Machzor Yom Kippur Ashkenaz Linear, The Morning Prayers, Eil Adon

אֵל Almighty,

אָדוֹן עַל כָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים. Master over all [created] works,

בָּרוּךְ blessed [is He]²²Hashem is the source of all blessing, and is blessed even without the blessing of man.

וּמְבֹרָךְ בְּפִי כָּל נְשָׁמָה. and He is blessed by the mouth of every soul.

גָּדְלוֹ וְטוּבוֹ מָלֵא עוֹלָם. His greatness and goodness fill the world,

דַּֽעַת וּתְבוּנָה perception and understanding

סוֹבְבִים אוֹתוֹ: surround Him.

הַמִּתְגָּאֶה עַל חַיּוֹת הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ. He is most high, over the holy chayos,²³Chayos are angels which exist eternally, unlike other angels which exist for short periods for specific functions.

וְנֶהְדָּר בְּכָבוֹד עַל הַמֶּרְכָּבָה. and adorned in glory above the chariot;²⁴The “chariot” refers to the retinue of angels at their positions in heaven.—Siddur HaGra

זְכוּת וּמִישׁוֹר לִפְנֵי כִסְאוֹ. merit and uprightness are before His throne,

חֶֽסֶד וְרַחֲמִים לִפְנֵי כְבוֹדוֹ: kindness and mercy are before His glory.²⁵First the prayer mentions merit and uprightness, the qualities that man must acquire and live by and then it mentions kindness and mercy, the attributes with which Hashem conducts the world of man.—Avudraham

טוֹבִים מְאוֹרוֹת Good are the luminaries

שֶׁבָּרָא אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ. which our God created

יְצָרָם בְּדַֽעַת He formed them with perception,

בְּבִינָה וּבְהַשְׂכֵּל. understanding, and wisdom,

כֹּֽחַ וּגְבוּרָה נָתַן בָּהֶם. strength and power He put into them,

לִהְיוֹת מוֹשְׁלִים to be rulers²⁶See Bereishis 1:16.

בְּקֶֽרֶב תֵּבֵל: within the inhabited world.

מְלֵאִים זִיו וּמְפִיקִים נֹֽגַהּ. Full of luster and radiating brightness,

נָאֶה זִיוָם בְּכָל הָעוֹלָם. beautiful is their luster throughout the world,

שְׂמֵחִים בְּצֵאתָם joyous in their rising

וְשָׂשִׂים בְּבוֹאָם. and happy in their setting,

עוֹשִׂים בְּאֵימָה they perform with reverence,

רְצוֹן קוֹנָם: the will of their Possessor.

פְּאֵר וְכָבוֹד נוֹתְנִים לִשְׁמוֹ. Glory and honor, they give to His Name,²⁷The steadfastness of their orbits and the efficiency of their functions testify to Hashem’s creation and providence. Thus they reflect honor and glory to His Name.—Avudraham

צָהֳלָה וְרִנָּה jubilation and joyous song

לְזֵֽכֶר מַלְכוּתוֹ. at the mention of His Kingship.

קָרָא לַשֶּֽׁמֶשׁ He called to the sun

וַיִּזְרַח אוֹר. and it shone with light,

רָאָה וְהִתְקִין He saw and fashioned²⁸Hashem saw that mankind would one day worship the sun and therefore created the moon to diminish the influence of the sun as a total force.—Avudraham

צוּרַת הַלְּבָנָה: the form of the moon.

שֶֽׁבַח נוֹתְנִים לוֹ Praise [they] give Him,

כָּל צְבָא מָרוֹם. all hosts on high,

תִּפְאֶֽרֶת וּגְדֻלָּה glory and greatness [are given Him by]

שְׂרָפִים וְאוֹפַנִּים וְחַיּוֹת הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ: the serafim, the ofanim and the holy chayos.²⁹Ofanim, chayos and serafim refer to various classes of angels.—Avudraham

לָאֵל To the Almighty,

אֲשֶׁר שָׁבַת מִכָּל הַמַּעֲשִׂים. Who rested from all the creation.

בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי הִתְעַלָּה On the Seventh Day, He elevated Himself³⁰Hashem elevated Himself above everything He created during the six days of creation.

וְיָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדוֹ. and sat upon the throne of His honor.

תִּפְאֶֽרֶת עָטָה With glory He enwrapped Himself³¹This sentence is based on the verse: ה' מָלָךְ גֵאוּת לָבֵשׁ—Adonoy has begun His reign He has clothed Himself with majesty (Tehillim 93:1).

לְיוֹם הַמְּנוּחָה. for the day of rest,

עֹֽנֶג קָרָא לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. a delight, He called the Sabbath Day;

זֶה שֶֽׁבַח שֶׁל יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי this is the praise of the Seventh Day—

שֶׁבּוֹ שָׁבַת אֵל that on it, the Almighty rested

מִכָּל מְלַאכְתּוֹ. from all His work.

וְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְשַׁבֵּֽחַ וְאוֹמֵר. The Seventh Day [itself] offers praise and says:

מִזְמוֹר שִׁיר לְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת “A Psalm, a song by the Sabbath Day:

טוֹב לְהוֹדוֹת לַיהֹוָה: ‘It is good to give thanks to Adonoy.'”³²When man is rested from his everyday tasks and freed from everyday problems, he is able to thank Hashem for all His blessings.

לְפִיכָךְ יְפָאֲרוּ וִיבָרְכוּ לָאֵל Therefore glorify and bless the Almighty

כָּל יְצוּרָיו. all beings that He has formed;

שֶֽׁבַח יְקָר וּגְדֻלָּה praise, honor and greatness

יִתְּנוּ לָאֵל will they give to the Almighty,

מֶֽלֶךְ King,

יוֹצֵר כֹּל. Creator of all,

הַמַּנְחִיל מְנוּחָה Who apportions rest

לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּקְדֻשָּׁתוֹ to His people Yisrael, in His holiness

בְּיוֹם שַׁבַּת קֹֽדֶשׁ. on the holy Shabbos Day.

שִׁמְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ Your Name, Adonoy, our God

יִתְקַדַּשׁ. will be sanctified,

וְזִכְרְךָ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ יִתְפָּאַר and Your mention, our King, will be glorified

בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל in the heavens above

וְעַל הָאָֽרֶץ מִתָּֽחַת. and on the earth below.

תִּתְבָּרֵךְ מוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ Be blessed, our Deliverer

עַל שֶֽׁבַח מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶֽיךָ. for the praiseworthy work of Your hands

וְעַל מְאוֹרֵי אוֹר and for the light-giving luminaries

שֶׁעָשִֽׂיתָ which You made

יְפָאֲרֽוּךָ סֶּֽלָה: —that will glorify You, Selah.

תִּתְבָּרַךְ צוּרֵֽנוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ Be blessed, our Former,³³Some render צוּרֵנוּ “our Rock.” The Gaon of Vilna, however, maintains that it refers to Hashem as our Creator, thus describing Him in the tri-epochal aspect of His Unity: past, present, and future. He was our Creator, He is our King, and He will be our Redeemer. our King,

וְגוֹאֲלֵֽנוּ, בּוֹרֵא קְדוֹשִׁים and our Redeemer—Creator of holy beings.³⁴These are the Jewish People, who are sanctified in body and soul. The word Creator implies a creation of real substance—the Jewish People rather than angels.—Gaon of Vilna

יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ לָעַד מַלְכֵּֽנוּ, Praised be Your Name forever, our King,

יוֹצֵר מְשָׁרְתִים, Who forms ministering angels;

וַאֲשֶׁר מְשָׁרְתָיו and Whose ministering angels

כֻּלָּם עוֹמְדִים בְּרוּם עוֹלָם all stand at the height of the Universe,

וּמַשְׁמִיעִים בְּיִרְאָה יַֽחַד בְּקוֹל and proclaim with reverence, in unison aloud

דִּבְרֵי אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים the words of the living God,

וּמֶֽלֶךְ עוֹלָם: King of the Universe.

כֻּלָם אֲהוּבִים All of them are beloved,³⁵Beloved—there is no envy, jealousy or rivalry among them. Pure—they have no selfish or ulterior motives; they serve Hashem with all their being.—Siddur HaGra

כֻּלָּם בְּרוּרִים all of them are pure,

כֻּלָּם גִּבּוֹרִים all of them are mighty;

וְכֻלָּם עֹשִׂים and all of them perform

בְּאֵימָה וּבְיִרְאָה with awe and reverence

רְצוֹן קוֹנָם: the will of their Possessor.

חזן: וְכֻלָּם פּוֹתְחִים אֶת פִּיהֶם And they all open their mouths

בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה in holiness and purity,

בְּשִׁירָה וּבְזִמְרָה with song and music,

וּמְבָרְכִים וּמְשַׁבְּחִים וּמְפָאֲרִים and they bless, and praise, and glorify,

וּמַעֲרִיצִים וּמַקְדִּישִׁים and revere, and sanctify,

וּמַמְלִיכִים: and proclaim the sovereignty of—

אֶת שֵׁם הָאֵל הַמֶּֽלֶךְ the Name of the Almighty, the King,

הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא the Great, the Mighty, the awesome One;

קָדוֹשׁ הוּא: holy³⁶Despite the attributes we use to describe Him, He remains holy—beyond our conception. is He.

וְכֻלָּם מְקַבְּלִים עֲלֵיהֶם And they all take upon themselves

עֹל מַלְכוּת שָׁמַֽיִם the yoke³⁷The yoke of Divine Sovereignty is borne willingly and joyfully by each creature as an emblem of his free service to Hashem.—S.R. Hirsch of Divine sovereignty

זֶה מִזֶּה, one from the other,

וְנוֹתְנִים רְשׁוּת זֶה לָזֶה and give leave to one another³⁸They take care not to precede one another in their praise of Hashem. On the contrary, each says to the other, “You begin, because you are greater and more worthy than I.”—Avos of R’ Nosson

לְהַקְדִּישׁ לְיוֹצְרָם to sanctify their Former

בְּנַֽחַת רֽוּחַ in a spirit of serenity

בְּשָׂפָה בְרוּרָה וּבִנְעִימָה, with clear speech and pleasantness,³⁹The clear speech of the angels is the holy tongue (pure Hebrew).—Yaavetz

קְדֻשָּׁה כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד עוֹנִים all exclaim Kedushah in unison,

וְאוֹמְרִים בְּיִרְאָה and reverently exclaim:

קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ, קָדוֹשׁ “Holy, holy, holy

יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת. is Adonoy of Hosts,

מְלֹא כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ: the fullness of all the earth is His glory.”⁴⁰Yeshaya 6:3. Targum Yonoson paraphrases this verse: “Holy [is Hashem] in the highest heights of heaven, the abode of His Divine Presence; holy upon earth, the work of His almighty power; holy [is He] forever and for all eternity.” The Talmud, (Maseches Chulin 91b) refers to this verse as the “Sanctification of the Angels.” According to Avudraham and Yaavetz, this Kedushah has been inserted here to refute those who maintain that Hashem relinquished His control over the heavenly bodies, and they are now able to function independently. We are therefore told that all the heavenly hosts proclaim Hashem’s sanctification and dominion over all the universe.

The following is said responsively, Chazzan and congregation:

וְהָאוֹפַנִּים וְחַיּוֹת הַקֹּֽדֶשׁ And the Ofanim⁴¹Ofanim, Chayos haKodash, Serafim are various classes of Angels. Ofanim denotes animated wheels as conceived in association with the Heavenly throne. (Avudraham); Chayos are those angels who exist eternally (Yaavetz; some angels exist only for short times for specific functions.) Serafim indicate “beings of fire.” and the holy Chayos,

בְּרַֽעַשׁ גָּדוֹל מִתְנַשְּׂאִים with a mighty sound rise

לְעֻמַּת שְׂרָפִים toward the Serafim.

לְעֻמָּתָם מְשַׁבְּחִים וְאוֹמְרִים: Facing them, they offer praise and say,

בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד־יְהֹוָה “Blessed is the glory of Adonoy

מִמְּקוֹמוֹ: from His place.”⁴²Yechezkel 3:12. According to the Kuzari, Hashem’s glory is a euphemism for Hashem Himself. Thus the verse means, “Blessed is Adonoy from His place,” conveying this concept: Hashem is more blessed (i.e., greater) than His place; He is not confined to any place. Another view set forth in the Kuzari is that “Hashem’s glory” includes the angels, His throne, His chariot, the firmament, and the spheres. These are called Hashem’s glory similar to a king’s retinue which is his royal splendor.

לָאֵל בָּרוּךְ To the Blessed Almighty,

נְעִימוֹת יִתֵּֽנוּ, they⁴³The angels. offer pleasant melodies;

לְמֶּֽלֶךְ אֵל to the King, the Almighty,

חַי וְקַיָּם [Who is] living and enduring,

זְמִירוֹת יֹאמֵֽרוּ they utter hymns

וְתִשְׁבָּחוֹת יַשְׁמִֽיעוּ, and make praises heard.

כִּי הוּא לְבַדּוֹ For He alone

פּוֹעֵל גְּבוּרוֹת is the Performer of mighty deeds,

עֹשֶׂה חֲדָשׁוֹת Maker of new things;

בַּֽעַל מִלְחָמוֹת Master of battles,

זוֹרֵֽעַ צְדָקוֹת Sower of acts of righteousness,⁴⁴Rabbi Pinchos ben Yair was given two measures of barley for safekeeping. The owner forgot about it for a number of years. Rabbi Pinchos ben Yair planted the barley seed, and each year replanted the previous year’s harvest until it grew to be a substantial crop. After seven years, the owner returned to claim his two measures of barley and Rabbi Pinchos told him, “Come I will show you the great fortune you have accumulated.” Hashem does the same with the good and righteous deeds of man. He sows each righteous deed, and when the person is ready to receive his reward, Hashem returns the original righteous investment plus all the accumulated dividends. Midrash Rabba, Devorim 3:6

מַצְמִֽיחַ יְשׁוּעוֹת Causer of deliverance to sprout forth;

בּוֹרֵא רְפוּאוֹת Creator of cures.

נוֹרָא תְהִלּוֹת אֲדוֹן הַנִּפְלָאוֹת: Awesome in praise, Master of wonders,

הַמְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבוֹ He renews in His goodness,

בְּכָל יוֹם תָּמִיד each day, continuously,⁴⁵Since the blessing began with the praise of Hashem as the Former of light Who continually renews the creation, it concludes on the same note.

מַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית: the work of creation,

כָּאָמוּר as it is said: “[Give thanks to Him]

לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים Who makes the great luminaries,”

כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ: for His kindness is everlasting.”⁴⁶Tehillim 136:7.

חזן: אוֹר חָדָשׁ עַל צִיּוֹן תָּאִיר Shine a new light upon Tziyon,⁴⁷We pray that we will be worthy of enjoying the original light of creation, which Hashem put aside for the righteous in the future world.—Yaavetz

וְנִזְכֶּה כֻלָּֽנוּ מְהֵרָה and may we all soon be privileged

לְאוֹרוֹ: to [enjoy] its brightness.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה Blessed are You, Adonoy,

יוֹצֵר הַמְּאוֹרוֹת: Former of the luminaries.⁴⁸When reciting this blessing, bear in mind that even though the heavenly spheres appear immense to us and we attach much importance to them because of the vital functions they perform, in the eyes of their Creator they are no greater than worms. On the contrary, His wisdom and providence are more acutely recognized in an ant or bee because, in spite of their minuteness, they are endowed with a complex of faculties and organs.—Kuzari

In the second of the blessings that precede Shema we praise God for His goodness in giving us His Torah, and pray for His help in the study of Torah. None of our petitions for the material goods of life approaches the fervor of this prayer for knowledge of the Torah and steadfastness in obeying it.

אַהֲבָה רַבָּה אֲהַבְתָּֽנוּ [With] unbounded love You have loved us⁴⁹The Kuzari writes, “When reciting the blessing ‘Unbounded Love’ אַהֲבָה רַבָּה, one should bear in mind that Hashem’s Divine influence is especially directed at the Jewish People who receive it as naturally as a mirror receives rays of light. He should also bear in mind that the Torah is the expression of Hashem’s will and through it He establishes His dominion on earth as in heaven. Whenever an individual or a community attains a high degree of spiritual purity, they become worthy of receiving the Divine light to guide their destiny in a miraculous manner far removed from the ordinary course of events which affect the world. This special relationship with the Creator is called love.”

יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ Adonoy, our God;

חֶמְלָה גְדוֹלָה וִיתֵרָה [With] great and abundant pity⁵⁰Hashem bestowed His great and abundant pity on us after we sinned in making the golden calf. He not only pardoned us, but gave us the Second Tablets and ordained the construction of the Tabernacle (Mishkan) for His Divine Presence to dwell among us.—Siach Yitzchok

חָמַֽלְתָּ עָלֵֽינוּ: have You pitied us.

אָבִֽינוּ מַלְכֵּֽנוּ Our Father, our King!

בַּעֲבוּר אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ for the sake of our forefathers

שֶׁבָּטְחוּ בְךָ who trusted in You,

וַתְּלַמְּדֵם חֻקֵּי חַיִּים and whom You taught statutes of life,

כֵּן תְּחָנֵּֽנוּ וּתְלַמְּדֵֽנוּ: so too, be gracious to us and teach us.

אָבִֽינוּ אָב הָרַחֲמָן Our Father, merciful Father,

הַמְרַחֵם Who acts with compassion

רַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ have compassion on us

וְתֵן בְּלִבֵּֽנוּ and put into our hearts

לְהָבִין to comprehend,

וּלְהַשְׂכִּיל and to be intellectually creative,

לִשְׁמֹֽעַ לִלְמוֹד וּלְלַמֵּד to listen, to learn, and to teach,

לִשְׁמֹר וְלַעֲשׂוֹת וּלְקַיֵּם to preserve, to practice, and to fulfill⁵¹We preserve the Torah by not forgetting its teachings; we practice the commandments and we fulfill them by making them permanent parts of our lives.—Siach Yitzchok

אֶת כָּל דִּבְרֵי תַלְמוּד תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ all the words of instruction in Your Torah

בְּאַהֲבָה: with love.

וְהָאֵר עֵינֵֽינוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶֽךָ And enlighten our eyes in Your Torah,

וְדַבֵּק לִבֵּֽנוּ and cause our hearts to hold fast

בְּמִצְוֹתֶֽיךָ to Your commandments,

וְיַחֵד לְבָבֵֽנוּ and unify⁵²Make us single-hearted and undivided in our love and reverence of Your Name. Keep us from distraction of personal thoughts and selfish motives.—Siach Yitzchok our hearts

לְאַהֲבָה וּלְיִרְאָה אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ, to love and fear Your Name;

וְלֹא נֵבוֹשׁ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד, and may we never be put to shame,⁵³When one has to receive a favor that is completely undeserved, he feels a sense of shame. We therefore pray to Hashem, that our redemption will not be a “hand out” without merit and cause us to be ashamed. We proclaim that since we “trusted in His Name” and accepted the bitterness of our exile, our deliverance is not totally undeserved.—Siach Yitzchak

כִּי בְשֵׁם קָדְשְׁךָ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא for in Your holy, great, and awesome Name—

בָּטָֽחְנוּ have we trusted;

נָגִֽילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ: may we exult and rejoice in Your deliverance.

וַהֲבִיאֵֽנוּ לְשָׁלוֹם And bring us to peace

מֵאַרְבַּע כַּנְפוֹת הָאָֽרֶץ from the four corners of the earth

וְתוֹלִיכֵֽנוּ קוֹמְמִיּוּת לְאַרְצֵֽנוּ: and lead us upright⁵⁴May we return from our exile with our heads held high, not in meekness.—Siach Yitzchok to our land.

כִּי אֵל Because, You are the Almighty,

פּוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת אָֽתָּה Who performs acts of deliverance,⁵⁵Even if we do not deserve to be saved in our own merit, save us anyhow because You perform acts of deliverance.

וּבָֽנוּ בָחַֽרְתָּ and You have chosen us⁵⁶At the moment Hashem gave the Torah to the Jews at Sinai, we became His chosen people and were brought close to Him for eternity.—Siach Yitzchok

מִכָּל עַם וְלָשׁוֹן from among all peoples and tongues,

חזן: וְקֵרַבְתָּֽנוּ and You have brought us close

לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל סֶֽלָה בֶּאֱמֶת to Your great Name, forever in truth;

לְהוֹדוֹת לְךָ that we may give thanks⁵⁷These final words complete the prayer begun earlier: “Bring us in peace, and lead us upright to our land, so that we may give thanks to You, and proclaim Your Oneness, with love.—Siach Yitzchok to You,

וּלְיַחֶדְךָ בְּאַהֲבָה: and proclaim Your Oneness, with love.

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה Blessed are You, Adonoy,

הַבּוֹחֵר בְּעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאַהֲבָה: Who chooses His people Yisrael with love.