We Can Return to God Through the Godliness in Every Created Thing / A Person Who Cannot Recognize God in Every Creation Must Cling to the Tzaddikim / The World to Come Makes Our Existence Worthwhile God created a universe filled with wonders. That is true of our physical world — how much more, then, the other cosmos. He created all of this for the sake of the Jewish people. As for the Jewish people, we were created for the ultimate goal of Heaven and earth: the world of souls, a world that is entirely Shabbat. In that world, people will understand God without any screens or obstacles. There will be complete unity, and, as our sages said, “Everyone will point with his finger [and say], “This is our God, in Whom we hoped” (Taanit 31a; Isaiah 25:9). Everything created in this world contains that ultimate purpose. Every entity has a spiritual beginning and an ultimate purpose. The spiritual beginning marks the level from which it devolved until it turned into a physical entity. And it has an ultimate purpose for which sake it was created. The Jewish people can study, know and contemplate the details of creation — the form of the limbs and the structure of everything — and from that appreciate God’s greatness, and serve Him through that. Every object has a connection to the purpose for which it was created. Through every object, we can reach God and serve Him to attain that purpose — the nexus where the object ends and touches upon the ultimate purpose. Everyone must contemplate this, and thus know and recognize God’s greatness in everything: in every entity’s form and shape, number of limbs, structure, and so forth. We must serve God with that until we reach the ultimate purpose of that entity, which is the level of the Shabbat, the world of souls. People who have expansive minds can do this. But how can lowly people such as ourselves, who are on the level of the feet, attain this knowledge? The answer is that we must yearn deeply for a leader of the generation, a faithful shepherd comparable to Moses, who has the power to illuminate us so that we will reach the goal. It is an extraordinary fact that the promulgation of this ultimate awareness depends on people in this low world. All souls must go through this world in order to attain the ultimate reality. Everything in this world is needed to attain that end. We should yearn and beg God with many tears, asking Him to help us attain this awareness so that we may know Him through everything in this world. In our present state, we do not have “beautiful faces” at all. Therefore, God must have compassion on us and send us a faithful shepherd who can illumine us with awareness so that we will serve Him properly and attain the ultimate goal. We ask God to send us a king and leader, a faithful shepherd, to illumine us. This is related to the Hebrew month of Nisan, which marks the new year for kings. At that time, not only human but angelic, heavenly kings are appointed. The six days of Creation, when God created everything, correspond to the beginning of things. And the seventh day, the Shabbat, is the culmination, the ultimate purpose. The six days themselves are creations. They are like a circle around a central point, which is the Shabbat. Nevertheless, there are differences between these six, between that which was created first and that which was created on the sixth day, closer to the Shabbat. In and of itself, our world is not enough. When our sages state that it would have been better had man not been created (Eruvin 13b), they are referring to this world, which has so much suffering. But in the context of the World to Come, it is better for man to have been created, because then he may attain the ultimate goal. And due to the fact that there is a World to Come, there is even something intrinsically valuable in this world as well, because, as our sages said, “One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the World to Come” (Avot 4:17). For the Seventh of Adar, the Hilula of Moses
Master of the world, King, Leader and Ruler, filled with compassion, You had great mercy on us and sent us a savior and teacher, a redeemer and holy man of Israel: Moses.
He brought us forth from dimness to brightness, from darkness to a great light. He gave us the Torah and illumined our eyes, and he taught us the truth of Your holy faithfulness.
With his intensely wondrous greatness, he was able to illumine the lowest of the low — as we are today — to inform everyone of Your greatness and might.
He opened the eyes of the blind. He illumined the eyes of all Israel, even those who are compared to the feet, so that they might delve in their minds to comprehend the true, ultimate meaning of every created entity in the world — to know and recognize You forever by means of every created entity, and to come close to You and truly cling to You.
Fortunate is the generation that had such a leader. Fortunate are the eyes that saw him. Fortunate are the ears that heard the words of the Living God from his holy and awesome mouth, when God’s Presence spoke from his throat.
“And now, HaShem our God, You are our Father.” Incline Your ear to our outcry. “Open Your eyes and see our desolation.” Have pity and compassion on us.
Guide us and teach us what we should do now, what we should accomplish now, to whom we should turn for help. “Tell me, you who love my soul, where do you graze, where do you lie down at noon?” Tell me, please, where we should go to seek a true leader like this.
In our present state of extreme lowliness and weakness, none of us have beautiful faces in the least. No one can help us but a genuine teacher and leader who is truly on the level of Moses.
He can illumine our holy awareness so that we will reach our true goal of knowing and recognizing You forever by means of all created beings in the world.
All of them were created only for this: so that a person will recognize You through them. That is the essential purpose of all created beings, collectively and individually.
How can we find such a leader? Where, oh where, is he? Where is the place of his glory? Where are the counsel and stratagems that will help us find him?
However, all of the recognized leaders, without exception, acknowledge and admit without shame that they lack this power that we have mentioned before You — the power of Moses — to illumine us with the awareness that every individual can attain his true purpose in this world by understanding all things in the world, which is the objective for which we were created.
Master of the entire world, You Who have compassion on the world, You who have compassion on the people, “Your nation, [whom] You guided like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron,” where is Your compassion for Israel, Your holy nation, at present? “With whom have You left the few sheep?” To whom have You abandoned us, we who are so weak and unworthy?
To whom will we flee for help? “Have You indeed rejected Judah? Has Your soul despised Zion? Why have You struck us so that we have no remedy? We hope for peace but there is no goodness, and for a time of healing, but behold, there is terror.”
Have You abandoned Your nation, the Jewish people, Heaven forbid? Didn’t You promise us that even in our extreme descent into the depth of this exile in body and soul, as we are today, You will never abandon or abhor us?
As the verse states, “When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break My covenant with them, for I am HaShem their God.”
Have pity and mercy on us. Have pity and compassion on us. Grant us merit. Help us pray and plead with You a great deal regarding this, crying out and calling out with “a great and bitter shout,” and weeping before You every day regarding this with an abundance of tears.
Such a leader can rectify us and truly bring us back to You. He can shine his attainments, his holy awareness, upon us, and open our mind’s eye with great holiness and purity.
May we, even we, attain the true, ultimate goal of all created beings in the world, which is to truly recognize You, come close to You and cling to You forever.
A Day That is Entirely Shabbat Help us and save us so that we will celebrate the Shabbat properly, with great joy and gladness and with wondrous closeness to You, in accordance with Your good will — until even as we are in this world, we will know and understand the purpose of the works of Heaven and earth.
May we truly know and recognize You by means of all things in the world, in accordance with Your will and in accordance with the will of those who truly fear You, until we will attain a day that is entirely Shabbat and tranquility, with eternal life.
HaShem, You Who are filled with compassion, open our eyes so that we will see, understand and comprehend the ultimate truth, and know how to conduct ourselves at present, beseeching You until we find the true leader who will bring us in our lifetime to the true goal.
We have no one on whom to rely except You, our Father in Heaven. “We are the clay and You are our Maker. All of us are the work of Your hand.” “Your troops depend on You; You help the orphan.”
“I will constantly hope,” “until HaShem will gaze and look from Heaven” and return to us and have compassion on us like a father with his son. May You reconcile with us, return the crown to its original glory, and give us a shepherd in accordance with Your heart.
Hurry, quickly redeem us and bring us our righteous Mashiach. May the verse swiftly be realized, “I will establish one shepherd over them who will shepherd them — namely, My servant David. He will shepherd them and be their shepherd. I, HaShem, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince in their midst. I, HaShem, have spoken.”
“They will no longer contaminate themselves with their idols, with their detestable things and with all of their offenses. I will save them from all of their dwelling places where they transgressed. I will purify them. They will be My nation, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them. All of them will have one shepherd, and they will walk in My ordinances and observe My statutes and perform them.”
[עַל־פִּי תּוֹרָה ל"ט - לְכוּ חֲזוּ מִפְעֲלוֹת ה']
לְז' אֲדָר הִילּוּלָא דְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ ע"ה
We Can Return to God Through the Godliness in Every Created Thing / A Person Who Cannot Recognize God in Every Creation Must Cling to the Tzaddikim / The World to Come Makes Our Existence Worthwhile
God created a universe filled with wonders. That is true of our physical world — how much more, then, the other cosmos.
He created all of this for the sake of the Jewish people.
As for the Jewish people, we were created for the ultimate goal of Heaven and earth: the world of souls, a world that is entirely Shabbat. In that world, people will understand God without any screens or obstacles. There will be complete unity, and, as our sages said, “Everyone will point with his finger [and say], “This is our God, in Whom we hoped” (Taanit 31a; Isaiah 25:9).
Everything created in this world contains that ultimate purpose. Every entity has a spiritual beginning and an ultimate purpose. The spiritual beginning marks the level from which it devolved until it turned into a physical entity. And it has an ultimate purpose for which sake it was created. The Jewish people can study, know and contemplate the details of creation — the form of the limbs and the structure of everything — and from that appreciate God’s greatness, and serve Him through that.
Every object has a connection to the purpose for which it was created. Through every object, we can reach God and serve Him to attain that purpose — the nexus where the object ends and touches upon the ultimate purpose.
Everyone must contemplate this, and thus know and recognize God’s greatness in everything: in every entity’s form and shape, number of limbs, structure, and so forth. We must serve God with that until we reach the ultimate purpose of that entity, which is the level of the Shabbat, the world of souls.
People who have expansive minds can do this. But how can lowly people such as ourselves, who are on the level of the feet, attain this knowledge?
The answer is that we must yearn deeply for a leader of the generation, a faithful shepherd comparable to Moses, who has the power to illuminate us so that we will reach the goal.
It is an extraordinary fact that the promulgation of this ultimate awareness depends on people in this low world. All souls must go through this world in order to attain the ultimate reality. Everything in this world is needed to attain that end.
We should yearn and beg God with many tears, asking Him to help us attain this awareness so that we may know Him through everything in this world.
In our present state, we do not have “beautiful faces” at all. Therefore, God must have compassion on us and send us a faithful shepherd who can illumine us with awareness so that we will serve Him properly and attain the ultimate goal.
We ask God to send us a king and leader, a faithful shepherd, to illumine us. This is related to the Hebrew month of Nisan, which marks the new year for kings. At that time, not only human but angelic, heavenly kings are appointed.
The six days of Creation, when God created everything, correspond to the beginning of things. And the seventh day, the Shabbat, is the culmination, the ultimate purpose.
The six days themselves are creations. They are like a circle around a central point, which is the Shabbat. Nevertheless, there are differences between these six, between that which was created first and that which was created on the sixth day, closer to the Shabbat.
In and of itself, our world is not enough. When our sages state that it would have been better had man not been created (Eruvin 13b), they are referring to this world, which has so much suffering. But in the context of the World to Come, it is better for man to have been created, because then he may attain the ultimate goal. And due to the fact that there is a World to Come, there is even something intrinsically valuable in this world as well, because, as our sages said, “One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the World to Come” (Avot 4:17).
For the Seventh of Adar, the Hilula of Moses
רֹעֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל הַאֲזִינָה, נוֹהֵג כַּצֹּאן יוֹסֵף, יֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים הוֹפִיעָה.
Seeking a Leader Like Moses
“Shepherd of Israel, listen! You Who guide Joseph like sheep, You Who dwell between the cherubs, appear!”
רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם מֶלֶךְ מַנְהִיג וּמוֹשֵׁל, מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, אֲשֶׁר חָמַלְתָּ עָלֵינוּ בְּחֶמְלָתְךָ הַגְּדוֹלָה וְשָׁלַחְתָּ לָנוּ מוֹשִׁיעַ וָרַב, גּוֹאֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּקְדוֹשׁוֹ, הוּא מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם,
Master of the world, King, Leader and Ruler, filled with compassion, You had great mercy on us and sent us a savior and teacher, a redeemer and holy man of Israel: Moses.
אֲשֶׁר הוֹצִיאָנוּ מֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה, מֵחֹשֶׁךְ לְאוֹר גָּדוֹל, וְנָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, וְהֵאִיר עֵינֵינוּ, וְהוֹדִיעָנוּ אֲמִתַּת אֱמוּנָתְךָ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה,
He brought us forth from dimness to brightness, from darkness to a great light. He gave us the Torah and illumined our eyes, and he taught us the truth of Your holy faithfulness.
וּמֵעֹצֶם גְּדֻלָּתוֹ הַנִּפְלָאָה הָיָה יָכוֹל לְהָאִיר גַּם בְּהַפָּחוּת שֶׁבַּפְּחוּתִים כָּמוֹנוּ הַיּוֹם, לְהוֹדִיעַ לַכֹּל גְּדֻלָּתֶךָ וּגְבוּרָתֶךָ,
With his intensely wondrous greatness, he was able to illumine the lowest of the low — as we are today — to inform everyone of Your greatness and might.
לִפְקֹחַ עֵינַיִם עִוְּרוֹת, לְהָאִיר עֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲפִלּוּ אוֹתָם שֶׁהֵם בִּבְחִינַת רַגְלִין, שֶׁיּוּכְלוּ לְהַעֲמִיק בְּדַעְתָּם לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי מִכָּל הַבְּרוּאִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, לָדַעַת וּלְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ תִּתְבָּרַךְ לָנֶצַח, עַל יְדֵי כָּל הַבְּרִיּוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, וּלְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלֶיךָ וּלְהִתְדַּבֵּק בְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת,
He opened the eyes of the blind. He illumined the eyes of all Israel, even those who are compared to the feet, so that they might delve in their minds to comprehend the true, ultimate meaning of every created entity in the world — to know and recognize You forever by means of every created entity, and to come close to You and truly cling to You.
אַשְׁרֵי הַדּוֹר שֶׁזָּכוּ לְמַנְהִיג כָּזֶה, אַשְׁרֵי עֵינַיִם שֶׁזָּכוּ לִרְאוֹתוֹ, אַשְׁרֵי אָזְנַיִם שֶׁזָּכוּ לִשְׁמֹעַ דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים מִפִּיו הַקָּדוֹשׁ וְהַנּוֹרָא, שֶׁהָיְתָה שְׁכִינָה מְדַבֶּרֶת מִתּוֹךְ גְּרוֹנוֹ.
Fortunate is the generation that had such a leader. Fortunate are the eyes that saw him. Fortunate are the ears that heard the words of the Living God from his holy and awesome mouth, when God’s Presence spoke from his throat.
וְעַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ אָבִינוּ אָתָּה, הַט אָזְנְךָ לְשַׁוְעָתֵנוּ, פְּקַח עֵינֶיךָ וּרְאֵה שׁוֹמְמוֹתֵינוּ, וְחוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ,
“And now, HaShem our God, You are our Father.” Incline Your ear to our outcry. “Open Your eyes and see our desolation.” Have pity and compassion on us.
וְהוֹרֵנוּ וְלַמְּדֵנוּ מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה עַתָּה, מַה נִּפְעַל עַתָּה, אֶל מִי נִפְנֶה לְעֶזְרָה, הַגִּידָה לִּי שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי, אֵיכָה תִרְעֶה, אֵיכָה תַּרְבִּיץ בַּצָּהֳרָיִם, הוֹדִיעֵנוּ נָא בְּאֵיזֶה דֶּרֶךְ נְשׁוֹטֵט לְבַקֵּשׁ מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי כָּזֶה,
Guide us and teach us what we should do now, what we should accomplish now, to whom we should turn for help. “Tell me, you who love my soul, where do you graze, where do you lie down at noon?” Tell me, please, where we should go to seek a true leader like this.
כִּי לְעֹצֶם שִׁפְלוּתֵנוּ וַחֲלִישׁוּתֵנוּ עַתָּה, וְכֻלָּנוּ אֵין פָּנֵינוּ יָפוֹת כְּלָל, אֵין מִי שֶׁיּוּכַל לַעֲזֹר אוֹתָנוּ כִּי אִם רַבִּי וּמַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה בֶּאֱמֶת בִּבְחִינַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם,
In our present state of extreme lowliness and weakness, none of us have beautiful faces in the least. No one can help us but a genuine teacher and leader who is truly on the level of Moses.
שֶׁיּוּכַל לְהָאִיר גַּם בָּנוּ הַדַּעַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה עַל יְדֵי זֶה לָבוֹא אֶל הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי, לָדַעַת וּלְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ תִּתְבָּרַךְ לָנֶצַח, עַל יְדֵי כָּל הַבְּרִיּוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם,
He can illumine our holy awareness so that we will reach our true goal of knowing and recognizing You forever by means of all created beings in the world.
אֲשֶׁר כֻּלָּם נִבְרְאוּ רַק בִּשְׁבִיל זֶה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּזְכֶּה הָאָדָם לְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ עַל יָדָם, שֶׁזֶּה עִקַּר הַתַּכְלִית שֶׁל כָּל הַבְּרִיאָה בִּכְלָל וּבִפְרָט.
All of them were created only for this: so that a person will recognize You through them. That is the essential purpose of all created beings, collectively and individually.
וְאֵיךְ זוֹכִין לִמְצֹא מַנְהִיג כָּזֶה, אַיֵּה, אֵיפוֹא הוּא, אַיֵּה מְקוֹם כְּבוֹדוֹ, אַיֵּה הָעֵצָה וְהַתַּחְבּוּלָה שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְמָצְאוֹ,
How can we find such a leader? Where, oh where, is he? Where is the place of his glory? Where are the counsel and stratagems that will help us find him?
כִּי אִם אָמְנָם גַּם עַתָּה נִמְצָאִים צַדִּיקִים וּמַנְהִיגֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, יְהֹוָה עֲלֵיהֶם יִחְיוּ, וְיַאֲרִיךְ יְמֵיהֶם וּשְׁנוֹתֵיהֶם.
If Tzaddikim and leaders of Israel are indeed alive today, HaShem, give them a life filled with many days and years.
אֲבָל הֲלֹא כָּל הַמְפֻרְסָמִים כֻּלָּם יוֹדוּ בְּעַצְמָן וְלֹא יֵבוֹשׁוּ, שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם זֶה הַכֹּחַ שֶׁהִזְכַּרְנוּ לְפָנֶיךָ, שֶׁהוּא הַכֹּחַ שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, לְהָאִיר בָּנוּ הַדַּעַת הַזֶּה שֶׁיַּשִּׂיג כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי בְּזֶה הָעוֹלָם מִכָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, אֲשֶׁר לְכָךְ נוֹצָרְנוּ.
However, all of the recognized leaders, without exception, acknowledge and admit without shame that they lack this power that we have mentioned before You — the power of Moses — to illumine us with the awareness that every individual can attain his true purpose in this world by understanding all things in the world, which is the objective for which we were created.
וְעַתָּה מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה וּמַה נִּפְעַל, מִי יָקוּם בַּעֲדֵנוּ, אוֹי מִי יָקוּם יַעֲקֹב כִּי קָטֹן הוּא.
What, then, shall we do? What shall we undertake? Who will stand up on our behalf? Woe! “How will Jacob rise, for he is small?”
מָרֵיהּ דְּעַלְמָא כֹּלָּא, מְרַחֵם עַל הָאָרֶץ מְרַחֵם עַל הַבְּרִיּוֹת, אֲשֶׁר נָחִיתָ כַצֹּאן עַמֶּךָ בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן. אַיֵּה רַחֲמָנוּתְךָ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל עַם קָדְשֶׁךָ עַתָּה, עַל מִי נָטַשְׁתָּ מְעַט הַצֹּאן הַזֶּה, עַל מִי עָזַבְתָּ אוֹתָנוּ, חֲלוּשֵׁי כֹחַ כָּאֵלֶּה, פְּחוּתֵי עֵרֶךְ כָּמוֹנוּ הַיּוֹם,
Master of the entire world, You Who have compassion on the world, You who have compassion on the people, “Your nation, [whom] You guided like sheep by the hand of Moses and Aaron,” where is Your compassion for Israel, Your holy nation, at present? “With whom have You left the few sheep?” To whom have You abandoned us, we who are so weak and unworthy?
רְאֵה עֲמִידָתֵנוּ דַּלִּים וְרֵקִים, אֲשֶׁר הֻשְׁחֲרוּ פָּנֵינוּ מִפְּנֵי חַטֹּאתֵינוּ, וְנִכְפְּפָה קוֹמָתֵנוּ מִפְּנֵי עֲווֹנוֹתֵינוּ.
See our meager and desolate status. Our faces are blackened by our transgressions, and we are hunched over because of our sins.
אֶל מִי נָנוּס לְעֶזְרָה, הֲמָאֹס מָאַסְתָּ אֶת יְהוּדָה, אִם בְּצִיּוֹן גָּעֲלָה נַפְשֶׁךָ, מַדּוּעַ הִכִּיתָנוּ וְאֵין לָנוּ מַרְפֵּא, קַוֵּה לְשָׁלוֹם וְאֵין טוֹב, וּלְעֵת מַרְפֵּא וְהִנֵּה בְעָתָה.
To whom will we flee for help? “Have You indeed rejected Judah? Has Your soul despised Zion? Why have You struck us so that we have no remedy? We hope for peace but there is no goodness, and for a time of healing, but behold, there is terror.”
הֲאִם הִפְקַרְתָּ אֶת עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל חָלִילָה, הֲלֹא כְּבָר הִבְטַחְתָּנוּ שֶׁאֲפִלּוּ בְּתֹקֶף יְרִידָתֵנוּ בְּעֹמֶק הַגָּלוּת הַזֶּה בְּגוּף וָנֶפֶשׁ כָּמוֹנוּ הַיּוֹם, לֹא תַעַזְבֵנוּ וְלֹא תִמְאָסֵנוּ לְעוֹלָם,
Have You abandoned Your nation, the Jewish people, Heaven forbid? Didn’t You promise us that even in our extreme descent into the depth of this exile in body and soul, as we are today, You will never abandon or abhor us?
כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶרֶץ אוֹיְבֵיהֶם, לֹא מְאַסְתִּים וְלֹא גְעַלְתִּים לְכַלּוֹתָם לְהָפֵר בְּרִיתִי אִתָּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם.
As the verse states, “When they are in the land of their enemies, I will not despise them and I will not abhor them to destroy them, to break My covenant with them, for I am HaShem their God.”
וּכְתִיב: וְלֹא דִּבֶּר יְהֹוָה לִמְחוֹת אֶת שֵׁם יִשְׂרָאֵל מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם.
“HaShem never said that He would eradicate the name of Israel from under the heavens.”
וּכְתִיב: כִּי לֹא יִטֹּשׁ יְהֹוָה אֶת עַמּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל, כִּי הוֹאִיל יְהֹוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶתְכֶם לוֹ לְעָם.
“For the sake of His great Name, HaShem will not forsake His nation; HaShem has sworn to make you His nation.”
וּכְתִיב: כִּי לֹא יִטֹּשׁ יְהֹוָה עַמּוֹ, וְנַחֲלָתוֹ לֹא יַעֲזֹב,
“HaShem will not reject His nation, and He will not abandon his inheritance.”
וְכָהֵנָּה וְכָהֵנָּה עוֹד הַבְטָחוֹת הַרְבֵּה אֲשֶׁר הִבְטַחְתָּ אֶת אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לְעָזְרֵנוּ וּלְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר.
You gave our forefathers many more such promises that You would help us and save us in every generation.
וְעַתָּה עַתָּה אַיֵּה רַחֲמָנוּתְךָ אַיֵּה נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ, וְלָמָּה תִהְיֶה עֲדַת יְהֹוָה כַּצֹּאן אֲשֶׁר אֵין לָהֶם רוֹעֶה.
But now, where is Your compassion? Where are Your wonders? Why should “the congregation of HaShem be like a flock that has no shepherd”?
חוּס וַחֲמֹל עָלֵינוּ חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ, וְזַכֵּנוּ וְעָזְרֵנוּ לְהִתְפַּלֵּל וּלְהִתְחַנֵּן לְפָנֶיךָ עַל זֶה הַרְבֵּה, לִצְעֹק וְלִזְעֹק זְעָקָה גְדוֹלָה וּמָרָה, וְלִבְכּוֹת לְפָנֶיךָ בְּכָל יוֹם עַל זֶה בִּדְמָעוֹת שָׁלִישׁ,
Have pity and mercy on us. Have pity and compassion on us. Grant us merit. Help us pray and plead with You a great deal regarding this, crying out and calling out with “a great and bitter shout,” and weeping before You every day regarding this with an abundance of tears.
עַד שֶׁתְּחָנֵּנוּ וְתַעֲנֵנוּ וְתַחְמֹל עָלֵינוּ, וְתִתֶּן לָנוּ רוֹעֶה יִשְׂרָאֵל מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי מַנְהִיג רַחֲמָן כְּמוֹ מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ רוֹעֶה נֶאֱמָן,
Be gracious and answer us. Have mercy on us and give us a shepherd of Israel, a true leader, a compassionate leader like Moses, the faithful shepherd.
שֶׁיּוּכַל לַעֲסֹק בְּתִקּוּנֵנוּ לַהֲשִׁיבֵנוּ אֵלֶיךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, וְיָאִיר גַּם בָּנוּ הַשָּׂגַת דַּעְתּוֹ הַקְּדוֹשָׁה, וְיִפְקַח עֵינֵי דַעְתֵּנוּ בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה גְדוֹלָה,
Such a leader can rectify us and truly bring us back to You. He can shine his attainments, his holy awareness, upon us, and open our mind’s eye with great holiness and purity.
שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ לְהַשִּׂיג הַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי מִכָּל הַבְּרוּאִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, וּלְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת וּלְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלֶיךָ וּלְהִתְדַּבֵּק בְּךָ לָנֶצַח:
May we, even we, attain the true, ultimate goal of all created beings in the world, which is to truly recognize You, come close to You and cling to You forever.
לְשַׁבַּת־קוֹדֶשׁ
For the Holy Shabbat
וְתַעַזְרֵנוּ וְתוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ לְקַבֵּל שַׁבָּתוֹת כָּרָאוּי, בְּשִׂמְחָה וְחֶדְוָה גְדוֹלָה וּבִדְבֵקוּת נִפְלָא כִּרְצוֹנְךָ הַטּוֹב, עַד שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה עַל יְדֵי זֶה לָדַעַת וּלְהַשִּׂיג תַּכְלִית מַעֲשֵׂי שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ גַּם בְּזֶה הָעוֹלָם.
A Day That is Entirely Shabbat
Help us and save us so that we will celebrate the Shabbat properly, with great joy and gladness and with wondrous closeness to You, in accordance with Your good will — until even as we are in this world, we will know and understand the purpose of the works of Heaven and earth.
לָדַעַת וּלְהַכִּיר אוֹתְךָ בֶּאֱמֶת עַל יְדֵי כָּל הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם, כִּרְצוֹנְךָ וְכִרְצוֹן יְרֵאֶיךָ הָאֲמִתִּיִּים, עֲדֵי נִזְכֶּה לְיוֹם שֶׁכֻּלּוֹ שַׁבָּת וּמְנוּחָה לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָמִים.
May we truly know and recognize You by means of all things in the world, in accordance with Your will and in accordance with the will of those who truly fear You, until we will attain a day that is entirely Shabbat and tranquility, with eternal life.
מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, יְהֹוָה, פְּקַח עֵינֵינוּ וְנִרְאֶה וְנָבִין וְנַשְׂכִּיל הָאֱמֶת לַאֲמִתּוֹ, אֵיךְ לְהִתְנַהֵג עַתָּה, בְּאֹפֶן שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לְבַקֵּשׁ וְלִמְצֹא מַנְהִיג אֲמִתִּי כָּזֶה שֶׁיְּבִיאֵנוּ בְּחַיֵּינוּ לַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי,
HaShem, You Who are filled with compassion, open our eyes so that we will see, understand and comprehend the ultimate truth, and know how to conduct ourselves at present, beseeching You until we find the true leader who will bring us in our lifetime to the true goal.
כִּי אֵין לָנוּ עַל מִי לְהִשָּׁעֵן כִּי אִם עָלֶיךָ אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, אֲנַחְנוּ הַחֹמֶר וְאַתָּה יֹצְרֵנוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדְךָ כֻּלָּנוּ, עָלֶיךָ יַעֲזֹב חֵלֵכָה, יָתוֹם אַתָּה הָיִיתָ עוֹזֵר.
We have no one on whom to rely except You, our Father in Heaven. “We are the clay and You are our Maker. All of us are the work of Your hand.” “Your troops depend on You; You help the orphan.”
כִּי אַתָּה לְבַד יוֹדֵעַ צְפוּן לִבֵּנוּ וְאֵיךְ לְעָזְרֵנוּ עַתָּה בְּכָל הָעִנְיָנִים, וּבִפְרָט בְּעִנְיָן זֶה אֲשֶׁר בּוֹ תָּלוּי הַכֹּל,
You alone know what is hidden in our heart, and how to help us at present in all areas — in particular, in this matter on which everything depends.
שֶׁנִּזְכֶּה לִמְצֹא הַמַּנְהִיג הָאֲמִתִּי שֶׁהוּא בִּבְחִינַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּנוּ, שֶׁיּוּכַל לַהֲבִיאֵנוּ לַתַּכְלִית הָאֲמִתִּי וְהַנִּצְחִי מְהֵרָה בְּחַיֵּינוּ.
May we find the true leader, a person associated with Moses, who can bring us to our true and eternal purpose — quickly, in our lifetime.
וְהַטּוֹב בְּעֵינֶיךָ עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ, כִּי אָנוּ מַשְׁלִיכִים כָּל יְהָבֵנוּ עָלֶיךָ.
May he help us in a way that is proper in Your eyes. We cast all of our burden upon You.
וַאֲנִי תָּמִיד אֲיַחֵל, עַד יַשְׁקִיף וְיֵרֶא יְהֹוָה מִשָּׁמָיִם, וְיָשׁוּב אֵלֵינוּ וִירַחֲמֵנוּ, וּכְאָב אֶת בֵּן יִרְצֵנוּ, וְיַחֲזִיר לָנוּ הָעֲטָרָה לְיָשְׁנָהּ, וְיִתֶּן לָנוּ רוֹעֶה כִּלְבָבוֹ.
“I will constantly hope,” “until HaShem will gaze and look from Heaven” and return to us and have compassion on us like a father with his son. May You reconcile with us, return the crown to its original glory, and give us a shepherd in accordance with Your heart.
וִיקֻיַּם מְהֵרָה מִקְרָא שֶׁכָּתוּב: וְנָתַתִּי לָכֶם רוֹעִים כְּלִבִּי וְרָעוּ אֶתְכֶם דֵּעָה וְהַשְׂכֵּל.
May the verse quickly be realized, “I will give you shepherds in accordance with My heart, and they will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
וּתְמַהֵר וְתָחִישׁ לְגָאֳלֵנוּ וְתָבִיא לָנוּ אֶת מְשִׁיחַ צִדְקֵנוּ, וִיקֻיַּם מְהֵרָה: וַהֲקִמֹתִי עֲלֵיהֶם רֹעֶה אֶחָד וְרָעָה אֶתְהֶן, אֶת עַבְדִּי דָוִיד הוּא יִרְעֶה אוֹתָם, וְהוּא יִהְיֶה לָהֶן לְרֹעֶה, וַאֲנִי יְהֹוָה אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד נָשִׂיא בְּתוֹכָם, אֲנִי יְהֹוָה דִבַּרְתִּי.
Hurry, quickly redeem us and bring us our righteous Mashiach. May the verse swiftly be realized, “I will establish one shepherd over them who will shepherd them — namely, My servant David. He will shepherd them and be their shepherd. I, HaShem, will be their God, and My servant David will be a prince in their midst. I, HaShem, have spoken.”
וְנֶאֱמַר: וְלֹא יִטַּמְּאוּ עוֹד בְּגִלּוּלֵיהֶם וּבְשִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וּבְכֹל פִּשְׁעֵיהֶם, וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּי אוֹתָם מִכֹּל מוֹשְׁבֹתֵיהֶם אֲשֶׁר חָטְאוּ בָּהֶם וְטִהַרְתִּי אוֹתָם, וְהָיוּ לִי לְעָם וַאֲנִי אֶהְיֶה לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים, וְעַבְדִּי דָוִד מֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיהֶם וְרֹעֶה אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּם, וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי יֵלֵכוּ וְחֻקּוֹתַי יִשְׁמְרוּ וְעָשׂוּ אוֹתָם,
“They will no longer contaminate themselves with their idols, with their detestable things and with all of their offenses. I will save them from all of their dwelling places where they transgressed. I will purify them. They will be My nation, and I will be their God. My servant David will be king over them. All of them will have one shepherd, and they will walk in My ordinances and observe My statutes and perform them.”
יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהִים צְבָאוֹת הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ, הָאֵר פָּנֶיךָ וְנִוָּשֵׁעָה:
“HaShem, God of hosts, bring us back; shine Your face and we will be saved.”