ליום שביעי 5

כב. מיוסד על פי א"ב כפול. חתום שלמה הבבלי.

אִם עֲוֹנֵינוּ עָנוּ בָנוּ.

If our iniquities testify against us,

אָתָאנוּ לְךָ

we come before You [with remorse]

וּבְשִׁמְךָ בָאנוּ.

and we rely on Your [merciful] Name;

כְּרַחֵם אָב עַל בָּנִים

as a father has mercy on his children,

רַחֲמֵנוּ.

so too have mercy on us,

כְּאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אִמּוֹ

as one who is comforted by his mother,

תְּנַחֲמֶנּוּ.

may we be comforted by You.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

אַתָּה יְהֹוָה טוֹב וְסַלָּח.

You Adonoy are good and forgiving,

אוֹתָנוּ רֹעַ יֵצֶר אִלַּח.

but the evil inclination has corrupted us,

בָּנֶיךָ בְּיַד פִּשְׁעָם

—Your children—despite their transgression

מִלְּשַׁלַּח.

You will not cast them off;

בְּיַד מַסְרִיוֹת לִבֵּנוּ הַמְלָח:

our devastated hearts are gripped by sin.⁴The stench of our sin.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

גְּדוֹל חֶסֶד

You Who are great in kindness,

נוֹצֵר

Who preserves merit

לָאֲלָפִים.

for thousands of generations,

גַּלְגֵּל רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ

deal with us with Your mercy and kindness,

וְלֹא חִלּוּפִים.

and not with the opposite attributes.

דְּבָרְךָ לֹא רֵיקָם וְסִלּוּפִים.

Your promise⁵Of benevolence. was not empty or misleading,

דִּמִּינוּ חַסְדְּךָ

therefore we yearn for Your kindness

כַּעֲיֵיפִים וְעִלּוּפִים:

as those who are exhausted and faint.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

הַסְכֵּת צִית צִיר הִתְבּוֹנֵן.

With rapt attention [Your] messenger⁶Moses. listened

הָחֵל דְּבָרֶיךָ

[to Your words that he might know] if even those who desecrate Your Torah

אִם לְגוֹנֵן.

might still be saved;

וִתַּקְתּוֹ

You strengthened him

דְּרָכֶיךָ חִנּוּן שַׁנֵּן.

[by] teaching him Your way of amnesty,

וּבָהּ בְּמִדָּה אוֹתָנוּ חַנֵּן:

with that same attribute, acquit us.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

זְכוֹר נִשְׁכָּחוֹת

Remembering forgotten things—

לְךָ הִלּוּל.

this is Your praise,

זַעַם תַּקְטִין

You diminish [Your] anger, [causing it to last]

כְּרֶגַע מִלּוּל.

no longer than a spoken word;

חֲתֹךְ חַיִּים

[therefore] articulate life [for us]

דִּין פִּלּוּל.

in Your judgement.

חֹן חִנָּם

Grant us undeserved grace

חוֹקְרֶךָ חָלוּל:

as You search our hearts.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

טִיט נִגְרַשׁ תּוֹכוֹ

Into the mud amidst the stormy sea

תַצְלִיל.

cause our sins to sink—

טוֹעַ זָדוֹן

the unintentional, the intentional,

טָמוּן וַעֲלִיל.

the hidden ones and the revealed;

יוֹדֵעַ יֵצֶר

[You] know that our [evil] inclination

מַה מַעֲלִיל.

has caused us to do these deeds,

יָד לְטוֹבָה עָלֵינוּ תַגְלִיל:

lift Your hand to do good for us.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

כְּלָיוֹת בּוֹחֵן

You search the innards of man

וּשְׁבִילֵי לֵב.

and the paths of his heart, [to know]

כַּשְׁרוּת יַשְׁרוּת

does he walk in the proper and upright path

וּשְׁרִירוּת הַלֵּב.

or does he follow the whim of his heart?

לֵב עָלוּב עִם עוֹלֵב.

Is his heart humble or is he insulting?

לַעַן

Let the bitterness of sin

מָתוֹק

be sweetened [with repentance],

שׁוּב וּמַכְלֵב:

that he not return as a “dog to his vomit.”⁷An idiomatic expression used by the Sages to describe one who returns to his previous sin.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

מַצִּיל

You save even those

מָטֵי דִין הֶרֶג.

whose judgements indicate a death penalty,

מְקוֹרֶרֶת לְךָ עֶרֶג.

we cry out to You with yearning:

נַקֵּל שֶׁקֶל עָוֹן

lighten and remove the burden of iniquity

מֵהִשְׂתָּרֵג.

lest it becomes part of us;

נָשׂוּי נָשׂוּי

may our sins be forgiven and forgotten

בְּבֹא מְקַטְרֵג:

when the Accuser comes to indict us.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

סִרְחוֹן כְּתָב

[Although] the record of our guilt

עֵד הַנֶּחְתָּם.

has been signed by witnesses,

סִפְרוֹ זַיֵּף

declare his indictment a forgery

טַעַן הִסְתַּתָּם.

and thereby silence his claim;

עָוֹן עַיִן הַנִּכְתָּם.

our sins are as visible as a stain,

עַל יַד רַחֲמֶיךָ יִתָּם:

through Your mercy, let them be removed.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

פַּנֵּה אֶבֶן מִדַּרְכְּךָ

Clear the stone⁸This refers to the Evil Inclination which is an impediment to us. from Your path

הִתַּקֵּן.

let it be straightened;

פַּלְגֵי מַיִם פָּנוּי מִלְּהִתְרוֹקֵן.

turn to our never emptying river of tears,

צוּר, מִכְשׁוֹל נַעַר וְזָקֵן

this rock⁹See previous note. is an obstacle for young and old—

צַמֵּת,

destroy it,

וּכְרַחֲמָן

and as an eagle has mercy on her nestlings

רַחֵם הַקֵּן:

have mercy on Your habitation.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

קָרוֹב לְרַצּוֹת קִלּוּסָךְ אָמוּר.

“Quick to be appeased”—this is Your praise,

קוּשִׁי לִגְיוֹנָךְ

the heavy yoke born by Your legion—

שָׁנוּי וְתָמוּר.

let it be modified and exchanged;

רִיבָךְ לֹא לָנֶצַח שָׁמוּר.

Your quarrel [with the sinner] is not eternal,

רַחֵם בְּרֹגֶז

have mercy [even] in Your anger,

דִּין גָּמוּר:

[even] when You exercise judgement.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

שָׂבִים שָׁבִים

Some repent in their later years,

שֶׁבַח

but more praiseworthy are those

שַׁחֲרוּת.

who repent in their earlier years,

שְׁתוּלִים יֹשֶׁר

it is good to be implanted in uprighteness,

יַלְדוּת בַּחֲרוּת.

from early youth;

תָּגֵן חֵרוּת מִצַּד תַּחֲרוּת.

shield us, free us from Your anger,

תָּחֹן

be gracious with us.

תָּו חַיִּים

The letter ‘Tov,’ symbolizing life, ¹⁰See Mesechet Shabbos 55a. (תחיה)

חָרוּת.

engrave on our foreheads.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

שָׁלוֹם שָׁלוֹם בַּשֵּׂר מִתְקָרֵב.

Extend greetings of peace to the penitent,

מְעַט

[though he has sanctified himself only] a bit,

סְיַע קַדֵּשׁ הֶרֶב.

help him—sanctify him in great measure.

הַבַּכּוּרוֹת וְחִלּוּפֵיהֶן

The righteous¹¹The word בַכּוּרוֹת actually refers to ripe figs. See Mesechet Eruvin 21b where the righteous are referred to as ripe figs. and their opposites—

כְּאַחַת עָרֵב.

unite them in pleasantness.

הַקּוֹשֶׁט וְטִינָא

let the righteous and begrudger

יַחַד עָרֵב:

be together in pleasantness.

אַל בְּאַפֶּךָ

Do not rebuke us with Your anger,

פֶּן תַּמְעִיטֵנוּ:

lest we be [completely] diminished.

אֵל מֶֽלֶךְ.

Almighty! King!

יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסֵּא רַחֲמִים.

Who sits on the throne of mercy,

מִתְנַהֵג בַּחֲסִידוּת.

governs with kindness

מוֹחֵל עֲו‍ֹנוֹת עַמּוֹ.

forgives the iniquities of His people.

מַעֲבִיר רִאשׁוֹן רִאשׁוֹן.

He removes their sins one by one,

מַרְבֶּה מְחִילָה לְחַטָּאִים

increasing forgiveness to sinners,

וּסְלִיחָה לְפוֹשְׁעִים.

and pardon to transgressors.

עוֹשֶׂה צְדָקוֹת

Acting righteously

עִם כָּל בָּשָׂר וָרֽוּחַ.

with all who are of flesh and spirit;

לֹא כְרָעָתָם

not according to their wickedness

תִּגְמוֹל:

does He repay them.

אֵל

Almighty!

הוֹרֵיתָ לָנוּ לוֹמַר

You instructed us to recite

שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה.

the thirteen Divine attributes;

וּזְכָר לָֽנוּ הַיּוֹם

remember unto us this day

בְּרִית שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה.

the covenant of thirteen Divine attributes,

כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוֹדַֽעְתָּ

as You made them known

לֶעָנָו מִקֶּֽדֶם.

to the humble Moses of old,

כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב

as it is written,

וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה בֶּֽעָנָן

“And Adonoy descended in the cloud,

וַיִּתְיַצֵּב עִמּוֹ שָׁם

and stood with him there,

וַיִּקְרָא בְשֵׁם יְהֹוָה:

and proclaimed the Name, Adonoy.

קהל וחזן:

Congregation and Chazzan:

וַיַּֽעֲבֹר יְהֹוָה עַל פָּנָיו

And Adonoy passed before him [Moses];

וַיִּקְרָא:

and proclaimed:

יְהֹוָה יְהֹוָה

Adonoy, Adonoy,

אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן

Almighty, Merciful, Gracious,

אֶֽרֶךְ אַפַּֽיִם

Slow to Anger,

וְרַב חֶֽסֶד וֶֽאֱמֶת:

and Abundant in Kindness, and Truth.

נֹצֵר חֶֽסֶד

Keeper of kindness

לָאֲלָפִים

for thousands of generations,

נֹשֵׂא עָו‍ֹן וָפֶֽשַׁע

Endurer of iniquity, and transgression,

וְחַטָּאָה

and sin;

וְנַקֵּה:

and Acquitter of those who repent.”

וְסָלַחְתָּ לַעֲו‍ֹנֵֽנוּ וּלְחַטָּאתֵֽנוּ

“And pardon our iniquity and our sin,

וּנְחַלְתָּֽנוּ:

and take us for Your inheritance.”

סְלַח לָֽנוּ אָבִֽינוּ כִּי חָטָֽאנוּ.

Pardon us our Father, for we have sinned,

מְחַל לָֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ כִּי פָשָֽׁעְנוּ:

forgive us our King, for we have transgressed.

כִּי אַתָּה אֲדֹנָי

“For You, my Master,

טוֹב וְסַלָּח

are good and forgiving,

וְרַב חֶֽסֶד

and abounding in kindness

לְכָל קֹרְאֶֽיךָ:

to all who call upon You.”