Blessings Of The Shema

Birkhot Keriat Shema

בִּרְכוֹת קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע

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God is holy

Hebrew

קָדוֹשׁ | קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ
יְיָ צְבָאוֹת, מְלֹא כָל
הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ:1

Sephardi

Kadosh | kadosh kadosh
Adonai tzeva'ot, melo kol
ha'aretz kevodo:1

English

The Lord, the God of all creations, is holy in the spiritual worlds, holy in the physical world, and holy at all times, forever and ever. The entire earth is filled with His glory.1

The Ofanim and Chayot all praise God together

Hebrew

וְהָאוֹפַנִּים וְחַיּוֹת הַקֹּדֶשׁ בְּרַעַשׁ
גָּדוֹל מִתְנַשְּׂאִים
לְעֻמַּת הַשְּׂרָפִים, לְעֻמָּתָם
מְשַׁבְּחִים וְאוֹמְרִים:2

Sephardi

Veha'ofanim vechayot hakodesh bera'ash
gadol mitnase'im
le'umat haserafim, l'umatam
meshabechim ve'omrim:2

English

After the Serafim angels finish singing their praises, the Ofanim angels and the holy Chayot angels rise up with a mighty sound and turn toward the sound of the Serafim angels praising God. Facing the Serafim, they praise God and say:2

God's glory is blessed

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד יְיָ
מִמְּקוֹמוֹ:

Sephardi

Baruch kevod Adonai
mimkomo:

English

May the glory of the Lord be blessed from its spiritual place.

The angels praise God, Who continuously creates and controls everything

Hebrew

לָאֵל בָּרוּךְ נְעִימוֹת יִתֵּנוּ,
לְמֶלֶךְ אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם,
זְמִרוֹת יֹאמֵרוּ וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת
יַשְׁמִיעוּ, כִּי הוּא לְבַדּוֹ מָרוֹם
וְקָדוֹשׁ, פּוֹעֵל גְּבוּרוֹת, עוֹשֶׂה
חֲדָשׁוֹת, בַּעַל מִלְחָמוֹת, זוֹרֵעַ
צְדָקוֹת, מַצְמִיחַ יְשׁוּעוֹת, בּוֹרֵא
רְפוּאוֹת, נוֹרָא תְהִלּוֹת, אֲדוֹן
הַנִּפְלָאוֹת, הַמְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ בְּכָל
יוֹם תָּמִיד3 מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית.
כָּאָמוּר, לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים,
כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ: בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה
יְיָ, יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת:

Sephardi

La'el baruch ne'imot yitenu,
l'melech El chai vekayam,
zemirot yomeru vetishbachot
yashmi'u, ki hu levado marom
vekadosh, po'el gevurot, oseh
chadashot, ba'al milchamot, zorei'a
tzedakot, matzmi'ach yeshu'ot, borei
refu'ot, nora tehilot, Adon
hanifla'ot, hamechadesh betuvo bechol
yom tamid3 ma'aseh vereishit.
Ka'amur, l'oseh orim gedolim,
ki le'olam chasdo: Baruch Atah
Adonai, yotzer hame'orot:

English

The angels offer pleasant songs of praise to God, Who is blessed. They recite songs of thanks and sing praises to the King, Who is the living and everlasting God, because He alone is exalted and holy. He does mighty things. He makes new things. He is the master of war and decides who will win. God gives us opportunities to do acts of righteousness; He plants them like seeds. He then causes them to grow and produce good results—in their merit, we receive salvation from God. God creates the cures for all sicknesses. He is too awesome for praise. He is the master of great wonders. God is the one Who, in His goodness, constantly renews the work of Creation, each and every day.3 As it says in Psalms: Give praise to God, Who makes the great things that give light—the sun, moon, and stars—because His kindness lasts forever. Blessed are You, Lord, Who creates the luminaries—the sun, moon, and stars.

While saying the words וְהַבִיאֵנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם below, gather the four tzitzit and hold them in your left hand. The chazzan says the concluding words of the following blessing below quietly; Amen is not said.

May God give us the ability to understand His Torah and fulfill His commandments

Hebrew

אַהֲבַת עוֹלָם אֲהַבְתָּנוּ יְיָ
אֱלֹהֵינוּ, חֶמְלָה גְּדוֹלָה
וִיתֵרָה חָמַלְתָּ עָלֵינוּ. אָבִינוּ
מַלְכֵּנוּ, בַּעֲבוּר שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל
וּבַעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁבָּטְחוּ בְךָ
וַתְּלַמְּדֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים לַעֲשׂוֹת
רְצוֹנְךָ בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, כֵּן תְּחָנֵּנוּ
וּתְלַמְּדֵנוּ.4

Sephardi

Ahavat olam ahavtanu Adonai
Eloheinu, chemlah gedolah
viterah chamalta aleinu. Avinu
malkeinu, ba'avur shimcha hagadol
uva'avur avoteinu shebatchu vecha
vatelamdem chukei chayim la'asot
retzonekha belevav shalem, ken techaneinu
utelamdeinu.4

English

Lord, our God, You have loved us with an everlasting love. You have shown us this love by giving us the Torah. You have given us much mercy, more than we deserve, by choosing us to be Your nation. Our Father, our King, for the sake of Your great name and for the sake of our fathers who trusted in You, whom You taught the laws of Torah, the source of everlasting life, and whom You taught how to do Your will with a complete heart—we ask that You should also be gracious to us, and teach us the ways of Torah.4

Hebrew

אָבִינוּ אָב הָרַחֲמָן הַמְרַחֵם
רַחֵם נָא עָלֵינוּ, וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּנוּ
בִּינָה לְהָבִין וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל,5
לִשְׁמֹעַ לִלְמֹד וּלְלַמֵּד לִשְׁמֹר
וְלַעֲשׂוֹת, וּלְקַיֵּם אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי
תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶךָ בְּאַהֲבָה.
וְהָאֵר עֵינֵינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ, וְדַבֵּק
לִבֵּנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ, וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵנוּ

Sephardi

Avinu av harachaman hamerachem
rachem na aleinu, veten belibeinu
binah lehavin ulehaskil,5
lishmo'a lilmod ulelamed lishmor
v'la'asot, ulkayem et kol divrei
talmud toratecha be'ahavah.
Veha'er eineinu betoratecha, vedabek
libeinu bemitzvotecha, veyached levaveinu

English

Our Father, merciful Father, Who is merciful, please have mercy on us and give our heart the necessary understanding to understand and comprehend the Torah.5 Teach us how to listen to those who teach Torah; teach us how to learn it and how to teach it to others. Help us guard ourselves from sin and help us fulfill the Torah's commandments. Help us fulfill all the teachings of Your Torah lovingly, and not because we are afraid of being punished. Enlighten our eyes; help us understand the

Commentary

1 God's true honor is Torah, as it is Torah that causes God's honor to "fill the entire land."

2 The Chayot and Ofanim angels are on a lower level than the Serafim angels and are not familiar with the level of God that is above creation. For this reason, when the Serafim say קָדוֹשׁ (i.e., that there is a level of Godliness that is higher than the creations), they become excited and make a lot of noise.

The Ofanim are usually on a lower level of holiness than the Serafim. Nevertheless, through their intense emotion and "great noise" during their Divine service, they "rise above" the Serafim at that time.

3 God renews and re-creates the universe every day and every second from nothingness, just as He created the universe in the Six Days of Creation.

4 God's love for the Jewish Nation is so great that He has lowered Himself by giving us His Torah and commandments, so that we can have the opportunity to come close to Him by fulfilling them.

5 The power of understanding is in the mind, not the "heart." Nevertheless, we ask God to place this power in our "heart," because we want our Godly thoughts to have a positive effect on our emotions.