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

God cares for the Jewish Nation

Hebrew

הַלְלוּיָהּ, כִּי טוֹב זַמְּרָה
אֱלֹהֵינוּ, כִּי נָעִים
נָאוָה תְהִלָּה: בּוֹנֵה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
יְהֹוָה, נִדְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל יְכַנֵּס:
הָרוֹפֵא לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב,¹ וּמְחַבֵּשׁ
לְעַצְּבוֹתָם: מוֹנֶה מִסְפָּר
לַכּוֹכָבִים, לְכֻלָּם שֵׁמוֹת
יִקְרָא:² גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ וְרַב כֹּחַ,
לִתְבוּנָתוֹ אֵין מִסְפָּר: מְעוֹדֵד
עֲנָוִים יְהֹוָה, מַשְׁפִּיל רְשָׁעִים
עֲדֵי אָרֶץ: עֱנוּ לַיהוָה בְּתוֹדָה,
זַמְּרוּ לֵאלֹהֵינוּ בְּכִנּוֹר:

Chabad

hal'luyoh, ki toyv zam'roh
Eloyheinu, ki no-im
novoh s'hiloh: boyneih Y'rusholayim
Adonoy, nidchei Yisro-eil y'chaneis:
horoyfei lishvurei leiv, um'chabeish
l'atz'voysom: moyneh mispor
lakoychovim, l'chulom sheimoys
yikro: godoyl adoyneinu v'rav koyach,
lisvunosoy ein mispor: m'oydeid
anovim Adonoy, mashpil r'sho-im
adei oretz: enu ladonoy b'soydoh,
zam'ru leiloyheinu b'chinoyr:

God controls the forces of nature

Hebrew

הַמְכַסֶּה שָׁמַיִם בְּעָבִים,
הַמֵּכִין לָאָרֶץ מָטָר, הַמַּצְמִיחַ
הָרִים חָצִיר: נוֹתֵן לִבְהֵמָה³
לַחְמָהּ, לִבְנֵי עֹרֵב אֲשֶׁר
יִקְרָאוּ: לֹא בִגְבוּרַת הַסּוּס
יֶחְפָּץ, לֹא בְשׁוֹקֵי הָאִישׁ
יִרְצֶה: רוֹצֶה יְהֹוָה אֶת יְרֵאָיו,⁴
אֶת הַמְיַחֲלִים לְחַסְדּוֹ:⁵
שַׁבְּחִי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם אֶת יְהֹוָה, הַלְלִי
אֱלֹהַיִךְ צִיּוֹן: כִּי חִזַּק בְּרִיחֵי
שְׁעָרָיִךְ, בֵּרַךְ בָּנַיִךְ בְּקִרְבֵּךְ:
הַשָּׂם גְּבוּלֵךְ שָׁלוֹם, חֵלֶב
חִטִּים יַשְׂבִּיעֵךְ: הַשֹּׁלֵחַ
אִמְרָתוֹ אָרֶץ, עַד מְהֵרָה
יָרוּץ דְּבָרוֹ: הַנֹּתֵן שֶׁלֶג
כַּצָּמֶר, כְּפוֹר כָּאֵפֶר יְפַזֵּר:
מַשְׁלִיךְ קַרְחוֹ כְפִתִּים, לִפְנֵי
קָרָתוֹ מִי יַעֲמֹד: יִשְׁלַח
דְּבָרוֹ וְיַמְסֵם, יַשֵּׁב רוּחוֹ
יִזְּלוּ מָיִם: מַגִּיד דְּבָרָיו
לְיַעֲקֹב, חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו
לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן
לְכָל גּוֹי,⁶ וּמִשְׁפָּטִים בַּל
יְדָעוּם, הַלְלוּיָהּ:⁷

Chabad

ham'chaseh shomayim b'ovim,
hameichin lo-oretz motor, hamatzmiach
horim chotzir: noysein livheimoh
lachmoh, livnei oyreiv asher
yikrou: loy vigvuras hasus
yechpotz, loy v'shoykei ho-ish
yirtzeh: roytzeh Adonoy es y'rei-ov,
es ham'yachalim l'chasdoy:
shab'chi Y'rusholayim es Adonoy, hal'li
Eloyhayich Tziyoyn: ki chizak b'richei
sh'oroyich, beirach bonayich b'kirbeich:
hasom g'vuleich sholoym, cheilev
chitim yasbi-eich: hashoyleiach
imrosoy oretz, ad m'heiroh
yorutz d'voroy: hanoysein sheleg
katzomer, k'foyr ko-eifer y'fazeir:
mashlich karchoy ch'fitim, lifnei
korosoy mi ya-amoyd: yishlach
d'voroy v'yamseim, yasheiv ruchoy
yiz'lu moyim: magid d'vorov
l'Ya-akoyv, chukov umishpotov
l'Yisro-eil: loy osoh chein
l'chol goy, umishpotim bal
y'doum, hal'luyoh:

Commentary

1 We have “broken hearts,” because in exile we cannot completely unite ourselves with God as we would like. Our broken hearts will be healed when God is once again revealed, with the rebuilding of the Temple.

2 Jewish people are compared to stars. Just as a star seems small to us (from earth) but is in fact very large, so is every Jewish person significant. Every one of us has a special “name”—we each contribute something unique and valuable to the world.

3 A person should consider: If an animal can find its sustenance without worry, certainly humans, who are the highest of all creations, should not need to be concerned about it! A person worries about his livelihood only because his negative behavior causes his livelihood to be withheld. Through repentance he can fix this problem and no longer need to worry.

4 The “horse” in this verse symbolizes words of prayer. Just as a horse transports things from one place to another, so do words of prayer carry a person to a higher level of emotional attachment to God. However, God is not content with these emotions, as powerful as they may be, because they are carried by a “horse”—they come from an external source (prayer). God wants our emotions to be internal—He desires people who “fear Him” innately, without the dependence on prayer.

5 This refers to those who do not seek any personal gain from God. Rather, they await the revelation of God’s kindness only so that God’s greatness should be made known.

6 The written Torah is written and available “for all nations” to read, and it may therefore be misinterpreted by them. The Oral Torah, on the other hand, is spoken only by the Jewish Nation; they are God’s “words” that are exclusively for the descendants of “Jacob” and nobody else.

7 An alternative interpretation of these two verses: Only one who speaks God’s “words to Jacob” (i.e. words of Torah), and does not speak the words of “any other nation” (i.e. mundane, worldly issues), will be able to “praise the Lord” properly.