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pp. 125

Shabbat and Festivals - Morning Service

Verses of Song

p'sukei d'zimra

פסוקי דזמרא

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Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

The Redemption of the People Israel: An Anthology of Verses from Psalms

Hebrew

רוֹמְמוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו, קָדוֹשׁ הוּא.

Israeli

romemu Adonai Eloheinu
vehishtachavu lahadom raglav, kadosh hu.

English

Extol Adonai, our God; prostrate yourselves before God, the Holy One.

Hebrew

רוֹמְמוּ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְהַר קָדְשׁוֹ,
כִּי קָדוֹשׁ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ.

Israeli

romemu Adonai Eloheinu vehishtachavu lehar kodsho,
ki kadosh Adonai Eloheinu.

English

Extol Adonai, our God, and kneel at God’s holy mountain, for holy is Adonai our God.

Hebrew

וְהוּא רַחוּם יְכַפֵּר עָוֹן וְלֹא יַשְׁחִית,
וְהִרְבָּה לְהָשִׁיב אַפּוֹ וְלֹא יָעִיר כָּל־חֲמָתוֹ.

Israeli

vehu rachum yechaper avon velo yashchit,
vehirbah lehashiv apo velo ya-ir kol-chamato.

English

God, being compassionate, will pardon sin and not wreak destruction; for time after time God exercises restraint, declining to let wrath become all-consuming.

Hebrew

אַתָּה יְהוָה לֹא־תִכְלָא רַחֲמֶיךָ מִמֶּנִּי,
חַסְדְּךָ וַאֲמִתְּךָ תָּמִיד יִצְּרוּנִי.

Israeli

atah Adonai lo-tichla rachamecha mimeni,
chasdecha va-amitcha tamid yitzruni.

English

You, Adonai, will not hold back Your compassion from me; Your kindly love and Your faithfulness shall ever be my protection.

Hebrew

זְכֹר רַחֲמֶיךָ יְהוָה וַחֲסָדֶיךָ, כִּי מֵעוֹלָם הֵמָּה.

Israeli

z'chor rachamecha Adonai vachasadecha, ki me-olam hemah.

English

Recall Your compassion, Adonai, and Your love, for they remain timeless.

Hebrew

תְּנוּ עֹז לֵאלֹהִים, עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל גַּאֲוָתוֹ, וְעֻזּוֹ בַּשְּׁחָקִים.
נוֹרָא אֱלֹהִים מִמִּקְדָּשֶׁיךָ,
אֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא נֹתֵן עֹז וְתַעֲצֻמוֹת לָעָם,
בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהִים.

Israeli

t'nu oz leilohim, al-yisra-el ga-avato, ve-uzo bashechakim.
nora Elohim mimikdashecha,
El Yisra-el hu noten oz veta-atzumot la-am,
baruch Elohim.

English

Greet God with all your strength, whose pride is the people Israel and whose power is in the heavens. Awe of You, O God, pervades Your holy places; it is You, God of Israel, who grants greatness and strength to this people. May God be blessed.

Hebrew

אֵל נְקָמוֹת יְהוָה, אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ.
הִנָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵט הָאָרֶץ, הָשֵׁב גְּמוּל עַל־גֵּאִים.

Israeli

El nekamot Adonai, El nekamot hofia.
hinasei shofet ha-aretz, hashev g'mul al-ge-im.

English

God of retribution, Adonai, God of retribution, make Yourself known; judge of all the earth, pass sentence—bring low the haughty.

Commentary

PSALMIC VERSES. The earliest form of poetic prayers composed after the destruction of the Second Temple contained associated biblical verses arranged in new patterns. Each verse is connected to the next through word repetition and thematic continuity. This prayer, which is an example of this form, centers on the redemption of the people Israel: it calls upon God to forgive sin—in rabbinic theology, sin was a cause of Israel’s exile—and then calls for an end to the oppression of Israel by other nations. It concludes on the next page with the promised reconciliation of God and Israel. The first two verses are taken from Psalm 99:5, 9. The italics in the translation are meant to emphasize that the verses often have an antiphonal quality; they may have originally been recited responsively, though today they may not necessarily be read that way.

BOW DOWN BEFORE GOD וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לַהֲדֹם רַגְלָיו. Literally, “bow down at God’s footstool.” In the ancient Near East, one prostrated oneself at the footstool of the king as a sign of obeisance.

GOD, WHO IS COMPASSIONATE וְהוּא רַחוּם. Psalm 78:38. This is one of the most frequently quoted verses in the liturgy, perhaps because it is the clearest possible statement about God’s mercy. Mercy, not punishment, is fundamental to God’s nature. The entire verse has thirteen words, reminding us of the “Thirteen Attributes” of God’s mercy disclosed in Exodus 34:6–7.

YOU, ADONAI אַתָּה יְהוָה. Psalm 40:12.

REMEMBER YOUR COMPASSION זְכֹר רַחֲמֶיךָ. Psalm 25:6.

WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, GREET GOD תְּנוּ עֹז לֵאלֹהִים. Psalm 68:35–36.

YOUR HOLY PLACES מִמִּקְדָּשֶׁיךָ. The Hebrew is plural. Before the reign of Hezekiah (late 7th century B.C.E.) there were multiple sanctuaries in the Land of Israel. In the liturgical context here, the reference may be to the synagogues throughout the world. Meiri (d. 1310, Provence) interprets the “holy places” to allude to the gatherings of the righteous and to their burial sites.

GOD OF RETRIBUTION אֵל נְקָמוֹת. Psalm 94:1–2. The context in the psalm makes clear that God’s wrath is invoked against those who behave immorally—oppressing the poor, the widow, and the stranger.

DON YOUR ROBES הִנָּשֵׂא. Literally, “rise up.” In the ancient Near East, the judge rose to pass sentence.

The People Israel Israel exists not in order to be but in order to dream the dream of God. Our faith may be strained, but our destiny is anchored to the ultimate. Who can establish the outcome of our history? Out of the wonder we came and into the wonder we shall return. —ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL …