Hebrew in Harmony

‫ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬

We are all different. Each of us is good at different things. Some
of us sing. Others write poetry. Or play soccer, or dance, or draw.
What are you good at? What makes you different from other

people? The ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬prayer teaches us to celebrate how we Jews

are different and to be thankful because we are who we are.

It is our responsibility to praise the Sovereign of all, ,‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ ְל ַשׁ ֵבּ ַח ַל ֲאדוֹן ַה ֹכּל‬1
to give honor to the Creator of everything, ,‫ ָל ֵתת ְגּ ֻד ָלּה ְליוֹ ֵצר ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬2
who did not make us
like the other nations of the world, ‫ ֶשׁלֹּא ָﬠ ָשׂנוּ‬3
and did not set us ,‫ ְכּגוֹ ֵיי ָה ֲא ָרצוֹת‬4
like the other families of the earth,
who did not set ‫ ְולֹא ָשׂ ָמנוּ‬5
our lot to be like them, ,‫ ְכּ ִמ ְשׁ ְפּחוֹת ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬6
and our destiny to be like all of theirs.
We bend the knee, ‫ ֶשׁלֹּא ָשׂם‬7
bow, and give thanks, ,‫ ֶח ְל ֵקנוּ ָכּ ֶהם‬8
before the ruler of the rulers of rulers, ,‫ ֲהמוֹ ָנם‬-‫ ְו ֹגָר ֵלנוּ ְכּ ָכל‬9
the blessed Holy One. ‫ ַו ֲא ַנ ְחנוּ כּוְֹר ִﬠים‬10
,‫ וּ ִמ ְשׁ ַתּ ֲח ִוים וּמוֹ ִדים‬11
,‫ ִל ְפ ֵני ֶמ ֶלְך ַמ ְל ֵכי ַה ְמּ ָל ִכים‬12
.‫ ַה ָקּדוֹשׁ ָבּרוְּך הוּא‬13

1 1964A • Aleinu NAME

God spreads out the heavens ‫ ֶשׁהוּא נוֹ ֶטה ָשׁ ַמ ִים‬14
and establishes the earth, ,‫ ְו ֹי ֵסד ָא ֶרץ‬15
God’s glorious abode is in the heavens above
and God’s powerful home ‫ וּמוֹ ַשׁב ְי ָקרוֹ ַבּ ָשּׁ ַמ ִים ִמ ַמּ ַﬠל‬16
is in the highest of heights. ‫ וּ ְשׁ ִכי ַנת ֻﬠזּוֹ‬17
God is our God, there is no other,
true it is that God is our ruler, .‫ ְבּ ָג ְב ֵהי ְמרוֹ ִמים‬18
there is none besides God. ,‫ הוּא ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ ֵאין עוֹד‬19
As it is written in God’s Torah:
Know on that day and take it to heart, ‫ ֱא ֶמת ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬20
that Adonai is God .‫ ֶא ֶפס זוּ ָלתוֹ‬21
in the heavens above, ,‫ ַכּ ָכּתוּב ְבּתוֹ ָרתוֹ‬22
and on the earth below; there is no other. ,‫ ְו ָי ַד ְﬠ ָתּ ַהיּוֹם ַו ֲה ֵשׁ ֹב ָת ֶאל ְל ָב ֶבָך‬23
‫ ִכּי ְי ָי הוּא ָה ֱאֹל ִהים‬24
,‫ ַבּ ָשּׁ ַמ ִים ִמ ַמּ ַﬠל‬25
.‫ ֵאין עוֹד‬,‫ ְו ַﬠל ָה ָא ֶרץ ִמ ָתּ ַחת‬26

And it is said: Adonai ‫ ְו ָה ָיה ְי ָי‬,‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר‬27
will rule the entire earth. .‫ ְל ֶמ ֶלְך ַﬠל ָכּל ָה ָא ֶרץ‬28
On that day,
Adonai will be One ‫ ַבּיּוֹם ַההוּא‬29
and Adonai’s name will be One. ‫ ִי ְה ֶיה ְי ָי ֶא ָחד‬30

.‫ וּ ְשמוֹ ֶא ָחד‬31

Prayer Reading How Did I Do?

Practice reading ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬with a partner, How well did you read? Circle the
face that shows how you feel.
taking turns reading each line.
2
Go online to practice reading ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.

Make it your own by recording yourself.
Use your voice to show which words are
important to you.

Same, Same—But Different!

Just as people are different, groups are
different, too. Think of three groups you
belong to—at school or after school, online, or
maybe an informal group of friends or family.
Put the name of each group in one of the
circles. Who is in it? What makes each group
different from the others? In each circle draw
something to represent that group.

Big Idea! ME

Judaism teaches that all
people, no matter how
different they seem, are
created in the image of

God, ‫ ְבּ ֶצ ֶלם ֱאֹל ִהים‬. This

Jewish value is based on
Genesis 1:27, where it says
God created man and
woman in God’s image.

Two Views

The ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬prayer focuses on our being different from other groups of people. Other
prayers—for example,‫יוֹ ֵצר אוֹר‬, which says God “sends light to the earth and its
inhabitants,” and ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬, which refers to “all creatures”—focus on our all being

the same. Discuss with a friend how each focus has value, and why.

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Prayer Words ‫ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬ At the
‫ַה ֹכּל‬ Root
it is our responsibility ‫ְבֵּרא ִשׁית‬
everything/of all ‫ ַו‬,‫ְו‬ Read this phrase:
Genesis/in the beginning ‫ֲא ַנ ְחנוּ‬
and ‫כּוֹ ְר ִﬠים‬ ‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ַמ ְל ֵכי ַה ְמּ ָל ִכים‬.
we ‫ֶמ ֶלְך‬
bow, bend the knee ‫ֶמ ֶלְך ַמ ְל ֵכי ַה ְמּ ָל ִכים‬ All three words are built
ruler/king ‫ֵאין‬
ruler of the rulers of rulers ‫ֱאֹל ִהים‬ on the root letters ‫מלכ‬
there isn’t/aren’t ‫ֶא ָחד‬
God (ruler/king). Circle the
one ‫ֵישׁ‬
‫ֹפּה‬ three root letters in each
ADDITIONAL WORDS:
word in the phrase.
there is/are
here (Remember that

‫ כ‬appears this way at
the end of a word: ‫ך‬.)

Say It in Hebrew! Did You Know?

Using the Prayer Words, say the following phrases —ocgOfao‫ם‬lttdlhhe‫י‬s‫כ‬edeִ “r‫ל‬rrָGupu‫ְמּ‬olele‫ה‬edoַrrpsst‫י‬hlo‫כ‬oeֵ effs‫ְל‬rr“c‫מ‬uruaַ ullleel‫ך‬lereְr‫ל‬sdrsֶ”,‫”מ‬tֶ hs.oeiwr e
in Hebrew to a partner. Hint: There are no words in
Hebrew for “am,” “is,” or “are.” 4

“There is a ruler here.”
“There is no ruler here.”
“We are here.”
“God is here.”

Aleinu Music

Play Cantor Katie Oringel’s singing of Cantor Salomon Sulzer’s ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.

Describe the rhythm. (simple?
complicated? strange? familiar? other?)
How does the song make you feel?
(hopeful? sad? peaceful? calm? restless?)
Explain your answer.
Discuss with a partner: Do you think the
music matches the words? Why or why not?

It’s on Me!

The little word‫ ַﬠל‬has a lot to say! It means “over” or “on.” It also means “responsibility”—

sometimes a responsibility can feel like a weight on someone. We see both meanings in

‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬. The first word (‫ ַﬠל‬plus ‫ נוּ‬-) means “it is our responsibility.” At the end, we say
“Adonai will rule ‫( ַﬠל‬over) the entire earth: ‫ ְו ָה ָיה ְי ָי ְל ֶמ ֶלְך ַﬠל ָכּל ָה ָא ֶרץ‬.

Did You Know?

The words of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬first appeared in the

worship service before the blowing of the
shofar on Rosh Hashanah. (And in addition
to where it is now, it still appears in the
Rosh Hashanah service.) Why do you think
we use instruments to show that something
important is about to happen? At what
other times do we use sounds to
announce something important?

5

Challenge! A New Musical Aleinu

Prayers that focus on how Play the recording of Chava Mirel
all people are the same are
called “universal.” Prayers and Josh Niehaus singing ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.
that focus on how Jews
are different are called How is their musical style different
“particularistic.” Look in the from the traditional melody by
siddur at the Torah blessings, Salomon Sulzer? Think about the
instruments, harmony, tempo, etc.
at ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬, at ‫יוֹ ֵצר אוֹר‬,
Choose a word, phrase, or idea in the
and at two more prayers of song that you really like. Explain your choice.
your choosing. Which ones
are universal (focusing on
how people are the same)

and which ones, like ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬,

are particularistic (focusing
on how Jews are different)?

Physicality

Most people stand for ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬, because one common custom is to bow

during the prayer. While standing we:

1. bend our knees at ‫( כּוֹ ְר ִﬠים‬bow)
2. bow from the waist at ‫( וּ ִמ ְשׁ ַתּ ֲח ִוים‬another word for bow)
3. stand up straight again at the words‫( ִל ְפ ֵני ֶמ ֶלְך‬before the ruler)

Did You Know?

t(taThhTnheehdecesaraErwamrndoogewlreldOioswhblriodlavuleEgfrrahanbli,glnw”blb—iohsowhwimc(,whl‫ת‬eiokaar‫שׁ‬epndֶ psb‫ק‬.ֶoebWwairnrahdsneHoicnwnehnybaoa,rfnu‫ם‬eawdm‫י‬b)‫ﬠ‬oaִ ia‫ר‬llwsirְa‫וֹ‬oed‫כּ‬rcopnoiwrnumonrHnse,oesyeruobfyrnurorechamweryd)emtadhmeneif—adfskeat“rihmnweenghetneylOynoo,uulbdtrnhuEebtbnootbhwgdoleyui(yslighnichkotseoombauraeerbbacofoerkwo.ws)m.

6

EBREW ELPERS

Four in a Row

Play this game with a partner. Take turns reading the Hebrew word in any box below.
If you read the word correctly, lightly mark an X or an O in pencil in that box. The
first person to get four boxes in a row across, down, or diagonally is the winner.

‫ָשׂ ָמנוּ ָﬠ ָשׂנוּ‬ ‫ְכּגוֹ ֵיי ָﬠ ֵלינוּ כּוְֹר ִﬠים‬
‫ֶח ְל ֵקנוּ ָל ֵתת‬
‫ְליוֹ ֵצר ַמ ְל ֵכי‬ ‫ְל ַשׁ ֵבּ ַח‬ ‫ְכּ ִמ ְשׁ ְפּחוֹת ִל ְפ ֵני‬
‫ַל ֲאדוֹן ֲהמוֹ ָנם‬
‫ַה ְמּ ָל ִכים ֶשׁלּ ֹא‬ ‫וּמוֹ ִדים‬ ‫ַו ֲא ַנ ְחנוּ ְולֹא‬

‫ְו ֹגָר ֵלנוּ וּ ִמ ְשׁ ַתּ ֲח ִוים ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬

‫ְגּ ֻד ָלּה ָה ֲא ָרצוֹת ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬

Us, We, and Our

The word ending ‫ נוּ‬can mean “us” or “we” or “our.” Add ‫ נוּ‬to the word parts below to
form words from ‫ ָﬠ ֵ ֽלינוּ‬.

‫ָﬠ ֵלי ָﬠ ָשׂ ָשׂ ָמ‬
‫ֶח ְל ֵק ְו ֹגָר ֵל ַו ֲא ַנ ְח‬

The ending ‫ ִ ים‬can tell us a word is plural. Add ‫ ִ ים‬to the word parts below to form

more words from ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.

‫וּ ִמ ְשׁ ַתּ ֲחו וּמוֹד‬ ‫כּוֹ ְרע‬

Now read all the words above from ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.

Why do you think so many words in ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬end with ‫ נוּ‬or ‫? ִ ים‬

7

Did You Know?

cwAwZi‫וּ‬GrwiOd‫נ‬ielcll‫י‬eioclltu‫ל‬ebnhnֵhrre‫ﬠ‬eutaaָ htpsrliOhieeairswaealntws2hiyhtole8eo,lwe.:”rrwqb1osde4Guehnows,oooOtf‫ה‬oottiefrefbrn‫מ‬iesdnrZָaests‫ד‬ceethqaָkaic‫א‬sunneֲhrato‫ה‬dtopai‫ָוּ‬hdt‫נ‬rreAp.,‫תי‬ioaO‫ל‬da“tpֵ hA‫וֹ‬hgo‫ﬠ‬h‫ח‬nָeednien‫פּ‬otfaB2tְ hrn‫שׁ‬iHoi’aaְbsamnt‫מ‬elineִ dbd,a.raameys,we.

It’s Like...

The little Hebrew word ‫ ְכּמוֹ‬means “like.” It is often shortened even more to the prefix ‫כּ‬.

Look at the Hebrew from Genesis 28:14. How would you say “like the families of the earth”?

Go back to page 1 and circle that phrase in ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬.

So They Say

Sometimes when our prayers quote the Bible, the quotation is preceded by ‫ ֶנ ֱא ַמר‬,
“it has been said” (or ‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר‬, and it has been said), because, well, the quotation has

already been said. That’s what makes it a quotation. Go back to page 2 and put a

square around ‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר‬.

That’s It!

The words ‫ ֵאין עוֹד‬mean “there is no other”—there is no other God. But according to a

Chasidic tradition, the phrase means “there is nothing else.” God is all there is. Sit up straight.
Put your hands on your knees. Smile. Look around you slowly. See each thing, and imagine
that God is in it. Now close your eyes. The things are gone. God is still there.
How do you feel about the idea that God is in everything?

8

Be a Blessing!

‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬starts with one of our responsibilities as Jews: to praise

God. Do you think it is easy or hard to praise God? Explain
why you think that.

We learn about another responsibility—to be a blessing to
others—in the Torah, where God gives Jacob almost the same
blessing Abraham received:

‫ ִמ ְשׁ ְפּ ֹחת ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬-‫ ְו ִנ ְבְרכוּ ְבָך ָכּל‬...

…All the families of the earth will be blessed through you. GENESIS 28:14

The difference is that for Jacob, the Torah follows up with the word ‫( וּ ְב ַז ְר ֶﬠָך‬and through

your descendants). We are those descendants. We interpret this line to mean that we have a
responsibility to be a blessing to those around us. Suggest three ways you can be a blessing
to others.

1.

2.

3.

How do you think these two responsibilities—praising God and being a blessing to
others—are related?

Tune Switch

Listen to Cantor Katie Oringel sing lines 14 through 26 of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬on page 2.

Think about how this melody sounds different from the first part of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬. Then

complete the following sentence: The first part of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬sounds ,

and this part of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬sounds . This makes me wonder

.

9

The Only One

Read lines 27 through 31 on
page 2 in Hebrew and English.

Now listen to the recording of
“The Only One” by Moshav.

Is the tempo fast or slow (or other)? 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

What instruments did you hear in Superslow VERY FAST
this song?

Describe the rhythm. (simple?
complicated? strange? familiar?)

What other types of music come to
mind when you hear this song?

What does “the only One” in
Moshav’s lyrics mean to you?

Say It Again!

It’s common in Hebrew to use two sets of words or phrases to convey a single idea,
expressing that idea first in one way, then a second time in another way. For example,
to end war, the prophet Isaiah says, “nations shall not lift up their swords against other
nations” and “they shall not study war any more” (ISAIAH 2:4). It’s the same idea, twice.
This technique is called parallelism—poetically matching two words or ideas (in this
case, wielding swords and learning about war).

In ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬, the first six phrases of the first paragraph are really three pairs of phrases

that each convey the same message using different words. For example, “to praise the
God of all” is parallel with “to give honor to the Creator of the universe.”

There are also two pairs of phrases in the second paragraph (lines 14 through 26)
that show parallelism. What are they?

First pair: Line(s) and line(s) say the same thing.

Second pair: Line(s) and line(s) say the same thing.

10

EBREW ELPERS

There Isn’t!

With a partner, agree on a hand signal for the word ‫( ֵאין‬there isn’t/there aren’t).

Then read the prayer phrases below, making your hand signal each time you read

the word ‫ ֵאין‬.

‫ ְו ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ֲﬠ ֶשׂיָך‬,‫ ְי ָי‬,‫ ֵאין ָכּמוָֹך ָב ֱאֹל ִהים‬1
‫ ְוהוּא ֶא ָחד ְו ֵאין ֵשׁ ִני‬2

‫ ֶא ָחד ְו ֵאין ָי ִחיד ְכּ ִיחוּדוֹ‬3
‫ ְו ֵאין צוּר ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ִכּי ֵאין ִבּ ְל ֶתָּך‬,‫ ֵאין ָקדוֹשׁ ַכּי ָי‬4
‫ ֵאין ְכּמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ַכּאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬5

It’s Like This

With a partner, take turns reading each line. Then switch lines. After reading, circle

the prefix ‫ כּ‬or ‫כ‬, the short form for ‫( ְכּמוֹ‬like), in each word.

‫ְכּ ִגבּוֹר ְכ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ ְכּיוֹם‬ ‫ ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ ְכּ ָח ָתן‬1

‫ ֶכּ ָח ִציר ְכמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ ַכּ ָתּ ָמר ַכּ ָכּתוּב ְכּ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬2

‫ַכּאדוֹ ֵנינוּ ְכּ ִאישׁ ְכּ ֹח ְל ִמים ֵכאֹל ֵהינוּ‬ ‫ ְכּ ֶא ֶרז‬3

‫ְכּ ִמ ְצ ַות ַכאדוֹ ֵנינוּ ְכּ ֶנ ֶשׁר‬ ‫ ְכּמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ ְכּ ַהיּוֹם‬4

11

What Should I Do?

According to ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬, we have an obligation

to praise God. We also know we have

responsibilities to our families (fill in example:

) and to our friends

(example: ). How are

these responsibilities similar to our obligation to

praise God? How are they different?

Repairing the World

Judaism promises that the future will be even better than the present. In a section

of the prayer not in this journal, ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬uses the phrase ‫( ְל ַת ֵקּן עוֹ ָלם‬to repair the

world) to represent the way in which God will make the future better. This idea grew

into our modern notion of ‫( ִתּקּוּן עוֹ ָלם‬repairing the world), in which we also play a

role in making the world better.

When we read ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬our attention turns to what we think God will do and what we

think we should do to make the world a better place.

What do you do to make the world a How do you choose who or what to help?
better place? What moves you to action?

12

My Connections

Stand up and open your arms as wide as you can. Think of moments when you felt
a powerful connection with your Jewish community—for example, your religious
school, synagogue, or summer camp. Then bring your hands closer together and
become aware of your circle of friends, reflecting on what connects you to them.
As you bring your hands even closer, think of the feelings you have for your family.
Finally, bring your hands together to your forehead, reflecting on how these points of
connection, from the most universal to the most personal, make you a unique person.

Together with You

Play the recording of Beth Hamon’s “Aleinu."

What vision of the world does the
musician express?
What kind of partnership does she
envision?
How do her vision of the world and her

idea of partnership relate to ‫? ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬

What phrase in the song is used

instead of ‫? ִתּקּוּן עוֹ ָלם‬

Challenge!

In the second line of ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬, the Hebrew word ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬is used to refer to “everything.”
The word ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬is also the first word of the Torah, and there it means “in the
beginning.” What story does ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬introduce in the Torah?
Why do you think ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬also means “everything”?

13

Whom Do We Help?

Sometimes it’s hard to know whom to help: those we
personally care about or those who need help the most.

One way of looking at this question comes from two passages
in the book of Exodus. In Exodus 25 people choose what’s
important to them and donate as their heart moves them.
In Exodus 30, everyone has to give a little money that goes
where it is most needed:

‫ֵמ ֵאת ָכּל־ ִאישׁ ֲא ֶשׁר ִי ְדּ ֶבנּוּ ִלבּוֹ ִתּ ְקחוּ ֶאת־ ְתּרוּ ָמ ִתי‬

Take gifts [for God] from each person whose heart is so moved. (EXODUS 25:2)

‫ ַמ ֲח ִצית ַה ֶשּׁ ֶקל‬...‫ֶזה ִי ְתּנוּ ָכּל‬

This is what everyone will give…one half-shekel. (EXODUS 30:13)

Part of ‫ ִתּקּוּן עוֹ ָלם‬is knowing what we want the world to look like. Picture a better

world. Think about categories such as money, poverty, food, hunger, medicine, illness,
friendship, war, peace, animals, plants, and whatever else comes to mind. Pick three
of those categories, and for each list a way you wish the world would improve. Then
choose one of those improvements and say what you can do to help make it happen.

CATEGORY IMPROVEMENT I WISH FOR THE WORLD

1
2
3

One improvement I can help make happen is:
This is what I would do to help:

14

Copyright © 2018 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 1964A (Aleinu) By: Dr. Joel M. Hoffman • “Hebrew Helpers”: Ellen J. Rank • Mindfulness: Rabbi Beni Wajnberg • Project Editor: Terry S. Kaye • Design: Zatar Creative • Photographs: p. 1: Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock. EBREW ELPERS
com; p. 3: oliveromg/Shutterstock.com; p. 4–5: david156/Shutterstock.com; p. 6: Kelsey Judd (top), Uri Westrich (bottom); p. 8–9: Photographee.eu/Shutterstock.com; p. 10: Erez Safar; p. 12: racorn/Shutterstock.com; p. 13: David Kinder (middle), Dean Drobot/Shutterstock.com
(bottom); p. 14: itakdalee/Shutterstock.com; p. 16: nui7711/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA The Weekly Reading

The word ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬refers to all of Creation, and it is also the name of the first book
of the Torah and the name of the first ‫( ָפּ ָר ָשׁה‬portion). Like ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬, each book of
the Torah and each ‫ ָפּ ָר ָשׁה‬gets its name from the first important word in the portion.
With a partner, read the names below of every ‫ ָפּ ָר ָשׁה‬in the book of ‫ ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬.

‫ַו ֵיּ ָרא‬ ‫ֶלְך־ ְלָך‬ ‫ֹנ ַח‬ ‫ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית‬
‫ַו ִיּ ְשׁ ַלח‬ ‫ַו ֵיּ ֵצא‬ ‫תּוֹ ְלדֹת‬ ‫ַח ֵיּי ָשָׂרה‬
‫ַו ִיּ ַגּשׁ‬
‫ַו ְי ִחי‬ ‫ִמ ֵקּץ‬ ‫ַו ֵיּ ֶשׁב‬

Challenge: In the list above, circle the names of two important people from the Torah.

Ancient Words

When the word ‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר‬is in a prayer, we know that the words that follow are taken

from the Bible. With a partner, read the following siddur phrases. Then put quotation
marks around the words from the Bible.

.‫ וּ ְג ָאלוֹ ִמַיּד ָח ָזק ִמ ֶמּנּוּ‬,‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר ִכּי ָפ ָדה ְי ָי ֶאת ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב‬1
.‫ ִכּי ִפּי ְי ָי ִדּ ֵבּר‬,‫ ְוָראוּ ָכל ָבּ ָשׂר ַי ְח ָדּו‬,‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר ְו ִנ ְג ָלה ְכּבוֹד ְי ָי‬2

...‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר ְו ָה ָיה ְי ָי ְל ֶמ ֶלְך ַﬠל ָכּל ָה ָא ֶרץ‬3
...‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ַמר ְו ִה ְק ִטיר ָﬠ ָליו ַא ֲהרֹן ְק ֹטֶרת ַס ִמּים‬4

15

My Musical Journey: ‫ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬

Compose your ‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬music by filling in the responses below.

The focus of

‫ ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬is on how

we Jews are
different from

The Jewish value

of ‫ְבּ ֶצ ֶלם ֱאֹל ִהים‬

means

The root letters
of the three words

‫ֶמ ֶלְך ַמ ְל ֵכי ַה ְמּ ָל ִכים‬

are

The music I liked
best for this prayer

was __ because

One way I
feel connected

to my Jewish
community is

An example of

‫ ִתּקּוּן עוֹ ָלם‬is

16

www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH

‫ַא ְשֵׁרי‬

‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬

“Happy is the person who...” Philosophers and rabbis and doctors
and poets and scholars and neuroscientists have thought about
how to finish that sentence; so have people trained in other
disciplines and people who are not trained at all.

The ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬prayer presents one view: Happy is the person who

lives in God’s house. (The prayer doesn’t say what that means,

so we’ll explore it together.) Then ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬follows up with an

alphabetic poem with ways to praise God.

Happy are those who dwell in Your house; ,‫ ַא ְשֵׁרי יוֹ ְשׁ ֵבי ֵבי ֶתָך‬1

they will praise You forever. .‫ עוֹד ְי ַה ְללוָּך ֶסּ ָלה‬2

Happy is the nation that is like this; ,‫ ַא ְשֵׁרי ָה ָﬠם ֶשׁ ָכּ ָכה לּוֹ‬3

happy is the nation whose God is Adonai. .‫ ַא ְשֵׁרי ָה ָﬠם ֶשׁ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ָהיו‬4

David’s psalm: ,‫ ְתּ ִה ָלּה ְל ָד ִוד‬5

I will exalt You, my God and sovereign, ,‫ ֲארוֹ ִמ ְמָך ֱאלוֹ ַהי ַה ֶמּ ֶלְך‬6

and praise Your name forever. .‫ ַו ֲא ָבְר ָכה ִשׁ ְמָך ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬7

Every day I will praise You ,‫ ְבּ ָכל יוֹם ֲא ָבְר ֶכ ָךּ‬8

and I will praise Your name, always. .‫ ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה ִשׁ ְמָך ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬9

Great is Adonai, and greatly praised, ,‫ ָגּדוֹל ְי ָי וּ ְמ ֻה ָלּל ְמ ֹאד‬10

there is no limit to God’s greatness. .‫ ְו ִל ְג ֻד ָלּתוֹ ֵאין ֵח ֶקר‬11

One generation will praise Your works to the next, ,‫ דּוֹר ְלדוֹר ְי ַשׁ ַבּח ַמ ֲﬠ ֶשׂיָך‬12

and they will tell of Your mighty deeds. .‫ וּ ְגבוּרֹ ֶתיָך ַי ִגּידוּ‬13

1 1964B • Ashrei NAME

Of Your majestic splendor, ,‫ ֲה ַדר ְכּבוֹד הוֹ ֶדָך‬14

and Your wonders I will speak. .‫ ְו ִד ְבֵרי ִנ ְפ ְל ֹא ֶתיָך ָא ִשׂי ָחה‬15

They will speak of Your awe-inspiring deeds, ,‫ ֶו ֱﬠזוּז נוְֹראוֹ ֶתיָך יֹא ֵמרוּ‬16

and I will tell of Your greatness. .‫ וּ ְג ֻד ָלּ ְתָך ֲא ַס ְפּ ֶר ָנּה‬17

They will recount Your very great renown, ,‫ ֵז ֶכר ַרב טוּ ְבָך ַי ִבּיעוּ‬18

and sing joyously of Your righteousness. .‫ ְו ִצ ְד ָק ְתָך ְיַר ֵנּנוּ‬19

Gracious and merciful is Adonai, ,‫ ַחנּוּן ְוַרחוּם ְי ָי‬20

slow to anger and abounding in loving-kindness. .‫ ֶא ֶרְך ַא ַפּ ִים וּ ְג ָדל ָח ֶסד‬21

Adonai is good to all, ,‫ טוֹב ְי ָי ַל ֹכּל‬22

and God’s mercy is upon all of God’s works. .‫ ְוַר ֲח ָמיו ַﬠל ָכּל ַמ ֲﬠ ָשׂיו‬23

All of Your creatures will acknowledge You, Adonai, ,‫ יוֹדוָּך ְי ָי ָכּל ַמ ֲﬠ ֶשׂיָך‬24

and Your faithful ones will praise You. .‫ ַו ֲח ִסי ֶדיָך ְי ָבְרכוּ ָכה‬25

They will speak of the glory of Your sovereignty, ,‫ ְכּבוֹד ַמ ְלכוּ ְתָך ֹיא ֵמרוּ‬26

and tell of Your might. .‫ וּ ְגבוּ ָר ְתָך ְי ַד ֵבּרוּ‬27

To make known God’s might among mortals, ,‫ ְלהוֹ ִדי ַﬠ ִל ְב ֵני ָה ָא ָדם ְגּבוּרֹ ָתיו‬28

and the majestic glory of God’s sovereignty. .‫ וּ ְכבוֹד ֲה ַדר ַמ ְלכוּתוֹ‬29

Your sovereignty is eternal; ,‫ ַמ ְלכוּ ְתָך ַמ ְלכוּת ָכּל עוֹ ָל ִמים‬30

and Your dominion is for all generations. .‫ וּ ֶמ ְמ ַשׁ ְל ְתָּך ְבּ ָכל דֹּר ָודֹר‬31

Adonai supports all who stumble, ,‫ סוֹ ֵמְך ְי ָי ְל ָכל ַה ֹנּ ְפ ִלים‬32

and lifts up all who are bent down. .‫ ְוזוֹ ֵקף ְל ָכל ַה ְכּפוּ ִפים‬33

The eyes of all will look up to You hopefully, ,‫ ֵﬠי ֵני ֹכל ֵא ֶליָך ְי ַשׂ ֵבּרוּ‬34

and You give them ‫ ְו ַא ָתּה נוֹ ֵתן ָל ֶהם‬35

their food in its proper time. .‫ ֶאת ָא ְכ ָלם ְבּ ִﬠתּוֹ‬36

2

You open Your hand, ,‫ פּוֹ ֵת ַח ֶאת ָי ֶדָך‬37

and You satisfy every creature to its heart’s content. .‫ וּ ַמ ְשׂ ִבּי ַﬠ ְל ָכל ַחי ָרצוֹן‬38

Adonai is righteous in all ways, ,‫ ַצ ִדּיק ְי ָי ְבּ ָכל ְדָּר ָכיו‬39

and faithful in all works. .‫ ְו ָח ִסיד ְבּ ָכל ַמ ֲﬠ ָשׂיו‬40

Adonai is near to all who call, ,‫ ָקרוֹב ְי ָי ְל ָכל ֹקְר ָאיו‬41

to all who call to God truthfully. .‫ ְל ֹכל ֲא ֶשׁר ִי ְקָר ֻאהוּ ֶב ֱא ֶמת‬42

Adonai will fulfill the wishes of those who fear God, ,‫ ְרצוֹן ְיֵר ָאיו ַי ֲﬠ ֶשׂה‬43

and will listen to their cries and rescue them. .‫ ְו ֶאת ַשׁ ְו ָﬠ ָתם ִי ְשׁ ַמע ְויוֹ ִשי ֵﬠם‬44

Adonai will guard all who love God ,‫ שׁוֹ ֵמר ְי ָי ֶאת ָכּל ֹא ֲה ָביו‬45

and will destroy all the wicked. .‫ ְו ֵאת ָכּל ָהְר ָשׁ ִﬠים ַי ְשׁ ִמיד‬46

My mouth will praise Adonai, ,‫ ְתּ ִה ַלּת ְי ָי ְי ַד ֶבּר ִפּי‬47

and all creatures will praise ‫ ִוי ָבֵרְך ָכּל ָבּ ָשׂר‬48

God’s holy name forever and ever. .‫ ֵשׁם ָק ְדשׁוֹ ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬49

And we will praise Adonai, ,‫ ַו ֲא ַנ ְחנוּ ְנ ָבֵרְך ָיהּ‬50

now and always. Halleluyah! .‫ ַה ְללוּ ָיהּ‬,‫ ֵמ ַﬠ ָתּה ְו ַﬠד עוֹ ָלם‬51

Prayer Reading How Did I Do?

Practice reading ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬in a How well did you read? Circle the
face that shows how you feel.
group of three to five people,
each person reading one Go online to practice reading
line. Then take turns having
one person choose a line at ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬. Make it your own by
random and call out the first
letter of that line. Who will be recording yourself. Use your
the first person to read the voice to show which words
first word of that line? are important to you.

3

Big and Small

In addition to the words “Happy are those who dwell

in Your [God’s] house”—a big idea—‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬also says:

‫ וּ ַמ ְשׂ ִבּי ַﬠ ְל ָכל ַחי ָרצוֹן‬,‫פּוֹ ֵת ַח ֶאת ָי ֶדָך‬

You open Your hand, and You satisfy every creature to its heart’s content.

This can mean that God gives us what we need, like food, water, and shelter. Combined, these
lines teach us to look for the big things and the small things that make up our lives.

What big things in your life make you happy? What small things in your life make you happy?
Draw or write your responses in the boxes below.

HAPPY—BIG THINGS HAPPY—SMALL THINGS

Prayer Words ‫ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬ How many times do you see the word ‫ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬

happy is/are ‫ְי ַה ְללוָּך‬ in the first four lines of the prayer?
they will praise you ‫ָה ָﬠם‬
the nation How many times do you see the word ‫ָה ָﬠם‬
that is like this ‫ֶשׁ ָכּ ָכה‬
to/for it ‫לוֹ‬ in the first four lines of the prayer?
psalm
‫ְתּ ִה ָלּה‬ Words with the letters ‫ הלל‬often have to

do with “praise.” How many words in the
first ten lines of the prayer—and on line 51
—can you find with those letters?

4

Compare the Music!

Read the first four lines of ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬in Hebrew.
Listen to the songs based on ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬by

Rabbi Shefa Gold and Peri Smilow.

Then answer the questions that follow. SHEFA GOLD PERI SMILOW

Is the tempo fast or slow (or other)?

How does the song make you feel?
(hopeful? sad? peaceful? calm?
energized?)

What is it about the music that makes
you feel that way? (tempo, instruments,
volume, etc.)

Which song better reflects the theme of
happiness for you? Why?

Mindfulness

Ashrei yoshvei veitecha. Yoshvei means “those who live.” Feel yourself alive in this moment.
Take a deep, gentle breath in. Say, “Ahhh” as you breathe out. Feel your body being
held by the chair or the floor. Now say, “Shhhhhhh.” Hear the silence. Try it with the
first words of the prayer. Ahhh—sh—rei yo—sh—vei vei—techa. Happy are those who live
in this moment. Try it again. This time think the words rather than say them.

5

Who Is Wise?

The Hebrew word ‫ ֵאי ֶזהוּ‬means “who is” or “who are.” Almost two thousand years

ago, a scholar named Shimon Ben Zoma used this word to ask and answer a series of
questions about life:

.‫ ֵאי ֶזהוּ ָח ָכם? ַהלּוֹ ֵמד ִמ ָכּל ָא ָדם‬1
.‫ ֵאי ֶזהוּ ִגבּוֹר? ַהכּוֹ ֵבשׁ ֶאת ִי ְצרוֹ‬2
.‫ ֵאי ֶזהוּ ָﬠ ִשׁיר? ַה ָשׂ ֵמ ַח ְבּ ֶח ְלקוֹ‬3
.‫ ֵאי ֶזהוּ ְמ ֻכ ָבּד? ַה ְמ ַכ ֵבּד ֶאת ַה ְבּ ִריּוֹת‬4

The questions mean:

1. Who is wise?

2. Who is strong?

3. Who is rich?

4. Who is honored?

Write your own answers to the questions above.

Big Idea! Ben Zoma’s answers are:
1. Those who learn from everyone.
You’re rich if you’re 2. Those who conquer their natural tendency
happy with what you
have, says Ben Zoma. to do bad things.
In other words, wealth 3. Those who are happy with what they have.
is a mind-set, not the 4. Those who honor all creatures.
amount of money you Which one of Ben Zoma’s answers is most meaningful
have. At the same time, to you?
everyone still deserves Why did you choose that one?
food and shelter and
health, according How are these questions related to the ‫? ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬

to our tradition.

6

EBREW ELPERS

Attending to the Ending

With a partner, find and circle the Hebrew ending ‫( ָךּ‬which means “you”; note the

dot!—it’s pronounced ka) in each of these prayer phrases. Then read each line aloud.

Put a check next to the line from ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬.

‫ ָי ֵאר ְי ָי ָפּ ָניו ֵא ֶליָך ִוי ֻח ֶנּ ָךּ‬1
‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ַהי ְלעוֹ ָלם אוֹ ֶד ָךּ‬2
‫ ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה ִשׁ ְמָך ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬,‫ ְבּ ָכל יוֹם ֲא ָב ְר ֶכ ָךּ‬3
‫ וּ ִמ ִצּיּוֹן ִי ְס ָﬠ ֶד ָךּ‬,‫ ִי ְשׁ ַלח ֶﬠ ְז ְרָך ִמ ֹקּ ֶדשׁ‬4
‫ ֵא ִלי ַא ָתּה ְואוֹ ֶד ָךּ ֱאֹל ַהי ֲארוֹ ְמ ֶמ ָךּ‬5

Lots of Praise

The siddur words below are built on the root letters ‫הלל‬. Notice that some of these
words only have one ‫ ;ל‬a dot in the remaining single ‫ ל‬tells us a letter has dropped out.
With a partner, read the words. Put a circle around all the words that appear in ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬.

Then underline the Hebrew word for Halleluyah!

‫ ְתּ ִה ָלּתוֹ ְו ִי ְת ַה ָלּל וּ ְל ַה ֵלּל ַה ְמ ֻה ָלּל וּ ְמ ַה ְל ִלים‬1

‫ ְנ ַה ֶלּ ְלָך ְת ִהֹּלת ִה ְת ַה ְללוּ ִבּ ְת ִה ָלּ ֶתָך ְו ַה ֵלּל‬2

‫ ְי ַה ְללוָּך ְתּ ִה ָלּה ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה ְתּ ִה ַלּת ַה ְללוּ ָיהּ‬3

‫ ַה ְל ִלי ַה ְללוּ ְי ַה ְללוּ ְו ִל ְת ִה ָלּה ְתּ ַה ֵלּל‬4

‫ְתּ ִה ָלּ ֶתָך ְת ִה ָלּ ֵתנוּ ִוי ַה ְללוּ‬ ‫ ְמ ֻה ָלּל ַה ֵלּל‬5

Why do you think there are so many different words related to “praise” in the siddur?

7

Houses and Dots

The ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬begins: ‫“ — ַא ְשׁ ֵרי יוֹ ְשׁ ֵבי ֵבי ֶתָך‬Happy

are those who dwell in Your [God’s] house.”

‫ ַבּ ִית‬is a house, and the ending ‫ ָך‬here means
“your.” So why is “your house” ‫( ֵבי ֶתָך‬with a ‫)ב‬
instead of ‫( ֵבּי ֶתָך‬with a ‫ ?)בּ‬It’s because ‫ בּ‬and ‫ב‬

are actually the same letter (even though you may

have learned them separately), just like ‫ כּ‬and ‫ כ‬are
the same, and ‫ פּ‬and ‫פ‬. Grammar rules can make a

change like this.

One way our tradition understands ‫( ֵבי ֶתָך‬God’s “house”) is as the

synagogue. In what ways do you think the synagogue is God’s house?

Now I Know My ABCs

The first four lines of ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬, about happiness, and the last two lines, about praise,

were added to Psalm 145 when it became part of the prayer service. Except for these

lines and the title of the poem on line 5 (‫) ְתּ ִה ָלּה ְל ָד ִוד‬, the prayer is an alphabetic

acrostic: The letters of the alphabet, in order, start the lines of the prayer. (Even
though no one knows why, one Hebrew letter is missing. Which one? )

Ashrei Music

Listen to Cantor Katie Oringel sing ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬.

Do you think the melody fits the words? Explain your response.

8

The Top 150 of The World and Me
Antiquity
Most of ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬is about the whole world:
The biblical book of Psalms
God does wondrous things, God’s creatures
(‫ ) ְתּ ִה ִלּים‬contains 150 offer thanks, and God’s kingdom lasts forever.
But one of the last lines is about the person
poems, many of which appear saying the prayer: “My mouth will praise God.”
prominently in our prayer What other lines are about “me,” “my,” or “I”?
service even thousands of years
after they were written. One The literary device of making the first lines and
of them, Psalm 145, forms the last lines of a work similar is called inclusio (or
envelope). Why do you think it has this name?
main part of ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬. Lines

from three other psalms are
included at the beginning and

end of ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬.

What’s in a Hebrew Word?

‫םך מכ‬Dsoamnaa’ntendfdloertgtaeerarte,retathnhtahdete Sometimes a single letter at the beginning or end of a word in Hebrew
same letter. translates to one or more completely separate words in English.

The letter ‫ א‬at the start of a word can mean “I will,” and ‫ ך‬at the end

of a word can mean “you.” So:

‫ רוֹ ֵמם‬means “exalt.” What does ‫ ֲארוֹ ִמ ְמָך‬mean?
‫ ָבּ ֵרְך‬means “bless.” What does ‫ ֲא ָב ְר ֶכ ָךּ‬mean?

The letter ‫ ה‬at the end of a word sometimes has no meaning; it’s just there for poetry,

the way til and until in English mean the same thing.

What does ‫ ֲא ָב ְר ָכה‬mean? What does ‫ ֲא ַה ְל ָלה‬mean?

The letter ‫ ו‬at the start of a word can mean “and.”

What does ‫ ַו ֲא ָב ְר ָכה‬mean? What does ‫ ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה‬mean?

9

What’s the Reason?

Usually we need a reason to do something: We
brush our teeth to keep them clean and healthy.
We eat food because we’re hungry, or it tastes
good, or it gives us energy. We visit the sick
because it’s kind and because it’s a mitzvah.

But sometimes we do things just to do them. For example, we light birthday candles
not because we need the light but because it has become customary to use birthday
candles on birthdays.

Jewish tradition singles out saying ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬as one of the things we do just to do it.
In fact, some rabbis of old claimed that people who say ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬should be respected

just as much as people who do acts of kindness. Other rabbis disagreed and thought
repeating words could never rise to the level of helping people. Which position do you

agree with more? What’s one thing you

can think of in support of the other position?

My Own Acrostic

Pick any theme from our prayers—community, praising God, justice, healing, nature,
or whatever else you’d like. Now start with the first letter of your first name, using that
and the next four letters of the alphabet to make a five-line alphabetic acrostic about
your prayer theme. (If you get to the end of the alphabet, continue with A.)

First letter BONUS:
of your Keep going past
five lines with more
first name. letters. How far can

Next four you get?
letters in the

alphabet.

10

EBREW ELPERS

Forever Phrases

Divide into groups of two or three. Have one member of the group read the first word
on the line. Have a second member read the second word, and so on. Then read the
phrase together as a group, blending the words smoothly. Find and circle the Hebrew
word (or a variation of that word) that appears in every phrase below.

‫ ָו ֶﬠד = ַו ֲא ָב ְר ָכה ִשׁ ְמָך ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬+ ‫ ְלעוֹ ָלם‬+ ‫ ִשׁ ְמָך‬+ ‫ ַו ֲא ָב ְר ָכה‬1
‫ ָו ֶﬠד = ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה ִשׁ ְמָך ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬+ ‫ ְלעוֹ ָלם‬+ ‫ ִשׁ ְמָך‬+ ‫ ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה‬2
‫ עוֹ ָל ִמים = ַמ ְלכוּ ְתָך ַמ ְלכוּת ָכּל עוֹ ָל ִמים‬+ ‫ ָכּל‬+ ‫ ַמ ְלכוּת‬+ ‫ ַמ ְלכוּ ְתָך‬3

‫ ָו ֶﬠד = ֵשׁם ָק ְדשׁוֹ ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬+ ‫ ְלעוֹ ָלם‬+ ‫ ָק ְדשׁוֹ‬+ ‫ ֵשׁם‬4
‫ ַה ְללוּ ָיהּ = ֵמ ַﬠ ָתּה ְו ַﬠד עוֹ ָלם ַה ְללוּ ָיהּ‬+ ‫ עוֹ ָלם‬+‫ ְו ַﬠד‬+ ‫ ֵמ ַﬠ ָתּה‬5

Repeating Roots

Several roots repeat over and over in ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬. With a partner, read the prayer words

below.

‫ ֲא ָב ְר ָכה ַמ ְלכוּ ְתָך ְי ַה ְללוָּך וּ ְגבוּרֹ ֶתיָך ָגּדוֹל‬1
‫ ְו ִל ְג ֻד ָלּתוֹ ֲא ָב ְר ֶכ ָךּ ַמ ְלכוּת וּ ְגבוּ ָר ְתָך ַו ֲא ַה ְל ָלה‬2
‫ ְגּבוּרֹ ָתיו וּ ְמ ֻה ָלּל וּ ְג ֻד ָלּ ְתָך ְי ָב ְרכוּ ָכה ַמ ְלכוּתוֹ‬3

Write the five roots found in the words above:

Put a check next to the roots you recognize.

11

‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬

Think of a time when you weren’t sure if you were awake
or asleep. Or maybe you couldn’t remember if something
happened in a dream or for real. It can be confusing and even
scary when we mix up being awake and being asleep. We have a
prayer to acknowledge the wonder of returning to full wakefulness:

I acknowledge (give thanks) to You, ,‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני ְל ָפ ֶניָך‬/‫ מוֹ ֶדה‬1
living and everlasting Ruler, ,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ַחי ְו ַק ָיּם‬2
who has graciously returned my soul to me.
Great is Your faithfulness! ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱחַזְר ָתּ ִבּי ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי‬3
.‫ ַר ָבּה ֱאמוּ ָנ ֶתָך‬,‫ ְבּ ֶח ְמ ָלה‬4

‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫ מוֹ ֶדה‬is a prayer about a personal experience, so practice this one on your own.

Try closing your eyes for five seconds, then open them, take a deep breath, and read the prayer.

How Did I Do? Go online to practice reading

How well did you read? Circle ‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬. Make it your own
the face that shows how you feel.
by recording yourself. Use your

voice to show which words are

important to you.

What are some things you’re thankful for? Which kind of thanks applies in each case?

I’M THANKFUL FOR: I EXPECTED IT I DIDN’T EXPECT IT

1.

2.

3.

According to ‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬, we expect God to wake us up safely. And when God does, we

show appreciation by saying “thank you.”

12

“I Am Thankful For”

Bring both of your hands to your heart. Think of something you are deeply thankful
for—a person, place, pet, event, health, or something else. Then, with your hands still
at your heart, say “I am thankful for [say the word here].” Open up your hands, as if you
were spreading your thankfulness into the world around you. Think of two other things
you are thankful for and repeat the process.

Bluegrass Modeh Ani 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Listen to Nefesh Mountain’s Modeh Ani.
Then answer the following questions.

Is the tempo fast or slow (or other)?

Superslow VERY FAST

What instruments do you hear in this song?

Describe the rhythm. (simple? complicated?
strange? familiar?)

How does the song make you feel? (hopeful?
sad? peaceful? calm? energized?)

What is it about the music that makes you feel
that way? (tempo, instruments, volume, etc.)

In the song, what are we saying thank you for?

Thanks a Lot!

There are two ways we use the phrase “thank you.”

One way is when we expect something and think we deserve it, like
when we pay for take-out food at a restaurant and tell the person at
the counter “thank you.” Or when someone pays us to do a job and
we do it, they say “thank you.”

The other way is when we get something we didn’t expect or didn’t
do anything to deserve. For example, if a waiter at a restaurant
brings us a free ice-cream sundae for dessert, we say “thank you.”
Or if we volunteer to help people who need it, they might thank us.

13

Jump to It!

‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫ מוֹ ֶדה‬is about waking up. So, lie down. Now jump

up and try to say as much of the prayer as you can before you land.

Prayer Words

acknowledge, Sometimes a word gets
moved to the start of a
‫מוֹ ֶדה‬give thanks (masculine) sentence in Hebrew to tell you
what the sentence is about.
acknowledge, ‫מוֹ ָדה‬
give thanks (feminine) ‫ֲא ִני‬ What is ‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬
‫ֶמ ֶלְך‬
I about?

king, ruler

my soul ‫ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי‬

Why do you think we have a prayer to celebrate waking up?

Now That You’re Awake

In modern Hebrew, good is ‫ טוֹב‬and morning is ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר‬. Because words sometimes go in a
different order in Hebrew, good morning is ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬. Practice saying it. Don’t forget it!
Next time you see someone in the morning, try out ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬.
When someone wishes you ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬, you can respond with the same words. Or, for
real flair, there’s another option: ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר אוֹר‬, which means morning of light.
Find a friend and practice your morning conversation, starting with ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬and
responding with ‫ ֹבּ ֶקר אוֹר‬. (The phrase ‫ ַל ְי ָלה טוֹב‬means “good night,” but there’s
no ‫ ַל ְי ָלה אוֹר‬. Why not?)

14

Copyright © 2018 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 1964B (Ashrei) By: Dr. Joel M. Hoffman • “Hebrew Helpers”: Ellen J. Rank • Mindfulness: Rabbi Beni Wajnberg • Project Editor: Terry S. Kaye • Design: Zatar Creative • Photographs: p. 1: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock. EBREW ELPERS
com; p. 3: Margaret.W/Shutterstock.com; p. 4: Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com; p. 5: Connie Reider (top, left), Kathryn Huang Photography (top, right), Dean Drobot/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 8: KannaA/shutterstock.com; p. 8–9: Sabphoto/Shutterstock.com;
p. 10: Sajee Rod/shutterstock.com (top), Tak Ishikawa/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 12: bbernard/Shutterstock.com; p. 13: BAM Photography (top), Background All/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 14: Ken Hurst/Shutterstock.com; p. 16: tottoto/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA A Royal Song

With a small group, read or sing this popular song about King David. Then circle all

the words that are also in ‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬.

.‫ ַחי ְו ַק ָיּם‬,‫ָדּ ִוד ֶמ ֶלְך ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ַחי‬

Meet and Greet

With a partner, take turns reading these Hebrew greetings. Person A reads the first
greeting; person B responds with the same greeting. Person B reads the second
greeting; person A responds, and so on. Smile and wave to your partner each time you
say a greeting.

‫ַשׁ ַבּת ָשׁלוֹם‬ ‫ָצ ֳהַר ִים טוֹ ִבים ָשׁבוּ ַﬠ טוֹב‬ ‫ֶﬠ ֶרב טוֹב‬
‫ָשׁ ָנה טוֹ ָבה‬ ‫ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬
‫ַחג ָשׂ ֵמ ַח‬ ‫ַל ְי ָלה טוֹב‬

It’s Me

The ‫י‬-ִ ending, like the ending of ‫ ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי‬, can tell us that a word has “me,” “my,” or “I”

as part of its meaning. With a partner, take turns reading the lines below. Then circle
the words on each line with that ending.

‫ ֱאמוּ ָנ ִתי ְל ָפ ֶניָך ְבּ ֶﬠ ְז ָר ִתי ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי ְבּ ִני‬1

‫ ִק ִוּי ִתי ַנ ְפ ִשׁי ִה ְנ ִני ְו ַק ָיּם בּוֹ ְר ִאי‬2

‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ַז ְר ָתּ ְת ִפ ָלּ ִתי ֹגּ ֲא ִלי ִנ ִסּי רוּ ִחי‬3

‫ָא ַמ ְר ִתּי ֱאמוּ ָנ ֶתָך‬ ‫ ְב ִק ְר ִבּי ֶשׁ ָﬠ ַשׂ ִני ָא ִבי‬4

‫ְבּ ֶח ְמ ָלה ָא ַה ְב ִתּי ִבּי‬ ‫ָﬠ ִזּי‬ ‫ ֵא ִלי‬5

15

My Musical Journey: ‫ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬

Compose your ‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬music by filling in the responses below.

‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬says:

Happy is the
person who

Ben Zoma 16
said you are
rich if you are

‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬is an

alphabetic
acrostic,

which means

The music that
best expressed
the meaning of

‫ ַא ְשׁ ֵרי‬for me

was __ because

We say

‫מוֹ ָדה ֲא ִני‬/‫מוֹ ֶדה‬

to acknowledge

‫ ֹבּ ֶקר טוֹב‬means
__ and ‫ַל ְי ָלה טוֹב‬

means __

www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH

‫ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬

Some places and things are so well-known that we don’t need to explain
what they are; for example, “the President,” “the Holy Land,” or “the

United Nations.” The ‫ — ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬a series of blessings at the heart of every

prayer service—is so important that one of its

names is simply ‫“( ַה ְתּ ִפ ָלּה‬The Prayer”). The
‫( ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬fathers and mothers) is the first
blessing in the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬.

In the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬we ask God to watch over

us, protect us, and bless us just as the Torah
says God watched over, protected, and blessed
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Sarah, Rebekah,
Rachel, and Leah.

Adonai, open up my lips ‫ ְשׂ ָפ ַתי ִתּ ְפ ָתּח‬,‫ ֲאדֹ ָני‬1

so my mouth may declare Your praise. .‫ וּ ִפי ַי ִגּיד ְתּ ִה ָלּ ֶתָך‬2

Praised are You, Adonai, our God ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ְי ָי‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬3

and God of our fathers and mothers, ,‫ ֵואֹל ֵהי ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ ְו ִאמּוֹ ֵתינוּ‬4

God of Abraham, God of Isaac, ,‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי ִי ְצ ָחק‬,‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי ַא ְבָר ָהם‬5

and God of Jacob, God of Sarah, ,‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי ָשׂ ָרה‬,‫ ֵואֹל ֵהי ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב‬6

God of Rebekah, God of Rachel ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי ָר ֵחל‬,‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי ִר ְב ָקה‬7

and God of Leah. The great, ,‫ ָה ֵאל ַה ָגּדוֹל‬.‫ ֵואֹל ֵהי ֵל ָאה‬8

the mighty, and the awesome God, supreme God. .‫ ֵאל ֶﬠ ְליוֹן‬,‫ ְו ַהנּוֹ ָרא‬,‫ ַה ִגּבּוֹר‬9

1 964C • Avot V'Imahot NAME

You do acts of loving-kindness ,‫ גּוֹ ֵמל ֲח ָס ִדים טוֹ ִבים‬10
and create everything, and remember ‫ ְוזוֹ ֵכר‬,‫ ְוקוֹ ֵנה ַה ֹכּל‬11
the kindnesses of the fathers and mothers,
and You will bring a redeemer/redemption ,‫ ַח ְס ֵדי ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬12
to their children’s children ‫ ְגּ ֻא ָלּה‬/‫ וּ ֵמ ִביא גּוֹ ֵאל‬13
for the sake of Your name, and in love. ,‫ ִל ְב ֵני ְב ֵני ֶהם‬14
Ruler, Helper, and Rescuer, and Shield. .‫ ְבּ ַא ֲה ָבה‬,‫ ְל ַמ ַﬠן ְשׁמוֹ‬15
Praised are You, Adonai,
Shield of Abraham .‫ ֶמ ֶלְך עוֹ ֵזר וּמוֹ ִשׁי ַﬠ וּ ָמ ֵגן‬16
and Guardian/Helper of Sarah. ,‫ ְי ָי‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬17
‫ ָמ ֵגן ַא ְבָר ָהם‬18

.‫ ְו ֶﬠ ְזַרת ָשׂ ָרה‬/‫ וּ ֹפ ֵקד‬19

Practice reading the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬with a partner. Decide which lines you and

your partner will each read. Mark your lines with your initials.

What’s in a Name? How Did I Do?

List some of the names people have for you. How well did you read? Circle
They could be nicknames like “AJ” or “Juju,” the face that shows how you feel.
family words like “daughter” or “brother, ”
or activity names such as “rock climber” or Go online to practice
“dancer.”
reading the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬.
___________________ __________________ ___________________
Make the prayer your own
___________________ __________________ ___________________ by recording yourself. Use
your voice to show which
___________________ __________________ ___________________ words are important to you.

Choose one of these names and explain how
it is a good description of you.

2

Prayer Names

The ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬also has several names. Each name tells us something different

about the prayer.

Name Tells Us About the Prayer

‫ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬ Subjects stand before the king or queen as a sign of respect.

“standing” We stand when we say the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬because we think of God

‫ְשׁמוֹ ֶנה ֶﬠ ְשׂ ֵרה‬ as our ruler.

“eighteen” Originally, the weekday version of the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬included

‫ַה ְתּ ִפ ָלּה‬ eighteen blessings. Even though the number of blessings has

“the prayer” grown to nineteen, we still call it the ‫ ְשׁמוֹ ֶנה ֶﬠ ְשׂ ֵרה‬. The ‫ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬
recited on ‫ ַשׁ ָבּת‬and holidays contains seven blessings.

The ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬is so central to the prayer service that the Talmud
refers to it as ‫“( ַה ְתּ ִפ ָלּה‬THE prayer”).

What differences do you feel between praying while standing and
praying while sitting?

How do you use movement to express yourself creatively?

One Out of Seven

There are seven ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬in the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬for Shabbat and holidays. Draw a line under
the name of the blessing in the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬that means “Fathers and Mothers.”

‫ ְקדוּ ַשׁת ַהיּוֹם‬4 ‫ ְקדוּ ָשׁה‬3 ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬2 ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬1

‫ ִבּ ְרכוֹת ָשׁלוֹם‬7 ‫ הוֹ ָד ָאה‬6 ‫ ֲﬠבוֹ ָדה‬5

3

Prayer Words

mothers ‫ִא ָמּהוֹת‬ fathers ‫ָאבוֹת‬
(matriarchs, ancestors) (patriarchs, ancestors)
our mothers ‫ִאמּוֹ ֵתינוּ‬ our fathers ‫ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ‬
Sarah ‫ָשׂ ָרה‬ God of ‫ֱאֹל ֵהי‬
Rebekah ‫ִר ְב ָקה‬ Abraham
Rachel ‫ָר ֵחל‬ Isaac ‫ַא ְב ָר ָהם‬
Leah ‫ֵל ָאה‬ Jacob ‫ִי ְצ ָחק‬
‫ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב‬

Listen to the song “Adonai S'fatai Tiftach” by Cantor Natalie Young.
Then answer the questions:

What mood did the song put
you in? Which elements of the
song made you feel that way?

Why do you think the song
starts with one voice and
grows to many voices?

Why do you think Natalie
Young composed her song so
that the melody begins softly
and slowly and then gradually
becomes loud and fast?

4

Name the Ancestor

Write the missing Hebrew word on each line below. Then, with a partner, read
each complete line aloud.

‫ ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ ֵואֹל ֵהי ְו‬,‫ ְי ָי‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬1

(our mothers) (our fathers)

‫ ֵואֹל ֵהי‬, ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬, ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬2

(Jacob) (Isaac) (Abraham)

‫ֵואֹל ֵהי‬ ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬, ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬, ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬3

(Leah) (Rachel) (Rebekah) (Sarah)

Adonai S’fatai

Praying with ‫— ַכּ ָוּ ָנה‬deep concentration—can be hard. We try to pray with ‫ ַכָּוּ ָנה‬by focusing

on the words we are saying and putting other thoughts out of our minds.

What distractions do you encounter when Why is it so hard to open our lips to pray
praying? What helps you tune them out?
with ‫? ַכָּוּ ָנה‬

The line before the start of the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬, Choose one of the following, circle it, and
explain why you think it’s important that
taken from Psalms 51:17, helps us prepare it/they be open when praying.
to pray by saying, “Adonai, open up my lips
so my mouth may declare your praise.” ears heart mind
Read that line in Hebrew on page 1.
eyes soul mouth
Why do you think it is necessary to start the

‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬by asking God to open our lips?

Normally, we can open our lips ourselves.

In a small group discuss your answers. In what ways were your answers the same? Different?

5

Prayer Variations
In some prayer books the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬includes words asking God to send a
‫( גּוֹ ֵאל‬redeemer) who will bring peace to the world. In other prayer books the
blessing asks for peace and perfection in the world— ‫( ְגּ ֻא ָלּה‬redemption).

Which word does your congregation use?

What do both these versions have in common?

Chanting and Moving
People often sing the words of the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬to a traditional melody. We

call the traditional chants for prayers nusach. Just by listening to the nusach, you
can tell that it is Shabbat and not a weekday. Listen to Cantor Joshua Breitzer

chant the nusach for the Shabbat ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬.
The first and last lines of the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬begin with three words: ‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה ְי ָי‬.
These words are our signal to bow. Just as we stand for the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬as if before a

king or queen, we bow out of respect to God for the same reason.

Traditionally, we bend our knees at ‫ ָבּרוְּך‬, bend over from the waist at ‫ ַא ָתּה‬, and
stand back up at ‫ ְי ָי‬. Listen to Cantor Breitzer chant the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬again, and this

time try the movements yourself.

How did adding the movements affect

the way you experienced the ‫? ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬

How can adding movements when 6
praying make you experience the
prayer in a new way?

11

EBREW ELPERS

Scrambled Phrases

Number the words in the correct order to unscramble the phrase on each line.
Then read each phrase aloud.

1 4 23

‫ וּמוֹ ִשׁי ַﬠ עוֹ ֵזר וּ ָמ ֵגן ֶמ ֶלְך‬1

‫ ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת ָאבוֹת ַח ְס ֵדי ְוזוֹ ֵכר‬2

‫ַה ָגּדוֹל‬ ‫ַה ִגּבּוֹר‬ ‫ְו ַהנּוֹ ָרא‬ ‫ ָה ֵאל‬3

‫ ְגּ ֻא ָלּה‬/‫גּוֹ ֵאל‬ ‫ְב ֵני ֶהם‬ ‫וּ ֵמ ִביא‬ ‫ ִל ְב ֵני‬4

‫ ְו ֶﬠ ְזַרת‬/‫וּ ֹפ ֵקד‬ ‫ ַא ְבָר ָהם ָשׂ ָרה ָמ ֵגן‬5

Matriarch or Patriarch?

Read the words below. Underline each word that is connected to our Patriarchs

(‫) ָאבוֹת‬. Circle each word that is connected to our Matriarchs (‫) ִא ָמּהוֹת‬. Then

write the English meaning of the remaining word on the line below.

‫ָאבוֹת ִא ָמּהוֹת ַא ְבָר ָהם ָ ֹש ָרה ִי ְצ ָחק ֱאֹל ֵהי‬

‫ֵל ָאה ֲאבוֹ ֵתנוּ ִאמּוֹ ֵתנוּ ִר ְב ָקה‬ ‫ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב ָר ֵחל‬

7

In the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬, our ancestors are like you, the connector.

The blessing says that because of our ancestors we have an automatic
connection to our Jewish tradition and to God.

Draw another automatic connection you have, for example:
Me Æ Dad Æ Grandma
Me Æ Soccer Coach Æ Goalie
Me Æ ____________ Æ ____________

What does it mean to you to have an automatic connection to God?

Be Kind! Big Idea!
In the ‫ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬
In the blessing we say “You…
remember the kindnesses of the we say that God does
fathers and mothers.” This belief acts of loving kindness
is known as “the merit of our
ancestors” (in Hebrew it’s called (‫)גּוֹ ֵמל ֲח ָס ִדים טוֹ ִבים‬.

‫) ְזכוּת ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬. Traditionally, Just as our ancestors
partnered with God to
this means that God will protect us make the world better
because of our ancestors’ goodness. through acts of loving
kindness, so can we.
What is your reaction to asking What acts of loving
God to protect us because of the kindness can you do?
actions of Abraham and Sarah
and our other ancestors?

8

Know Me, Know Them

Think about a time you introduced two
people from different parts of your life.
Perhaps a camp friend to a school friend,

or a neighbor to a soccer teammate.
Where were you? Draw or write about that
occasion. Include what each person said.

How did knowing you help the two
people connect to one another?

More Prayer Variations

Some prayer books describe God as “the Guardian of Sarah”

(‫) ֹפ ֵקד ָשׂ ָרה‬. Others describe God as “the Helper of Sarah”
(‫) ֶﬠ ְזַרת ָשׂ ָרה‬.

Give an example of a time you were a guardian or helper to
a family member or friend. Which do you prefer to be? Why?

Whether your congregation says “the Guardian of Sarah”
or “the Helper of Sarah,” the prayer suggests that God watched
over and took care of Sarah and our other ancestors.

9

EBREW ELPERS

Word Building

Get into small groups. Group 1 reads line 1 aloud together. Group 2 reads
line 2 aloud, and so on. Then switch lines. After reading, as a group, determine
the three root letters on which the words in each row are built. Choose from

‫גאל‬, ‫גמל‬, ‫זכר‬, ‫עזר‬, or ‫חסד‬. Write the root letters on the blank lines. Then
underline each word that appears in ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬.

‫ִז ָכּרוֹן‬ ‫ְו ָזכוֹר‬ ‫ְוזוֹ ֵכר‬ ‫ ֵז ֶכר זוֹ ֵכר‬1
‫ֹגּ ֲא ֵלנוּ‬ ‫ָגּ ָא ְל ָתּ‬ ‫ְגּ ֻא ָלּה‬ ‫ ְגּ ַא ְל ָתּנוּ גּוֹ ֵאל‬2
‫ְל ַח ְסדּוֹ‬ ‫ֶח ֶסד‬ ‫ֲח ָס ִדים‬ ‫ ַח ְס ֵדי ַח ְס ְדָּך‬3
‫ְבּ ֶﬠ ְזַרת‬ ‫ְו ַי ֲﬠזֹר‬ ‫עוֹ ֵזר‬ ‫ ְו ֶﬠ ְזַרת ֶﬠ ְזֵרנוּ‬4
‫ִי ְג ָמ ְלָך‬ ‫ֶשׁ ְגּ ָמ ְלָך‬ ‫ֶשׁ ְגּ ָמ ַל ִני‬ ‫ ָג ַמל גּוֹ ֵמל‬5

May We Merit

With a partner, read each phrase below and circle the word for “merit.”

‫ ְזכוּת וּ ִמישׁוֹר ִל ְפ ֵני ִכ ְסאוֹ‬1
‫ ַבּ ָמּרוֹם ְי ַל ְמּדוּ ֲﬠ ֵלי ֶהם ְו ָﬠ ֵלינוּ ְזכוּת‬2

‫ ֶשׁ ִבּ ְזכוּת ְס ִפיַרת ָה ֹע ֶמר‬3

7 10

My Role Model

Think of someone in your family who you
respect and admire. Draw or write about this person.

What has that family member said or done to earn
your respect and admiration?

Our tradition teaches
that the matriarchs
and patriarchs earned
our respect and admiration by their good deeds.
For example, Rebekah gave water to Abraham’s
servant, Eliezer, and to Eliezer’s camels in the hot
desert sun when he came to seek a wife for Isaac.

One Great Family

Fill in the English names on Judaism’s First
Family Tree below.

_________________ + _________________

‫ַא ְב ָר ָהם ָשׂ ָרה‬

_________________+ __________________

‫ִי ְצ ָחק ִר ְב ָקה‬

__________________

‫ ֵל ָאה‬+___________________

___________________ ‫ַי ֲﬠ ֹקב‬

‫ָר ֵחל‬

11

Listen to the song “Elohecha” by Eliana Write the last line of the song starting
Light. Who is “I” in the song? with “I promised….”

In a small group, work together to What do these words mean to you?
identify the ancestor in each verse. What does the song reveal to you about
each of us having our own relationship
Verse Ancestor's Name with God?

1
2
3
4
5
6

Prayer Words ‫ַה ָגּדוֹל‬
‫ַה ִגּבּוֹר‬
the great ‫ְו ַהנּוֹ ָרא‬
the mighty ‫ֶﬠ ְליוֹן‬
and the awesome ‫ֲח ָס ִדים טוֹ ִבים‬
supreme
acts of loving-kindness ‫עוֹ ֵזר‬
Helper ‫וּמוֹ ִשׁי ַﬠ‬
and Rescuer
and Shield ‫וּ ָמ ֵגן‬

12

Your God,My God

The word ‫ֱאֹל ֵהי‬ Imagine the word ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬appearing

(God of) appears before your name. How would you
before the name describe your relationship with God?
of each ancestor in What are your beliefs? What questions
do you have? You can write as much as
the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬. you are comfortable expressing.

Look back at page 1 and circle each

phrase consisting of ‫ ֱאֹל ֵהי‬and the name

of an ancestor.

How many phrases did you circle? _____

With a partner discuss the following:
Why do you think the blessing includes

the word ‫( ֱאֹל ֵהי‬God of) before each

ancestor’s name, instead of just once,
followed by the names of all the
ancestors?

The ancient rabbis explained that every
person experiences God differently.

Great and Supportive

In the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬, some words describe God’s greatness. Other words

describe God’s support and protection.

GLook at the words below and write a next to those that say God is great and
San next to those that say God supports us.

‫ֶﬠ ְליוֹן‬ ‫וּ ָמ ֵגן ַה ִגּבּוֹר עוֹ ֵזר‬

supreme Helper the mighty and Shield

‫וּמוֹ ִשׁי ַﬠ‬ ‫ְו ַהנּוֹ ָרא‬ ‫ַה ָגּדוֹל‬ ‫ֶמ ֶלְך‬

and Rescuer and the awesome the great Ruler

13

Acts of Loving-Kindness
Two phrases in the ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬refer to acts of kindness.

‫ גּוֹ ֵמל ֲח ָס ִדים טוֹ ִבים‬.1

You do acts of loving-kindness

‫ ְוזוֹ ֵכר ַח ְס ֵדי ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬.2

And (You) remember the kindnesses of the fathers and mothers

Read the phrases, then find and underline them in the prayer on
page 2.

An example of an act of kindness is giving a warm coat to a needy
person in winter. Another is inviting a new classmate to your
birthday party, or to your bar or bat mitzvah celebration. List
three acts of kindness that you try to practice every day.

1.

2.

3.

Read the following quote from the Talmud:

“These are the things that are beyond measure: honoring one’s parents, doing acts of
loving-kindness, and making peace between two people, while the study of Torah is equal
to them all.”—TALMUD, SHABBAT 127a

Why do you think the rabbis of the Talmud said that the study of Torah is equal
to all three of these mitzvot?

Discuss the following in a small group. “Beyond measure” means something you
can never have enough of. What are some things in your life that are beyond
measure, that no matter how much you have, you can always appreciate more?
What things “beyond measure” does the world need?

14

EBREW ELPERS

Copyright © 2017 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 964C (Avot V’imahot) By: Rabbi Lauren Cohn and Terry S. Kaye • “Hebrew Helpers”: Ellen J. Rank • Project Editor: Terry S. Kaye • Design: Zatar Creative • Photographs: p. 1: blurAZ/Shutterstock.com; On Your Mark, Get Set...
p. 2–3: marilyn barbone/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 4: Lisa Ann Photography; p. 6: Dragon Images/Shutterstock.com; p. 8–9: Denis Kuvaev/Shutterstock.com; p. 9: Mert Toker/Shutterstock.com ; p. 11: Yasser El Dershaby/Shutterstock.com; p. 12: Andrey_Kuzmin/
Shutterstock.com; p. 13: Yoav Levin; p. 14: mangostock/Shutterstock.com; p. 15: chirayusarts/Shutterstock.com; p. 16: aroonrojkul/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA The first runner reads the first word on the line.
The second runner reads the first and second words, the
third runner reads the first three words, and so on. The
final runner reads the whole line.

‫ַי ִגּיד‬ ‫וּ ִפי‬ ‫ִתּ ְפ ָתּח‬ ‫ְשׂ ָפ ַתי‬ ‫ ֲאדֹ ָני‬1
‫ְו ַהנּוֹ ָרא‬ ‫ַה ִגּבּוֹר‬ ‫ַה ָגּדוֹל‬ ‫ָה ֵאל‬ ‫ ְתּ ִה ָלּ ֶתָך‬2
‫טוֹ ִבים‬ ‫ֲח ָס ִדים‬ ‫גּוֹ ֵמל‬ ‫ֶﬠ ְליוֹן‬
‫ַח ְס ֵדי‬ ‫ְוזוֹ ֵכר‬ ‫ַה ֹכּל‬ ‫ ֵאל‬3
‫ָאבוֹת‬ ‫ְגּ ֻא ָלּה‬ ‫וּ ֵמ ִביא‬ ‫ ְוקוֹ ֵנה‬4
‫ִל ְב ֵני‬ ‫גּוֹ ֵאל‬ ‫ ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬5

Everything and Everyone!

With a partner, read these siddur phrases aloud. Circle the Hebrew word for

“everything” or “everyone,” ‫ ַה ֹכּל‬, in each phrase.

‫ ֹע ֶשׂה ָשׁלוֹם וּבוֹ ֵרא ֶאת ַה ֹכּל‬1
‫ ַה ָזּן ֶאת ַה ֹכּל‬2

‫ ְוקוֹ ֵנה ַה ֹכּל‬,‫ גּוֹ ֵמל ֲח ָס ִדים טוֹ ִבים‬3
‫ ֲא ַנ ְחנוּ מוֹ ִדים ָלְך‬,‫ ַﬠל ַה ֹכּל ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬4

Now write the English meaning of ‫( ְוקוֹ ֵנה ַה ֹכּל‬Hint: Look back at page 2.)

15 2

‫ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת ‪My Musical Journey:‬‬

‫‪ָ music by filling in the responses below.‬אבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת ‪Compose your‬‬

‫‪Another name for‬‬

‫‪ֲ is‬ﬠ ִמי ָדה ‪the‬‬

‫‪The line before‬‬

‫‪ֲ asks‬ﬠ ִמי ָדה ‪the‬‬

‫‪God to open our‬‬
‫‪lips to pray so that‬‬

‫‪To me, the‬‬
‫‪main idea of the‬‬

‫ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬

‫‪blessing is‬‬

‫‪“The merit of our‬‬
‫‪ancestors” means‬‬

‫‪One act of‬‬ ‫‪16‬‬
‫‪kindness that I‬‬
‫‪will practice is‬‬

‫‪The music for the‬‬

‫ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬

‫‪that had the most‬‬
‫‪meaning for me‬‬
‫‪was __ because‬‬

‫‪www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH‬‬

‫ָבּ ְרכוּ‬

Does a bell ring in your school when a new class is about to start? At

dinner time, does your mom or dad call you from the kitchen? How else

do people get your attention? In our prayer service, the ‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ‬is a call for

attention. It invites the community to come together and join in prayer.

So stand up, take a bow, and get ready to learn more about this prayer.

Praise (Bless) Adonai, who is to be praised. .‫      ָבּ ְרכוּ ֶאת ְי ָי ַה ְמ ֹב ָרְך‬1
Praised is Adonai, who is to be praised ‫   ָבּרוְּך ְי ָי ַה ְמ ֹב ָרְך‬2
forever and ever. .‫   ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬3

The National Anthem

Think of an event you went to that began with the
singing of the national anthem. What was the event?

Why do you think we sing the national anthem
at this type of event? What does the singing of
the national anthem mean to you and the other
people you are with?

The ‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ‬calls the prayer community Go online for
a video about
together as one, inviting each of us to be how to get
fully present for prayer and to think about ready to pray.
the words we are saying.

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Position 16 1602365 Behrman-tx-Bar'Chu 16-03-02 20:59:15

A Look at the ‫ָבּ ְרכוּ‬ Prayer Words

Read the lines of the ‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ‬to Connect each Hebrew word below to
the matching English.
yourself. Then, with a partner,
take turns reading the lines forever and ever ‫ָבּ ְרכוּ‬
aloud.
praise, bless ‫ְי ָי‬
How Did I Do?
who is to be praised ‫ַה ְמ ֹב ָרְך‬
How well did you read? Circle the
face that shows how you feel. praised ‫ָבּרוְּך‬

Adonai ‫ְלעוֹ ָלם ָו ֶﬠד‬

Go online to practice

reading the ‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ‬. Make

the prayer your own by

recording yourself!

At the Root root—a ‫— ֹשׁ ֶרשׁ‬usually consisting of three

Most Hebrew words are built on a about what the word means.
letters. The root can give us a hint
Trwehoperedraesteoadrne)p.fRoagueermw1e,omtrhdbesenrinwthtrhaittee‫וּכ‬t‫כ‬hloe‫ר‬oְm‫ ָבּ‬kbshuleiikrlete,otshntaistrhtaietntrghooeonten‫כ‬thd‫ר‬e‫ב‬or(fioganhwet.oorfdt:h‫ך‬e. words is
Circle the

All these words are about “bless” (we often translate it as “praise”). does

Why do you think so many words in the ‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ‬have the root ‫ ?ברכ‬What
that tell us about the prayer?

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