Verses Of Praise

p'sukei d'zimrah

פְּסוּקֵי דְּזִמְרָה

Chabad: ' is a reduced vowel — every vocal shva, always pronounced. - separates syllables that would otherwise run together.

How to read the transliterations

Hebrew

וּגְדָל חֶסֶד: טוֹב יְהֹוָה לַכֹּל, וְרַחֲמָיו
עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו: יוֹדוּךָ יְהֹוָה כָּל
מַעֲשֶׂיךָ, וַחֲסִידֶיךָ יְבָרֲכוּכָה:
כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ יֹאמֵרוּ, וּגְבוּרָתְךָ
יְדַבֵּרוּ: לְהוֹדִיעַ לִבְנֵי הָאָדָם
גְּבוּרֹתָיו, וּכְבוֹד הֲדַר מַלְכוּתוֹ:
מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל עוֹלָמִים,
וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדֹר:¹ סוֹמֵךְ
יְהֹוָה לְכָל הַנֹּפְלִים, וְזוֹקֵף לְכָל
הַכְּפוּפִים: עֵינֵי כֹל אֵלֶיךָ יְשַׂבֵּרוּ,
וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן לָהֶם אֶת אָכְלָם בְּעִתּוֹ:
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ, וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל
חַי רָצוֹן: צַדִּיק יְהֹוָה בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו,
וְחָסִיד בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו: קָרוֹב יְהֹוָה
לְכָל קֹרְאָיו, לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ
בֶּאֱמֶת: רְצוֹן יְרֵאָיו יַעֲשֶׂה,
וְאֶת שַׁוְעָתָם יִשְׁמַע וְיוֹשִׁיעֵם:
שׁוֹמֵר יְהֹוָה אֶת כָּל אֹהֲבָיו, וְאֵת כָּל
הָרְשָׁעִים יַשְׁמִיד: תְּהִלַּת יְהֹוָה יְדַבֶּר
פִּי, וִיבָרֵךְ כָּל בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ
לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד: וַאֲנַחְנוּ נְבָרֵךְ יָהּ,
מֵעַתָּה וְעַד עוֹלָם, הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Chabad

ug'dol chesed: toyv Adonoy lakoyl, v'rachamov
al kol ma-asov: yoyducho Adonoy kol
ma-asecho, vachasidecho y'vorachuchoh:
k'voyd malchus'cho yoymeiru, ug'vuros'cho
y'dabeiru: l'hoydia livnei ho-odom
g'vuroysov, uch'voyd hadar malchusoy:
malchus'cho malchus kol oylomim,
umemshalt'cho b'chol doyr vodoyr: soymeich
Adonoy l'chol hanoyf'lim, v'zoykeif l'chol
hak'fufim: einei choyl eilecho y'sabeiru,
v'atoh noysein lohem es ochlom b'itoy:
poyseiach es yodecho, umasbia l'chol
chai rotzoyn: tzadik Adonoy b'chol d'rochov,
v'chosid b'chol ma-asov: koroyv Adonoy
l'chol koyr'-ov, l'choyl asher yikro-uhu
be-emes: r'tzoyn y'rei-ov ya-aseh,
v'es shavosom yishma v'yoyshi-eim:
shoymeir Adonoy es kol oyhavov, v'eis kol
hor'sho-im yashmid: t'hilas Adonoy y'daber
pi, vivoreich kol bosor sheim kodshoy
l'oylom vo-ed: va-anachnu n'voreich Yoh,
mei-atoh v'ad oylom, hal'luyoh:

We should rely only on God

Hebrew

הַלְלוּיָהּ, הַלְלִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת יְהֹוָה:
אֲהַלְלָה יְהֹוָה בְּחַיָּי,
אֲזַמְּרָה לֵאלֹהַי בְּעוֹדִי: אַל
תִּבְטְחוּ בִנְדִיבִים, בְּבֶן אָדָם שֶׁאֵין
לוֹ תְשׁוּעָה:² תֵּצֵא רוּחוֹ יָשֻׁב
לְאַדְמָתוֹ,³ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָבְדוּ
עֶשְׁתֹּנֹתָיו: אַשְׁרֵי שֶׁאֵל
יַעֲקֹב בְּעֶזְרוֹ, שִׂבְרוֹ עַל יְהֹוָה
אֱלֹהָיו: עֹשֶׂה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ,
אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּם,
הַשֹּׁמֵר אֱמֶת לְעוֹלָם:

Chabad

hal'luyoh, hal'li nafshi es Adonoy:
ahal'loh Adonoy b'chayoy,
azam'roh leiloyhai b'oydi: al
tivt'chu vindivim, b'ven Odom she-ein
loy s'shu-oh: teitzei ruchoy yoshuv
l'admosoy, bayoym hahu ov'du
eshtoynoysov: ashrei she-Eil
Ya-akoyv b'ezroy, sivroy al Adonoy
eloyhov: oyseh shomayim vo-oretz,
es hayom v'es kol asher bom,
hashoymeir emes l'oylom:

God helps everyone in need

Hebrew

עֹשֶׂה מִשְׁפָּט לָעֲשׁוּקִים,
נֹתֵן לֶחֶם לָרְעֵבִים,⁴ יְהֹוָה מַתִּיר
אֲסוּרִים: יְהֹוָה פֹּקֵחַ עִוְרִים,
יְהֹוָה זֹקֵף כְּפוּפִים,⁵ יְהֹוָה אֹהֵב
צַדִּיקִים: יְהֹוָה שֹׁמֵר אֶת גֵּרִים,
יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה יְעוֹדֵד, וְדֶרֶךְ
רְשָׁעִים יְעַוֵּת: יִמְלֹךְ יְהֹוָה
לְעוֹלָם, אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן, לְדֹר
וָדֹר, הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Chabad

oyseh mishpot lo-ashukim,
noysein lechem lor'-eivim, Adonoy matir
asurim: Adonoy poykeiach ivrim,
Adonoy zoykeif k'fufim, Adonoy oyheiv
tzadikim: Adonoy shoymeir es geirim,
yosoym v'almonoh y'oydeid, v'derech
r'sho-im y'aveis: yimloych Adonoy
l'oylom, Eloyhayich Tziyoyn, l'doyr
vodoyr, hal'luyoh:

Commentary

1 The world is limited by space and time, but God's kingship, which extends through all worlds and all generations, is unlimited.

2 The word נְדִיבִים can also mean generous, and in this verse it would be referring to unholy powers. At first a person might think that these unholy powers are "generous" because it is so easy for a person to receive energy from them. But these unholy powers "don't have the power to save" the person from falling to a low spiritual level.

3 The energy that comes from unholy powers is temporary. When we elevate the holy sparks hidden in the world, the unholy powers are cut off from their source of energy, and they "return to the earth."

4 The evil inclination's distractions distance us from God and make us "hungry" for Godliness. God then turns this hunger and yearning into a source of motivation, giving us increased energy to serve Him.

5 These words are a reference to three kinds of struggles in the service of God: "The imprisoned" refers to those who want to meditate and connect to God but are tied down and "imprisoned" by physical matters. "The blind" refers to those who have eyes and are aware of the spiritual, but are "blind" and cannot connect to it in a meaningful way. "The bent" refers to those who look downward and are only involved in worldly matters. God helps all these people overcome their challenges.