Blessings Of The Shema

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God alone continuously creates everything in this world

Hebrew

הַמֵּאִיר לָאָרֶץ וְלַדָּרִים
עָלֶיהָ בְּרַחֲמִים,
וּבְטוּבוֹ מְחַדֵּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם
תָּמִיד מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית.1 מָה
רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יְיָ, 2כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה
עָשִׂיתָ, מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ קִנְיָנֶךָ:
הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְרוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ מֵאָז,
הַמְשֻׁבָּח וְהַמְפֹאָר וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא
מִימוֹת עוֹלָם. אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם,
בְּרַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים רַחֵם עָלֵינוּ,
אֲדוֹן עֻזֵּנוּ, צוּר מִשְׂגַּבֵּנוּ, מָגֵן
יִשְׁעֵנוּ, מִשְׂגָּב בַּעֲדֵנוּ.

Sephardi

Ha-me'ir la'aretz ve-la-darim
alehah berachamim,
u-ve-tuvo mechadesh bechol yom
tamid ma'aseh Vereishit.1 Mah
rabu ma'asecha Adonai, 2kulam bechochmah
asita, mal'ah ha'aretz kinyanecha:
Hamelech ha-meromam levado me-az,
ha-meshubbah ve-ha-mefo'ar ve-ha-mitnasse
mimot olam. Elohei olam,
berachamecha harabim rachem aleinu,
Adon uzzenu, Tzur misgabbenu, Magen
yish'einu, misgav ba'adeinu.

English

God gives light to the earth through the sun, which makes plants and trees grow, and He gives light to the people who live on the earth. God gives us the sun with mercy, by ensuring that the sun does not destroy the earth with its heat. In His goodness, He renews the work of creation every day by constantly keeping the universe in existence.1 Lord, how many are the works of Your hands;2 You made them all with wisdom. The earth is full of Your possessions; everything in the world belongs to You. God is the great King, Who was alone and exalted, even before the creation of the universe. Ever since the days when the universe was created, He is praised, glorified, and raised high. God of the universe, with Your great mercy, have mercy on us. God, You are the Master of our strength, the strong and reliable Rock Who gives us our strength, the Shield Who protects and saves us, and You are a safe place for us.

The creations of the heavens declare God’s holiness and glory

Hebrew

אֵל
בָּרוּךְ, גְּדוֹל דֵּעָה, הֵכִין וּפָעַל
זָהֳרֵי חַמָּה, טוֹב יָצַר כָּבוֹד
לִשְׁמוֹ, מְאוֹרוֹת נָתַן סְבִיבוֹת
עֻזּוֹ, פִּנּוֹת צְבָאָיו קְדוֹשִׁים,
רוֹמְמֵי שַׁדַּי, תָּמִיד מְסַפְּרִים
כְּבוֹד אֵל וּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ. תִּתְבָּרַךְ
יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל
וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתַּחַת, עַל כָּל
שֶׁבַח מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ, וְעַל
מְאוֹרֵי אוֹר שֶׁיָּצַרְתָּ, יְפָאֲרוּךָ
סֶלָה:

Sephardi

El
baruch, gadol de'ah, hechin u-fa'al
zahorei hammah, tov yatzar kavod
lishmo, me'orot natan sevivot
uzo, pinnot tzeva'av kedoshim,
romemei Shaddai, tamid mesapperim
kevod El u-kedushato. Titbarakh
Adonai Eloheinu bashamayim mima'al
ve'al ha'aretz mitachat, al kol
shevach ma'aseh yadecha, ve'al
me'orei or she-yatzarta, yefa'arukha
selah:

English

The blessed God is great in His knowledge. He prepared and made the light of the sun. God, Who is good, created the sun and the moon to bring glory to His name. He put great lights around the sky; He created the sun and the moon in order to reveal His power. The chiefs of His angels are holy; they praise the exaltedness of the Almighty. They always speak about the glory of God and His holiness. You, Lord, our God, should be blessed in the heavens above and on the earth below for all the work of Your hands, which is good and praiseworthy. You should also be blessed for the great lights, the sun and the moon, which You created. They should glorify You forever.

Blessed is God, Who creates angels

Hebrew

תִּתְבָּרַךְ לָנֶצַח צוּרֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ
וְגֹאֲלֵנוּ בּוֹרֵא
קְדוֹשִׁים, יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ

Sephardi

Titbarakh lanetzach Tzureinu Malkeinu
ve-Go'alenu Borei
kedoshim, yishtabach shimcha

English

God, You should be blessed forever because You give us strength like a strong Rock, our King Who always watches us, and our Redeemer. You create the holy angels. Our King, Your name

Hebrew

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,

Sephardi

la'ad Malkeinu. Yotzer mesharetim,
va'asher mesharetav, kulam omdim
be-rum olam, u-mashmi'im b'yirah
yachad b'kol, divrei Elohim chayim
umelech olam. Kulam ahuvim, kulam
berurim, kulam giborim,

English

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.

All angels praise and glorify God’s name

Hebrew

כֻּלָּם
קְדוֹשִׁים, וְכֻלָּם עוֹשִׂים בְּאֵימָה
וּבְיִרְאָה רְצוֹן קוֹנָם. וְכֻלָּם פּוֹתְחִים
אֶת פִּיהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה,
בְּשִׁירָה וּבְזִמְרָה, וּמְבָרְכִים
וּמְשַׁבְּחִים וּמְפָאֲרִים וּמַעֲרִיצִים,
וּמַקְדִּישִׁים וּמַמְלִיכִים:

Sephardi

Kulam
kedoshim, ve-khullam osim b'eimah
u-ve-yir'ah retzon konam. Ve-khullam potehim
et pihem bi-kedushah u-ve-tahorah,
be-shirah u-ve-zimrah, u-mevarekhim
u-meshabbehim u-mefa'arim u-ma'aritzim,
u-makdishim u-mamlikhim:

English

They are all holy, and they all do the will of their Creator with fear and awe. 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,3 קָדוֹשׁ הוּא.
וְכֻלָּם מְקַבְּלִים עֲלֵיהֶם עֹל
מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם זֶה מִזֶּה, וְנוֹתְנִים
בְּאַהֲבָה רְשׁוּת זֶה לָזֶה, לְהַקְדִּישׁ
לְיוֹצְרָם בְּנַחַת רוּחַ, בְּשָׂפָה
בְרוּרָה וּבִנְעִימָה קְדוֹשָׁה. כֻּלָּם
כְּאֶחָד עוֹנִים בְּאֵימָה וְאוֹמְרִים
בְּיִרְאָה:

Sephardi

Et shem ha-El, hamelech hagadol,
hagibor vehanora,3 kadosh hu.
Ve-khullam mekabbelim aleihem ol
Malchut Shamayim zeh mizeh, ve-notenim
be'ahavah reshut zeh lazeh, le-hakdish
le-Yotzeram be-nahat ruach, be-safah
berurah u-vi-ne'imah kedoshah. Kulam
ke-ehad onim b'eimah ve'omrim
b'yirah:

English

The name of God, the great, mighty, and awesome King.3 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: