Blessings Of The Shema

Birkhot Keriat Shema

בִּרְכוֹת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע

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Hebrew

לְזַכֵּר מַלְכוּתוֹ, קָרָא לַשֶּׁמֶשׁ
וַיִּזְרַח אוֹר, רָאָה וְהִתְקִין צוּרַת
הַלְּבָנָה.

Sephardi

L'zakeir malchuto, kara lashemesh
vayizrach or, ra'ah v'hitkin tzurat
halevanah.

English

and joyous song when God's kingship is mentioned. When God created the universe, He called to the sun and commanded it to shine, and it radiated light. God saw that if the sun was the only source of light, people would worship it, so He made it shine only during the day, and set the shape of the moon and made it shine at night.

The heavenly beings praise God

Hebrew

שֶׁבַח נוֹתְנִים לוֹ כָּל צְבָא
מָרוֹם, תִּפְאֶרֶת וּגְדֻלָּה, שְׂרָפִים
וְחַיּוֹת וְאוֹפַנֵּי הַקֹּדֶשׁ:

Sephardi

Shevach not'nim lo kol tz'va
marom, tiferet ug'dulah, s'rafim
v'chayot v'ofanei hakodesh:

English

All the creations in heaven above give praise to Him; the holy angels called Serafim, Chayot, and Ofanim praise the glory and greatness of God.

God rested on Shabbat and made it special

Hebrew

לָאֵל אֲשֶׁר שָׁבַת מִכָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים,
בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי נִתְעַלָּה
וְיָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדוֹ. תִּפְאֶרֶת
עָטָה לְיוֹם הַמְּנוּחָה, עֹנֶג קָרָא
לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, זֶה שֶׁבַח יוֹם
הַשְּׁבִיעִי, שֶׁבּוֹ שָׁבַת אֵל מִכָּל
מְלַאכְתּוֹ. וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְשַׁבֵּחַ
וְאוֹמֵר: מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם
הַשַּׁבָּת, טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַייָ,

Sephardi

La'el asher shavat mikol hama'asim,
bayom hash'vi'i nit'alah
v'yashav al kisei chevodo. Tiferet
atah l'yom ham'nuchah, oneg kara
l'yom hashabbat, zeh shevach yom
hash'vi'i, shebo shavat el mikol
melachto. V'yom hash'vi'i m'shabeiach
ve'omer: Mizmor shir l'yom
hashabbat, tov lehodot la-adonai,

English

We sing praises to the mighty God Who rested on Shabbat from all of His work. On Shabbat, the seventh day of creation, He was elevated and sat on His throne of glory in heaven. God wrapped Shabbat, the day of rest, with beauty and He called the day of Shabbat a delight. This is the praise of Shabbat, the seventh day, that on it God rested from all His work of creating the universe. The seventh day itself praises God and says, "A musical prayer; a song for the day of Shabbat: It is good to praise the Lord."

God should be praised by all His creations

Hebrew

לְפִיכָךְ יְפָאֲרוּ וִיבָרְכוּ לָאֵל
כָּל יְצוּרָיו. שֶׁבַח יְקָר וּגְדֻלָּה
וְכָבוֹד יִתְּנוּ לָאֵל מֶלֶךְ יוֹצֵר כֹּל,
הַמַּנְחִיל מְנוּחָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל
בִּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ בְּיוֹם שַׁבַּת קֹדֶשׁ.
שִׁמְךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ יִתְקַדָּשׁ, וְזִכְרְךָ
מַלְכֵּנוּ יִתְפָּאַר, בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל
וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת. עַל כָּל שֶׁבַח
מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ, וְעַל מְאוֹרֵי אוֹר
שֶׁיָּצַרְתָּ יְפָאֲרוּךָ סֶלָה:

Sephardi

Lefichach y'fa'aru vivarchu la'el
kol yetzurav. Shevach yekar ug'dulah
v'chavod yitnu la'el melech yotzer kol,
hamanchil m'nuchah le'amo Yisrael
bikdushato b'yom shabbat kodesh.
Shimcha Adonai Eloheinu yitkadesh, v'zichrecha
malkeinu yitpa'er, bashamayim mima'al
ve'al ha'aretz mitachat. Al kol shevach
ma'aseh yadecha, ve'al me'orei or
sheyatzarta y'fa'arucha selah:

English

Therefore, all His creations should glorify and bless God. They should give praise, honor, greatness, and glory to God, the King Who creates everything; to the God Who, in His holiness, gives His nation, the Children of Israel, an inheritance—an everlasting gift—of rest on the holy day of Shabbat. Lord, our God, Your name will be made holy. God, our King, Your remembrance will be glorified by the angels in the heavens above and by the people on the earth below. For all the praiseworthy work of Your hands and for the great lights—the sun and the moon—that You created, they will glorify You forever.

Blessed is God, Who creates angels

All angels praise and glorify God's name

Hebrew

תִּתְבָּרַךְ לְנֶצַח צוּרֵנוּ1 מַלְכֵּנוּ
וְגֹאֲלֵנוּ בּוֹרֵא קְדוֹשִׁים,
יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ לָעַד מַלְכֵּנוּ יוֹצֵר
מְשָׁרְתִים, וַאֲשֶׁר מְשָׁרְתָיו כֻּלָּם
עוֹמְדִים בְּרוּם עוֹלָם, וּמַשְׁמִיעִים
בְּיִרְאָה יַחַד בְּקוֹל, דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים
חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם. כֻּלָּם אֲהוּבִים,
כֻּלָּם בְּרוּרִים, כֻּלָּם גִּבּוֹרִים, כֻּלָּם
קְדוֹשִׁים, וּכֻלָּם עֹשִׂים בְּאֵימָה
וּבְיִרְאָה רְצוֹן קוֹנָם.2 וְכֻלָּם
פּוֹתְחִים אֶת פִּיהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה
וּבְטָהֳרָה, בְּשִׁירָה וּבְזִמְרָה,
וּמְבָרְכִים וּמְשַׁבְּחִים וּמְפָאֲרִים
וּמַעֲרִיצִים וּמַקְדִּישִׁים וּמַמְלִיכִים:

Sephardi

Titbarach l'netzach tzureinu1 malkeinu
v'go'alenu borei kedoshim,
yishtabach shimcha la'ad malkeinu yotzer
m'sharetim, va'asher mesharetav kulam
omdim b'rum olam, umashmi'im
b'yirah yachad b'kol, divrei Elohim
chayim umelech olam. Kulam ahuvim,
kulam b'rurim, kulam giborim, kulam
kedoshim, v'khulam osim b'eimah
uv'yirah retzon konam.2 Ve-khullam
potchim et pihem bik'dushah
uv'tahorah, b'shirah uv'zimrah,
umvarchim umshabchim umfa'arim
uma'aritzim umakdishim umamlichim:

English

God, You should be blessed forever because You give us strength like a strong Rock,1 our King Who always watches us, and our Redeemer. You create the holy angels. Our King, Your name should be praised forever, You, Who creates new angels every day to serve You, and Whose angels, such as Michael and Gabriel, created during the Six Days of Creation, all stand at the top of the universe. There, in awe of God, these angels proclaim together in a loud voice words from Torah that praise God. These words are the words of the living God and King of the universe. They all stand before God, beloved by each other; there is no hatred among them. They are all pure; there is no bad in them. They are all standing strong in their devotion to God. They are all holy, and they all do the will of their Creator with fear and awe.2 They all open their mouths in holiness and purity, with song and melody. In these songs and melodies they bless, they praise, they glorify, they worship, they make holy and proclaim as king—

The Serafim all praise God together

Hebrew

אֶת שֵׁם הָאֵל, הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדוֹל,
הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא, קָדוֹשׁ הוּא.
וְכֻלָּם מְקַבְּלִים עֲלֵיהֶם עֹל מַלְכוּת
שָׁמַיִם זֶה מִזֶּה, וְנוֹתְנִים בְּאַהֲבָה
רְשׁוּת זֶה לָזֶה, לְהַקְדִּישׁ לְיוֹצְרָם
בְּנַחַת רוּחַ, בְּשָׂפָה בְרוּרָה
וּבִנְעִימָה. קְדֻשָּׁה. כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד
עוֹנִים בְּאֵימָה וְאוֹמְרִים בְּיִרְאָה:

Sephardi

Et shem ha-el, hamelech hagadol,
hagibor vehanora, kadosh hu.
Ve-khullam m'kablim aleihem ol malchut
shamayim zeh mizeh, v'notnim be'ahavah
r'shut zeh lazeh, l'hakdish l'yotzram
b'nachat ruach, b'safah v'rurah
uvin'imah. Kedushah. Kulam k'echad
onim b'eimah ve'omrim b'yirah:

English

The name of God, the great, mighty, and awesome King. He is holy. The Serafim angels all ask permission from one another, and they lovingly give permission to each other to accept upon themselves the yoke of God's kingdom in heaven; to pronounce God, their Maker, holy. They do this in a pleasant spirit by speaking clearly in Hebrew—the Holy Language—and with a holy pleasant melody. They all together as one, answer with awe, and say the following with reverence: