Hebrew in Harmony

‫ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬

The last blessing in the ‫ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬

is a prayer for peace. In the
morning service, the blessing

begins with the words ‫ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬

(grant peace).

‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬asks God to give us

peace so that we can spread peace to our fellow human beings. That way we are
partners with God in bringing peace to the world.

Grant peace in the world, goodness ‫ טוֹ ָבה‬,‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם ָבּעוֹ ָלם‬1
and blessing, graciousness and kindness ‫ ֵחן ָו ֶח ֶסד‬,‫ וּ ְבָר ָכה‬2
and mercy [compassion] upon us ‫ ְוַר ֲח ִמים ָﬠ ֵלינוּ‬3
and upon all Israel Your people.
Bless us, our Parent/Creator, .‫ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ַﬠ ֶמָּך‬-‫ ָכּל‬-‫ ְו ַﬠל‬4
all of us as one, with the light of Your face, ,‫יוֹ ְצֵרנוּ‬/‫ ָא ִבינוּ‬,‫ ָבְּר ֵכנוּ‬5
for with the light of Your face You gave us, ,‫ ְבּאוֹר ָפּ ֶניָך‬,‫ ֻכּ ָלּנוּ ְכּ ֶא ָחד‬6
Adonai, our God, ,‫ ִכּי ְבאוֹר ָפּ ֶניָך ָנ ַת ָתּ ָלּנוּ‬7
the Torah of life, and a love of kindness,
and righteousness and blessing ,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬8
and mercy [compassion], and life and peace. ,‫ ְו ַא ֲה ַבת ֶח ֶסד‬,‫ תּוַֹרת ַח ִיּים‬9

‫ וּ ְצ ָד ָקה וּ ְבָר ָכה‬10
.‫ ְו ַח ִיּים ְו ָשׁלוֹם‬,‫ ְוַר ֲח ִמים‬11

5

And may it be good in Your eyes to bless ‫ ְוטוֹב ְבּ ֵﬠי ֶניָך ְל ָבֵרְך‬12
Your people Israel ‫ ַﬠ ְמָּך ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל‬-‫ ֶאת‬13
at every time and at every hour ‫ ָשׁ ָﬠה‬-‫ ֵﬠת וּ ְב ָכל‬-‫ ְבּ ָכל‬14
with Your peace. Praised are You, ,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬.‫ ִבּ ְשׁלוֹ ֶמָך‬15
Adonai, who blesses God’s people ‫ ַﬠמּוֹ‬-‫ ַה ְמ ָבֵרְך ֶאת‬,‫ ְי ָי‬16
Israel with peace. .‫ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ַבּ ָשּׁלוֹם‬17

Prayer Variations
Some communities call God ‫ ָא ִבינוּ‬. Traditionally, ‫ ָא ִבינוּ‬is translated as “our

Father,” but in many communities people say “our Parent” to reflect the idea

that God has no gender. Other communities refer to God as ‫יוֹ ְצ ֵרנוּ‬, “our

Creator.” Whether we pray to “Father,” “Parent,” or “Creator,” we pray to God
who makes and grants peace.

Our tradition teaches that it is God who creates peace. How do you think
human creativity, like art and music, can help people be God’s partners in
bringing peace to the world?

How was the experience of moving as you listened to the prayer different from the first
time, when you did not move?

What do you think accounts for the differences you felt?

6

Prayer Reading How Did I Do?

Practice reading ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬on pages How well did you read? Circle the face
that shows how you feel.
5 and 6. How many times did you read
the Hebrew word for “peace”?

Go online to practice reading ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬. Make the prayer your own by

recording yourself. Use your voice to show which words are important to you.

Body Language

Do you remember songs you learned in preschool that had
movements to go with them? (Perhaps it was “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
or “I’m a Little Teapot”!) What is your favorite song that has
movements? Draw or write about it, and why it’s your favorite.

Sing that song with a friend without any of the movements, then
sing it again with the movements. Discuss: How did the song feel
different the second time? Which way do you prefer? Why?

Music and Movement
Listen to Julie Silver’s version of ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬, then answer the questions below.

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

Superslow VERY FAST

What instruments did you hear in this song?

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

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

Now listen again, and, as you do so, get up and move with the music.
You can tap your feet, skip, flow your body, or make any other movement
you choose.

7

Asking for Gifts Prayer Words

In the first sentence of ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬we ask God grant, put ‫ִשׂים‬

to bless us with six gifts. Below are the English goodness ‫טוֹ ָבה‬
meanings of the six gifts we ask of God. Write
each one in the blank space next to its matching and blessing ‫וּ ְב ָר ָכה‬
Hebrew word.

blessing kindness peace kindness ‫ֶח ֶסד‬
goodness mercy graciousness
and mercy ‫ְוַר ֲח ִמים‬

‫ ֵחן‬4 ‫ ָשׁלוֹם‬1 all of us as one ‫ֻכּ ָלּנוּ ְכּ ֶא ָחד‬

‫ ֶח ֶסד‬5 ‫ טוֹ ָבה‬2 the Torah of Life ‫תּוֹ ַרת ַח ִיּים‬

‫ ַר ֲח ִמים‬6 ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬3 and a love of ‫ְו ַא ֲה ַבת ֶח ֶסד‬

Discuss with a partner: Which of the six gifts kindness
do you consider most important? Why? Then
share your thoughts with the entire group.

The Good within You

Sometimes we become stronger and better people by looking inside ourselves
and thinking about what is good about us. Too often we think about ways we let
ourselves or others down. Rabbi Nachman of Braslav, a Chasidic master, said,
“Music is made by sifting the good from the bad. The musician has to find the
‘good spirit’…and reject the bad.”

What do you think it means to find the good spirit
and reject the bad? Ask yourself: In what ways are
you kind? What do you do to help others?

Now close your eyes and feel your goodness. Let
it flow through your body from the top of your
head to the tips of your toes. How does goodness
feel to you?

8

Big Idea! At the Root
The root of ‫ ָשׁלוֹם‬is ‫שׁלמ‬. Words built on the root
On ‫ ַשׁ ָבּת‬we wish each ‫ שׁלמ‬have “wholeness” or “completeness” as part of
other ‫ ַשׁ ַבּת ָשׁלוֹם‬. Since
the root of ‫)שׁלמ( ָשׁלוֹם‬ their meaning. How many times do words built on

means “completeness” ‫ שׁלמ‬appear in ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬on pages 5 and 6?

or “wholeness,” we How is a peaceful relationship “whole” or “complete”?

are wishing each other Think of a person with whom you have a relationship
you consider to be whole and complete. Write his or
a peaceful Shabbat her first name or initials here:

and wishing that ‫ַשׁ ָבּת‬ How is this relationship satisfying to you?

offers each of us a

sense of wholeness

and completeness.

Say It in Hebrew

In Hebrew, ‫ טוֹב‬means “good.” Practice saying these Hebrew expressions with a friend.

.‫ תּוֹ ָדה‬,‫ַמה ְשׁלוֹ ֵמְך? ֹ ְשלוֹ ִמי טוֹב‬ ?‫ַמה ְשׁלוֹ ְמָך‬

I am fine (good), thank you. How are you? (for a girl) How are you? (for a boy)

You can even show you like
something by saying:

!‫טוֹב ְמ ֹאד‬

Very good!

9

EBREW ELPERS

Relay Race

Form teams and choose one or more lines per team. The first team member
reads the first word of the line. The second member reads the first and second
words, and so on. After the fifth member reads, the team should read the whole
line together.

‫ָשׁלוֹם טוֹ ָבה ָבּעוֹ ָלם וּ ְבָר ָכה‬ ‫ ִשׂים‬1

‫ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל‬-‫ ָכּל‬-‫ָו ֶח ֶסד ְוַר ֲח ִמים ָﬠ ֵלינוּ ְו ַﬠל‬ ‫ ֵחן‬2

‫ְבאוֹר ָפּ ֶניָך ָנ ַת ָתּ ָלּנוּ‬ ‫ ִכּי‬3

‫ ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ תּוַֹרת ַח ִיּים ְו ַא ֲה ַבת ֶח ֶסד‬4

‫ וּ ְצ ָד ָקה וּ ְבָר ָכה ְוַר ֲח ִמים ְו ַח ִיּים ְו ָשׁלוֹם‬5

Kindness and Mercy

With a partner, read the following siddur phrases that talk about God’s

kindness, ‫ ֶח ֶסד‬, and mercy, ‫ ַר ֲח ִמים‬. Write a k next to each line that speaks of

God’s kindness, and an m next to each line that tells about God’s mercy.

‫ ְמ ַכ ְל ֵכּל ַח ִיּים ְבּ ֶח ֶסד‬1
‫ ֵמ ִתים ְבַּר ֲח ִמים ַר ִבּים‬/‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬2

‫ ֶא ֶרְך ַא ַפּ ִים ְוַרב ֶח ֶסד ֶו ֱא ֶמת‬3
‫ ֵהי ִטי ָבה ִב ְרצוֹ ְנָך‬,‫ ַאב ָהַר ֲח ִמים‬4
‫ ַה ֵמּ ִאיר ָל ָא ֶרץ ְו ַל ָדּ ִרים ָﬠ ֶלי ָה ְבַּר ֲח ִמים‬5

7 10

‫ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬

What makes something “great”? A skyscraper
or mountain can have great size, and you might
have great hair today, and maybe your music app
is streaming the year’s greatest hits. Now imagine
that the world was filled with great peace. What
would that look like?

We have learned that the final blessing of the

‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬is a prayer for peace. In the afternoon and evening
services this blessing begins with the words ‫( ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬great peace). We pray to

God for peace and then take action, working as God’s partners to bring peace

to the world.

May You grant great peace ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬1
upon Israel Your people ‫ ַﬠל ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ַﬠ ְמָּך‬2
and upon all who live on the earth ‫ ְו ַﬠל ָכּל־יוֹ ְשׁ ֵבי ֵת ֵבל‬3
forever, for You are ‫ ִכּי ַא ָתּה הוּא‬,‫ ָתּ ִשׂים ְלעוֹ ָלם‬4
the Ruler, Sovereign of all peace. .‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָאדוֹן ְל ָכל ַה ָשּׁלוֹם‬5
And may it be good in Your eyes to bless ‫ ְוטוֹב ְבּ ֵﬠי ֶניָך ְל ָבֵרְך‬6
Your people Israel ‫ ַﬠ ְמָּך ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל‬-‫ ֶאת‬7
at every time and at every hour ‫ ָשׁ ָﬠה‬-‫ ֵﬠת וּ ְב ָכל‬-‫ ְבּ ָכל‬8
with Your peace. Praised are You, ,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬.‫ ִבּ ְשׁלוֹ ֶמָך‬9
Adonai, who blesses God’s people ‫ ַﬠמּוֹ‬-‫ ַה ְמ ָבֵרְך ֶאת‬,‫ ְי ָי‬10
Israel with peace. .‫ ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל ַבּ ָשּׁלוֹם‬11

11

Be Theatrical! How Did I Do?

In a small group, take turns reading How well did you read? Circle the face
that shows how you feel.
the lines of ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬aloud in
Go online to practice reading ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬.
Hebrew and in English. As you read
each line, pick the Hebrew or English Make the prayer your own by recording
word that is most important to you, yourself. Use your voice to show which
and add a dramatic or creative words are important to you.
movement with your hands or body
to represent it.

Peacemaker Pursuing Peace

Think of a time that two of your When you acted as the mediator or peacemaker
friends were upset with each other, with your friends, you fulfilled the mitzvah of
and you had to act as the mediator or
peacemaker. What did you do, and ‫( ְר ִדי ַפת ָשׁלוֹם‬pursuing peace).
how did it work out? Discuss with a
partner. What do you think it means to pursue
peace? How is pursuing peace different from
asking for peace or wishing for peace? Is it different
from seeking peace? As a mediator between
your two friends, what would you have done
differently if your instructions were:

To wish for peace? I would have

To seek peace? I would have

To pursue peace? I would have

12

From Our Sources

Read these words from Psalms 34:15 in Hebrew and English.

.‫סוּר ֵמָרע ַו ֲﬠ ֵשׂה־טוֹב ַבּ ֵקּשׁ ָשׁלוֹם ְוָר ְד ֵפהוּ‬

Turn aside from bad and do good; seek peace and pursue it.
Think of a person you know or someone in the news who
pursues peace.
What has that person done to earn your respect or admiration? What can you
learn from their actions that you can apply to your own life?

Circle Peace
Look back at ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬on page 11. Circle all the words built on the root ‫ֹשלמ‬.

How many words did you circle?

Companion Prayers
‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬and ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬are companion prayers.
1. ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬is the final blessing of the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬in the

morning service.

2. ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬is the final blessing of the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬in the

afternoon and evening services.

Six lines are the same in both prayers. Look back at
pages 5–6 and 11. On the blank lines above, write the
line numbers that are the same in both prayers.

Prayer Variations
Some communities include the phrase ‫( ְו ַﬠל ָכּל־יוֹ ְשׁ ֵבי ֵת ֵבל‬and upon

all who live on the earth) in the blessing for peace. By adding these
words, we are saying out loud that our wish for peace is for all people.

13

Prayer Words Search and Circle

great ‫ָרב‬ Find the Prayer Words hidden in the
Israel ‫ִי ְ ֹש ָר ֵאל‬ grid below. Look from right to left
Your people and top to bottom.
and good ‫ַﬠ ְמָּך‬
in Your eyes ‫ְוטוֹב‬ ‫ב י ֹש ר א ל ב‬
to bless ‫ְבּ ֵﬠי ֶניָך‬ ‫עמ ךרבל שׁ‬
with Your peace ‫ְל ָב ֵרְך‬ ‫י ב כלעב ל‬
who blesses ‫ִבּ ְשׁלוֹ ֶמָך‬ ‫נ ו טובר ו‬
‫ַה ְמ ָב ֵרְך‬ ‫י ל שׁעהך מ‬
‫ך המברך ך‬

Shalom Rav Sing-Along

Rabbi Daniel Freelander and Cantor Jeff Klepper, together known as the group

Kol B’Seder, recorded a tune for ‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬that is sung in many communities.

Listen to Kol B’Seder’s song. Then answer the questions.

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

Superslow VERY FAST

What instruments did you hear in this song?

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

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

Now listen again to Julie Silver’s ‫ ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬. How is Kol B’Seder’s tune for
‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬different from Julie Silver’s tune for ‫? ִשׂים ָשׁלוֹם‬

14

EBREW ELPERS

Copyright © 2017 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 964G (Birchot Shalom) By: Rabbi Lauren Cohn and Terry S. Kaye • “Hebrew Helpers”: Ellen J. Rank • Project Editor: Terry S. Kaye • Design: Zatar Creative • Peace Every Hour
Photographs: p. 1: Pinkcandy/Shutterstock.com; p. 2: Uri Westrich (middle), Stefano Cavoretto/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 3: Olivier Darras; p. 5: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Shutterstock.com; p. 7: Heather Haggenmiller; p. 8–9: kryzhov/Shutterstock.com; In‫ ָשׁלוֹם ָרב‬, we ask for peace ‫ ָשׁ ָﬠה‬-‫ ֵﬠת וּ ְב ָכל‬-‫( ְבּ ָכל‬at every time and at every hour).
p. 9: Nanette Grebe/Shutterstock.com; p. 11: Syda Productions/Shutterstock.com; p. 12–13: prudkov/Shutterstock.com; p. 13: catwalker/Shutterstock.com; p. 15: Iurii Kachkovskyi/Shutterstock.com; p. 16: Jayakumar/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA
In Hebrew, when we want to know the time, we ask ?‫( ַמה ַה ָשּׁ ָﬠה‬What is the
hour?). We answer by saying ...‫( ַה ָשּׁ ָﬠה‬The hour is...), followed by a number.

Ask a partner ?‫ ַמה ַה ָשּׁ ָﬠה‬and say a number in English between 1 and 12. Your
partner then responds with the Hebrew; for example: ‫ ַה ָשּׁ ָﬠה ֶשׁ ַבע‬. Then switch

roles. Play several rounds.

Variation: Partner A rolls two dice to determine the number.

‫ ֶﬠ ְשׂ ֵרה‬-‫ְשׁ ֵתּים‬ ‫ַא ַחת‬

‫ ֶﬠ ְשׂ ֵרה‬-‫ַא ַחת‬

‫ְשׁ ַתּ ִים ֶﬠ ֶשׂר‬

‫ָשׁלשׁ ֵתּ ַשׁע‬

‫ְשׁמוֹ ֶנה‬ ‫ֵשׁשׁ‬ ‫ַא ְר ַבּע‬
‫ֶשׁ ַבע‬ ‫ָח ֵמשׁ‬

One Out of Seven
The seven ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬of the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬on ‫ ַשׁ ָבּת‬and holidays are listed below. Circle
the name of the ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬that can help focus us on the ‫ ִמ ְצ ָוה‬of ‫ ְר ִדי ַפת ָשׁלוֹם‬.

‫ ְקדוּ ַשׁת ַהיּוֹם‬4 ‫ ְקדוּ ָשׁה‬3 ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬2 ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬1

‫ ִבּ ְרכוֹת ָשׁלוֹם‬7 ‫ הוֹ ָד ָאה‬6 ‫ ֲﬠבוֹ ָדה‬5

15 2

‫ִבּ ְרכוֹת ֹ ָשלוֹם ‪My Musical Journey:‬‬

‫‪ִ music by filling in the responses below.‬בּ ְרכוֹת ֹ ָשלוֹם ‪Compose your‬‬

‫‪The wish for peace‬‬
‫‪is so important in‬‬
‫‪our tradition that‬‬

‫‪ֹ we‬ע ֶשׂה ָשׁלוֹם ‪In‬‬

‫‪ask God to‬‬

‫ָשׁלוֹם ‪The root of‬‬ ‫‪16‬‬

‫‪is __. Words built‬‬
‫‪on this root mean‬‬

‫‪When I move‬‬
‫‪my hands or‬‬
‫‪body to a song‬‬
‫‪or a prayer I feel‬‬

‫‪In the mitzvah‬‬

‫ְר ִדי ַפת ָשׁלוֹם ‪of‬‬

‫‪(pursuing peace),‬‬
‫‪I am God’s partner‬‬

‫__ ‪when I‬‬

‫‪The song about‬‬
‫‪peace that most‬‬
‫‪inspired me was‬‬

‫‪__ because‬‬

‫‪www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH‬‬

‫ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬

We all say thank you when we get a birthday present. But how do we express
our appreciation for things like air, the sun, even an apple? Jewish tradition

gives us a way to say thank you for these everyday wonders: ‫“— ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬blessings.”

There are blessings for the foods we eat, the things we see and smell, the
mitzvot that we do, and even a blessing for experiencing something new.

Most blessings start with the same six words.

...‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬

Praised (Blessed) are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world...

Some people call these six opening words the “blessing formula.” Think about
any math formulas you know. Why do you think we call these words a formula?

1 964H • B’rachot NAME

One Hundred Blessings Count Your
Blessings
Can you imagine saying one hundred ‫ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬
Think of a time when you said
every day? That’s how many blessings Rabbi
Meir, a rabbi in the Talmud, said that we a ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬. Draw or write about
should say. How would you feel about saying
the occasion or activity.
so many ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬each day?

What effect might it have on you to say so

many ‫? ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬

100 Reasons to Say…

Listen to the song “100 Blessings” by Emily
Aronoff Teck (also known as “Miss Emily”).
What do you think of this song? How does it
make you feel?

Miss Emily names many reasons that we say
blessings. Which two do you consider to be
most important? Why?

2

At the Root Prayer Words

Most Hebrew words are built on a Draw a line to connect each Hebrew
word to its matching English. Look back
root—a ‫— ֹ ֹש ֶרֹש‬usually consisting of at page 1 if you need help.

three letters. The root can give us a Adonai ‫ָבּרוְּך‬
hint about what the word means. the world ‫ַא ָתּה‬
our God
Write the first Hebrew word praised, blessed ‫ְי ָי‬
in the blessing formula: You ‫ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬
Ruler
■■■■■■ ‫ֶמ ֶלְך‬

This word is related to ‫ְבּ ָר ָכה‬ ‫ָהעוֹ ָלם‬

(blessing).

What three root letters do these two
Hebrew words have in common?

■■■

Hint: Remember that ‫ כ‬takes the
form ‫ ך‬at the end of a word.

Read the words below. Circle the
three root letters in each word.

‫ְל ָב ֵרְך‬
‫ָבּרוְּך‬
‫ֶבּ ֶרְך‬
‫ַה ְמ ֹב ָרְך‬
‫ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬

3

What’s New?

What did you do this week or this
month that was brand new for you?
Was it important to you? In what ways?

My Personal Goal Our tradition gives us a way to say
thank you to God on the first nights
Set a goal for yourself to create a of holidays, and when we wear new
clothes or do something for the first
new personal ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬moment in
time: it’s called the ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬blessing.
the next month. What will it be? Practice reading the ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬blessing.
For example, do you want to learn
a new dance routine? Be chosen for ‫ ֶמ ֶלְך‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬
the soccer or another sports team? ,‫ ְו ִק ְיּ ָמנוּ‬,‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬,‫ָהעוֹ ָלם‬
Learn how to write computer code? .‫ְו ִה ִגּי ָﬠנוּ ַל ְזּ ַמן ַה ֶזּה‬

In the next month I will Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of
the world, who has given us life, sustained
us, and enabled us to reach this time.

How Did I Do?

How well did you read? Circle the face
that shows how you feel.

4

Go online to The Music of ‫ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬
practice reading
Listen to ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬written by Svika Pick and
the ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬. Make
recorded by Cantor Lisa Levine.
the blessing your
own by recording Have you heard this melody for ‫ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬

yourself! before? When? Where?

How did you feel while listening to this
recording? Why did you feel that?

Find a partner. Ask each other about
something important you each did recently

for the first time. Say or sing ‫ ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬together.

Why do you think we say a blessing when we
do something new?

5

EBREW ELPERS

Search and Circle

Circle the Hebrew word that means the same as the English in each row.

Adonai ‫ִמי    ְי ָי    ֵשׁם‬
ruler ‫ִי ְשׂ ָר ֵאל   ְכּבוֹד   ֶמ ֶלְך‬

the world ‫ָכּמֹ ָכה    ָהעוֹ ָלם  ְפּ ִרי‬
our God ‫ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ   ַמ ְלכוּתוֹ  ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬
praised, blessed ‫ָבּרוְּך    ַה ָגּ ֶפן   ְשׁ ַמע‬

you ‫ֶא ָחד   הוּא    ַא ָתּה‬

Find the Formula!

Read each word below. Find and number the six words of the blessing formula.
Say the words aloud as you find each one.

‫ ֶשׁל  ֵנר  ַא ָתּה  ְפּ ִרי  ֶל ֶחם‬1
‫ ְל ַה ְד ִליק  ִמן  ִמי ֵני  ְי ָי  ֲא ֶשׁר‬2
‫ ָהעוֹ ָלם  ָה ָא ֶרץ  ָה ֲא ָד ָמה בּוֹ ֵרא  ַה ָגּ ֶפן‬3
‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה  ֶמ ֶלְך  ְלעוֹ ָלם  ָה ַﬠ ִמּים  ַה ֶזּה‬4
‫ ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ  ָו ֶﬠד  ֲא ֶשׁר  ָבּרוְּך  ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ‬5

6

Yum! Blessings over Our Food

What have you eaten today? What are your favorite foods?
Write or draw your answers.

Foods I’ve eaten today: My favorite foods:

Put a check next to the food that you best remember for its taste, texture, or
aroma. What was it about that food that made you stop and notice it?

In Jewish tradition, we offer ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬of thanks before and after we eat. How might
saying a ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬help you see your food in a new way?

Below are ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬for different types of foods. Read each ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬.

.‫ ַהמּוֹ ִציא ֶל ֶחם ִמן ָה ָא ֶרץ‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫   ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬1

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who brings forth bread from the earth.

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ְפּ ִרי ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬2

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who creates the fruit of the earth (vegetables).

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ְפּ ִרי ָה ֵﬠץ‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬3

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who creates the fruit of the tree.

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ִמי ֵני ְמזוֹנוֹת‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬4

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who creates different kinds of foods.

7

Go online
to practice
reading

‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬over

food. Make
them your
own by
recording
yourself!

Food Blessings Challenge

In small groups, complete the following food blessings challenge. You can write
or draw your answers. Look back at page 7 if you need help.

1. Choose a name for your group When your group has completed
with a food word in it: all the questions correctly, give
yourselves a cheer. Remember to
2. Name three kinds of ‫ ֶל ֶחם‬. use your group name!

3. Blessing #4 is said over baked Now play a reading game. One
goods that aren’t bread. Give an person in your group reads
example of baked goods. Blessing #1, the second person
reads Blessing #2, and so on. Then
start again with a different person
reading Blessing #1.

4. Name something that grows in How Did We Do?

the ‫ ֲא ָד ָמה‬. How well did your group read
overall? Circle the face that shows
how you feel.

5. What is an ‫_______________________________________ ? ֵﬠץ‬

8

Beautiful Saying WOW!
Things
Some natural sights are so awesome that we express our
Listen to the song “Shekacha
Lo B’olamo” by Alan Goodis. wonder with a ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬. Below are some examples.

What adjective would you ,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬1
use to describe the song? .‫ֹע ֶשׂה ַמ ֲﬠ ֵשׂה ְב ֵרא ִשׁית‬
How did it make you feel?
Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world,
When might you sing a song who renews the work of Creation. (large-scale natural
like this in your own life?
wonders — lightning, deserts, mountains, sunrise)

,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬2
.‫ֶשׁ ָכּ ָכה לּוֹ ְבּעוֹ ָלמוֹ‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world,
who puts such beautiful things into the world. (small-scale

natural wonders — trees or creatures of exceptional beauty)

,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬3
.‫ַהנּוֹ ֵתן ֵרי ַח טוֹב ַבּ ֵפּרוֹת‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who
gives a pleasant fragrance to fruits.

,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬4
.‫ֶשׁ ָﬠ ָשׂה ֶאת ַה ָיּם ַה ָגּדוֹל‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who
created the great sea.

How do you think saying a ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬when you see a

wondrous sight might change the moment for you?

9

Saying I am thankful for...
Thank You

What are some things
you are thankful for
in your life? List your
answers on the right:

Big Idea! Is the answer you wrote down first the most
When we say a ‫ְבּ ָר ָכה‬ important to you? Why do you think it came to
mind first?
we thank God. We
stop and acknowledge
all we have to be
grateful for.

Hebrew Thanks!

Here’s how we say “thank

you” in Hebrew: !‫תּוֹ ָדה‬

Find a friend who has
done something nice for

you recently and say ‫תּוֹ ָדה‬.

10

EBREW ELPERS

Picture This!

Draw a picture of a food over which you would recite each blessing below.
Then recite each complete blessing aloud.

...‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ְפּ ִרי ָה ֲא ָד ָמה‬3     .‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ְפּ ִרי ָה ֵﬠץ‬1

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ִמי ֵני ְמזוֹנוֹת‬4     .‫ ַהמּוֹ ִציא  ֶל ֶחם ִמן ָה ָא ֶרץ‬2

Scrambled Phrases

The phrases below from the blessings of wonder are scrambled. Read each of

the words aloud. Then number the words in the correct order to unscramble

each phrase. Look back at page 9 if you need help.

24 13
‫ טוֹב   ַהנּוֹ ֵתן    ַבּ ֵפּרוֹת     ֵרי ַח‬1

‫ לּוֹ       ֶשׁ ָכּ ָכה   ְבּעוֹ ָלמוֹ‬2

‫  ֹע ֶשׂה      ְב ֵרא ִשׁית   ַמ ֲﬠ ֵשׂה‬3

‫  ֶאת   ַה ָגּדוֹל   ַה ָיּם     ֶשׁ ָﬠ ָשׂה‬4

911

It’s Shabbat!

Listen to Eliana
Light’s song “Around
the Shabbos Table.”
Which words did
you first notice that
repeat? Why do you
think Eliana repeats
those words?

Why do you think Eliana includes a nigun, a wordless Go online
melody, as the chorus in her song? to practice
reading the

‫ ֹ ַש ָבּת‬blessings.

Make them
your own by
recording
yourself!

Does this song capture the mood of ‫ ?ֹ ַש ָבּת‬Explain your answer.

12

Shabbat Blessings
One way we create a ‫ ֹ ַש ָבּת‬mood is by setting a table that looks different from other

nights of the week. We see the glow of the flickering candles; we taste sweet wine or

grape juice, and soft, fresh challah; and we sing Shabbat songs and say ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬.
Practice reading the ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬we recite on ‫ ֹ ַש ָבּת‬over the candles, wine, and challah.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬1
.‫ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ְל ַה ְד ִליק ֵנר ֶשׁל ַשׁ ָבּת‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes us holy
with commandments and commands us to light the Shabbat candles.

.‫ בּוֹ ֵרא ְפּ ִרי ַה ָגּ ֶפן‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬2

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who creates the fruit of the vine.

.‫ ַהמּוֹ ִציא ֶל ֶחם ִמן ָה ָא ֶרץ‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬3

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who brings forth bread from the earth.
To be “mindful” is to be very aware and to pay close attention to what’s around

you. How can saying these ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬help you be mindful of the ‫ ֹ ַש ָבּת‬experience?

How Did I Do?

How well did you read?
Circle the face that
shows how you feel.

13

Blessings of Mitzvah
A ‫( ִמ ְצ ָוה‬plural, ‫ ) ִמ ְצוֹת‬is a commandment in the Torah. When doing some
‫ — ִמ ְצוֹת‬like lighting ‫ ֹ ַש ָבּת‬candles, studying Torah, blowing the shofar

on Rosh Hashanah, or eating in a sukkah—we say a blessing. We call these

blessings ‫( ְבּ ָרכוֹת ֹ ֶשל ִמ ְצ ָוה‬blessings of commandment).
All ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת ֶשׁל ִמ ְצ ָוה‬begin with the same ten words. Practice reading these

words then complete the activities that follow.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬
...‫ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes
us holy with commandments and commands us…

Underline the six Hebrew words
above you already learned for the
blessing formula.
Draw a squiggly line under
the four words we add for a

‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה ֶשל ִמ ְצ ָוה‬.

Circle the two words that are

related to ‫ ִמ ְצוֹת‬.
What does ‫ ִמ ְצוֹת‬mean?

14

Copyright © 2016 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 964H (B’rachot) By: Irit Eliav Levin • "Hebrew Helpers": Ellen J. Rank • Project Editor: Terry S. Kaye • Design: AURAS Design Inc./Robert Sugar EBREW ELPERS
• Photographs: p. 1: Bo Valentino/Shutterstock.com ; p.3: Alan Lougher; p. 4: Arina P Habich/Shutterstock.com; p. 5: Petrenko Andriy/ Shutterstock.com; p. 7: nito/Shutterstock.com; p. 8: Aleksandar Mijatovic/
Shutterstock.com; p.9: Ford Fairchild; p. 10: Helder Almeida/Shutterstock.com; p. 12: Yoav Levin; p. 13: tomertu/Shutterstock.com; p. 14: Richard Lobell ; p. 16: Butsaya/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA It’s a Mitzvah!
Practice reading these ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת ֹ ֶשל ִמ ְצ ָוה‬first to yourself, then with a
partner. Draw a small picture next to each ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬showing the object

named in the blessing.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬1
.‫ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ִל ְשׁמֹ ַﬠ קוֹל שׁוֹ ָפר‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes us holy
with commandments and commands us to hear the sound of the shofar.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬2
.‫ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ְל ַה ְד ִליק ֵנר ֶשׁל ֲח ֻנ ָכּה‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes us holy
with commandments and commands us to light the Hanukkah candles.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬3
.‫ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ֵלי ֵשׁב ַבּ ֻסּ ָכּה‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes us holy
with commandments and commands us to sit in the sukkah.

‫ ֲא ֶשׁר‬,‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ָהעוֹ ָלם‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬4
.‫ִק ְדּ ָשׁנוּ ְבּ ִמ ְצוֹ ָתיו ְו ִצ ָוּנוּ ַל ֲﬠסוֹק ְבּ ִד ְב ֵרי תוֹ ָרה‬

Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the world, who makes us holy
with commandments and commands us to engage in the study of Torah.

15

My Musical Journey: ‫ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬

Compose your ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬music by filling in the responses below.

Saying a ‫ְבּ ָר ָכה‬

can help me to

We say the ‫ֶשׁ ֶה ֱח ָינוּ‬ 16

blessing when

We say Shabbat

‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬over

__, __, and __

Saying

‫ְבּ ָרכוֹת ֶשׁל ִמ ְצ ָוה‬

reminds me

The music about

‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬that I liked

best was __ because

One thing I learned

about ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬from

a friend is

www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH

‫ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬

‫ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬

Most of us have more than one role: we
are a child, friend, perhaps brother or
sister, student, dancer or musician or

athlete. In this prayer—‫— ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬

commonly found near the end of a service,
we recognize four different roles for God:
God, Sovereign, Ruler, and Savior.

There is none like our God, ,‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬1
There is none like our Sovereign, ,‫ ֵאין ַכּאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬2
There is none like our Ruler, ,‫ ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬3
There is none like our Savior. .‫ ֵאין ְכּמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬4

Who is like our God? ?‫ ִמי ֵכאֹל ֵהינוּ‬5
Who is like our Sovereign? ?‫ ִמי ַכאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬6
Who is like our Ruler? ?‫ ִמי ְכ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬7
Who is like our Savior? ?‫ ִמי ְכמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬8

We will give thanks to our God, ,‫ נוֹ ֶדה ֵלאֹל ֵהינוּ‬9
We will give thanks to our Sovereign, ,‫ נוֹ ֶדה ַלאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬10
We will give thanks to our Ruler, ,‫ נוֹ ֶדה ְל ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬11
We will give thanks to our Savior. .‫ נוֹ ֶדה ְלמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬12

1 1964I • Ein Keloheinu NAME

Blessed is our God, ,‫ ָבּרוְּך ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬13
Blessed is our Sovereign, ,‫ ָבּרוְּך ֲאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬14
Blessed is our Ruler, ,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬15
Blessed is our Savior. .‫ ָבּרוְּך מוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬16

You are our God, ,‫ ַא ָתּה הוּא ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬17
You are our Sovereign, ,‫ ַא ָתּה הוּא ֲאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬18
You are our Ruler, ,‫ ַא ָתּה הוּא ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬19
You are our Savior. .‫ ַא ָתּה הוּא מוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬20

Prayer Reading How Did I Do?

Practice reading ‫ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬ How well did you read? Circle the
face that shows how you feel.
with a friend, alternating verses.

Go online to practice reading

‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬. Make it your own

by recording yourself. Use your

voice to show which words are

important to you.

2

Be a Decoder!

‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬asks a question and answers it, but the answer

(“There is none like our God”) comes before the question
(“Who is like our God?”). Why would the answer come before
the question? In order to create a hidden word! Write the first letter

of each of the first three verses of ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬below. (Change the third letter to the

form that appears at the end of a word.)

(3rd verse) (2nd verse) (1st verse)

Now put vowels under the first two letters to create a Hebrew word that you know.

What is the word?

When do we use this word?

This word is encoded in the prayer four times. Can you find the other three?

Another Hidden Reference

The last two verses contain a different kind of extra message, this time with whole

words instead of single letters. The verses start with ‫ ָבּרוְּך‬and then ‫ ַא ָתּה‬. What kind
of prayer starts with ‫? ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬

What is the connection between the prayers that start ‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה‬and the word you

found above?

Unlike other prayers, the main reason ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬became so widely used is

because of the words it symbolically includes.

Did You Know?

Woianfurcstilohtuimondrgee’st‫י‬onh‫ר‬rֵaa‫שׁ‬atmְ l‫א‬eleַno)(c.fwoAthdhceiercoshlsiantsimepcssee—lcslassiansogucaeatdiltdnlhevdethaaarilsnipewhtayacayarb—onesdtt)bibcya.ensOapduet‫י‬thlly‫ד‬ieִnt‫וֹ‬ro‫ד‬gaocs‫ה‬oruom‫כ‬rָ s‫ל‬pteְ irtc(haswyiinehnrgicoswheurirtsvhppicertelahl—syeeofrauinrstesdttrhlvheeiecttlepers

us remember the order of the verses.

3

Prayer Words ‫ָבּרוְּך‬ there is none ‫ֵאין‬
‫ַא ָתּה‬
praised / blessed is like -‫ כ‬,-‫כּ‬
you ‫ַא ְתּ‬
‫ֵישׁ‬ our God ‫ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬
ADDITIONAL WORDS: ‫ִלי‬
‫ְלָך‬ our Sovereign ‫ֲאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬
you (feminine) ‫ָלְך‬
there is / there are our Ruler ‫ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬
to me
to you (masculine) our Savior ‫מוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬
to you (feminine)
who? ‫ִמי‬

‫נוֹ ֶדה‬we will / let us give thanks

to -‫ל‬

Here’s one more word: ‫הוּא‬. Usually it means “he,” but it can also mean “is” or “are.”

What do the following prayer snippets mean?

?‫ ִמי ַכאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬1

.‫ ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬2

.‫ נוֹ ֶדה ֵלאֹל ֵהינוּ‬3

.‫ ָבּרוְּך מוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬4

.‫ ַא ָתּה הוּא ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬5

Instead of “I have,” Hebrew uses the

expression “there is to me” (‫) ֵישׁ ִלי‬.
What does ‫ ֵישׁ ִלי ִפּי ָצה‬mean? How
about ‫ ? ֵישׁ ְלָך ִפּי ָצה‬Or ‫? ֵישׁ ָלְך ִפּי ָצה‬

‫ ֵאין‬is the opposite of ‫ ֵישׁ‬, so what do
you think ‫ ֵאין ִלי ִפּי ָצה‬means? How
about ‫? ֵאין ִלי ַה ְמבּוּ ְר ֶגּר‬

4

Sing Along!

Listen to Cantor Azi Schwartz’s recording of ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬.

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

What instruments do you
hear in this song?

What voices do you hear in
the song?

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

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

Why do you think you had
that reaction?

A Blast from the Past

Some communities add a final line to ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬:

.‫ַא ָתּה הוּא ֶשׁ ִה ְק ִטירוּ ֲאבוֹ ֵתינוּ ְל ָפ ֶניָך ֶאת ְק ֹט ֶרת ַה ַסּ ִמּים‬

You are the One before whom our ancestors offered fragrant incense.

You learned the first two words on page 4. The “fragrant incense” represents the
animal and grain sacrifices that were offered to God until about two thousand
years ago, when prayer replaced sacrifice.

Why do you think our prayers (here and in other places) still refer to sacrifice even
though we gave it up long ago?

5

EBREW ELPERS

There Is None Like...

‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬isn’t the only place where we proclaim that there is none like our God.
With a partner read the lines below from the siddur and Torah. Underline ‫ֵאין כּ‬

(there is none like) in each line.

.‫ ָבּעוֹ ָלם ַה ֶזּה‬,‫ ְי ָי ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ְכּ ֶﬠ ְר ְכָּך‬1
.‫ ְו ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ֲﬠ ֶשׂיָך‬,‫ ְי ָי‬,‫ ֵאין ָכּמוָֹך ָב ֱאֹל ִהים‬2
.‫ ֵאין ְכּמוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ְכּ ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ַכּאדוֹ ֵנינוּ‬,‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬3

...‫ ָה ֵאל ַה ָקּדוֹשׁ ֶשׁ ֵאין ָכּמוֹהוּ‬4
...‫ ֵאין ָכּ ֵאל ְי ֻשׁרוּן רֹ ֵכב ָשׁ ַמ ִים ְבּ ֶﬠ ְזֶרָך‬5

Getting to the Root

The root letters ‫ מלכ‬tell us that “rule” may be part of a word’s meaning, and ‫ברכ‬

tells us that “praise” or “bless” may be part of the meaning. With a partner, read the
lines below. On the blank lines, write if the words on the line are related to “rule” or

“praise/bless.” Then circle the two words that are in ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬.

‫ָמ ַלְך ַמ ְל ֵכי‬ ‫ ַמ ְלכוּתוֹ ֶמ ֶלְך‬1

‫ ָבּ ְרכוּ ְמ ֹב ָרְך ְנ ָב ֵרְך וּ ְל ָב ֵרְך‬2

‫ְבּ ָר ָכה ְתּ ָב ֵרְך‬ ‫ ְמ ָבַרְך ָבּרוְּך‬3

‫ ְו ַי ְמ ִליְך ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ ְמ ָל ִכים ִי ְמֹלְך‬4

‫ ָבּ ְר ִכי ִי ְת ָבּ ַרְך ֶא ְב ְר ָכה ִבּ ְר ָכ ָתא‬5

6

‫ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬

When we meet people for the first
time, we usually only see what they
are: a classmate, a teacher, a doctor,
a neighbor. Then, when we get to
know them, we find out who they
are and how they relate to us: a
friend, someone we can trust, a
helper, a companion.

‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬starts with God as a stranger: the eternal and all-powerful master of

everything. By the end of the prayer, we see God as a personal companion to keep us
safe and unafraid.

Eternal Sovereign who ruled ,‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם ֲא ֶשׁר ָמ ַלְך‬1
before any creature was created, .‫ ְבּ ֶטֶרם ָכּל ְי ִציר ִנ ְבָרא‬2
at the time when everything was created according ,‫ ְל ֵﬠת ַנ ֲﬠ ָשׂה ְב ֶח ְפצוֹ ֹכּל‬3
to God’s will, then God was called Ruler. .‫ ֲאַזי ֶמ ֶלְך ְשׁמוֹ ִנ ְקָרא‬4

After everything is gone, ,‫ ְו ַא ֲח ֵרי ִכּ ְכלוֹת ַה ֹכּל‬5
God will still reign alone. .‫ ְל ַבדּוֹ ִי ְמלוְֹך נוֹ ָרא‬6
God was, God is,
and God will be, in glory. ,‫ ְוהוּא ֹה ֶוה‬,‫ ְוהוּא ָה ָיה‬7
.‫ ְבּ ִת ְפ ָא ָרה‬,‫ ְוהוּא ִי ְה ֶיה‬8

7

God is One and there is no second ‫ ְוהוּא ֶא ָחד ְו ֵאין ֵשׁ ִני‬9
to compare with God or be God’s companion. .‫ ְל ַה ְמ ִשׁיל לוֹ ְל ַה ְח ִבּיָרה‬10
Without a beginning, without an end, ,‫ ְבּ ִלי ֵרא ִשׁית ְבּ ִלי ַת ְכ ִלית‬11
power and dominion are God’s.
.‫ ְולוֹ ָה ֹעז ְו ַה ִמּ ְשָׂרה‬12
God is my God and my living redeemer,
and my rock in times of trouble and distress. ,‫ ְוהוּא ֵא ִלי ְו ַחי ֹגּ ֲא ִלי‬13
God is my banner and my refuge, .‫ ְוצוּר ֶח ְב ִלי ְבּ ֵﬠת ָצָרה‬14
my cup when I call.
,‫ ְוהוּא ִנ ִסּי וּ ָמנוֹס ִלי‬15
I entrust my soul into God’s hand, .‫ ְמ ַנת כּוֹ ִסי ְבּיוֹם ֶא ְקָרא‬16
when I sleep and when I wake.
And with my soul and my body, ,‫ ְבּ ָידוֹ ַא ְפ ִקיד רוּ ִחי‬17
Adonai is mine. I will not fear. .‫ ְבּ ֵﬠת ִאי ַשׁן ְו ָא ִﬠיָרה‬18

,‫ ְו ִﬠם רוּ ִחי ְגּ ִו ָיּ ִתי‬19
.‫ ְי ָי ִלי ְולֹא ִאיָרא‬20

Prayer Reading

Practice reading ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬. Keep at

it until you can say it with a beat! Try
clapping your hands, once on each beat.

How Did I Do?

How well did you read? Circle the face
that shows how you feel.

Go online to practice reading

‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬. Make it your own

by recording yourself. Use your

voice to show which words are

important to you.

8

Far Away and Very Near

Toward the beginning of ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬, in lines 1 and 2, God is called the “Eternal Sovereign

who ruled before any creature was created.” Lines 5 and 6 continue: “after everything is
gone, God will still reign alone.” Imagine what this scene from the prayer would look like.

Toward the end of ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬, God is “my cup” of goodness. And I’m not afraid “when I

sleep and when I wake.” Now imagine this scene.
Which scene is easier for you to imagine? The first (“before any creature was created” and
“after everything is gone”)? Or the second (“a cup” of goodness and “when I sleep and
when I wake”)? Why was it easier for you?

The first image of God is about the whole universe and all of time. That is God as
transcendent. The second image is about how God relates to me. That is God as immanent.

Choose one other English phrase in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬that shows God as transcendent.

And one that shows God as immanent.

Which do you relate to more easily, transcendent God or immanent God? Why do you feel
that way?

Challenge! Sync Your Body

Can you read this long Hebrew word? Interlace your fingers. Then press your
forearms together and raise your elbows. Slowly,
‫ ְטַר ְנ ְס ֶצ ְנ ֶדּ ְנ ָט ִלי‬What does it mean? start to add some movement to your arms.
Visualize energy flowing up your arms and
Hint: The translation is on this page. from one arm to the other. Try moving your

9 arms to the rhythm of ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬. As your

motion accelerates and decelerates, feel the
energy flowing in your body.

Rhythm & Rhyme Feel the Beat

‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬combines rhythm and rhyme. It’s common to use clapping to feel

The poem combines pairs of syllables that sound a beat. Say ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם ֲא ֶשׁר ָמ ַלְך‬,
like ker-THUMP: aDON, oLAM, and so forth.
How many pairs like that do you find in each clapping as you did before on each
line? That’s the rhythm. accented syllable. Now go one step
further. Say the line again, this time
What about the rhyme? Go back to pages 7 and 8 jumping up on each unaccented
and put a small letter “a” over the end of the second syllable, timing your jump perfectly
line. Now put a small letter “a” over all the lines that so you land on the floor for each
rhyme with the second line. What pattern do you accented syllable. Can you jump
see? That’s the main rhyme. (There’s another rhyme your way through the whole prayer?

pattern hidden in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬. Can you find it?)

Challenge! Write a few English lines with the same

rhythm and rhyme as ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

A New Melody

Listen to Samantha Trattner’s recording of ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

Which lines from ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬does Which lines from ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬would

Samantha Trattner use in her song? you have chosen if you were writing
(You can give the line numbers from a song? Why?
pages 7 and 8 or write the words
in English.)

Why do you think she chooses to focus
her song on those lines?

Discuss with a partner: Do you think
Samantha is reflecting God’s immanence
or God’s transcendence? Explain your
answer.

10

Hiddur Mitzvah

The mitzvot teach us Jewish ways to behave: taking care
of strangers, for example, or visiting the sick; lighting
Shabbat candles or going to services.
Any time we do a mitzvah, we have a choice: Will we do
the minimum, or will we go the extra mile and really
make it something special? The second choice is called

‫ ִהדּוּר ִמ ְצ ָוה‬, literally, “beautifying the mitzvah.”

For instance, we could wrap the holy Torah in a potato sack. But we don’t. We create ornate
coverings for it, which add beauty to the Torah service.

The poetry in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬is an example of ‫ ִהדּוּר ִמ ְצ ָוה‬. It offers a message about God and

our lives, but it doesn’t stop there. It conveys its message through detailed imagery, consistent
meter, and a rhyme scheme that unites the poem. We beautify the mitzvah even more by
singing the prayer instead of just reciting it.
Below are five mitzvot. Choose one and draw how you might beautify it.
• Eating challah as we celebrate Shabbat
• Taking care of strangers
• Visiting the sick
• Lighting Shabbat candles
• Feeding the hungry

BONUS:
Ask a friend to add
an embellishment

to your drawing.

11

EBREW ELPERS

Mine or Ours?

The ending ‫נוּ‬-, meaning “us” or “our,” appears throughout ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬. And many
words in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬end with ‫י‬-ִ , meaning “me” or “mine.” With a partner, read aloud
the words below. When you say a word ending in ‫י‬-ִ point to yourself, and when you
say one ending in ‫נוּ‬-, point to the two of you.

Challenge: Underline the four words from ‫ ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬and circle the six words from
‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

‫ָלנוּ ַנ ְפ ִשׁי‬ ‫ֱאֹל ֵהינוּ ֵא ִלי‬ ‫ ִﬠ ָמּנוּ‬1

‫ ֱאמוּ ָנ ִתי גּוֹ ֲא ֵלנוּ ִנ ְשׁ ָמ ִתי ַמ ְל ֵכּנוּ ִבּי‬2

‫ָא ִבינוּ ֹגּ ֲא ִלי כּוֹ ִסי‬ ‫ ֻכ ָלּנוּ ִנ ִסּי‬3

‫מוֹ ִשׁי ֵﬠנוּ‬ ‫ ֲאדוֹ ֵנינוּ צוּ ֵרנוּ רוּ ִחי ִלי‬4

Relay Race

In a small group, choose a line below. First member: Read the first word on the line.
Second member: Read the first and second words, and so on. Group: After all five
words are read, read the whole line together. Then choose another line. Switch the
order of the readers and continue until the group has read all five lines.

‫ַנ ֲﬠ ָשׂה ְב ֶח ְפצוֹ ֹכּל ֲאַזי‬ ‫ ְל ֵﬠת‬1

‫ְל ַבדּוֹ ִי ְמלוְֹך‬ ‫ִכּ ְכלוֹת ַה ֹכּל‬ ‫ ְו ַא ֲח ֵרי‬2

‫ְל ַה ְח ִבּי ָרה ְבּ ִלי ֵרא ִשׁית‬ ‫ ְל ַה ְמ ִשׁיל לוֹ‬3

‫ְבּ ֵﬠת ִאי ַשׁן‬ ‫ַא ְפ ִקיד רוּ ִחי‬ ‫ ְבּ ָידוֹ‬4

‫ ְגּ ִו ָיּ ִתי ְי ָי ִלי ְולֹא ִאי ָרא‬5

12

Growing and Changing

‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬says God is distant. And God is

nearby. God has no body. And we put our
soul in God’s hand. How can these all be
true? The answer is that there’s more than
one way of looking at God. Just as our views
about things in our lives change over time,
so can our views about God.

Try this example:

How does a five-year-old see an eight-year-old?

How do eight-year-olds see themselves?

How do you see an eight-year-old?

All three of these are part of understanding what it’s like to be eight years old. If
we are open and curious, we’ll keep finding new ways to see things—including our
notions of God and holiness—as we continue to grow.

Discuss with a friend: What is something you currently think or believe about God?

Prayer Words

Sovereign ‫ֲאדוֹן‬ What does ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬mean?
eternal ‫עוֹ ָלם‬ What does ‫ ְי ָי ִלי ְולֹא ִאי ָרא‬mean?
and
mine -‫ְו‬
Adonai ‫ִלי‬
not ‫ְי ָי‬
I will fear ‫לֹא‬
‫ִאי ָרא‬

13

Safe, Happy, and at Ease

Imagine a time that you felt uncomfortable, upset, or frustrated.
Think of the occasion or the person that made you feel that way.
Notice how thinking of that event affects your body. Take slow
deep breaths—as many as you need—noticing your breaths.
How do they affect you? Continue breathing deeply while
repeating the following mantra: “I am not alone. May I be safe
and free of fear. May I be happy and at ease.”

With a partner, talk about how this breathing exercise affected
your state of mind.

Sing-Along Adon Olam

Listen to the recording of Saul Kaye’s ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

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

What instruments did you hear in
this song?

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

How does the song make you feel?
(hopeful? sad? peaceful? calm?
restless?) Explain your reaction.

Do you think the musician is
reflecting God’s transcendence or
immanence in his music? Explain
your answer.

14

Copyright © 2018 Behrman House Inc. www.behrmanhouse.com • 1964I (Ein Keloheinu, Adon Olam) 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: Giulio_ Big Idea!
Fornasar/Shutterstock.com; p. 2: Lisa F. Young/Shutterstock.com (left), abstract/Shutterstock.com (right); p. 3: Inspiring/Shutterstock.com; p. 4: Viacheslav Nikolaenko/Shutterstock.com; p. 5: Gabriel Baharelia; p. 7: Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock.com; p. 8: MR.Yanukit/Shutterstock.
com; p. 10: Suzanne Dunn; p. 11: natushm/Shutterstock.com (top), Tak Ishikaw/Shutterstock.com (bottom); p. 13: RimDream/Shutterstock.com; p. 14: VGstockstudio/Shutterstock.com (top); p. 14: Lilia (middle); p. 16: topform/Shutterstock.com • Manufactured in the USA “Adonai is mine. I will not fear.” ‫ ְי ָי ִלי ְולֹא ִאיָרא‬. That’s how ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬ends.

It’s a simple line that can accompany us through hard times. Next time
you’re afraid—of what will happen, of what might not happen, of what
people will think, whatever—try saying those four Hebrew words.
You might find it reassuring, like a well-loved tune you listen to over
and over.

On the same topic, Rabbi Nachman of Braslav said, “The whole world
is a very narrow bridge. What’s important is not to be afraid at all.”

What do you think Rabbi Nachman meant?

Mine!

The Hebrew ending ‫י‬-ִ is one way to say “my” or “mine.” Here’s an example.

‫ֶט ֶלפוֹ ִני‬ ‫ֶט ֶלפוֹן‬

my telephone telephone

Fill in the blanks below. Then underline these Hebrew and English words in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

my cup ‫כּוֹס‬ my God ‫ֵאל‬

cup God

Sometimes the ending ‫י‬-ִ changes the way a word is pronounced. ‫ ֶמ ֶלְך‬is a ruler,
but “my ruler” is ‫ ַמ ְל ִכּי‬. See how the word changes a little?

Write the English meaning next to each Hebrew word below. Then underline the

Hebrew and English words in ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬.

‫ִנ ִסּי רוּ ִחי‬
‫ְגּ ִו ָיּ ִתי ֹגּ ֲא ִלי‬

Now look at all the “my” words you underlined. Where do they appear in ‫? ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬
Randomly? Or is there a pattern? What does this tell you about ‫? ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬

15

My Musical Journey: ‫ ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬,‫ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬

Compose your prayer music by filling in the responses below.

The secret
word hidden in

‫ֵאין ֵכּאֹל ֵהינוּ‬

four times is

Writing that
encodes a

message in this
way is called an

‫ֲאדוֹן עוֹ ָלם‬

starts with God
as a stranger and
ends with God as

An example of

‫ ִהדּוּר ִמ ְצ ָוה‬is

The song I
remember best
from these prayers

is __ because

A personal
view I hold
about God is

16

www.behrmanhouse.com/HiH

‫ְגּבוּרוֹת‬

Some people see God’s work in the birth
of a baby, when a sick person recovers
from an illness, or when a person held

in captivity is freed. ‫( ְגּבוּרוֹת‬powers) is
the second blessing in the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬. It

declares God’s power to give life, to
heal, and to free the captive.

You are eternally mighty (powerful), Adonai, ,‫ ֲאדֹ ָני‬,‫ ַא ָתּה ִגּבּוֹר ְלעוֹ ָלם‬1
You give life to all/the dead, ,‫ ֵמ ִתים ַא ָתּה‬/‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬2
great is Your power to save.
(Winter) You cause the wind to blow .‫ ַרב ְלהוֹ ִשׁי ַﬠ‬3
and the rain to fall. ‫ ַמ ִשּׁיב ָהרוּ ַח‬4
(Summer) You cause the dew to fall. .‫ וּמוֹ ִריד ַה ָגּ ֶשׁם‬5
With kindness You sustain the living, .‫ מוִֹריד ַה ַטּל‬6
give life to all/the dead ,‫ ְמ ַכ ְל ֵכּל ַח ִיּים ְבּ ֶח ֶסד‬8
with great compassion (mercy). ‫ ֵמ ִתים‬/‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬7
You support the falling, and heal the sick, .‫ ְבַּר ֲח ִמים ַר ִבּים‬9
and You free the captive, ,‫ ְורוֹ ֵפא חוֹ ִלים‬,‫ סוֹ ֵמְך נוֹ ְפ ִלים‬10
and keep faith with those who sleep in the dust. ,‫ וּ ַמ ִתּיר ֲאסוִּרים‬11
.‫ וּ ְמ ַק ֵיּם ֱאמוּ ָנתוֹ ִלי ֵשׁ ֵני ָﬠ ָפר‬12

1 964J • G'vurot NAME

Who is like You, Powerful One, ,‫ ַבּ ַﬠל ְגּבוּרוֹת‬,‫ ִמי ָכמוָֹך‬13
and who is comparable to You, ,‫ וּ ִמי דּוֹ ֶמה ָלְּך‬14
Ruler who brings death and gives life
and who is a source of salvation? ‫ ֶמ ֶלְך ֵמ ִמית וּ ְמ ַח ֶיּה‬15
You are faithful to give life ?‫ וּ ַמ ְצ ִמי ַח ְישׁוּ ָﬠה‬16
to all/the dead. ‫ ְו ֶנ ֱא ָמן ַא ָתּה ְל ַה ֲחיוֹת‬17
Praised are You, Adonai,
who gives life to all/the dead. .‫ ֵמ ִתים‬/‫ ַה ֹכּל‬18
,‫ ָבּרוְּך ַא ָתּה ְי ָי‬19
.‫ ַה ֵמּ ִתים‬/‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬20

Prayer Reading
Practice reading ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬with a

partner.

How Did I Do?

How well did you read? Circle the
face that shows how you feel.

Go online to practice

reading ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬. Make

the prayer your own
by recording yourself.
Use your voice to
show which words
are important to you.

2

L’chayim!

Have you seen people clink glasses and say !‫( ְל ַח ִיּים‬to

life!) at a wedding reception, bar or bat mitzvah party,

or oneg Shabbat? Why is saying !‫ ְל ַח ִיּים‬an appropriate

expression for happy times and celebrations?

When in your life would you want Life to Everything

to say !‫ ? ְל ַח ִיּים‬Draw or write about In ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬, some prayer books use
the phrase ‫( ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬gives life to
it here. all), while others say ‫ְמ ַח ֵיּה ֵמ ִתים‬

(gives life to the dead). Still other

prayer books use ‫( ְמ ַח ֵיּה ָכּל ַחי‬gives

life to everything), while some give

the option of ‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה ַה ֹכּל‬or ‫ְמ ַח ֵיּה‬
‫ ֵמ ִתים‬. What phrase does your prayer

book use?

Think of examples in nature of “giving
life to all” or “giving life to the dead”
and write them below.

Make up your own saying or
expression that you would like to
say at happy times. Write it here.

3

Prayer Words

Both Strong and Kind mighty ‫ִגּבּוֹר‬
gives life ‫ְמ ַח ֵיּה‬
The second word of ‫ִגּבּוֹר— ְגּבוּרוֹת‬ living, life ‫ַח ִיּים‬
with kindness ‫ְבּ ֶח ֶסד‬
(“mighty”)—tells us that God is with compassion ‫ְבַּר ֲח ִמים‬
powerful and strong. Two lines later
we read that God treats us with Do you think it is necessary for leaders
to show power and strength, in addition
‫ ֶח ֶסד‬and ‫( ַר ֲח ִמים‬kindness and to kindness and compassion? How
would their leadership be different
compassion). Whom do you know who if they have power and strength but
is powerful and strong, and kind and not kindness and compassion? What
compassionate? How does he or she if it’s the other way around—if they
demonstrate these characteristics? have kindness and compassion but not
power and strength?

Think of a leader you know
in American, Jewish, or world
history who demonstrated these
characteristics. How was that person
strong? How was that person kind
and compassionate?

4

Living Words

‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה‬means “gives life.” The root of ‫ ְמ ַח ֵיּה‬is ‫חיה‬. Words built on ‫חיה‬
have “life” as part of their meaning. Note: When ‫ ה‬is the final letter in a

root, it is sometimes missing in words built on that root.

The words below are all built on the Write the root letters here:
root ‫חיה‬. Read them aloud.
‫ְל ַח ִיּים‬ Look back at ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬on pages
‫ְמ ַח ֵיּה‬
1 and 2. Circle all the Hebrew words
‫ַח ִיּים ַח ָיּה‬ that have to do with “life.” How many
words did you circle?
‫ְל ַה ֲחיוֹת‬ ‫ַחי‬

Why do you think there are so many words related to “life” in ‫? ְגּבוּרוֹת‬

A Powerful Partnership

The theme of ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬is God’s power. Write two of the powerful acts mentioned
in ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬in English and Hebrew.

Powerful Act—English Powerful Act—Hebrew

1.

2.

For some of the powerful acts we What steps could you take to make
that happen?
can be God’s partners—we can help

make the world a better place. Name

one act from ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬in which you can

be God’s partner.

5

A Blend of Which of the following do you prefer
Chanting when saying a prayer? Put a check next
and Singing to your answer(s).

Many congregations ‰ Reading the prayer quietly to myself
use a combination of ‰ Reading the prayer out loud
chanting and singing for ‰ Chanting the prayer
‰ Singing the prayer
‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬. Chanting is more
Why do you prefer that form of praying?
like talking in tune than
singing a melody.

Listen to Cantor Joshua Breitzer chant

and sing ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬.

What differences in the tune and the
rhythm did you hear between the
chanting and the singing?

One Out of Seven

There are seven ‫ ְבּ ָרכוֹת‬in the ‫ ֲﬠ ִמי ָדה‬for Shabbat and holidays. Draw a line
under the name of the ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬that means “powers.”

‫ ְקדוּ ַשׁת ַהיּוֹם‬4 ‫ ְקדוּ ָשׁה‬3 ‫ ְגּבוּרוֹת‬2 ‫ ָאבוֹת ְו ִא ָמּהוֹת‬1

‫ ִבְּרכוֹת ָשׁלוֹם‬7 ‫ הוֹ ָד ָאה‬6 ‫ ֲﬠבוֹ ָדה‬5

Which ‫ ְבּ ָר ָכה‬names the patriarchs and matriarchs? Write your answer in
‫( ִﬠ ְב ִרית‬Hebrew) and English.

English: :‫ִﬠ ְב ִרית‬

11 6