Psalm 23

tehilim כג

תהלים כג

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

Ps. 23

Hebrew

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד, יְהֹוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָר: בִּנְאוֹת דֶּשֶׁא יַרְבִּיצֵנִי, עַל
מֵי מְנֻחוֹת יְנַהֲלֵנִי: נַפְשִׁי יְשׁוֹבֵב, יַנְחֵנִי בְמַעְגְּלֵי־צֶדֶק לְמַעַן
שְׁמוֹ: גַּם כִּי־אֵלֵךְ בְּגֵיא צַלְמָוֶת לֹא־אִירָא רָע, כִּי־אַתָּה עִמָּדִי
שִׁבְטְךָ וּמִשְׁעַנְתֶּךָ הֵמָּה יְנַחֲמֻנִי: תַּעֲרֹךְ לְפָנַי שֻׁלְחָן נֶגֶד צֹרְרָי
דִּשַּׁנְתָּ בַשֶּׁמֶן רֹאשִׁי, כּוֹסִי רְוָיָה: אַךְ טוֹב וָחֶסֶד יִרְדְּפוּנִי כָּל־יְמֵי
חַיַּי, וְשַׁבְתִּי בְּבֵית־יְהֹוָה לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים:

Israeli

mizmor ledavid, Adonai ro-i lo echsar: binot deshe yarbitzeni, al
mei menuchot yenahaleni: nafshi yeshovev, yancheni v'magelei-tzedek lema-an
sh'mo: gam ki-elech b'gei tzalmavet lo-ira ra, ki-atah imadi
shivtecha umishantecha hemah yenachamuni: ta-aroch lefanai shulchan neged tzorerai
dishanta vashemen roshi, kosi revayah: ach tov vachesed yirdefuni kol-yemei
chayai, veshavti beveit-adonai le-orech yamim:

No Kiddush is said before Se’uda Shelishit. However, some say the following:

Ex. 16

Hebrew

וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה, אִכְלֻהוּ הַיּוֹם, כִּי־שַׁבָּת הַיּוֹם לַיהֹוָה, הַיּוֹם לֹא תִמְצָאֻהוּ
בַּשָּׂדֶה: רְאוּ כִּי־יְהֹוָה נָתַן לָכֶם הַשַּׁבָּת עַל־כֵּן הוּא נֹתֵן לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הַשִּׁשִּׁי
לֶחֶם יוֹמָיִם, שְׁבוּ אִישׁ תַּחְתָּיו אַל־יֵצֵא אִישׁ מִמְּקֹמוֹ בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי:
וַיִּשְׁבְּתוּ הָעָם בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי:

Israeli

vayomer Mosheh, ichluhu hayom, ki-shabat hayom ladonai, hayom lo timtza-uhu
basadeh: reu ki-adonai Natan lachem hashabat al-ken hu noten lachem bayom hashishi
lechem yomayim, sh'vu ish tachtav al-yetzei ish mimekomo bayom hashvi-i:
vayishbetu ha-am bayom hashvi-i:

Ex. 20

Hebrew

עַל־כֵּן בֵּרַךְ יְהֹוָה אֶת־יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ:

Israeli

al-ken berach Adonai et-yom hashabat vaykadshehu:

Hebrew

סַבְרִי מָרָנָן

Israeli

savri maranan

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם
בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן.

Israeli

baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu melech ha-olam
borei p'ri hagafen.

Commentary

The metaphor then changes. Now the Psalmist is a guest at God’s table, his cup of wine filled to overflowing, his head anointed with oil (oil was placed on the heads of honored guests at banquets: see Ecclesiastes 9:8; Psalm 92:11). Though his enemies are close, they can do him no harm for he is under his host’s protection. The last line delivers the unexpected denouement: the place where the poet experiences these rich feelings of safety is the Temple, “the House of the LORD.”

Said here, toward the end of Shabbat, the psalm has particular force. Often Jews were all too conscious of the dangers that lay ahead as they left the refuge of Shabbat and prepared to reengage with the world outside. With them, however, they took the courage born of faith that “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”

Psalm 23: One of the most sublime passages in all religious literature: a poetic masterpiece – a mere 57 words long – of trust in God’s gentle care. In the first half, the Psalmist sees himself as a sheep of God’s flock, vulnerable yet safe under the shepherd’s protective eye. The tone of serenity is conveyed by a series of pastoral images: “green pastures,” “still waters,” and ma’aglei tzedek, “right (i.e. safe) paths.”

The mood then quickens. The Psalmist speaks of “the valley of the shadow of death” (or “a valley of deep darkness”), perhaps a crevice in the rocks where the sun cannot penetrate and where there may be danger from predators. At this point, the psalm shifts from third to second person as the author turns directly to God, uttering in six simple Hebrew words one of the great declarations of faith: “I will fear no evil, for You are with me.”