Shacharit For Shabbat And Festivals

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Hebrew

כַּגִּבּוֹר לָרוּץ אֹרַח: מִקְצֵה
הַשָּׁמַיִם מוֹצָאוֹ, וּתְקוּפָתוֹ
עַל קְצוֹתָם, וְאֵין נִסְתָּר
מֵחַמָּתוֹ:

Sephardi

Ka-gibbor la-rutz orach: mik'tzeh
hashamayim motza'o, u-t'kufato
al k'tzotam, v'ein nistar
me-chammato:

English

God put a home for the sun among the creations in the heavens. The sun orbits the earth with much excitement, as a groom leaving his wedding canopy; it rejoices as a strong man setting out to run on his way without fear. The sun rises in the eastern end of the heavens, and its orbit extends across the entire sky; until the western end of the heavens. Since the sun goes around the entire earth, no one can hide from its heat.

The Torah and its commandments are greater than all natural wonders

Hebrew

תּוֹרַת יְיָ תְּמִימָה מְשִׁיבַת
נָפֶשׁ1, עֵדוּת יְיָ נֶאֱמָנָה
מַחְכִּימַת פֶּתִי: פִּקּוּדֵי יְיָ
יְשָׁרִים מְשַׂמְּחֵי לֵב, מִצְוַת
יְיָ בָּרָה מְאִירַת עֵינָיִם: יִרְאַת
יְיָ טְהוֹרָה עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד,
מִשְׁפְּטֵי יְיָ אֱמֶת, צָדְקוּ יַחְדָּו:

Sephardi

Torat Adonai t'mimah m'shivat
nefesh1, edut Adonai ne'emanah
machkimat peti: pikkudei Adonai
yesharim m'sammechei lev, mitzvat
Adonai barah m'irat einayim: yir'at
Adonai tehorah omedet la'ad,
mishpetei Adonai emet, tzadeku yachdav:

English

Just as the sun and stars show God’s greatness, so do God’s Torah and commandments. The Lord’s Torah is even more perfect than the sun, because it relaxes a person.1 The sun, however, can sometimes harm a person, causing distress. The Lord’s commandments can be trusted; they are always good for a person. They also make a simple person wise by teaching him how to act properly. The Lord’s commandments are just and make a person’s heart happy. The sun, however, can worry a person who is afraid of being harmed by it. A commandment from the Lord is bright; it lights up the way for a person’s eyes, so that he sees how to live and behave. The sun, however, can sometimes blind a person. Fear of the Lord helps a person stay pure by avoiding sins, and it lasts forever. The Lord’s rules are true. They fit together and do not contradict each other.

Hebrew

הַנֶּחֱמָדִים מִזָּהָב2 וּמִפַּז
רָב, וּמְתוּקִים מִדְּבַשׁ וְנֹפֶת
צוּפִים: גַּם עַבְדְּךָ נִזְהָר
בָּהֶם3, בְּשָׁמְרָם עֵקֶב רָב:

Sephardi

Ha-nechemadim mi-zahav2 u-mi-paz
rav, u-m'tukim mi-d'vash v'nofet
tzufim: gam avdekha nizhar
bahem3, b'shamram eikev rav:

English

The Torah and its commandments are more precious than gold,2 more precious than much pure, fine gold. Gold can be stolen or lost, but the Torah and its commandments can never be taken away. They are sweeter than honey and the drippings of a honeycomb. Eating too much honey may harm you, but learning the Torah and keeping its commandments is always good for you. King David, Your servant, is indeed careful to fulfill them.3 By keeping God’s commandments a person receives great reward.

May God help us be free of sin

Hebrew

שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי יָבִין,
מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי: גַּם מִזֵּדִים
חֲשֹׂךְ עַבְדֶּךָ, אַל יִמְשְׁלוּ בִי,
אָז אֵיתָם, וְנִקֵּיתִי מִפֶּשַׁע רָב:
יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִי וְהֶגְיוֹן
לִבִּי לְפָנֶיךָ, יְיָ צוּרִי וְגֹאֲלִי:

Sephardi

Sh'gi'ot mi yavin,
mi-nistarot nakkeni: gam mi-zedim
chasoch avdecha, al yimsh'lu vi,
az etam, v'nikketi mi-pesha rav:
Yihyu leratzon imrei fi v'hegyon
libi lefanecha, Adonai tzuri v'go'ali:

English

King David tells God: Although I never committed any sins on purpose, who knows whether I committed any by mistake? Therefore, please cleanse me of any sins that I do not know about and are hidden from me. Since I do not know about them, I cannot cleanse myself of them. Also, please help me—Your servant—hold myself back from committing intentional sins; may sins never rule over me. Then I will be complete, and I will be cleansed from terrible sins. May the words of the prayers that come from my mouth, and the thoughts of my heart, be acceptable to You—Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

The righteous should praise God’s greatness

Hebrew

רַנְּנוּ צַדִּיקִים בַּיְיָ, לַיְשָׁרִים
נָאוָה תְהִלָּה: הוֹדוּ לַיְיָ
בְּכִנּוֹר, בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר זַמְּרוּ לוֹ:
שִׁירוּ לוֹ שִׁיר חָדָשׁ, הֵיטִיבוּ
נַגֵּן בִּתְרוּעָה: כִּי יָשָׁר דְּבַר יְיָ,
וְכָל מַעֲשֵׂהוּ בֶּאֱמוּנָה: אֹהֵב
צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט, חֶסֶד יְיָ
מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ4:

Sephardi

Rannenu tzaddikim ba-Adonai, la-yesharim
na'vah tehilah: hodu la-Adonai
b'chinor, b'nevel asor zamru lo:
Shiru lo shir chadash, hetivu
nagen bi-t'ru'ah: ki yashar devar Adonai,
vechol ma'asehu be'emunah: ohev
tzedakah umishpat, chesed Adonai
mal'ah ha'aretz4:

English

The righteous should sing praises to the Lord. It is fitting for those who go in the straight, righteous ways of God to praise Him. Give praise to the Lord by playing music with a harp; play music to Him with a ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song to Him and skillfully play sounds of joy, because the word of the Lord is fair, and everything He does can be trusted to be good. God loves righteousness and justice; the Lord’s kindness fills the earth.4

Hebrew

בִּדְבַר5 יְיָ שָׁמַיִם נַעֲשׂוּ,
וּבְרוּחַ פִּיו כָּל צְבָאָם: כֹּנֵס
כַּנֵּד מֵי הַיָּם, נֹתֵן בְּאוֹצָרוֹת
תְּהוֹמוֹת: יִירְאוּ מֵיְיָ כָּל הָאָרֶץ,
מִמֶּנּוּ יָגוּרוּ כָּל יֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל:
כִּי הוּא אָמַר וַיֶּהִי, הוּא צִוָּה
וַיַּעֲמֹד: יְיָ הֵפִיר עֲצַת גּוֹיִם,
הֵנִיא מַחְשְׁבוֹת עַמִּים: עֲצַת יְיָ
לְעוֹלָם תַּעֲמֹד, מַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבּוֹ

Sephardi

Bi-dvar5 Adonai shamayim na'asu,
u-v'ru'ach piv kol tzeva'am: koness
ka-ned mei hayam, noten b'otzarot
'thomot: yir'u me-Adonai kol ha'aretz,
mimenu yaguru kol yoshvei tevel:
ki hu amar va-yehi, hu tzivah
vaya'amod: Adonai hefir atzat goyim,
heni machshevot amim: atzat Adonai
le'olam ta'amod, machshevot libo

English

The heavens were made with the Lord’s words—God spoke,5 and they were created—and all the heavenly creations were created from the breath of His mouth. God gathers the waters of the ocean like a mound, so that it does not spill over and flood land; He puts the deep waters in their storage places. All the creations on earth should fear the Lord, everyone who lives in the world should fear Him. For He spoke, and the universe came into being; He commanded that the universe should exist, and it has continued to exist forever. The Lord has canceled the evil ideas of the nations who wanted to harm the Jewish Nation; He has ruined the evil plans of the nations. The Lord’s advice lasts forever; the thoughts and plans that are in His heart

Commentary

1 Surely we do not need to be told that the Torah—the Divine word of God—is “perfect.” What King David is telling us is that although humans have understood and interpreted the Torah in various ways, they have not effected any change in the Torah itself. The Torah remains as perfect and complete now as it was when it was presented to us at Mount Sinai.

2 When it comes to material matters, such as food or money, the more one has, the less enjoyable it becomes. Pleasure from Torah, however, remains ever-growing: the more one studies, the more he likes it.

3 An alternative translation: “Shines.” Learning Torah and keeping God’s commandments refines a person’s body and soul; it causes him to shine with holiness.

4 In His great “kindness,” God “fills the earth” with His presence. Alternatively: In His great “kindness,” God allows us to recognize His greatness by “filling the earth” with His wonders of creation.

5 God’s “speech” isn’t speech as we know it. The term speech is used, because God’s speech—specifically the “ten statements” (עֲשָׂרָה מַאֲמָרוֹת) with which the world is created—reveals His infinite energy just as our speech reveals our concealed thoughts to others.