Concluding Prayers

siyum hatfilah

סיום התפילה

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

Aleinu

We rise:

Hebrew

עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל,
לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית,
שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂנוּ כְּגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת,
וְלֹא שָׂמָנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה,
שֶׁלֹּא שָׂם חֶלְקֵנוּ כָּהֶם,
וְגוֹרָלֵנוּ כְּכָל־הֲמוֹנָם.
וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים וּמוֹדִים,
לִפְנֵי מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם וְיֹסֵד אָרֶץ,
וּמוֹשַׁב יְקָרוֹ בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל,
וּשְׁכִינַת עֻזּוֹ בְּגָבְהֵי מְרוֹמִים,
הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֵין עוֹד.
אֱמֶת מַלְכֵּנוּ אֶפֶס זוּלָתוֹ,
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ:
וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם וַהֲשֵׁבֹתָ אֶל לְבָבֶךָ,
כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל,
וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת, אֵין עוֹד.

Israeli

aleinu leshabeach la-adon hakol,
latet g'dulah leyotzer bereishit,
shelo asanu k'goyei ha-aratzot,
velo samanu k'mishpechot ha-adamah,
shelo sam chelkenu kahem,
vegoralenu kechol-hamonam.
va-anachnu kore-im umishtachavim umodim,
lifnei melech malchei hamelachim, hakadosh baruch hu.
shehu noteh shamayim veyosed aretz,
umoshav yekaro bashamayim mima-al,
ushchinat uzo b'govhei meromim,
hu Eloheinu ein od.
emet malkenu efes zulato,
kakatuv b'Torato:
veyadata hayom vahashevota El levavecha,
ki Adonai hu ha-Elohim bashamayim mima-al,
ve-al ha-aretz mitachat, ein od.

English

It is for us to praise the ruler of all, to acclaim the Creator, who has not made us merely a nation, nor formed us as all earthly families, nor given us an ordinary destiny. And so we bow, acknowledging the supreme sovereign, the Holy One, who is praised—who spreads out the heavens and establishes the earth, whose glory abides in the highest heavens, and whose powerful presence resides in the highest heights. This is our God, none else; ours is the true sovereign, there is no other. As it is written in the Torah: “Know this day and take it to heart, that Adonai is God in heaven above and on earth below; there is no other.”

Commentary

ALEINU עָלֵינוּ. Since the 12th or 13th century, the Aleinu prayer has acquired a special pride of place in Ashkenazic liturgy and is recited at the conclusion of every service; it does not play the same role in the Sephardic liturgy. The origin of this popular prayer is a matter of debate. Some medieval sources (e.g. Rokeah, early 13th century, Germany) ascribed it to Joshua. The liturgical scholar Joseph Heinemann thought that it dates back to the time of the Temple service. Other scholars have argued that it originated in 2nd- or 3rd-century mystical circles. Its first known use in the formal liturgy is as an introduction to the Malkhuyot (“Sovereignty”) section of the Rosh Hashanah Musaf service. Aleinu articulates a progression of ideas. In the first paragraph, we are asked to express our gratitude for the special fate and role of the Jewish people in history. In the second, we look forward to the day when differences among peoples will be harmonized and there will be a common recognition that all of humanity is embraced by God. This vision recognizes that God is not exclusively the God of Israel, but that God rules over all of us. On that day, when justice, morality, and common spiritual affinity will reign on earth, God’s name will truly be one. Some have objected to what may sound like exclusivist language in this prayer, in particular the phrases describing the uniqueness of the people Israel: “who has not made us merely a nation, nor formed us as all earthly families, nor given us an ordinary destiny.” The Israel Masorti Movement offers an alternative formulation quoting Micah 4:5: “For the people of every nation shall walk in the name of their god, but we shall walk in the name of Adonai, our God, forever.” Whether articulated with this wording or the standard text, Aleinu both asserts a pride in Jewish destiny and challenges us to go out to the world committed to Jewish spiritual values.

AND SO WE BOW וַאֲנַחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים. The prayer mentions a variety of forms of bowing. In ancient times, korim meant touching the floor with one’s knees, and mishtahavim meant bending at the waist. However, the ancient rabbis minimized the bowing that takes place in the service, and so today it is customary to simply bow one’s head or slightly bend one’s body at this point in the prayer.

KNOW THIS DAY וְיָדַעְתָּ הַיּוֹם. Deuteronomy 4:39.

I Spread Out God’s Names in Front of Me I spread out God’s names in front of me on the floor of my chilly room. The name by which I called him when his spirit breathed in me. And the name by which I called him when I was a young girl. The name by which I called him when I was given to a man. And the name when I was again permitted to all. The name by which I called him when my parents were a roof over me. And the name when I had no ceiling. The name by which I called him so that I would fear him. And the name by which I called him so that I would not be afraid. The name by which I called him so that he would remember me. And the name so that he would refrain from remembering. In the heat of day I will prostrate myself on the floor of my chilly room. —RIVKA MIRIAM (translated by Linda Stern Zisquit) …