The New Jew: A Field Guide

Hebrew

וְצָרְרֵי יְהוּדָה יִכָּרֵתוּ אֶפְרָיִם
לֹא־יְקַנֵּא אֶת־יְהוּדָה וִיהוּדָה
לֹא־יָצֹר אֶת־אֶפְרָיִם: וְעָפוּ
בְּכָתֵף פְּלִשְׁתִּים יָמָּה יַחְדָּו
יָבֹזּוּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־קֶדֶם אֱדוֹם
וּמוֹאָב מִשְׁלוֹחַ יָדָם וּבְנֵי
עַמּוֹן מִשְׁמַעְתָּם: וְהֶחֱרִים
יְהוָה אֵת לְשׁוֹן יָם־מִצְרָיִם
וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ עַל־הַנָּהָר בַּעְיָם
רוּחוֹ וְהִכָּהוּ לְשִׁבְעָה נְחָלִים
וְהִדְרִיךְ בַּנְּעָלִים: וְהָיְתָה
מְסִלָּה לִשְׁאָר עַמּוֹ אֲשֶׁר
יִשָּׁאֵר מֵאַשּׁוּר כַּאֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה
לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיוֹם עֲלֹתוֹ מֵאֶרֶץ
מִצְרָיִם: וַאֲמַרְתָּ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא
אוֹדְךָ יְהוָה כִּי אָנַפְתָּ בִּי יָשֹׁב
אַפְּךָ וּתְנַחֲמֵנִי: הִנֵּה אֵל
יְשׁוּעָתִי אֶבְטַח וְלֹא אֶפְחָד
כִּי־עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ יְהוָה וַיְהִי־
לִי לִישׁוּעָה: וּשְׁאַבְתֶּם־מַיִם
בְּשָׂשׂוֹן מִמַּעַיְנֵי הַיְשׁוּעָה:
וַאֲמַרְתֶּם בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא הוֹדוּ
לַיהוָה קִרְאוּ בִשְׁמוֹ הוֹדִיעוּ
בָעַמִּים עֲלִילֹתָיו הַזְכִּירוּ כִּי
נִשְׂגָּב שְׁמוֹ: זַמְּרוּ יְהוָה כִּי
גֵאוּת עָשָׂה מוּדַעַת זֹאת
בְּכָל־הָאָרֶץ: צַהֲלִי וָרֹנִּי
יוֹשֶׁבֶת צִיּוֹן כִּי־גָדוֹל בְּקִרְבֵּךְ
קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל:

Sephardi

V'tzorerei Yehudah yikareitu Efrayim
lo-yekanei et-Yehudah viYehudah
lo-yatzor et-Efrayim: V'afu
b'chatef Pelishtim yamah yachdav
yavozu et-b'nei-kedem Edom
uMoav mishloach yadam uvnei
Amon mishma'tam: V'hecherim
Adonai et l'shon yam-Mitzrayim
v'henif yado al-hanahar ba'yam
rucho v'hikahu l'shiv'ah nechalim
v'hidrich ba'ne'alim: V'hayetah
mesilah lish'ar amo asher
yisha'er meiAshur ka'asher hayetah
l'Yisrael b'yom aloto mei'eretz
Mitzrayim: Va'amarta bayom hahu
odecha Adonai ki anafta bi yashov
ap'cha ut'nachameini: Hineh El
yeshu'ati evtach v'lo efchad
ki-ozi v'zimrat Yah Adonai vay'hi-
li lishu'ah: Ush'avtem-mayim
b'sason mima'aynei hayeshu'ah:
Va'amartem bayom hahu hodu
laDonai kir'u vishmo hodi'u
va'amim alilotav hazkiru ki
nisgav shemo: Zamru Adonai ki
gei'ut asah muda'at zot
b'chol-ha'aretz: Tzahali varoni
yoshevet Tziyon ki-gadol b'kirbech
Kedosh Yisrael:

English

took them out of Egypt. God will raise a banner to the nations indicating that they should honorably release the remnants of the Jewish Nation who are among them. He will collect the dispersed people of Israel and gather the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth. All rivalry within the Jewish Nation will cease. The envy of the northern kingdom of the ten tribes led by the tribe of Efraim will cease, and the rivals of Judah will discontinue. Efraim will not envy Judah, nor will Judah torment Efraim. Unified, they will fly quickly to attack the Philistines in the west, and together they will plunder the nations of the East. They will stretch out their hands against Edom and Moab and will defeat them, and the nation of Ammon will obey them. The Lord will dry up the Nile, which extends from the Egyptian Sea like a tongue. With the strength of His wind, He will lift His hand over the Euphrates river; He will strike it, and it will turn into seven streams. He will lead those exiled on the other side of these waters to the Land of Israel with their shoes on dry land. There will also be a paved path from Assyria for the rest of His people who have remained there, just as there was for the Children of Israel on the day they went up from the land of Egypt. And on that day, you, the Jewish Nation, will say: I thank You, Lord, for pardoning my sins. You have been angry with me, and You exiled me. But now that the exile has served as my atonement, Your wrath turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation. I am confident and I will not be afraid, because the Lord, God, has saved me to show His might and so that I shall praise Him, and He has been my salvation. God's help will be as plentiful as water flowing from a spring, and you will joyfully draw water from the springs of salvation. You will say to each other on that day: Give praise to the Lord; call out His name. Make His great deeds known among the nations of the world. Remind everyone that His name is lofty. Sing to the Lord because He has done great things; this is a fact that is known throughout the world. You who live in Zion (Jerusalem) should raise your voices with joy and sing, because the name of the Holy God of the Children of Israel has become great due to the miracles He has done within you, Jerusalem.

אַקְדָמוּת

AKDAMOT

In some communities, the following is said on the first day of Shavuot before reading the Torah. (However, it is the Chabad custom not to say Akdamot.)

The intent of the author is to recount God's glory, as revealed in the creation of the world and the heavenly beings. He then describes the Jewish Nation's unwavering faith in the face of those who instigate them to idolatry - as expressed in their responses to them - and their sincere trust in the great reward that is in store for them, some of whose nature the author describes. (Commentaries must be consulted for a proper understanding of this poem.)

Hebrew

אַקְדָמוּת מִלִּין וְשָׁרָיוּת שׁוּתָא,
אָוְלָא שְׁקִילְנָא
הַרְמָן וְרָשׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

Akdamot milin v'sharyut shuta,
avla shekilna
harman v'rashuta.

English

Akdamot In introduction to my words and before I say words of praise to God, I would like to ask for consent and permission to do so.

Hebrew

בְּבָבֵי תְּרֵי וְתַלַת דְּאֶפְתַּח
בְּנַקְשׁוּתָא, בְּבָרֵי דְבָרֵי וְטָרֵי עֲדֵי
לִקְשִׁישׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

B'vavei t'rei v'talat d'eftach
b'nakshuta, b'varei d'varei v'tarei adei
liqshishuta.

English

While trembling in awe, I begin with two or three sections, praising the greatness of God, the Torah, and the Jewish Nation— with the permission of God, Who continuously creates and maintains the world forever.

Hebrew

גְבוּרָן עָלְמִין לֵיהּ וְלָא סְפַק
פְּרִישׁוּתָא, גְּוִיל אִלּוּ רְקִיעֵי, קָנֵי
כָּל חַרְשְׁתָא.

Sephardi

G'vuran almin leih ve-la s'fak
perishuta, g'vil ilu r'ki'ei, kanei
kol charsheta.

English

God's might is everlasting and it is impossible to describe it sufficiently. Even if the heavens would be turned into parchment, and all the trees of the world would be made into quills,

Hebrew

דְיוֹ אִלּוּ יַמֵּי וְכָל מֵי כְנִישׁוּתָא,
דַיָּרֵי אַרְעָא סָפְרֵי וְרָשְׁמֵי רְשׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

D'yo ilu yamei vechol mei ch'nishuta,
dayarei ar'a sofrei v'rashmei r'shuta.

English

and all the oceans and waters would be used as ink, and all the people of the earth would become scribes and writers, it would still be impossible to sufficiently describe God's greatness.

Hebrew

הֲדַר מָרֵי שְׁמַיָּא וְשַׁלִּיט
בְּיַבֶּשְׁתָּא, הֱקִים עָלְמָא יְחִידָאִי
וְכַבְשֵׁיהּ בְּכִבְשׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

Hadar morei shemaya v'shalit
b'yabesheta, hekim alma yechida'i
v'chavsheih b'chivshuta.

English

God, Who is the glorious Master of the heavens and Ruler of the earth, set up the universe alone, without any help, and disguised His great might within it.

Hebrew

וּבְלָא לָאוּ שַׁכְלְלֵיהּ, וּבְלָא
תִשְׁשׁוּתָא, וּבְאָתָא קַלִּילָא, דְלֵית
בַּהּ מַשְּׁשׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

Uv'lo la'u shachleleih, uv'lo
tishshuta, uv'ata kelila, d'leit
bah mashshuta.

English

God perfected the world without working hard and without tiring; it was as easy as it is for a person to say the letter "ה," which does not have any substance and does not take any effort to pronounce.

Hebrew

זַמִּין כָּל עֲבִידְתֵיהּ בְּהָךְ יוֹמֵי
שִׁתָּא, זִיוֵהּ יַקְרֵיהּ עֲלֵי, עֲלֵי
כָרְסְיֵהּ דְאֶשָּׁתָא.

Sephardi

Zamin kol avidtei b'hach yomei
shita, ziveih yakreih alei, alei
korsei d'eshata.

English

In the six days of creation, God prepared and performed all of His work, and afterward, instead of being weakened by the work as a human would be, His glorious splendor rose up on a throne of fire and shone brilliantly.

Hebrew

חֵיל אֶלֶף אַלְפִין וְרִבּוֹא
לְשַׁמָּשׁוּתָא, חַדְתִּין נָבְטוּ
לְצַפְרִין, סַגִּיאָה טַרְשׁוּתָא.

Sephardi

Cheil elef alfin v'ribo
l'shamshuta, chadtin navtu
l'tzafrin, sagi'ah tarshuta.

English

An army of millions of angels serves Him, new angels are created and arise every morning to praise Him. When we see God's great creations our faith in Him is increased.