Sh'ma and Its Blessings

k'ri-at sh'ma uvirchoteha

קריאת שמע וברכותיה

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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

On Shabbat, we proceed:

Hebrew

לָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שָׁבַת מִכָּל־הַמַּעֲשִׂים, בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי הִתְעַלָּה
וְיָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדוֹ, תִּפְאֶרֶת עָטָה לְיוֹם הַמְּנוּחָה, עֹנֶג
קָרָא לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת.

Israeli

la-El asher shavat mikol-hama-asim, bayom hashvi-i hitalah
veyashav al kisei ch'vodo, tiferet atah leyom hamenuchah, oneg
kara leyom hashabat.

English

who halted work on the seventh day and rose to the throne of praise, clothed in majesty for the day of rest, naming Shabbat a delight.

Hebrew

זֶה שֶׁבַח שֶׁל יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי, שֶׁבּוֹ שָׁבַת
אֵל מִכָּל־מְלַאכְתּוֹ. וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְשַׁבֵּחַ וְאוֹמֵר: מִזְמוֹר
שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַיהוה. לְפִיכָךְ יְפָאֲרוּ
וִיבָרְכוּ לָאֵל כָּל־יְצוּרָיו. שֶׁבַח יְקָר וּגְדֻלָּה יִתְּנוּ לָאֵל מֶלֶךְ
יוֹצֵר כֹּל, הַמַּנְחִיל מְנוּחָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ בְּיוֹם
שַׁבַּת קֹדֶשׁ. שִׁמְךָ יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יִתְקַדַּשׁ, וְזִכְרְךָ מַלְכֵּנוּ
יִתְפָּאַר בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת.
תִּתְבָּרַךְ מוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ, עַל שֶׁבַח מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ,
וְעַל מְאוֹרֵי אוֹר שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ, יְפָאֲרוּךָ סֶּלָה.

Israeli

zeh shevach shel yom hashvi-i, shebo shavat
El mikol-melachto. veyom hashvi-i meshabeach ve-omer: mizmor
shir leyom hashabat, tov lehodot ladonai. lefichach yefa-aru
vivarechu la-El kol-yetzurav. shevach yekar ugdulah yitnu la-El melech
yotzer kol, hamanchil menuchah le-amo Yisra-el bikdushato b'yom
Shabat kodesh. shimcha Adonai Eloheinu yitkadash, vezichrecha malkenu
yitpa-ar bashamayim mima-al ve-al ha-aretz mitachat.
titbarach moshi-enu, al shevach ma-aseh yadecha,
ve-al me-orei or she-asita, yefa-arucha selah.

English

The seventh day is distinguished in this: that God ceased all work, and therefore the seventh day itself offers praise to God, declaring, “A song of Shabbat: it is good to thank Adonai.” Likewise let all creatures celebrate and bless God, rendering praise, honor, and glory to God—the ruler, creator of all, who in holiness grants the people Israel peaceful rest on the holy Shabbat. May Your name be hallowed, Adonai our God, and may remembrance of You, our sovereign, find celebration above in the heavens and below on earth, though praise owed You, our redeemer, surpasses any offered by Your handiwork or by the lights You have made—may they always keep singing Your glory.

Proceed to the next page.

On Festivals falling on weekdays, we recite:

Hebrew

הַמֵּאִיר לָאָרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים עָלֶיהָ בְּרַחֲמִים,
וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל־יוֹם תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית.
מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יהוה, כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ,
מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ.
הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְרוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ מֵאָז,
הַמְשֻׁבָּח וְהַמְפֹאָר וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא מִימוֹת עוֹלָם,
אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם, בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ,
אֲדוֹן עֻזֵּנוּ, צוּר מִשְׂגַּבֵּנוּ, מָגֵן יִשְׁעֵנוּ, מִשְׂגָּב בַּעֲדֵנוּ.

Israeli

hame-ir la-aretz veladarim aleha b'rachamim,
uvtuvo mechadesh b'chol-yom tamid ma-aseh v'reishit.
mah rabu ma-asecha Adonai, kulam b'chochmah asita,
male-ah ha-aretz kinyanecha.
hamelech hameromam levado me-az,
hameshubach vehamefo-ar vehamitnasei mimot olam,
Elohei olam, b'rachamecha harabim rachem aleinu,
adon uzenu, tzur misgabenu, magen yishenu, misgav ba-adenu.

English

In kindness You light the earth and all who dwell on it; in Your goodness You renew creation day after day. How varied are Your works, Adonai, all made with wisdom; the whole world is Your dominion. From the very beginning You alone ruled on high, praised, glorified, and exalted from earliest time. God of the universe, in Your great kindness, have compassion on us. Our strength’s source, our guarding fortress, our saving shield, our stronghold.

Hebrew

אֵל בָּרוּךְ, גְּדוֹל דֵּעָה,
הֵכִין וּפָעַל זָהֳרֵי חַמָּה.
טוֹב יָצַר כָּבוֹד לִשְׁמוֹ.
מְאוֹרוֹת נָתַן סְבִיבוֹת עֻזּוֹ.
פִּנּוֹת צְבָאָיו קְדוֹשִׁים,
רוֹמְמֵי שַׁדַּי, תָּמִיד מְסַפְּרִים
כְּבוֹד אֵל וּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ.

Israeli

El baruch, g'dol de-ah,
hechin ufa-al zohorei chamah.
tov yatzar kavod lishmo.
me-orot Natan s'vivot uzo.
pinot tz'va-av k'doshim,
romemei Shaddai, tamid mesaprim
k'vod El ukdushato.

English

Blessed Almighty, creator of all who dwell on earth, the firmament and goodly heavens shine with Your justice, kindness, and light; they render Your name an object of praise; in one voice all tell, quietly, resolutely, soulfully, of Your wise, excellent, and zealous care.

Hebrew

תִּתְבָּרַךְ יהוה אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַל שֶׁבַח מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ,
וְעַל מְאוֹרֵי אוֹר שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ, יְפָאֲרוּךָ סֶּלָה.

Israeli

titbarach Adonai Eloheinu al shevach ma-aseh yadecha,
ve-al me-orei or she-asita, yefa-arucha selah.

English

Praise is due You, Adonai our God, for the wondrous work of Your hands, and for the radiant lights You fashioned, which reflect Your glory always.

Commentary

GOD, WHO CEASED WORK לָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שָׁבַת. This prayer forms a continuous narrative out of a disparate series of biblical verses and rabbinic comments. Already in the Bible, the seventh day is spoken of as affecting God’s inner life: God was renewed (va-yinafash) on the seventh day (Exodus 31:17). The ancient rabbis pictured God as achieving full sovereignty only on Shabbat, and they personified the relationship in mutual terms: Shabbat itself praises God and chants Psalm 92, “A Song of Shabbat.”

HOW VARIED ARE YOUR WORKS מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ. Psalm 104:24.

ALMIGHTY, BLESSED אֵל בָּרוּךְ. This early anonymous acrostic poem has four beats to the line and a rhyming pattern of aa, bb, cc, with a concluding b. Joel Hoffman, a contemporary scholar, writes: “The meaning of the individual words here was never the point. They were chosen for their meter and their initial letter.” In this conception, the Hebrew alphabet itself is seen as an instrument of creation. Our translation here is impelled by this idea and is alphabetical, capturing the meaning of the text in a close, but not quite literal, translation.

ALWAYS סֶלָה. The biblical meaning of this word, which occurs frequently in the Book of Psalms, is unknown. The ancient rabbis, interpreting the biblical text, thought that it meant “forever,” and that is its liturgical meaning here.

God Blessed the Seventh Day It is written, “God blessed the seventh day” (Genesis 2:3). In what way is the seventh day blessed? On Shabbat a person’s face shines differently than it does during the week. —GENESIS RABBAH …

God, the World, and Us A Ḥasidic master taught: It is written in many books that if one wants to enter the inner world of prayer, to present speech before God, one needs, at the time of prayer, to attach oneself to all that is living and all that exists in the world. The meaning of this is as it is written in the Book of Psalms, “You created all with wisdom” (104:24)—that is, there is nothing in this world which is, God forbid, extraneous.... When a person seeking inspiration pays attention to this—reaching for an understanding of that which is clothed by everything in this world, animal life, plant life, and sheer matter, everything that was created; and arouses one’s heart with this wisdom, speaks of it before God with love and reverence—then that person fulfills the will of the creator, who created the world in all its fullness. —ZEV WOLF OF ZHITOMIR …