I shall make pleasant songs, and weave verses;

Because for You my soul longs.

My soul desires to be in Your hand’s shade;

To know all of Your deepest mysteries.

When I speak of Your glory;

My heart yearns for Your love.

Therefore I will speak reverently of You;

And Your name I will honor in songs of love.

א I will recount Your glory, though I have not seen You;

I describe You though I have not known You.

ב In Your prophet's writings, in Your servants' speech;

You depicted the beauty of Your glorious splendor.

ג Your greatness and might;

They portrayed in accordance with Your actions.

ד They depicted you, though You are not as they depicted;

They characterized you according to Your doings.

ה They allegorized you in many visions; Behold,

You are one in all depictions.

ו They saw in You old age and youth;

They represented Your hair as both whitened and black.

ז Old age on the day of judgment, youth on the day of battle;

Like a man of war who has many talents.

ח Like one who wears the helmet of redemption on His head;

His right arm and holy left arm bring redemption.

ט His head is full of the dew of light;

His locks with the drops of the night.

י He beautifies Himself through me, because He desires me;

And He shall be for me a crown of beauty.

כ His head is like pure gold;

On His forehead is inscribed His honored holy name.

ל For grace, honor, and splendid beauty;

His people have made themselves His crown.

מ The locks of his head are as in youth;

His locks are black curls.

נ The place of justice, His splendid beauty;

May He elevate it above his greatest joy.

ס May His chosen people be a crown of beauty in His hand;

may the gloriously beautiful people be a royal diadem.

ע He carried them like a load, He wore them as a crown;

He honored them beyond the worth He saw in them.

פ His splendor is on me, and my splendor is on Him;

He is close to me when I call to him.

צ White and red, His garments are red;

He trod the winepress when He came from Edom.

ק He showed His tefillin-knot to the humble one;

the picture of God was before his eyes.

ר He desires His people, He glorifies the humble ones;

He who sits glorified by their praises.

ר Your chief word is "truth"; You've called it out since the beginning.

In each generation people expound regarding You.

ש Take my many songs to Yourself;

And may my hymn come be close to You.

ת May my praise be a crown to Your head;

May my prayer be set before You like incense.

ת May this pauper's song be as valued in Your eyes;

As the song sung over Your sacrifices.

May my blessing go up to the Provider;

the Creator, the Begetter, Just and Mighty.

May You nod your head to my blessing;

May You accept it like the finest spices.

May my contemplation be sweet to You, For my soul yearns for You.

Yours, LORD, are greatness, might, splendor, triumph, and majesty—yes, all that is in heaven and on earth; to You, LORD, belong kingship and preeminence above all.

Who can tell the mighty acts of the LORD, proclaim all His praises?

For your God ה׳ is God supreme and Lord supreme, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who shows no favor and takes no bribe,

Blessed are You, HaShem, our God, and God of our fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, the Almighty, the Great, the Powerful, the Awesome, most high Almighty, Who bestows beneficent kindness, Who possesses everything, Who remembers the piety of the Patriarchs, and Who brings a redeemer to their children’s children, for the sake of His Name, with love. King, Helper, and Deliverer and Shield. Blessed are You, HaShem, Shield of Abraham.

With regard to additions to prayers formulated by the Sages, The Gemara relates that a particular individual descended before the ark as prayer leader in the presence of Rabbi Ḥanina. He extended his prayer and said: God, the great, mighty, awesome, powerful, mighty, awe-inspiring, strong, fearless, steadfast and honored. Rabbi Ḥanina waited for him until he completed his prayer. When he finished, Rabbi Ḥanina asked him: Have you concluded all of the praises of your Master? Why do I need all of this superfluous praise? Even these three praises that we recite: The great, mighty and awesome, had Moses our teacher not said them in the Torah and had the members of the Great Assembly not come and incorporated them into the Amida prayer, we would not be permitted to recite them. And you went on and recited all of these. It is comparable to a king who possessed many thousands of golden dinars, yet they were praising him for silver ones. Isn’t that deprecatory? All of the praises we could possibly lavish upon the Lord are nothing but a few silver dinars relative to many thousands of gold dinars. Reciting a litany of praise does not enhance God’s honor.

These are the last words of David: The utterance of David son of Jesse, The utterance of the man set on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, The favorite of the songs of Israel:

Like a hind crying for water, my soul cries for You, O God;

Like an apple tree among trees of the forest, So is my beloved among the youths. I delight to sit in his shade, And his fruit is sweet to my mouth.

Have put My words in your mouth And sheltered you with My hand; I, who planted the skies and made firm the earth, Have said to Zion: You are My people!

(20) Truly, Ephraim is a dear son to Me, A child that is dandled! Whenever I have turned against him, My thoughts would dwell on him still. That is why My heart yearns for him; I will receive him back in love —declares GOD.

Oh, give me of the kisses of your mouth, For your love is more delightful than wine.

Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.

continuing, “But you cannot see My face, for a human being may not see Me and live.”

The glorious majesty of Your splendor and Your wondrous acts will I recite.

As I looked on, Thrones were set in place, And the Ancient of Days took His seat. His garment was like white snow, And the hair of His head was like lamb’s wool. His throne was tongues of flame; Its wheels were blazing fire.

His head is finest gold, His locks are curled And black as a raven.

§ The Gemara continues to reconcile verses that seem to contradict each other: One verse states: “His raiment was as white snow, and the hair of his head like pure white wool” (Daniel 7:9), and it is written: “His locks are curled, black as a raven” (Song of Songs 5:11). The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. Here the verse in Daniel is referring to when He is in the heavenly academy, while there the verse in Song of Songs speaks of when He is at war, for the Master said: There is no finer individual to study Torah in an academy than an old man, and there is no finer individual to wage war than a youth. A different metaphor is therefore used to describe God on each occasion.

The Gemara poses another question: One verse states: “His throne was fiery flames” (Daniel 7:9), and another phrase in the same verse states: “Till thrones were placed, and one who was ancient of days sat,” implying the existence of two thrones. The Gemara answers: This is not difficult. One throne is for Him and one is for David, as it is taught in a baraita with regard to this issue: One throne for Him and one for David; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Yosei HaGelili said to him: Akiva, how long shall you make the Divine Presence profane, by presenting it as though one could sit next to Him? Rather, the two thrones are designated for different purposes: One for judgment and one for righteousness. The Gemara asks: Did Rabbi Akiva accept this rebuff from him, or did he not accept it from him? The Gemara offers a proof: Come and hear the following teaching of a different baraita: One throne is for judgment and one is for righteousness; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya said to him: Akiva, what are you doing occupying yourself with the study of aggada? This is not your field of expertise. Take [kelakh] your words to the topics of plagues and tents. Meaning, it is preferable that you teach the halakhot of the impurity of leprosy and the impurity of the dead, which are within your field of expertise. Rather, with regard to the two thrones: One throne is for a seat and one is for a small seat. The seat is to sit on, and the small seat is for His footstool, as it is stated: “The heavens are My seat, and the earth My footstool” (Isaiah 66:1).

Till you grow old, I will still be the same; When you turn gray, it is I who will carry; I was the Maker, and I will be the Bearer; And I will carry and rescue [you].

ה׳, the Warrior— ה׳ is His name!

And this he said of Judah: Hear, ה׳, the voice of Judah And restore him to his people. Though his own hands strive for him, Help him against his foes.

[God] donned victory like a coat of mail, Wearing a helmet of triumph— Dressing in garments of retribution, Wrapped in zeal like a robe.

A psalm. Sing to the LORD a new song, for He has worked wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won Him victory.

Oh, let Your dead revive! Let corpses arise! Awake and shout for joy, You who dwell in the dust!— For Your dew is like the dew on fresh growth; You make the land of the shades come to life.

(2) I was asleep, But my heart was wakeful. Hark, my beloved knocks! “Let me in, my own, My darling, my faultless dove! For my head is drenched with dew, My locks with the damp of night.”

And [God] said to me, “You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.”

In that day, GOD of Hosts shall become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory for the remnant of this people,

His head is finest gold, His locks are curled And black as a raven.

...The Rabbis concede to Rabbi Akiva in the case of a woman who sees a blood stain and then engages in intercourse, that she transmits seven-day impurity to the man with whom she engaged in intercourse, although this impurity also applies by rabbinic law.

You shall make a frontlet of pure gold and engrave on it the seal inscription: “Holy to ה׳.”

It shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may take away any sin arising from the holy things that the Israelites consecrate, from any of their sacred donations; it shall be on his forehead at all times, to win acceptance for them before ה׳.

In that day, GOD of Hosts shall become a crown of beauty and a diadem of glory for the remnant of this people,

I put a ring in your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a splendid crown on your head.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have been deceiving me all along; you have been lying to me! Tell me, how could you be tied up?” He answered her, “If you weave seven locks of my head into the web.”

His head is finest gold, His locks are curled And black as a raven.

(23) Thus said GOD of Hosts, the God of Israel: They shall again say this in the land of Judah and in its towns, when I restore their fortunes: “ GOD bless you, Abode of righteousness, O holy mountain!”

Ah, the proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is but wilted flowers On the heads of those bloated with rich food, Who are overcome by wine!

let my tongue stick to my palate if I cease to think of you, if I do not keep Jerusalem in memory even at my happiest hour.

Now then, if you will obey Me faithfully and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all the peoples. Indeed, all the earth is Mine,

You shall be a glorious crown In the hand of GOD, And a royal diadem In the palm of your God.

Ah, the proud crowns of the drunkards of Ephraim, Whose glorious beauty is but wilted flowers On the heads of those bloated with rich food, Who are overcome by wine!

Bel is bowed, Nebo is cowering, Their images are a burden for beasts and cattle; The things you would carry [in procession] Are now piled as a burden On tired [beasts].

Listen to Me, O House of Jacob, All that are left of the House of Israel, Who have been carried since birth, Supported since leaving the womb:

I would carry it on my shoulder; Tie it around me for a wreath.

Because you are precious to Me, And honored, and I love you, I give people in exchange for you And nations in your stead.

...Rabbi Abba bar Zavda said that Rav said: A mourner is obligated in all the mitzvot mentioned in the Torah except for the mitzva to don phylacteries, from which a mourner is exempt, as the term splendor is stated with regard to phylacteries, as it is stated: “Make no mourning for the dead, bind your splendor upon yourself” (Ezekiel 24:17)...

For what great nation is there that has a god so close at hand as is our God ה׳ whenever we call?

The LORD is near to all who call Him, to all who call Him with sincerity.

My beloved is clear-skinned and ruddy, Preeminent among ten thousand.

(1) Who is this coming from Edom, In crimsoned garments from Bozrah— Who is this, majestic in attire, Pressing forward with great might? “It is I, who contend victoriously, Powerful to give triumph.” (2) Why is Your clothing so red, Your garments like those of someone who treads grapes? (3) “I trod out a vintage alone; Of the peoples nobody was with Me. I trod them down in My anger, Trampled them in My rage; Their life-blood bespattered My garments, And all My clothing was stained. (4) For I had planned a day of vengeance, And My year of redemption arrived.

Who is this coming from Edom The prophet prophesies concerning what the Holy One, blessed be He, said that He is destined to wreak vengeance upon Edom, and He, personally, will slay their heavenly prince, like the matter that is said (supra 34:5), “For My sword has become sated in the heaven.” And afterward, (ibid.) “it shall descend upon Edom,” and it is recognizable by the wrath of His face that He has slain [them with] a great massacre, and the prophet is speaking in the expression of the wars of human beings, dressed in clothes, and when they slay a slaying, the blood spatters on their garments, for so is the custom of Scripture; it speaks of the Shechinah anthropomorphically, to convey to the ear what it can hear. Comp. (Ezek. 43:2) “His voice is like the voice of many waters.” The prophet compares His mighty voice to the voice of many waters to convey to the ear according to what it is possible to hear, for one cannot understand and hearken to the magnitude of the mighty of our God to let us hear it as it is.

Now Moses himself was very humble, more so than any other human being on earth.

What did Moses see? It is said: “And I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, but My face you will not see” (Exodus 33:23). Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida, the expression: “And you will see My back,” should be understood as follows: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who, as mentioned above, wears phylacteries, showed him the knot of the phylacteries of His head, which is worn on the back of the head.

[Rabbi Avin bar Rav Adda said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wears phylacteries? As it is stated: “The Lord has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength” (Isaiah 62:8)...“The arm of His strength,” His left hand, refers to phylacteries, as it is stated: “The Lord gave strength to His nation” (Psalms 29:11), in the form of the mitzva of phylacteries...Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said to Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin: What is written in the phylacteries of the Master of the world? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin replied: It is written: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” (I Chronicles 17:21). God’s phylacteries serve to connect Him, in a sense, to the world, the essence of which is Israel...

the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: You have made Me a single entity [ḥativa] in the world, as you singled Me out as separate and unique. And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, and you will be a treasured nation, chosen by God. You have made Me a single entity in the world, as it is stated that Israel declares God’s oneness by saying: “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, unique and elevated with the utterance: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” Consequently, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is glorified through the glory of Israel whose praises are written in God’s phylacteries. Rav Aḥa, son of Rava said to Rav Ashi: It works out well with regard to the contents of one of the four compartments of God’s phylacteries of the head. However, all four compartments of Israel’s phylacteries of the head contain portions of the Torah that praise God. What portions in praise of Israel are written in the rest of the compartments of God’s phylacteries of the head? Rav Ashi said to him: In those three compartments it is written: “For who is a great nation, to whom God is close, like the Lord our God whenever we call upon Him?” (Deuteronomy 4:7); “And who is a great nation, who has righteous statutes and laws, like this entire Torah which I set before you today?” (Deuteronomy 4:8); “Happy are you, Israel, who is like you? A people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and that is the sword of your excellence. And your enemies shall dwindle away before you, and you shall tread upon their high places” (Deuteronomy 33:29); “Or has God attempted to go and take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and by wonders” (Deuteronomy 4:34); “And to elevate you above all nations that He has made, in praise, in name and in glory; that you may be a holy people to the Lord, your God, as He has spoken” (Deuteronomy 26:19). Rav Aḥa, son of Rava, raises an objection: If all of these verses are included in God’s phylacteries of the head, there are too many compartments as more than four verses of praise were listed. Rather, the portions in God’s phylacteries must be arranged as follows: The verses “For who is a great nation” and “And who is a great nation” are included in one compartment, as they are similar. “Happy are you, Israel” and "Who is like your people, Israel" are in one compartment. “Or has God attempted” is in one compartment and “And to elevate you” is in one compartment

in the phylacteries of the head, where there are four separate compartments. And all of the verses are written together on one parchment in the phylacteries of the arm, which has only one compartment.

§ The verse states: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed” (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself in a prayer shawl like a prayer leader and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them.

With him I speak mouth to mouth, plainly and not in riddles, and he beholds the likeness of ה׳. How then did you not shrink from speaking against My servant Moses!”

It halted; its appearance was strange to me; A form loomed before my eyes; I heard a murmur, a voice,

For the LORD delights in His people; He adorns the lowly with victory.

But You are the Holy One, enthroned, the Praise of Israel.

And [God] said to me, “You are My servant, Israel in whom I glory.”

Truth is the essence of Your word; Your just rules are eternal.

Who has wrought and achieved this? The One who announced the generations from the start— I, GOD, who was first And will be with the last as well.

When God began to create heaven and earth—

May my plea reach You, O LORD; grant me understanding according to Your word.

I put a ring in your nose, and earrings in your ears, and a splendid crown on your head.

...“Why are you crying out to Me?” – that is what is written: “Hearer of prayer, to You all flesh will come” (Psalms 65:3). What is “Hearer of prayer?” Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Meir, and Rabbi Yirmeya in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: When Israel prays, you do not find that they all pray as one, but rather, each congregation prays on its own. This congregation begins, and then the other congregation. After all the congregations have finished their prayers, the angel appointed over prayers takes all the prayers that they prayed in all the congregations and crafts them into crowns and places them on the head of the Holy One blessed be He

...So, it says: “Israel, in whom I will be glorified'” (Isaiah 49:3), as the Holy One blessed be He adorns Himself with the prayers of Israel, as it is stated: “And a beautiful crown upon your head” (Ezekiel 16:12)...

(2) Take my prayer as an offering of incense, my upraised hands as an evening sacrifice.

The first group exited upon completion of the rite, and the second group entered; the second group left upon completion of its rite, and the third group entered. As it was done by the first group, so was it done by the second and third groups. All the people standing in the Temple courtyard while the Paschal lambs were being slaughtered would recite hallel. If they finished reciting it before all the offerings were slaughtered, they recited it a second time, and if they finished reciting it a second time, they recited it a third time, although in practice they never recited it a third time, as the priests worked efficiently and finished the rite before this became necessary...

Rav Yehuda said that Shmuel said: From where is it derived that the basic requirement to accompany communal offerings with song applies by Torah law? As it is stated with regard to a Levite who serves in the Temple: “Then he shall serve with the name of the Lord his God” (Deuteronomy 18:7). What is this service that is performed with the name of God? You must say that this is the song, in which the Levites mention and praise the name of God...Rav Mattana said that the source for the requirement to accompany the Temple offerings with song is derived from here: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness, and with goodness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47). What is this service of God that is performed with joyfulness and with goodness of heart? You must say that this is song...

He who withholds grain earns the curses of the people, But blessings are on the head of the one who dispenses it.

(8) Who ever heard the like? Who ever witnessed such events? Can a land pass through travail In a single day? Or is a nation born All at once? Yet Zion travailed And at once bore her children! (9) Shall I who bring on labor not bring about birth? —says GOD. Shall I who cause birth shut the womb? —said your God.

Would one who hates justice govern? Would you condemn the Just Mighty One?

Similarly, it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest, said: Once, on Yom Kippur, I entered the innermost sanctum, the Holy of Holies, to offer incense, and in a vision I saw Akatriel Ya, the Lord of Hosts, one of the names of God expressing His ultimate authority, seated upon a high and exalted throne (see Isaiah 6). And He said to me: Yishmael, My son, bless Me. I said to Him the prayer that God prays: “May it be Your will that Your mercy overcome Your anger, and may Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes, and may You act toward Your children with the attribute of mercy, and may You enter before them beyond the letter of the law.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, nodded His head and accepted the blessing. This event teaches us that you should not take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly. If God asked for and accepted a man’s blessing, all the more so that a man must value the blessing of another man.

Please accept my present which has been brought to you, for God has favored me and I have plenty.” And when he urged him, he accepted.

Next take choice spices: five hundred weight of solidified myrrh, half as much—two hundred and fifty—of fragrant cinnamon, two hundred and fifty of aromatic cane,

May my prayer be pleasing to Him; I will rejoice in the LORD.

Like a hind crying for water, my soul cries for You, O God;