ מְּאֹד, הוֹד וְהָדָר לָבָשְׁתָּ׃ עֹטֶה
אוֹר כַּשַּׂלְמָה, נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה׃ הַמְקָרֶה בַמַּיִם עֲלִיּוֹתָיו, הַשָּׂם־עָבִים
רְכוּבוֹ, הַמְהַלֵּךְ עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רוּחַ׃ עֹשֶׂה מַלְאָכָיו רוּחוֹת, מְשָׁרְתָיו אֵשׁ לֹהֵט׃
יָסַד־אֶרֶץ עַל־מְכוֹנֶיהָ, בַּל־תִּמּוֹט עוֹלָם וָעֶד׃ תְּהוֹם כַּלְּבוּשׁ כִּסִּיתוֹ, עַל־
הָרִים יַעַמְדוּ־מָיִם׃ מִן־גַּעֲרָתְךָ יְנוּסוּן, מִן־קוֹל רַעַמְךָ יֵחָפֵזוּן׃ יַעֲלוּ הָרִים,
יֵרְדוּ בְקָעוֹת, אֶל־מְקוֹם זֶה יָסַדְתָּ לָהֶם׃ גְּבוּל־שַׂמְתָּ בַּל־יַעֲבֹרוּן, בַּל־
יְשׁוּבוּן לְכַסּוֹת הָאָרֶץ׃ הַמְשַׁלֵּחַ מַעְיָנִים בַּנְּחָלִים, בֵּין הָרִים יְהַלֵּכוּן׃ יַשְׁקוּ
כָּל־חַיְתוֹ שָׂדָי, יִשְׁבְּרוּ פְרָאִים צְמָאָם׃ עֲלֵיהֶם עוֹף־הַשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׁכּוֹן, מִבֵּין
עֳפָאיִם יִתְּנוּ־קוֹל׃ מַשְׁקֶה הָרִים מֵעֲלִיּוֹתָיו, מִפְּרִי מַעֲשֶׂיךָ תִּשְׂבַּע הָאָרֶץ׃

Sephardi

Barekhi nafshi et-Adonai, Adonai Elohai gadalta me'od, hod vehadar lavashta; oteh
Or kasalmah, noteh shamayim kayeri'ah; hamekareh vamayim aliyotav, hasam-avim
Rechuvo, hamehalech al-kanfei-ru'ach; oseh mal'achav ruchot, meshartav eish lohet;
Yasad-eretz al-mechonehah, bal-timot olam va'ed; tehom kalevush kisito, al-
Harim ya'amdu-mayim; min-ga'aratekha yenusun, min-kol ra'amkha yechafezun; ya'alu harim,
Yerdu veka'ot, el-makom zeh yasadta lahem; gevul-samta bal-ya'avorun, bal-
Yeshuvun lechasot ha'aretz; hameshale'ach ma'yanim banechalim, bein harim yehaleichun; yashku
Kol-chayto sadai, yishberu fera'im tzema'am; aleihem of-hashamayim yishkon, mibein
Ofayim yitnu-kol; mashkeh harim me'aliyotav, miperi ma'asecha tisba ha'aretz;

English

Bless the LORD, my soul. LORD, my God, You are very great, clothed in majesty and splendor, wrapped in a robe of light. You have spread out the heavens like a tent. He has laid the beams of His lofts in the waters. He makes the clouds His chariot, riding on the wings of the wind. He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His ministers. He has fixed the earth on its foundations so that it will never be shaken. You covered it with the deep like a cloak; the waters stood above the mountains. At Your rebuke they fled; at the sound of Your thunder they rushed away, flowing over the hills, pouring down into the valleys to the place You appointed for them. You fixed a boundary they were not to pass, so that they would never cover the earth again. He makes springs flow in the valleys; they make their way between the hills, giving drink to all the beasts of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. The birds of the sky dwell beside them, singing among the foliage. He waters the mountains from His lofts: the earth is sated

Commentary

Psalm 104. Together with the first chapter of Genesis and chapters 38–41 of the book of Job, this psalm is one of the supreme celebrations of creation in Tanakh. Note the profound difference between these religious texts and scientific cosmologies. They speak in poetry, not prose; they express wonder rather than causal explanation; and they testify to the goodness of the world and its Creator rather than to blind, indifferent forces. The account in Psalm 104 is consistent with that of Genesis 1, though it is structured differently because the Psalmist wishes to emphasize the beauty and grandeur of creation rather than the order …

BAREKHI NAFSHI / SHABBAT AFTERNOON PSALMS …

Between afternoon and evening services, customs varied. Some communities recited Ethics of the Fathers throughout the year; others between Pesaḥ and Shavuot. Our custom is to do so between Pesaḥ and the Shabbat before Rosh HaShana. Between Shabbat Bereshit and the week before Pesaḥ we recite Psalm 104 and the fifteen psalms known as “Songs of Ascents.” The connection between Shabbat Bereshit and Psalm 104 is that both are about creation. In general, the saying of these psalms during the winter months accords with the tradition that creation took place in the month of Tishrei, while the exodus took place in Nisan (Rosh HaShana 10b). The winter months therefore correspond to the period through which God was known through creation rather than redemption (the exodus) and revelation (the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai).