Verses Of Praise

Visible layers

Hebrew

וּמְהַלְלִים לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ: וִיבָרְכוּ
שֵׁם כְּבוֹדֶךָ, וּמְרוֹמָם עַל כָּל
בְּרָכָה וּתְהִלָּה: אַתָּה הוּא יְיָ
לְבַדֶּךָ, אַתָּה עָשִׂיתָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם,
שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְכָל צְבָאָם, הָאָרֶץ
וְכָל אֲשֶׁר עָלֶיהָ, הַיַּמִּים וְכָל אֲשֶׁר
בָּהֶם, וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כֻּלָּם,
וּצְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים:

Sephardi

Umehalelim l'shem tifartecha: vivarchu
Shem kevodecha, umeromam al kol
berachah u-tehillah: Atah hu Adonai
levadecha, Atah asita et hashamayim,
shemei hashamayim, vechol tzeva'am, ha'aretz
vechol asher alehah, ha-yammim vechol asher
bahem, ve'atah mechayeh et kulam,
u-tzeva hashamayim lecha mishtachavim:

English

praise Your beautiful name. Let the Jewish Nation bless Your glorious name, although it is really higher than any blessing or praise can express. You alone are God. You alone made the heavens, the highest heavens and all the creations in them. You made the earth and everything on it, as well as the oceans and everything in them. You give life to all of them. The creations in heaven bow down to You.

God chose Abraham

Hebrew

אַתָּה הוּא יְיָ הָאֱלֹהִים, אֲשֶׁר
בָּחַרְתָּ בְּאַבְרָם, וְהוֹצֵאתוֹ מֵאוּר
כַּשְׂדִּים, וְשַׂמְתָּ שְׁמוֹ אַבְרָהָם:
וּמָצָאתָ אֶת לְבָבוֹ נֶאֱמָן לְפָנֶיךָ—

Sephardi

Atah hu Adonai ha-Elohim, asher
bacharta be-Avram, ve-hotzeto me-Ur
Kasdim, v'samta shemo Avraham:
u-matzata et levavo ne'eman lefanecha—

English

You Lord, are the God Who chose Abraham when he was still called Abram. You took him out of the land where he was born, Ur Kasdim, and You made his name Abraham, which means “father of many nations.” You found that his heart was completely faithful before You,

God kept His promise to Abraham

Hebrew

וְכָרוֹת עִמּוֹ הַבְּרִית, לָתֵת אֶת
אֶרֶץ הַכְּנַעֲנִי הַחִתִּי
הָאֱמֹרִי וְהַפְּרִזִּי וְהַיְבוּסִי וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁי
לָתֵת לְזַרְעוֹ, וַתָּקֶם אֶת דְּבָרֶיךָ
כִּי צַדִּיק אָתָּה: וַתֵּרֶא אֶת עֳנִי
אֲבֹתֵינוּ בְּמִצְרָיִם, וְאֶת זַעֲקָתָם
שָׁמַעְתָּ עַל יַם סוּף:

Sephardi

Ve-charot imo hab'rit, latet et
eretz hakena'ani ha-Chitti
ha'emori ve-ha-Perizzi ve-ha-Yevusi ve-ha-Girgashi
latet le-zar’o, va-takem et devarecha
ki tzadik Atah: va-tere et oni
avoteinu be-Mitzrayim, ve'et za’akatam
shamata al Yam Suf:

English

and it was because of this that You made the special Covenant—with him. You promised to give his descendants the Land of Israel, which at the time was the land of other nations: the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Emorite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, and the Girgashite nations. You fulfilled Your word, Your promise, because You are righteous. You saw the suffering of our ancestors in Egypt. You heard their cry as they stood trapped at the Sea of Reeds.

Exodus from Egypt and the splitting of the Sea of Reeds

Hebrew

וַתִּתֵּן אֹתֹת וּמֹפְתִים בְּפַרְעֹה
וּבְכָל עֲבָדָיו וּבְכָל עַם אַרְצוֹ, כִּי
יָדַעְתָּ כִּי הֵזִידוּ עֲלֵיהֶם, וַתַּעַשׂ
לְךָ שֵׁם כְּהַיּוֹם הַזֶּה: וְהַיָּם
בָּקַעְתָּ לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיַּעַבְרוּ בְתוֹךְ הַיָּם
בַּיַּבָּשָׁה,1 וְאֶת רֹדְפֵיהֶם הִשְׁלַכְתָּ
בִמְצוֹלֹת, כְּמוֹ אֶבֶן בְּמַיִם עַזִּים:

Sephardi

Va-titten otot u-moftim befar'oh
uvechol avadav uvechol am artzo, ki
yadata ki hezidu aleihem, va-ta’as
lecha shem kehayom hazeh: ve-ha-yam
baka’ta lifneihem va-ya’avru betoch hayam
ba-yabbashah,1 ve'et rodfehem hishlachta
vimtzolot, kemo even b'mayim azzim:

English

You performed miracles and wonders to punish Pharaoh, all of his servants, and all the people of his land, because You knew that they acted wickedly toward the Jewish Nation. And by performing those miracles in Egypt, You have made Your name famous to this day. You split the sea in front of the Jewish Nation, and they crossed through the midst of the sea on a path of dry land.1 You threw the Egyptians who were chasing the Jewish Nation into the deep waters, and they drowned like a stone in rough waters.

After the splitting of the Sea of Reeds

Hebrew

וַיּוֹשַׁע יְיָ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת
יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם,
וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מִצְרַיִם מֵת
עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם: וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל
אֶת הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה
יְיָ בְּמִצְרַיִם, וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת
יְיָ, וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּיְיָ וּבְמֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ:

Sephardi

Va-yosha Adonai bayom hahu et
Yisrael miyad Mitzrayim,
vayar Yisrael et Mitzrayim met
al sefat hayam: vayar Yisrael
et hayad ha-gedolah asher asah
Adonai b'mitzrayim, va-yir’u ha'am et
Adonai, va-ya’aminu ba-Adonai u-ve-Moshe avdo:

English

The Lord saved the Children of Israel on that day from the hands of the Egyptians, and the Children of Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea shore. They then realized that the Egyptians had not survived. The Children of Israel saw the great, strong hand that the Lord had used against the Egyptians. After seeing such amazing strength, the people feared the Lord. They believed in the Lord and everything that Moses, His servant, said.

A song of praise about the miracles at the Sea of Reeds

Hebrew

אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַיְיָ
וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר, אָשִׁירָה לַיְיָ
כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה, סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ
רָמָה בַיָּם: עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי
לִי לִישׁוּעָה, זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ,2
אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמְמֶנְהוּ: יְיָ
אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה, יְיָ שְׁמוֹ:

Sephardi

Az yashir Moshe uvnei Yisrael
et ha-shirah hazot la-Adonai
vayomru leimor, ashirah la-Adonai
ki ga’oh ga’ah, sus ve-rochvo
ramah bayam: ozi v'zimrat Yah va-yehi
li lishu'ah, zeh Eli ve-anvehu,2
Elohei avi va-aromemenhu: Adonai
ish milchamah, Adonai shemo:

English

Then, when the Jewish Nation saw the great miracle of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, Moses and the Children of Israel sang this song to give thanks to the Lord, and they said as follows: I will sing to the Lord because He is very high; higher than any praise can describe. God threw both the Egyptian horse and its rider into the sea. The strength that God showed the Egyptians, and the revenge that He took on them, saved me. When God’s glory was shown at the Sea of Reeds, the Jewish Nation pointed with their fingers and said: This is my God, and I will glorify Him.2 The God of my father, and I will exalt Him by telling the whole world about His might. The Lord is the Master of war; He will always win. Even when He is at war, He is known by the name “Lord,” which expresses His kindness, since He is kind to His creations.

Hebrew

מַרְכְּבֹת פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ
יָרָה בַיָּם, וּמִבְחַר שָׁלִשָׁיו
טֻבְּעוּ בְיַם סוּף: תְּהֹמֹת
יְכַסְיֻמוּ, יָרְדוּ בִמְצוֹלֹת כְּמוֹ

Sephardi

Markevot Par'oh v'cheilo
yarah bayam, u-mivchar shalishav
tubbe’u ve-Yam Suf: tehomot
yechasyumu, yardu vimtzolot kemo

English

He threw Pharaoh’s heavy army chariots and his entire army into the sea. Even the best of Pharaoh’s officers sank in the mud at the bottom

Commentary

1 “Sea” refers to the highest levels of Godliness that are usually hidden from us (as everything in the sea is covered and hidden). “Dry land” refers to the lower levels of Godliness that are revealed to us. This verse is telling us that during the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the Jewish Nation miraculously experienced both revelations of Godliness at the same time: they were not only passing through the “sea” and feeling God’s hidden light, but they were also walking on “dry land” and feeling God’s revealed light.

2 Alternatively, “and I will make Him a home.” Both translations are interconnected: During the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, there was a great revelation of Godliness, which helped prepare the world as a “home” for God. It is our task to work on building this home by doing good deeds. When we do so, we “glorify” God by increasing His presence in this world.