Song Of The Day

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SONG OF THE DAY

SUNDAY

Hebrew

הַיּוֹם, יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן בְּשַׁבָּת,1 שֶׁבּוֹ הָיוּ
הַלְוִיִּם אוֹמְרִים בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:

Sephardi

Hayom, yom rishon b’Shabbat,1 she-bo hayu
hal'viyim omrim beveit hamikdash:

English

Today is Sunday, the first day of the week,1 on which the Levites used to say in the Holy Temple:

Hebrew

לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר, לַייָ הָאָרֶץ
וּמְלוֹאָהּ, תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי
בָהּ: כִּי הוּא עַל יַמִּים יְסָדָהּ,
וְעַל נְהָרוֹת יְכוֹנְנֶהָ: מִי יַעֲלֶה
בְהַר יְיָ,2 וּמִי יָקוּם בִּמְקוֹם
קָדְשׁוֹ: נְקִי כַפַּיִם וּבַר לֵבָב,
אֲשֶׁר לֹא נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשִׁי,
וְלֹא נִשְׁבַּע לְמִרְמָה: יִשָּׂא
בְרָכָה מֵאֵת יְיָ, וּצְדָקָה
מֵאֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעוֹ: זֶה דּוֹר דּוֹרְשָׁיו,
מְבַקְשֵׁי פָנֶיךָ3 יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה:
שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם,
וְהִנָּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם, וְיָבוֹא
מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד: מִי זֶה מֶלֶךְ

Sephardi

Ledavid mizmor, la-Adonai ha'aretz
u-melo’ah, tevel ve-yoshevei
vah: Ki hu al yamim yesadah,
ve'al neharot yechonenehah: Mi ya'aleh
ve-har Adonai,2 umi yakum bimkom
kodsho: Neki chappayim u-var levav,
asher lo nasa la-shav nafshi,
v'lo nishba le-mirmah: Yisa
verachah me'et Adonai, u-tzedakah
me-Elohei yisho: Zeh dor dorshav,
m'vaqshei paneicha3 Ya'akov selah:
Se'u she’arim rasheichem,
ve-hinnase’u pitchei olam, ve-yavo
Melech ha-kavod: Mi zeh Melech

English

The following is a song that was composed by King David, to be sung when the Holy Temple was completed, and the Ark was brought into the Holy of Holies: The entire earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord; the world and those who live in it belong to God. When God first created the earth, the land was totally covered by the waters of the sea. Later, God set up the land above the seas; He commanded the seas to move away from the land, so that people could live on it. He prepared land next to rivers so that people could live next to water. Who can go up the mountain of the Lord?2 Who can stand in His holy place, the Temple? Only someone who has clean hands—someone who earns his money honestly—and who has a pure heart and mind, who has not used God’s name in vain and has not made a false promise. Such a person will receive blessing from the Lord and will enter the Holy Temple, and he will receive kindness from the God of his salvation. The people of this generation—who behave this way—are people who search for God. They are the children of our father Jacob, who always look for Your presence,3 God, in the Holy Temple. Lift up your heads in honor, gates of the Holy Temple; be lifted up, doors of God’s everlasting home,

Hebrew

הַכָּבוֹד, יְיָ עִזּוּז וְגִבּוֹר, יְיָ גִּבּוֹר
מִלְחָמָה: שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם,
וּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם, וְיָבֹא מֶלֶךְ
הַכָּבוֹד: מִי הוּא זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד,
יְיָ צְבָאוֹת, הוּא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד סֶלָה:

Sephardi

ha-kavod, Adonai izuz ve-gibbor, Adonai gibor
milchamah: Se'u she’arim rasheichem,
u-se’u pitchei olam, ve-yavo Melech
ha-kavod: Mi hu zeh Melech ha-kavod,
Adonai Tzeva'ot, hu Melech ha-kavod selah:

English

so that the glorious King can enter. Who is this glorious King? It is the Lord, Who is strong and mighty; it is the Lord, Who is mighty in war. Lift up your heads in honor, gates of the Holy Temple; lift yourselves up, doors of God’s everlasting home, so that the glorious King can enter. Who is this glorious King? It is the Lord, the God of all creations. He is the glorious King forever.

Continue with הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ on page 145.

MONDAY

Hebrew

הַיּוֹם, יוֹם שֵׁנִי בְּשַׁבָּת, שֶׁבּוֹ הָיוּ הַלְוִיִּם
אוֹמְרִים בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:

Sephardi

Hayom, yom sheni b’Shabbat, she-bo hayu hal'viyim
omrim beveit hamikdash:

English

Today is Monday, the second day of the week, on which the Levites used to say in the Holy Temple:

The greatness of Jerusalem

Hebrew

שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר לִבְנֵי קֹרַח: גָּדוֹל יְיָ
וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד,4 בְּעִיר
אֱלֹהֵינוּ הַר קָדְשׁוֹ: יְפֵה נוֹף
מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַר צִיּוֹן, יַרְכְּתֵי
צָפוֹן, קִרְיַת מֶלֶךְ רָב: אֱלֹהִים
בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ נוֹדַע לְמִשְׂגָּב: כִּי
הִנֵּה הַמְּלָכִים נוֹעֲדוּ, עָבְרוּ
יַחְדָּו: הֵמָּה רָאוּ כֵּן תָּמָהוּ, נִבְהֲלוּ
נֶחְפָּזוּ: רְעָדָה אֲחָזָתַם שָׁם, חִיל
כַּיּוֹלֵדָה: בְּרוּחַ קָדִים, תְּשַׁבֵּר
אֳנִיּוֹת תַּרְשִׁישׁ: כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְנוּ
כֵּן רָאִינוּ בְּעִיר יְיָ צְבָאוֹת, בְּעִיר
אֱלֹהֵינוּ, אֱלֹהִים יְכוֹנְנֶהָ עַד
עוֹלָם סֶלָה:
דִּמִּינוּ אֱלֹהִים חַסְדֶּךָ בְּקֶרֶב
הֵיכָלֶךָ: כְּשִׁמְךָ אֱלֹהִים כֵּן
תְּהִלָּתְךָ עַל קַצְוֵי אֶרֶץ, צֶדֶק

Sephardi

Shir mizmor livnei Korach: Gadol Adonai
umehulal me'od,4 b'ir
Eloheinu har kodsho: Yefeh nof
mesos kol ha'aretz har Tziyon, yarketei
tzafon, kiryat Melech rav: Elohim
be-armenotehah noda le-misgav: Ki
hineh hamelachim no’adu, av'ru
yachdav: Hemah ra'u ken tamahu, nivhalu
nechpazu: Re’adah achazatam sham, chil
ka-yoledah: Be-ruach kadim, teshabber
oniyyot Tarshish: Ka'asher shamanu
ken ra’inu b'ir Adonai Tzeva'ot, b'ir
Eloheinu, Elohim yechonenehah ad
olam selah:
Dimminu Elohim chasdecha b'kerev
Heichalecha: Ke-shimcha Elohim ken
tehillatecha al katzvei eretz, tzedek

English

The following is a song that was composed by the sons of Korach, describing the era of the final Redemption: The Lord is great, and He is praised very much4 in the city of our God, Jerusalem, which is also called His holy mountain. The view of Jerusalem is beautiful. The joy of the whole earth is the Holy Temple on Mount Zion, which is on the northern hills of the city of the great king, David. In Jerusalem’s fortified palaces, God has become known as a tower of strength, Who protects Jerusalem. Indeed, the kings of Gog and Magog joined forces and went forward to invade Jerusalem together. When they saw the miracles that God did to protect Jerusalem, they were amazed. They became terrified, and they quickly ran away. There, in Jerusalem, a trembling fear took hold of them; they were trembling the way a woman trembles from pain when she gives birth. God smashed them as a strong east wind smashes the ships of Tarshish, a city where many ships used to dock. Just as we heard from the prophets, we have seen the miracles God has performed in the city of the Lord, the God of all creations, in the city of our God, Jerusalem—may God establish it to last forever. God, we have been hoping for the Redemption, when Your kindness will be revealed within Your Holy Temple. God, Your name is as great as the

Commentary

1 Literally, “the first day in the Shabbat.” Before each day’s song, we mention Shabbat in order to remind ourselves to carry the holiness of Shabbat into every day of the week. In practical terms, we can infuse each weekday with the holiness of Shabbat by filling it with Torah study and good deeds.

2 “Mountain of God” is an allusion to Divine service, which is like climbing a steep mountain: If we stop in the middle, we risk falling back down. The verse hints to us that we can never be satisfied with the level of service we have already reached; we must keep climbing.

3 This verse teaches us that every Jew should “always look” for God’s presence. This is a task that should not be carried out exclusively by righteous people, who regularly “search” for God. The average “Jacob,” too, must “always look” for God’s presence.

4 God is praised “very much,” not only by people on earth, but also by angels in heaven. Every angel praises God in a unique way, according to its own spiritual energy. They also combine their spiritual energies, thereby praising God in infinite combinations.