Sit for Ashrei
Opening verses
Pronunciation
Ashrei yosh'vei veitecha, od y'hal'lucha selah Ashrei ha'am shekachah lo, ashrei ha'am she'Adonai Elokav
Meaning
Praiseworthy are those who dwell in Your house; they will yet praise You, Selah Praiseworthy is the people for whom this is so; praiseworthy is the people whose God is the Lord
Praise, day after day
Pronunciation
T'hilah l'David. Aromimcha Elokai haMelech, va'avar'chah shimcha l'olam va'ed B'chol yom avar'cheka, va'ahal'lah shimcha l'olam va'ed Gadol Adonai um'hulal m'od, v'ligdulato ein cheiker Dor l'dor y'shabach ma'asecha, ug'vurotecha yagidu
Meaning
A psalm of David. I will exalt You, my God the King, and I will bless Your Name forever and ever Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your Name forever and ever Great is the Lord and much praised, and His greatness is beyond investigation Each generation will praise Your deeds to the next, and tell of Your mighty acts
Greatness and kindness
Pronunciation
Hadar k'vod hodecha, v'divrei nifl'otecha asichah Ve'ezuz nor'otecha yomeiru, ug'dulat'cha asap'renah Zeicher rav tuv'cha yabi'u, v'tzidkat'cha y'raneinu Chanun v'rachum Adonai, erech apayim ug'dal chased Tov Adonai lakol, v'rachamav al kol ma'asav
Meaning
The splendor of Your glorious majesty and Your wondrous deeds I will speak of They will speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will tell of Your greatness They will express the memory of Your abundant goodness, and sing joyfully of Your righteousness Gracious and merciful is the Lord, slow to anger and great in kindness The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is upon all His works
An everlasting kingdom
Pronunciation
Yoducha Adonai kol ma'asecha, va'chasidecha y'var'chuchah K'vod malchut'cha yomeiru, ug'vurat'cha y'dabeiru L'hodia livnei ha'adam g'vurotav, uch'vod hadar malchuto Malchut'cha malchut kol olamim, u'memshalt'cha b'chol dor vador Someich Adonai l'chol hanoflim, v'zokeif l'chol hak'fufim
Meaning
All Your works will thank You, Lord, and Your pious ones will bless You They will speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and tell of Your might To make known to mankind His mighty deeds, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation The Lord supports all who fall, and straightens all who are bent over
Care for every living thing
Sit for Ashrei. Say this verse with extra concentration.
Sit for Ashrei
Pronunciation
Einei chol eilecha y'sabeiru, v'Atah notein lahem et ochlam b'ito Pote'ach et yadecha, umasbi'a l'chol chai ratzon Tzadik Adonai b'chol d'rachav, v'chasid b'chol ma'asav Karov Adonai l'chol kor'av, l'chol asher yikra'uhu ve'emet
Meaning
The eyes of all look to You with hope, and You give them their food in its time You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing Righteous is the Lord in all His ways, and kind in all His deeds The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth
A prayer of praise
Pronunciation
R'tzon y'rei'av ya'aseh, v'et shav'atam yishma v'yoshi'eim Shomeir Adonai et kol ohavav, v'eit kol har'sha'im yashmid T'hilat Adonai y'daber pi, vivareich kol basar shem kodsho l'olam va'ed Va'anachnu n'vareich Kah me'atah v'ad olam, Hal'luyah
Meaning
He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, and hears their cry and saves them The Lord guards all who love Him, and all the wicked He will destroy My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and all flesh will bless His holy Name forever and ever And we will bless God from now until forever, Halleluyah
About these words
This opening verse (Psalm 84:5) sets the scene — those who are always in God's presence are the truly happy ones.
From Psalm 144:15. We are fortunate that Hashem is our God.
Psalm 145 begins. Each verse starts with a successive letter of the aleph-bet. א (Aleph).
ב (Bet) — a commitment to praise Hashem every single day, not just when things are good.
ג (Gimel) — God's greatness is literally immeasurable; no human mind can fathom it.
ד (Dalet) — the chain of praise from generation to generation, parent to child.
ה (Hei) — meditating on God's majestic splendor and wonders.
ו (Vav) — others will speak of God's power, and I personally will recount His greatness.
ז (Zayin) — remembering God's goodness brings spontaneous joyful song.
ח (Chet) — one of the 13 Attributes of Mercy. God is patient and overflowing with kindness.
ט (Tet) — God's goodness extends to every creature, not just the righteous.
י (Yod) — all of creation, plus the righteous, express gratitude to Hashem.
כ (Kaf) — proclaiming God's sovereignty and power to the world.
ל (Lamed) — the purpose: so that all people recognize God's greatness.
מ (Mem) — God's kingdom is eternal, spanning all time and all worlds.
ס (Samech) — God lifts up those who stumble and gives strength to the downtrodden. (The נ/Nun verse is omitted in the psalm. )
ע (Ayin) — every creature depends on God for sustenance, and He provides at exactly the right moment.
פ (Pei) — THE key verse of Ashrei. God sustains all life. If you missed it, go back and say it again.
צ (Tzadi) — everything God does is righteous and kind, even when we don't understand it.
ק (Kuf) — God is close to anyone who sincerely reaches out to Him.
ר (Reish) — God responds to those who revere Him and cry out to Him.
ש (Shin) — God protects those who love Him.
ת (Tav) — the final letter of the aleph-bet. The psalm concludes with a vision of all living things praising God together.
Psalm 115:18 — added as the closing verse after Psalm 145. We pledge to continue praising Hashem forever.