The Amidah

amidah

עמידה

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

The following paragraph is said only when the entire Amidah is recited silently:

Hebrew

אַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ וְשִׁמְךָ קָדוֹשׁ,
וּקְדוֹשִׁים בְּכָל־יוֹם יְהַלְלוּךָ סֶלָה.
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, הָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ.

Israeli

atah kadosh veshimcha kadosh,
ukdoshim b'chol-yom yehalelucha selah.
baruch atah Adonai, ha-El hakadosh.

English

Holy are You and holy is Your name; holy ones praise You each day. Barukh atah Adonai, the Holy God.

On Shabbat Shuvah we substitute:

Hebrew

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהוָה, הַמֶּלֶךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ.

Israeli

baruch atah Adonai, hamelech hakadosh.

English

Barukh atah Adonai, the Holy Sovereign.

Fourth B’rakhah: The Celebration of Shabbat

For an alternate version of this b’rakhah, not centered on sacrifices, continue on the next page.

SHABBAT AND THE TEMPLE SERVICE

Hebrew

תִּכַּנְתָּ שַׁבָּת רָצִיתָ קָרְבְּנוֹתֶיהָ,
צִוִּיתָ פֵּרוּשֶׁיהָ עִם סִדּוּרֵי נְסָכֶיהָ.
מְעַנְּגֶיהָ לְעוֹלָם כָּבוֹד יִנְחָלוּ, טוֹעֲמֶיהָ חַיִּים זָכוּ,
וְגַם הָאוֹהֲבִים דְּבָרֶיהָ גְּדֻלָּה בָחָרוּ.
אָז מִסִּינַי נִצְטַוּוּ עָלֶיהָ וַתְּצַוֵּם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ
לְהַקְרִיב בָּהּ קָרְבַּן מוּסַף שַׁבָּת כָּרָאוּי.

Israeli

tikanta Shabat ratzita korbenoteha,
tzivita perusheha im sidurei nesacheha.
me-anegeha le-olam kavod yinchalu, to-ameha chayim zachu,
vegam ha-ohavim d'vareha g'dulah vacharu.
az misinai nitztavu aleha vattzavem Adonai Eloheinu
lehakriv bah korban musaf Shabat karaui.

English

You established Shabbat and desired its offerings. You prescribed the details of its service and the order of the libations. Those who take pleasure in Shabbat inherit eternal glory. Those who savor Shabbat truly merit life; those who love its teachings have chosen to join in its greatness. Adonai our God, it was at Sinai that You commanded its observance and commanded our ancestors to offer an additional appropriate sacrifice on Shabbat.

Hebrew

יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי
אֲבוֹתֵינוּ [וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ], הַמֵּשִׁיב בָּנִים לִגְבוּלָם,
שֶׁתַּעֲלֵנוּ בְשִׂמְחָה לְאַרְצֵנוּ וְתִטָּעֵנוּ בִּגְבוּלֵנוּ,
שֶׁשָּׁם עָשׂוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ [וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ] לְפָנֶיךָ
אֶת־קָרְבְּנוֹתֵיהֶם, תְּמִידִים כְּסִדְרָם וּמוּסָפִים כְּהִלְכָתָם.
וְאֶת־מוּסַף יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת הַזֶּה נַעֲשֶׂה וְנַקְרִיב
לְפָנֶיךָ בְּאַהֲבָה כְּמִצְוַת רְצוֹנֶךָ, כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ
עַל יְדֵי מֹשֶׁה עַבְדֶּךָ מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶךָ כָּאָמוּר:

Israeli

yehi ratzon milefanecha Adonai Eloheinu veilohei
avoteinu [ve-imoteinu], hameshiv banim ligvulam,
sheta-alenu v'simchah le-artzenu vetita-enu bigvulenu,
shesham asu avoteinu [ve-imoteinu] lefanecha
et-korbenoteihem, t'midim k'sidram umusafim kehilchatam.
ve-et-musaf yom hashabat hazeh na-aseh venakriv
lefanecha be-ahavah k'mitzvat retzonecha, kakatuv b'Toratecha
al yedei Mosheh avdecha mipi ch'vodecha ka-amur:

English

May it be Your will, Adonai our God and God of our ancestors, who restores their descendants to their land, to lead us there in joy and to plant us in our borders, where our ancestors once offered to You their sacrifices: the daily sacrifices in their proper order, as well as the additional offerings prescribed for holy days. Lovingly, the additional Shabbat sacrifices were offered there as You commanded, fulfilling the words spoken in revelation and written down by Moses, your servant, in Your Torah:

Hebrew

וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, שְׁנֵי כְבָשִׂים בְּנֵי שָׁנָה תְּמִימִם,
וּשְׁנֵי עֶשְׂרֹנִים סֹלֶת מִנְחָה בְּלוּלָה בַשֶּׁמֶן וְנִסְכּוֹ.
עֹלַת שַׁבַּת בְּשַׁבַּתּוֹ, עַל עֹלַת הַתָּמִיד וְנִסְכָּהּ.

Israeli

uvyom hashabat, sh'nei ch'vasim b'nei shanah t'mimim,
ushnei esronim solet minchah b'lulah vashemen venisko.
olat Shabat b'Shabato, al olat hatamid veniskah.

English

On Shabbat: two yearling lambs without blemish, together with two-tenths of a measure of choice flour with oil mixed in as a meal offering and with the proper libation—a burnt offering for every Shabbat, in addition to the daily burnt offering and its libation.

We continue on page 189.

Commentary

YOU ESTABLISHED SHABBAT תִּכַּנְתָּ שַׁבָּת. A reverse alphabetical acrostic celebrating Shabbat. In one version it concludes with the words אָז מִסִּינַי נִצְטַוּוּ צִוּוּי פְעָלֶיהָ כָּרָאוּי, “it was at Sinai that You commanded its proper service”—thus incorporating into the acrostic not only the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, but also the five “final” letters—the ones that have a distinct shape when they appear as the last letter of a word.

DESIRED ITS OFFERINGS רָצִיתָ קָרְבְּנוֹתֶיהָ. Although slaughter and sacrifice would normally be considered a violation of the laws of Shabbat, God is pleased with this offering on Shabbat—for the sacrifices are offered in the service of God. (Jacob Emden) …

THOSE WHO TAKE PLEASURE IN SHABBAT מְעַנְּגֶיהָ. The language of this paragraph is based on midrashim interpreting the verse from Isaiah: “If you call Shabbat a delight (oneg), Adonai’s holy day honored . . . then you shall rejoice with Adonai...” (58:13–14).

SPOKEN IN REVELATION מִפִּי כְבוֹדֶךָ. More literally, “spoken by Your glory.” The Book of Exodus describes God’s “glory” (kavod), perhaps imagined as a dense cloud, descending on Mount Sinai. A voice is heard through the cloud but God is not seen. The liturgy follows the biblical text in putting a veil between God’s revelation and human understanding.

ON SHABBAT וּבְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. Numbers 28:9–10.

A Meditation אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ [וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ], יַעֲלֶה לְפָנֶיךָ זִכְרוֹן אֲבוֹתֵינוּ [וְאִמּוֹתֵינוּ] בִּימֵי קֶדֶם, בְּעָמְדָם לְפָנֶיךָ בְּחַצְרוֹת קָדְשֶׁךָ. מַה רַבָּה אַהֲבָתָם לָךְ בְּהָבִיאָם לְפָנֶיךָ אֶת־קָרְבְּנוֹתֵיהֶם מִדֵּי שַׁבָּת בְּשַׁבַּתּוֹ. אָנָּא יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ, הַאֲצֵל עָלֵינוּ מֵרוּחָם רוּחַ דַּעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהוָה. כֵּן נִזְכֶּה לְמַלֵּא חוֹבוֹתֵינוּ לִבְנִיַּן אַרְצְךָ וּלְחִדּוּשׁ בֵּית חַיֵּינוּ, וְיִתְבָּרְכוּ בָנוּ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה. Our God and God of our ancestors, may You call to mind our ancestors as they appeared in Your holy Temple, in ancient times: how deep their love of You as they brought their offerings to You each Shabbat. Please, Adonai our God, grant us a similar spirit to be in relation to You and in awe of You. May we fulfill our duty toward the rebuilding of Your holy land, renewing the wellsprings of our lives, that we may ever be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth. —ROBERT GORDIS …

The Meaning of Sacrifices for the Contemporary Believer Most contemporaries understand the demand for the return of sacrifice metaphorically. It may mean, as William James offered, “the sacrifice of the heart, the sacrifice of the inner ego.” Even traditionalists who believe in the efficacy of sacrifice might say that atonement for sin and the soul’s purification, the aim of sacrifice, can be achieved through the overcoming of arrogance and the diminution of the ego. As Martin Buber expressed it, “Truly there is no cosmos for the human being except when the totality is made home, a temple in which one offers one’s sacrifice.” —ADMIEL KOSMAN …