Reading note: pronounce יהוה as “Adonai” once. Seasonal alternatives apply only in their proper season and are not recited together. Headings and directions are explanatory and are not part of the recited text.
Parts index
Recital of Shema and Blessings
Blessed are You, God, Our Adonai, King of the Universe who forms light and creates darkness. Who makes peace and creates everything. He Who illuminates the earth and those who dwell upon it – with compassion, and with His goodness He renews daily the work of creation. How great are your deeds Oh, God – all of them You have done with wisdom – the world is full of Your possessions. The lofty King, alone from before [time]. The Praiseworthy One, and the Glorified and the Exalted – from the days of the [beginning of] world. God of the world with Your abundant mercy have mercy upon us. Master of our power, the Rock of our Refuge, the Shield of our salvation, Refuge for us, Blessed God, Great in knowledge, Who prepared and Made the Lights of Sun. Good One, You created it for the honor of Your Name. Luminaries were placed around His Might. In the corners are the Holy hosts, that glorify the Almighty. At all times they tell of the Honor of God and His Holiness. You are Blessed, Adonai, our God in the Heavens above and upon the land below it. Upon all the praise of Your handiwork and the luminaries of light – that You formed – they will glorify You forever.
You are Blessed eternally, our Rock, our King, our Redeemer – Creator of Holy ones. May Your name be praised forever, our King, former of servitors that are His servants – all of them stand upon the heights of the world and they listen with awe – together the voice of the Living God and King of the Universe. All of them are beloved, all of them are lucid, all of them are mighty, all of them are holy, all of them do the will of their Proprietor and all open their mouth – with holiness and purity, with song and music and bless and praise and glorify and sanctify and admire and accept the Kingship of the Name of the King, the Great, the Mighty and Awesome God – Holy is He. And all of them accept upon themselves the Kingship of Heaven – one from another and acquiesce one to another – to sanctify their Creator – with calmness of spirit and , with clear, pleasant speech – [exclaiming His] Holiness, Each one in unison answer with trepidation and say with fear
(This “Kedusha” is said while seated. If one is standing, he sits down.)
Holy, Holy, Holy is the Adonai of hosts. the entire world is filled with His glory. And the Ofanim and the Hayot HaKodesh – with great tumult – lift themselves facing the Serafim and those facing them, give praise & say: Blessed is the honor of the Adonai from His place.
To the Blessed God, we will give pleasant [praises], to the living God, Musical Songs will be said and praises will be heard, for Only He is Lofty and Holy, Implementer of Mighty [deeds], Doer of Novel [acts], Master of Wars, Provider of Charity [Righteousness], Grower of Salvation, Creator of Healing, Awesome in Praises, Master of Wonders, Who Renews, with His goodness, daily, continuously the acts of creation – as it is said: The Maker of Great Lights – for His kindness is eternal. Blessed are You Adonai former of the luminaries.
[With] an Eternal Love, You loved us, Adonai, our God. With great and exceptional grace, did You grace upon us. Our Father, our King due to Your Name and due to our fathers that had faith in You and that You taught them the ordinances of life – to do your will with a complete heart, thus have grace upon us, Father of mercy, the Merciful One, please have mercy upon us. And place in our hearts understanding – to understand and enlighten, to listen and to learn and to teach, to observe and to do and to uphold all the words of the teachings of Your Torah with love.
Enlighten our eyes with your Torah and let our hearts cleave to your Mitzvot [commandments] And unify our hearts to love and to fear Your Name. Let us not be ashamed and not embarrassed and not stumble – forever and ever. For In Your Holy Name – the Great, the Mighty, and the Awesome – we have faith. We rejoice and are gladdened with Your salvation. And Your Mercy, Adonai, our God, and may Your abundant kindness never leave us, selah, forever
Speedily Bring upon us Blessing and Peace (Gather the Tzitzit in ones left hand and place them against heart) from the four corners of the earth. And break the yoke of the nations from upon our necks, and bring us quickly to independence to our land – for You are God – implementer of salvation – and You selected us from every people and language and You brought us close, our King, to Your Great Name with love – to acknowledge You and to Unify and to Fear and to Love Your Name. Blessed are You, Adonai, Who selects His people Israel with Love.
HEAR, O ISRAEL, Ado·nai Is Our G·D, Ado·nai Is ONE (cover eyes when above is said · think of Oneness of God)
Blessed be His Name & glorious sovereignty forever.
And you shall love the Adonai, your God, with all your heart & with all your soul & with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them diligently unto your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house & when you walk by the way, when your lie down & when you rise up. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house & upon your gates. (Devarim / Deut. 6:4-9)
And it shall be that if you hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you today, to love the Adonai your God & to serve Him with all your heart & all your soul, then I will send rain for your land in its proper time, the autumn rain & the spring rain, that you may gather in your grain, your wine & your oil. And I will give grass in your field for your cattle & you shall eat & be satisfied. Take heed to yourselves lest your heart be deceived, & you turn aside & serve other gods & bow to them. For then the Adonai's wrath will be kindled against you, & He will close up the heavens that there be no rain, & land shall not yield her produce, & you shall perish quickly from off the goodly land which the Adonai gives you. You shall lay My words, these upon your heart & upon your soul, & you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, & they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down & when you rise. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house & upon your gates. So that the Adonai will lengthen your days & the days of your children upon the land which the Adonai promised to give to your fathers, as the days of the heavens above the earth, (Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:13-21)
And the Adonai spoke unto Moses, saying, speak unto the children of Israel & say to them to make for themselves a fringe on the borders of their garments, throughout their generations. And they shall place upon the fringe of the border, a thread of blue wool.(From the sea worm bonellia viridis) And it shall be to you a fringe that you may look upon, & remember all the commandments of the Adonai & to do them. Then shall you not stray after your heart & your eyes whereafter you are wont to stray. So may you remember & do all My commandments & be holy for your God. I am the Adonai your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God; I am the Adonai your God. (Bamidbar / Numbers 15:37-41) True.
[And the Congregation Answers:] [This is] Truth: [And the Cantor Responds]: The Adonai, Your God, is True.
And this matter [the Torah] stands, and is correct, and remains, and is straight and trustworthy and beloved and dear and pleasant and beautiful and awesome and mighty and structured and accepted and good and nice for us forever and ever.
Truth – You are the God of the Universe, our King, the Rock of Yaakov, Shield of our salvation. Every Generation He stands and His Hame stands. And His Throne is Stable and His Kingship and His Faith always stands, And His words are alive and standing and trustworthy and beloved forever (when one says “forever” kiss the Tzitzit in his hands, pass them over his eyes and release them from hands) And forever and ever. Upon our forefathers, upon us and upon our children, and upon our generation and upon every generation of the seed of Israel, Your servants, upon the first ones and upon the last ones – is is a good thing and it stands with truth, and faith, as a as a decree and it will not pass. Truth – that You are the Adonai, our God and God of our fathers, our King, King of our fathers. Our redeemer, Redeemer of our fathers. Our creator, the Rock of our redemption, [You are] our redeemer and savior. From before [time] is Your Name, and we have no other God, besides You. Selah.
You are the Helper of our fathers – from ever before. A Shield and a Savior for them and their children after them – in every single generation. In the heights of the Universe is Your abode. And Your Justice and Righteousness arrives to the end of the earth. Truth – Happy is the man that listens to Your commandments and Your Torah [law] and Your Word he places upon his heart. Truth – that You are the Master of Your people and a Mighty King that fights their battles – for the fathers & the children. Truth – that You are the first and You are the last and apart from You we have no king, redeemer or savior. Truth – From Egypt You redeemed us – Adonai, our God. From the house of bondage you ransomed us. All their first born You killed and Your first born – Yisrael – you redeemed. The Sea of Reeds, You split for them. And the intentionally wicked [Egyptians] You drowned. And the Beloved – passed [through] the sea. And the water covered their tormentors – not one of them remained. Upon this – give praise beloved ones – exultations to God, blessings and thanks to the King, Living and Standing God, Exalted & Uplifted, Great & Awesome, Who causes the Haughty to fall to the earth and the Lifts up the fallen to the heights. He takes out the emprisoned and redeems the humble , helps the pneedy and answers His people Yisrael at the time they Him.
(One Stands at this Point)
Praises to the lofty God – their Redeemer. Bless is He and [He is] the causer of blessing. Moses and the children of Israel – to You they answer in song with great exultation and they all say: Who is like You among the [false] gods [people worship] Adonai. Who is like You – Mighty in Holiness. Awesome. Praises that do wonders. A new song – those redeemed [by You] – to Your great name – on the banks of the sea. Together they acknowledged and acceped [Your] Kingship and said : The Adonai shall reign as King forever and ever. And it is said: Our Redeemer, Adonai of Hosts is His name – the Holy One of [the people of] Israel. Blessed are you Adonai who redeemed [the people of] Yisrael.
