Song Of The Day

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Hebrew

מָלְאָה יְמִינֶךָ:1 יִשְׂמַח הַר צִיּוֹן,
תָּגֵלְנָה בְּנוֹת יְהוּדָה, לְמַעַן
מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ: סֹבּוּ צִיּוֹן וְהַקִּיפוּהָ,
סִפְרוּ מִגְדָּלֶיהָ: שִׁיתוּ לִבְּכֶם
לְחֵילָה, פַּסְּגוּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶיהָ,
לְמַעַן תְּסַפְּרוּ לְדוֹר אַחֲרוֹן: כִּי
זֶה אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵינוּ עוֹלָם וָעֶד,
הוּא יְנַהֲגֵנוּ עַל מוּת:2

Sephardi

Mal'ah yeminecha:1 yismach Har Tziyon,
tagelnah b'not Yehudah, lema'an
mishpatekha: sovu Tziyon vehakkifuhah,
sifru migdalehah: shitu libbekhem
lecheilah, passegu armenotehah,
lema'an tesapperu l'dor acharon: ki
zeh Elohim Eloheinu olam va'ed,
hu yenahagenu al mut:2

English

praise we give You. Everyone, even those at the ends of the earth, praise You. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.1 When the Redemption arrives, Mount Zion in Jerusalem will be happy; the towns of Judah will rejoice because of Your judgments against the enemies of Jerusalem. Jewish Nation, walk around Zion and surround it. Count Jerusalem’s many towers. Pay attention to the beauty and strength of Jerusalem’s walls. Raise up Jerusalem’s fortified palaces, so that you can tell a later generation how beautiful Jerusalem is. Because this God is our God, forever and ever; He will lead us forever.2

Continue with הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ on page 145.

Tuesday

Hebrew

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

Sephardi

Hayom, yom shelishi be-Shabbat, shebo hayu hal'viyim
omrim beveit hamikdash:

English

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

The judges of the Jewish Nation should judge them fairly

Hebrew

מִזְמוֹר לְאָסָף, אֱלֹהִים נִצָּב
בַּעֲדַת אֵל, בְּקֶרֶב
אֱלֹהִים יִשְׁפֹּט: עַד מָתַי
תִּשְׁפְּטוּ עָוֶל, וּפְנֵי רְשָׁעִים
תִּשְׂאוּ סֶלָה: שִׁפְטוּ דַל וְיָתוֹם,
עָנִי וָרָשׁ הַצְדִּיקוּ: פַּלְּטוּ דַל
וְאֶבְיוֹן, מִיַּד רְשָׁעִים הַצִּילוּ:
לֹא יָדְעוּ וְלֹא יָבִינוּ, בַּחֲשֵׁכָה
יִתְהַלָּכוּ, יִמּוֹטוּ כָּל מוֹסְדֵי
אָרֶץ: אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים
אַתֶּם, וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְּכֶם:3 אָכֵן
כְּאָדָם תְּמוּתוּן, וּכְאַחַד
הַשָּׂרִים תִּפֹּלוּ: קוּמָה אֱלֹהִים
שָׁפְטָה הָאָרֶץ, כִּי אַתָּה
תִנְחַל בְּכָל הַגּוֹיִם:

Sephardi

Mizmor leasaf, Elohim nitzav
ba'adat El, b'kerev
Elohim yishpot: ad matai
tishpetu avel, ufene resha'im
tis'u selah: shiftu dal veyatom,
ani varash hatzdiku: paltu dal
ve'evyon, miyad resha'im hatzilu:
lo yade'u v'lo yavinu, bachasekhah
yithallakhu, yimmotu kol mosede
aretz: ani amarti Elohim
atem, uvnei Elyon kullakhem:3 akhen
ke-adam temutun, ukhe-achad
hassarim tippolu: kumah Elohim
shaftah ha'aretz, ki atah
tinhal bechol hagoyim:

English

The following is a song that was composed by Asaf: God stands at the meetings of judges to see whether or not they will judge fairly. God also sits among the judges to give His own judgment. If the judges do not judge properly, God says to them: How long will you judge wickedly? Will you always favor evil people? Give justice to a needy person and an orphan; deal righteously with a poor person and a person without any money. Rescue a needy person and a poor person; save them from the hand of the wicked people who try to take advantage of them. The judges who don’t judge properly do not know the sin they are committing and do not understand it. They walk in darkness; they do not realize what is going on. When judges don’t judge properly, all the foundations of the earth tremble, for justice is one of the three pillars upon which the world stands. I, God, said that when you judge truthfully and fairly you are compared to angels; all of you3 are compared to heavenly beings. But because you have not judged fairly, you will die like regular human beings. You will fall from power like any human prince. Arise God, and judge the people of the earth, because You have control over all the nations and have the power to judge them properly.

Continue with הוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ on page 145.

Wednesday

Hebrew

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

Sephardi

Hayom, yom revi'i be-Shabbat, shebo hayu hal'viyim
omrim beveit hamikdash:

English

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

May God punish evil people

Hebrew

אֵל נְקָמוֹת יְיָ, אֵל נְקָמוֹת הוֹפִיעַ:
הִנָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵט הָאָרֶץ, הָשֵׁב
גְּמוּל עַל גֵּאִים: עַד מָתַי רְשָׁעִים ׀
יְיָ, עַד מָתַי רְשָׁעִים יַעֲלֹזוּ: יַבִּיעוּ
יְדַבְּרוּ עָתָק, יִתְאַמְּרוּ כָּל פֹּעֲלֵי
אָוֶן: עַמְּךָ יְיָ יְדַכְּאוּ, וְנַחֲלָתְךָ
יְעַנּוּ: אַלְמָנָה וְגֵר יַהֲרֹגוּ, וִיתוֹמִים
יְרַצֵּחוּ: וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא יִרְאֶה יָהּ, וְלֹא
יָבִין אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב:
בִּינוּ בֹּעֲרִים בָּעָם, וּכְסִילִים
מָתַי תַּשְׂכִּילוּ: הֲנֹטַע אֹזֶן הֲלֹא
יִשְׁמָע, אִם יֹצֵר עַיִן הֲלֹא יַבִּיט:
הֲיֹסֵר גּוֹיִם הֲלֹא יוֹכִיחַ, הַמְלַמֵּד
אָדָם דָּעַת: יְיָ יֹדֵעַ מַחְשְׁבוֹת
אָדָם, כִּי הֵמָּה הָבֶל: אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר
אֲשֶׁר תְּיַסְּרֶנּוּ יָהּ, וּמִתּוֹרָתְךָ
תְלַמְּדֶנּוּ: לְהַשְׁקִיט לוֹ מִימֵי רָע,

Sephardi

El nekamot Adonai, El nekamot hofia:
hinnase shofet ha'aretz, hashev
gemul al ge'im: ad matai resha'im |
Adonai, ad matai resha'im ya'alozu: yabi'u
yedabberu atak, yit'ammeru kol po'alei
aven: amecha Adonai yedakke'u, venachalatekha
ye'anu: almanah veger yaharogu, vitomim
yeratzechu: vayomru lo yir'eh Yah, v'lo
yavin Elohei Ya'akov:
Binu bo'arim ba'am, ukhesilim
matai taskilu: hanote'a ozen halo
yishma, im yotzer ayin halo yabbit:
hayoser goyim halo yokhiach, hamelammed
adam da'at: Adonai yode'a machshevot
adam, ki hemah havel: ashrei hagever
asher teyasserennu Yah, umittoratekha
telammedennu: lehashkit lo mimei ra,

English

The Lord is a God of retribution. God of retribution, reveal Yourself. God, Judge of the earth, arise and give arrogant, wicked people what they deserve. Lord, for how long will the wicked exist? For how long will the wicked rejoice in their evil ways? They continue to speak badly; all the evil people act arrogantly against You. They crush Your people, Lord; they cause pain to the Jewish Nation, Your heritage. They kill the widow and the convert, and they murder the orphans. When the wicked people do evil, they say, “God will not see; the God of Jacob will not care to understand our actions.” You, senseless among the people, should understand what will happen to you. You are fools; when will you become wise? Do you think that God, the One Who implants the ear in every person, will not hear you? Do you think that God, the One Who creates the eye in every person, will not see you? Do you think that God, the One Who punishes nations, will not punish you? Do you think that God, the One Who gives knowledge to people, will not know about the evil you do? The Lord knows that the thoughts of people are nothing compared to His thoughts. Although it might seem otherwise, any man whom God punishes is actually fortunate, for it cleanses him—You teach him this

Commentary

1 God’s “right hand” is associated with His attribute of kindness. In this verse we declare that God’s kindness is filled with “righteousness,” meaning that He righteously and fairly determines who will receive His kindness.

2 An alternative translation: “He will lead us as one leads a young person.” (The Hebrew word עַלְמוּת means “young person.”) Just as a father teaches his young child how to walk by helping him up and then gradually letting go of him until he falls, so should we realize that God sometimes allows people to “stumble” so that they will inspect their deeds and improve their Divine service. Eventually, this will enable them to “walk” closer to God.

3 Your entire being—your body as well as your soul—has the potential to be elevated to the level of “heavenly beings.” This can be achieved by fulfilling God’s commandments. Each time we carry out God’s will, we strengthen our connection to Him and elevate ourselves.