Thirteen Attributes

יג midot harachamim

י״ג מדות הרחמים

Speed

Section 1: 0:00

Reader

Israeli: ' marks a reduced vowel that Israeli speech drops (b'rachah); when the vowel is pronounced it is written e (lefanecha). - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

י״ג מדות הרחמים

THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF DIVINE COMPASSION

Hebrew

אֵל אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם אַתָּה, וּבַעַל הָרַחֲמִים נִקְרֵאתָ, וְדֶרֶךְ תְּשׁוּבָה הוֹרֵיתָ. גָּדְלַת רַחֲמֶיךָ
וַחֲסָדֶיךָ, תִּזְכֹּר הַיּוֹם וּבְכָל יוֹם לְזֶרַע יְדִידֶיךָ. תֵּפֶן אֵלֵינוּ בְּרַחֲמִים, כִּי אַתָּה הוּא
בַּעַל הָרַחֲמִים. בְּתַחֲנוּן וּבִתְפִלָּה פָּנֶיךָ נְקַדֵּם, כְּהוֹדַעְתָּ לְעָנָו מִקֶּדֶם. מֵחֲרוֹן אַפְּךָ
שׁוּב, כְּמוֹ בְּתוֹרָתְךָ כָּתוּב. וּבְצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ נֶחֱסֶה וְנִתְלוֹנֵן, כְּיוֹם וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה בֶּעָנָן.
תַּעֲבֹר עַל פֶּשַׁע וְתִמְחֶה אָשָׁם, כְּיוֹם וַיִּתְיַצֵּב עִמּוֹ שָׁם. תַּאֲזִין שַׁוְעָתֵנוּ וְתַקְשִׁיב
מֶנּוּ מַאֲמָר, כְּיוֹם וַיִּקְרָא בְּשֵׁם יְהוָה, וְשָׁם נֶאֱמַר:

Israeli

El erech apayim atah, uva-al harachamim nikreita, vederech t'shuvah horeita. godlat rachamecha
vachasadecha, tizkor hayom uvchol yom lezera yedidecha. tefen eleinu b'rachamim, ki atah hu
ba-al harachamim. b'tachanun uvitfilah panecha nekadem, kehodata le-anav mikedem. mecharon apcha
shuv, k'mo b'Toratcha katuv. uvtzel k'nafecha necheseh venitlonen, k'yom vayered Adonai be-anan.
ta-avor al pesha vetimcheh asham, k'yom vayityatzev imo sham. ta-azin shavatenu vetakshiv
menu ma-amar, k'yom vayikra b'shem Adonai, vesham ne-emar:

All say aloud:

Ex. 34Ps. 86

Hebrew

וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא
יְהוָה, יְהוָה, אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן, אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת:
נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים, נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה, וְנַקֵּה:
וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲוֹנֵנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵנוּ וּנְחַלְתָּנוּ:
סְלַח לָנוּ אָבִינוּ כִּי חָטָאנוּ, מְחַל לָנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כִּי פָשָׁעְנוּ
כִּי־אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי טוֹב וְסַלָּח וְרַב־חֶסֶד לְכָל־קֹרְאֶיךָ:

Israeli

vaya-avor Adonai al-panav vayikra
Adonai, Adonai, El rachum vechanun, erech apayim verav-chesed ve-emet:
notzer chesed la-alafim, nosei avon vafesha vechata-ah, venakeh:
vesalachta la-avonenu ulechatatenu unechaltanu:
s'lach lanu avinu ki chatanu, mechal lanu malkenu ki fashanu
ki-atah Adonai tov vesalach verav-chesed lechol-kore-echa:

Commentary

… more extended penitential prayer; therefore, on Mondays and Thursdays, Tahanun is longer.

One of the classic biblical instances of supplication was Daniel's prayer on behalf of the exiles in Babylon (Daniel, chapter 9). Sections of that prayer, together with other verses from the prophetic books and Psalms, form the core of these paragraphs. There are three sections, each containing eighteen mentions of God's name; thus we say them quietly, standing, as if they were forms of the Amida.

A tradition, found in the Geonic literature, dates these prayers to the period of persecution under the Romans, when three exiles crossed the Mediterranean, found temporary refuge and then suffered renewed oppression. Some passages may have been added in the wake of the Gothic and Frankish persecutions in the seventh century. Their mood bespeaks the tears of Jews throughout the centuries of exile who experienced persecution, expulsion, humiliation, and often bloodshed at the hands of those amongst whom they lived. Even in times of freedom, we continue to say these prayers, keeping faith with our ancestors and remembering their tears.

… to Temple times. After the daily sacrifice, "The Levites sang the Psalm [of the day]. When they reached the end of each section [the psalm was divided into three parts] they blew the shofar and the people prostrated themselves" (Tamid 7:3). Some communities continued the custom of prostration, with faces to the ground, even after the destruction of the Temple. We preserve a trace of that gesture by resting our heads on our arms and covering our faces as we say Psalm 6. The Leader's Repetition of the Amida stands in place of the daily sacrifice, which is why we subsequently "fall on our faces."

The custom of attaching special significance to Mondays and Thursdays is also ancient. Already in the Second Temple period, Mondays and Thursdays were days on which the pious would fast. According to tradition, Moses began his ascent of Mount Sinai to receive the second tablets on a Thursday and descended forty days later on a Monday (the 10th of Tishrei, Yom Kippur). The second tablets were a sign of God's forgiveness. Hence, these days were seen as "days of favor." They were also market days when people would come from villages to towns. Congregations were larger; the Torah was read; law courts were in session. The heightened atmosphere was the setting for …