What is psalm 145 hebrew?

By AI TorahJune 1, 20238 sources cited1 views
What is psalm 145 hebrew?

Psalm 145 in Hebrew is the famous Ashrei prayer — an acrostic poem by King David praising God's greatness, kingship, and compassion. It is one of the most recited psalms in Jewish liturgy, said three times daily. The full Hebrew text follows the aleph-bet alphabetical structure, with each verse beginning with a successive letter.

Key Takeaways

  • Psalm 145 is titled תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד (Tehilla l'David) — "A Praise of David" — making it the only psalm with this specific title.
  • It is an acrostic poem — each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet (א through ת).
  • The letter נ (nun) is notably absent; the Talmud explains this alludes to the "fallen" (nefila) of Israel, but the following verse offers comfort [Berakhot 4b].
  • The verse קָרוֹב ה' לְכָל קֹרְאָיו ("God is close to all who call upon Him") is singled out by the Zohar as the key to genuine prayer [Zohar, Ha'Azinu 8:210].
  • The Talmud states that one who recites Psalm 145 three times daily is assured a place in the World to Come [Berakhot 4b].

Full Hebrew Text of Psalm 145

From [Psalms 145, Tanakh]:

תְּהִלָּה לְדָוִד (A Praise of David)

| Letter | Hebrew | Translation | |--------|--------|-------------| | א | אֲרוֹמִמְךָ אֱלוֹהַי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַאֲבָרְכָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד | I will exalt You, my God the King, and bless Your Name forever and ever. | | ב | בְּכָל יוֹם אֲבָרְכֶךָּ וַאֲהַלְלָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד | Every day I will bless You, and praise Your Name forever and ever. | | ג | גָּדוֹל ה' וּמְהֻלָּל מְאֹד וְלִגְדֻלָּתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר | Great is the Lord and exceedingly praised; His greatness is beyond investigation. | | ד | דּוֹר לְדוֹר יְשַׁבַּח מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וּגְבוּרֹתֶיךָ יַגִּידוּ | Generation to generation will praise Your deeds, and Your mighty acts they will declare. | | ה | הֲדַר כְּבוֹד הוֹדֶךָ וְדִבְרֵי נִפְלְאֹתֶיךָ אָשִׂיחָה | The splendor of Your glorious majesty and Your wondrous deeds I will speak of. | | ו | וֶעֱזוּז נוֹרְאֹתֶיךָ יֹאמֵרוּ וּגְדֻלָּתְךָ אֲסַפְּרֶנָּה | The power of Your awesome acts they will speak of, and Your greatness I will recount. | | ז | זֵכֶר רַב טוּבְךָ יַבִּיעוּ וְצִדְקָתְךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ | The memory of Your abundant goodness they will utter, and of Your righteousness they will sing. | | ח | חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם ה' אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וּגְדָל חָסֶד | Gracious and compassionate is the Lord, slow to anger and great in kindness. | | ט | טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו | Good is the Lord to all, and His mercies are upon all His works. | | י | יוֹדוּךָ ה' כָּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וַחֲסִידֶיךָ יְבָרְכוּכָה | All Your works will thank You, O Lord, and Your pious ones will bless You. | | כ | כְּבוֹד מַלְכוּתְךָ יֹאמֵרוּ וּגְבוּרָתְךָ יְדַבֵּרוּ | The glory of Your kingdom they will speak of, and Your might they will discuss. | | ל | לְהוֹדִיעַ לִבְנֵי הָאָדָם גְּבוּרֹתָיו וּכְבוֹד הֲדַר מַלְכוּתוֹ | To make known to the sons of man His mighty acts and the glorious splendor of His kingdom. | | מ | מַלְכוּתְךָ מַלְכוּת כָּל עֹלָמִים וּמֶמְשַׁלְתְּךָ בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדֹר | Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation. | | (נ missing — see below) | | | | ס | סוֹמֵךְ ה' לְכָל הַנֹּפְלִים וְזוֹקֵף לְכָל הַכְּפוּפִים | The Lord supports all the fallen, and straightens all the bent. | | ע | עֵינֵי כֹל אֵלֶיךָ יְשַׂבֵּרוּ וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן לָהֶם אֶת אָכְלָם בְּעִתּוֹ | The eyes of all look to You with hope, and You give them their food in its time. | | פ | פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי רָצוֹן | You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. | | צ | צַדִּיק ה' בְּכָל דְּרָכָיו וְחָסִיד בְּכָל מַעֲשָׂיו | Righteous is the Lord in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds. | | ק | קָרוֹב ה' לְכָל קֹרְאָיו לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר יִקְרָאֻהוּ בֶאֱמֶת | The Lord is close to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. | | ר | רְצוֹן יְרֵאָיו יַעֲשֶׂה וְאֶת שַׁוְעָתָם יִשְׁמַע וְיוֹשִׁיעֵם | The will of those who fear Him He will do, and their cry He will hear and save them.

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