The New Jew: A Field Guide

← Siddur Tehillat Hashem, Weiss Edition / Contents

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pp. 62-63

Shacharit for Weekdays

Shacharit lechol

שַׁחֲרִית לְחוֹל

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Hebrew

כַּאֲשֶׁר יִחַלְנוּ לָךְ:1 הָרְאֵנוּ
יְיָ חַסְדֶּךָ, וְיִשְׁעֲךָ תִּתֵּן לָנוּ:
קוּמָה עֶזְרָתָה לָּנוּ, וּפְדֵנוּ
לְמַעַן חַסְדֶּךָ: אָנֹכִי יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ
הַמַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם,
הַרְחֶב פִּיךָ וַאֲמַלְאֵהוּ: אַשְׁרֵי
הָעָם שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ, אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם
שֶׁיְיָ אֱלֹהָיו: וַאֲנִי בְּחַסְדְּךָ
בָּטַחְתִּי יָגֵל לִבִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ,
אָשִׁירָה לַייָ כִּי גָמַל עָלָי:

Sephardi

Ka'asher yichalnu lach:1 har'einu
Adonai chasdecha, v'yish'acha titen lanu:
Kumah ezratah lanu, ufdeinu
lema'an chasdecha: Anochi Adonai Elohecha
hama'alcha mei'eretz Mitzrayim,
harchev picha va'amaleihu: Ashrei
ha'am shekachah lo, ashrei ha'am
sheAdonai Elohav: Va'ani b'chasdekha
batachti yagel libi bishu'atecha,
ashirah la-adonai ki gamal alai:

English

in You.1 Lord, show us Your kindness and give us Your salvation. Please rise up and be our helper. Redeem us from exile because of Your kindness, even if we do not deserve it. You promised us that You would do this, saying, "I am the Lord, your God, Who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Whenever you need Me, open your mouth wide. Ask Me for what you need, and I will fulfill it." Fortunate is the nation who has such goodness. Fortunate is the nation whose God is the Lord. God, I trust that everything will be good because of Your kindness. My heart rejoices when You save me. I will sing to the Lord because He has been kind to me.

God always answers our prayers

Hebrew

מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר חֲנֻכַּת הַבַּיִת
לְדָוִד: אֲרוֹמִמְךָ יְיָ
כִּי דִלִּיתָנִי,2 וְלֹא שִׂמַּחְתָּ
אֹיְבַי לִי: יְיָ אֱלֹהַי, שִׁוַּעְתִּי
אֵלֶיךָ וַתִּרְפָּאֵנִי: יְיָ הֶעֱלִיתָ
מִן שְׁאוֹל נַפְשִׁי, חִיִּיתַנִי
מִיָּרְדִי בוֹר: זַמְּרוּ לַייָ
חֲסִידָיו, וְהוֹדוּ לְזֵכֶר קָדְשׁוֹ:
כִּי רֶגַע בְּאַפּוֹ, חַיִּים בִּרְצוֹנוֹ,3
בָּעֶרֶב יָלִין בֶּכִי וְלַבֹּקֶר רִנָּה:

Sephardi

Mizmor shir chanukat habayit
ledavid: Aromimcha Adonai
ki dilitani,2 v'lo simachta
oyvai li: Adonai Elohai, shiva'ti
eilecha vatirpa'eini: Adonai he'elita
min she'ol nafshi, chiyitani
miyordi vor: Zamru la-adonai
chasidav, v'hodu l'zecher kodsho:
Ki rega b'apo, chayim birtzono,3
ba'erev yalin bechi v'laboker rinah:

English

מִזְמוֹר The following is a song that was composed by King David for the Levites to sing in honor of the dedication of the House (the Holy Temple): I exalt You, Lord, because You lifted me up2 by forgiving me for my sins, and You did not allow my enemies to be happy about my troubles. Lord, my God, I cried out to You, and You healed me by forgiving me. Lord, You saved my life when You lifted me and saved me from going to Gehinom, and You kept me alive by keeping me from going down into the grave. Righteous people should sing to the Lord when they see His acts of kindness, and they should praise His holy name. God's anger lasts only for a moment; when He wants to, He gives us long life.3 When a person goes to bed at night crying because he regrets his sins, God accepts his repentance, and he will get

Hebrew

וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי בְשַׁלְוִי, בַּל
אֶמּוֹט לְעוֹלָם: יְיָ בִּרְצוֹנְךָ
הֶעֱמַדְתָּה לְהַרְרִי עֹז, הִסְתַּרְתָּ
פָנֶיךָ, הָיִיתִי נִבְהָל: אֵלֶיךָ
יְיָ אֶקְרָא, וְאֶל יְיָ אֶתְחַנָּן:
מַה בֶּצַע בְּדָמִי בְּרִדְתִּי אֶל
שָׁחַת, הֲיוֹדְךָ עָפָר הֲיַגִּיד
אֲמִתֶּךָ: שְׁמַע יְיָ וְחָנֵּנִי, יְיָ
הֱיֵה עֹזֵר לִי: הָפַכְתָּ מִסְפְּדִי
לְמָחוֹל לִי, פִּתַּחְתָּ שַׂקִּי
וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי שִׂמְחָה: לְמַעַן
יְזַמֶּרְךָ כָבוֹד וְלֹא יִדֹּם, יְיָ
אֱלֹהַי, לְעוֹלָם אוֹדֶךָּ:

Sephardi

Va'ani amarti v'shalvi, bal
emot le'olam: Adonai birtzoncha
he'emadtah l'hareri oz, histarta
paneicha, hayiti nivhal: Eilecha
Adonai ekra, ve-el Adonai etchanan:
Mah betza b'dami b'ridti el
shachat, hayodcha afar hayagid
amitecha: Shema Adonai v'chaneini, Adonai
heyeh ozer li: Hafachta misp'di
l'machol li, pitachta saki
vat'azreini simchah: Lema'an
yezamercha kavod v'lo yidom, Adonai
Elohai, le'olam odeka:

English

up in the morning with joy. When life was calm for me, and my evil inclination had no control over me, I said to myself that I would never falter and sin. But Lord, it is only through Your favor that You supported my mountain of strength—my ability to stand strong. When You hid Your face from me, I was alarmed and afraid of the troubles that might happen to me. I called out to You, Lord; I begged the Lord: What will You gain by my death, by my going down to be buried in a grave? After I pass away, my body will become dust. Can dust praise You or tell of Your truth? It is better that I remain alive, so that I can praise You. Lord, please listen to me and be gracious to me. Lord, be my Helper. You turned my mourning into dancing; You loosened the strings of my sackcloth, and You clothed me in joy. You took away my sadness and made me happy with the news that You had forgiven my sins. Therefore, my soul will always sing to You; it will not be quiet. Lord, my God, I will praise You forever.

The following is said while standing.

God is King

Hebrew

יְיָ מָלָךְ, יְיָ מָלָךְ, יְיָ יִמְלֹךְ
לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: יְיָ מָלָךְ, יְיָ מָלָךְ,
יְיָ יִמְלֹךְ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:4 וְהָיָה יְיָ
לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ, בַּיּוֹם
הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְיָ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד:

Sephardi

Adonai malach, Adonai malach, Adonai yimloch
le'olam va'ed: Adonai malach, Adonai malach,
Adonai yimloch le'olam va'ed:4 Vehayah Adonai
l'melech al kol ha'aretz, bayom
hahu yihyeh Adonai echad ushemo echad:

English

The Lord is King, the Lord was always King, and the Lord will always be King, forever and ever. The Lord is King, the Lord was always King, and the Lord will always be King, forever and ever.4 The Lord will be King over the entire earth. On that day, when the Redemption arrives, the Lord will be One, and His name will be One.

Commentary

1 Alternatively, "because we have hope in You." Knowing that we may not be righteous enough to deserve God's kindness, we nevertheless ask that God give it to us because we have hoped for it. Having faith and hope in God's kindness is itself meritorious enough to bring His kindness upon us.

2 Alternatively, "because You made me poor." This is a reference to the Jewish soul. We thank God for creating the soul "poor" and physically lacking, which enables it to have an uninterrupted, spiritual connection to God.

3 A more literal translation: "In the moment of His anger, life is in His will." Whereas it is human nature to lose one's good will in a moment of anger, God has the unique ability to maintain these two seemingly incompatible "feelings" at the same time: Even in the very "moment of his anger," He has good "will" and continues to give life to the universe.

4 Only the existence of God's "kingship" may be described as being of the past, present, and future. The existence of God Himself—His essence—cannot be described in this way, because He is higher than time and has no relation to it.