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Sefaria 18

I give thanks to You living and everlasting King for You have restored my soul with mercy. Great is Your faithfulness.

The beginning of wisdom is fear of Adonoy, good understanding to all who perform [His commandments], His praise endures forever. Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

Blessed 1 The word "blessed" is similar in concept to the words: "merciful" or "gracious" when applied to God. Just as merciful means that He is merciful, the source of mercy; so too, blessed means that He is the source of blessing.— Avudraham are You, Adonoy 2 Generally speaking, the name Adonoy is understood as it is pronounced—Adonoy—my Master, and indicates His rule and providence of the universe. When reciting the Shema however, one should bear in mind the written character of the Name which indicates God's everpresent existence. He was—is—and ever will be.— Vilna Gaon our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the washing of hands.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who formed man with wisdom 3 This may mean either that man was formed by God's wisdom, or that God formed man and endowed him with wisdom. and created within him openings and hollows. It is obvious and known in the presence of Your glorious throne 4 In refutation of those who claim that God is not concerned with earthly matters, we declare that even in the presence of His glorious throne, where He is surrounded by myriads of angels, He is aware of the mundane needs of each individual.— Vilna Gaon that if one of them were ruptured, or if one of them were blocked, it would be impossible to exist and stand in Your Presence even for a short while. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who heals all flesh and performs wonders.

My God! the soul which You bestowed in me is pure; You created it, You formed it, You breathed it into me and You preserve it within me. You will eventually take it from me, and restore it in me in the time to come. 5 This statement refers to the time when the dead will be resurrected. So long as the soul is within me I give thanks to You, Adonoy my God, 6 Thus it is said, "I will praise Adonoy with my life, I will sing to my God with my being" (Psalms 146:2). and God of my fathers, Lord of all creatures, Master of all souls. Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who restores souls to dead bodies. 7 This is a reference to God's restoring of the soul each morning following its departure while the person sleeps.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us concerning the commandment of tsitsit.

May it be Your will Adonoy, my God, and God of my fathers, to consider [my fulfillment of] the mitzva of tzitzis before You as though I had fulfilled it in every detail, accurately and with full intent, and the 613 1 The numerical value of the word צִיצִית is 600 which, with the 8 threads and 5 knots of the צִיצִית itself, makes 613, the exact number of the mitzvos of the Torah. This symbolizes the Talmudic statement (Maseches Nedarim 25a) that the wearing of tzitzis equals the observance of the whole Torah. commandments that depend on it. Amein, Selah.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified 1 The observance and fulfillment of His commandments makes a person holy. us with His commandments and commanded us to be engrossed in the words of Torah.

Adonoy our God, please make the words of Your Torah pleasant in our mouths and in the mouths of Your people Israel. And may we and our descendants [and the descendants of our descendants] and the descendants of Your people the House of Israel, all know Your Name and be students of Your Torah for its own sake. Blessed are You, Adonoy Who teaches Torah to His people, Israel.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe Who chose us from among all the peoples 2 An allusion to God's declaration, "And you will be a treasure unto me from among all people" (Exodus 19:6) which preceded the giving of the Torah at Sinai.— Vilna Gaon and gave us His Torah. 3 An allusion to the actual giving of the Torah at Sinai.— Vilna Gaon Blessed are You, Adonoy, Giver of the Torah!

May Adonoy bless you and guard you. May Adonoy shine His countenance upon you and be gracious unto you. May Adonoy turn His countenance toward you and grant you peace. 4 Numbers 6:24.

And they shall set My Name upon the Children of Israel, and I shall bless them.

These are precepts 5 Mishnah, Peah 1:1: Talmud Maseches Shabbos 127a. for which no fixed measure is prescribed: [leaving] the corner [of a field unharvested], 6 The unharvested produce was left for the poor; Leviticus 19:9. [the offering of] the first fruits, 7 Exodus 23:9. the appearance-offering, 8 These offerings were brought when a Jew "appeared" before God in the Temple on the three Pilgrimage festivals—Pesach, Shavuos and Sukkos—Exodus 23:14-17, Deuteronomy 16:16-17. [performing] deeds of kindness, and the study of Torah. These are precepts, the fruits of which man enjoys in this world, [while] the principal [reward] is preserved for him in the World-to-Come. They are: honoring father and mother, [performing] deeds of kindness, early attendance in the House of Study morning and evening, providing hospitality to guests, visiting the sick, participating in making a wedding, accompanying the dead [to the grave], concentrating on the meaning of prayers, making peace between fellow men and between husband and wife— and the study of Torah is equal to them all.

My soul, bless Adonoy, Adonoy, my God, You are greatly exalted. With beauty and splendor are You clothed, enwrapped in light, garment-like; You spread out the heavens like a curtain. 1 Psalms 104:1,2.

Cover your head with the tallis and say:

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to enwrap ourselves with tzitzis.

How precious is Your kindness, God; the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They will be filled from the abundance of Your House, and from the stream of Your delights You will give them to drink. For the source of life is with You, we shall see light in Your light. Extend Your kindness to those who know You, and Your righteousness to the upright in heart. 2 Psalms 36:8-11.

Place the "tefillin of the arm" on the muscle of your left arm, and before tightening it, say:

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to put on tefillin.

Wrap the strap around your arm 7 times and then place the "tefillin of the head" on your head above the region between your eyes, and say:

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the mitzvoh of tefillin.

With the "tefillin of the head" in place, say:

Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

And may You impart from Your wisdom to me, God most high; and give me understanding from Your understanding. With Your lovingkindness, do great things with me. With Your merit, cut off my enemies and opponents. Pour bountiful oil upon the seven branches of the menorah, in order to cause goodness to flow to Your creatures. Open Your hand and fulfill the will of every living thing.

When wrapping the strap around the middle finger of your left hand, say:

And I will betrothe you to Me forever; and I will betrothe you to Me in righteousness, in justice, in kindliness and in mercy. And I will betrothe you to Me in faithfulness and you shall know Adonoy. 1 Hosea 2:21-22.

The following chapters, found in Exodus 13:1-16, are recited while wearing the tefillin, since they make direct reference to the mitzvah of tefillin.

Adonoy spoke to Moses, saying: "Sanctify unto Me all the firstborn, whatsoever opens the womb among the Children of Israel, both of man and beast is Mine." And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day on which you came out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, for with a strong hand Adonoy brought you out from here, and [therefore] you must not eat chametz. This day you are departing, in the month of springtime. And it will be when Adonoy will bring you to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Emorites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which He swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall perform this service in this month. Seven days, you shall eat matzos, and on the seventh day there shall be a festival [dedicated] to Adonoy. Matzos shall be eaten during these seven days, and no chametz and no leaven shall be seen in your possession within all your boundaries. And you shall relate to your son on that day, saying: ‘Because of this Adonoy acted on my behalf when I came out of Egypt. And it shall be for a sign upon your arm 2 It is customary here, to touch the tefillin of the arm with the tallis or hand. Some then kiss the tallis or hand as an act of chivuv mitzvah , affection for the mitzvah. and for a reminder between your eyes 3 It is customary here, to touch the tefillin of the head. See previous note. so that Adonoy's teaching will be [the words of] your mouth; for with a strong hand Adonoy brought you out of Egypt. And you shall keep this ordinance in its appointed time from year to year.

And it will be, when Adonoy will bring you to the land of the Canaanites as He swore unto you and to your fathers, and will have given it to you. Then you shall bring to Adonoy every one that opens the womb, and every firstling that is dropped by cattle that belong to you, the males shall belong to Adonoy, The firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb; and if you do not redeem it, then you must kill it by breaking its neck. You must redeem every firstborn of man among your children. And it will be when your son asks you in future times, saying: ‘What is this?' You shall say to him: ‘With a strong hand Adonoy brought us out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And it was when Pharaoh unyieldingly refused to let us go, that Adonoy killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of man, to the firstborn of beast; therefore I sacrifice to Adonoy all that opens the womb that are males, and every firstborn of my sons, I redeem.' And it shall be a sign upon your arm, 4 It is customary here, to touch the tefillin of the arm with the tallis or hand. Some then kiss the tallis or hand as an act of chivuv mitzvah , affection for the mitzvah. and for totafos between your eyes, 5 It is customary here, to touch the tefillin of the head. See previous note. for with a strong hand, Adonoy brought us out of Egypt.

How good are your tents, Jacob: your dwelling places, Israel. 1 Numbers 24:5. The Talmud (Maseches Sanhedrin 105a) relates that this verse contains Billam's prophetic allusion to Jewish houses of study and worship. As for me, through Your abundant kindness I will enter Your House; I will prostrate myself toward Your Holy Sanctuary in awe of You. 2 Psalms 5:8. Adonoy, I love the Dwelling, Your House, and the place where Your glory resides. 3 Psalms 26:8. I will prostrate myself, and bow, I will kneel 4 These are three distinct degrees of worship, representing various levels of subjugation before God. before Adonoy, my Maker. May my prayer to You Adonoy be at a favorable time; God, in the abundance of Your kindness answer me with the truth of Your deliverance. 5 Psalms 69:14.

Master of the Universe Who reigned before any creature was created.

At the time when all was made by His will, then was His Name proclaimed King.

And after all things shall cease to be the Awesome One will reign alone.

He was, He is, and He shall be in glory.

He is One, and there is no second to compare to Him, to associate [with Him].

Without beginning, without end, power and dominion are His.

He is my God and my ever-living Redeemer, the Rock of my destiny on the day of distress.

He is my flag 1 It is to Him that I rally and through Him that I am identified.— Etz Yosef and my refuge; He is the portion of my cup on the day I call. 2 He answers me.

Into His hand I entrust my spirit [both] when I sleep and when I awaken.

And with my spirit my body [too], Adonoy is with me, I shall not fear.

This hymn, written by Daniel ben Yehuda, who was a Dayan in Rome about 1300, is based on Maimonides' 13 principles of Judaism. According to Maimonides, failure to believe in a single one of these principles places one outside the pale of Judaism.

1) the existence of God

Exalted is the living God, and praised He exists, and His existence transcends time.

2) God is One

He is One, and there is no unity like His, He is invisible, His unity is infinite.

3) God is incorporeal

He is unlike the corporeal or even the non-corporeal, 1 God can also not be compared to the angels. His holiness is beyond comparison.

4) God is Eternal

He preceded every being that was created, He was First, and there was no genesis to His beginning.

5) God alone must be worshipped

He is Master of the Universe to every creature, (all) proclaim His greatness and His majesty.

6) Truth of Divine Prophecy

The fullness of His prophecy, He bestowed on those He treasured, and in whom He gloried.

7) Moses was the greatest of all prophets

There never arose in Israel another like Moses, a prophet who beheld God's image.

8) Divine revelation of the Torah

The Torah of truth the Almighty gave to His people through His prophet, the trusted one of His house.

9) The Torah is immutable

The Almighty will not exchange nor alter His Law. Never will He offer any alternative.

10) God knows the acts and thoughts of man

He scrutinizes and knows our secrets. He beholds the end of a thing at its beginning.

11) Divine reward and punishment

He rewards man with kindness according to his deeds. He sends evil to the wicked according to his wickedness. 2 The word "deed" is not applied to the wicked man. Since Divine reward and punishment are distributed with kindness, reward is granted to man not only for his deed, which may itself be insignificant, but also for the long range effect of that deed. He is punished, however, only for his act of wickedness, not for the consequences of his deed.— Etz Yosef

12) Belief in the coming of the Messiah

He will send our Messiah at the end of days, to redeem all who await His final deliverance.

13) Divine resurrection of the dead

The Almighty will revive the dead because of His abundant kindness: Blessed forever is His praised Name.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who gives the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a gentile.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a slave.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a woman. 1 There is no degradation of women implied in this blessing. Men thank God for the privilege, which is theirs, of performing all the precepts of the Torah, many of which are not incumbent upon women.

( A woman says: Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who made me according to His will.)

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who gives sight to the blind.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who clothes the naked.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who releases the imprisoned. 2 He releases the prisoners of misfortune, passion, sin, hatred and jealousy.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who straightens the bent.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who spreads the earth above the waters.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who provided me with all my needs.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who prepares the steps of man.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who girds Israel with might.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who crowns Israel with glory.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who gives strength to the weary.

Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who removes sleep from my eyes and slumber from my eyelids.

And may it be Your will Adonoy, our God And God of our fathers, to make us study Torah regularly, and hold fast to Your commandments. Do not bring us into the grasp of sin, 3 To sin unknowingly. nor into the grasp of transgression or iniquity. 4 To sin willfully. Do not cause us to be tested, 5 We pray that God will not put us to tests that are too difficult to withstand. or brought to disgrace. 6 Should we fail the tests, we will be disgraced. Let us not be ruled over by the Evil Inclination. Keep us far from an evil person, and from an evil companion. Make us hold fast to the Good Inclination, and to good deeds, and compel our Evil Inclination to be subservient to You. Grant us this day and every day favor, 7 "Favor" means receiving God's blessings because of our merit.— Siach Yitzchok kindness, 8 "Kindness" is God's benevolence bestowed purely by His will, regardless of merit.— Siach Yitzchok and compassion 9 "Compassion" describes God's withholding of deserved punishment.— Siach Yitzchok in Your eyes and in the eyes of all who see us, and bestow bountiful kindness upon us, Blessed are You, Adonoy, Who bestows bountiful kindness upon His people Israel.

May it be Your will, Adonoy, my God and God of my fathers, to save me today and every day from arrogant men and from arrogance; from an evil man, from an evil companion, from an evil neighbor; from an evil mishap and from the destructive Satan; from a difficult judgment and a difficult opponent, whether he is a [fellow Jew] or not a [fellow Jew].

Our God and God of our fathers, remember us favorably before You and be mindful of us for deliverance and compassion from the eternal high heavens. Remember in our behalf, Adonoy, our God: the love of our ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants; the covenant, the kindness, and the oath which You swore to our father Abraham on Mount Moriah, and the binding of Isaac, his son on the altar, as it is written in Your Torah. 1 Genesis 22:1-19.

After these events, 2 These events refer to the previous nine tests by which God tested Abraham. This was to be the tenth and the most difficult test of all.— Ha'amek Dovor God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" and he [Abraham] said, "Here I am." He said, "Please, take your son, your only one, 3 Isaac was Abraham's only son by Sarah. whom you love—Isaac— and go to the land of Moriah, and bring him up as a burnt-offering on one of the mountains which I will designate to you. Abraham awoke early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took his two attendants 4 Ishmael and Eliezer.— Rashi with him, and also his son Isaac. He split the wood of the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went to the place that God had designated to him. On the third day, Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place from afar. Abraham said to his attendants, You stay here with the donkey, and I and the boy will go to that place. We will prostrate ourselves [in worship] and return 5 Abraham unwittingly prophesied that both of them would return.— Rashi to you." And Abraham took the wood of the burnt-offering and placed it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the knife, 6 The Hebrew word is ma'acheles (root: אכל = to eat) which means that it renders meat fit for eating through slaughtering the animal. Another interpretation is: his knife is called ma'acheles because we still enjoy (eat) the reward of Abraham's virtue when he agreed to use it to slaughter his son.— Rashi and they both went together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "Father," and he said, "Here I am my son." He said, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt-offering?" Abraham said, God Himself will show the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went together. 7 Although Isaac understood that he was going to be slaughtered, "They went together"—with like hearts.— Rashi They came to the place that God had designated to him, and Abraham built the 8 The Torah says that he built "the" altar not just "an" altar, to indicate that Abraham rebuilt the same altar which was originally built by Adam and used by Cain, Abel and by Noah.— Targum Yonoson ben Uziel altar there, and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. An angel of Adonoy called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham!" and he said, "Here I am." He [God] said, Do not harm the boy, nor do anything to him; for now I know that you are one who fears God and have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me." Abraham raised his eyes and beheld a ram 9 Tradition tells us that this ram was prepared for this purpose from the time of creation. Rashi (in Maseches Avos 5:6) after it had been caught in the thicket by its horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and brought it up as a burnt-offering instead of his son. Abraham called the name of that place, Adonoy will see; 10 The Midrash interprets the following: "God will see the binding of Isaac and through its merit He will pardon Israel every year and rescue them from trouble. It will thus be said, "On this day," by all generations that the ashes of Isaac are seen by God and serve as our atonement.— Rashi as it is said [to] this day On Adonoy's mountain, He will be seen. An angel of Adonoy called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, ‘I have sworn by Myself,' declares Adonoy, ‘that because you performed this deed, and did not withhold your only son, I will greatly bless you and make your descendants as numerous 11 11 If these blessings were intended to increase the population of Abraham's descendants, it was superfluous, since God had previously blessed him for that purpose. God here blessed the descendants of Abraham with the nobility of spirit and courage to fulfill the command to sanctify God even when self-sacrifice is required. Only the nation of Israel, Abraham's children, were commanded to fulfill this mitzvoh, because of the legacy we inherited from him.— Ha'amek Dovor. as the stars of the sky and like the sand on the seashore, and your descendants will inherit the gate of their enemies. All the nations of the world will be blessed Through your children, because you heeded My voice.'" Abraham returned to his attendants, and they rose and went together to Beer Sheva, and Abraham dwelt in Beer Sheva.

Master of the Universe! May it be Your will Adonoy, our God and God of our fathers, to recall for our sake the covenant of our fathers. Just as our father, Avraham suppressed his compassion for his only son and would have slaughtered him to do Your will, so may Your compassion suppress Your anger against us; and may Your compassion prevail over Your [other] attributes, 1 This refers to Hashem's attribute of stern justice. to deal with us more leniently than the letter of Your law. Deal with us, Adonoy, our God, kindly and with compassion. In Your great goodness, turn Your fierce anger away from Your people, and from Your city, from Your land, and from Your territorial heritage. Fulfill for us, Adonoy, our God, the promise You made, through Your servant Moshe, as was said, 2 Vayikra 26:42. "I will recall My covenant with Yaakov, also My covenant with Yitzchak, and also My covenant with Avraham will I recall; and I will recall the land."

A person should always be in fear of God, privately as well as openly, 1 Some people conduct themselves in a God-fearing manner in the presence of others (in public), but in the privacy of their homes, do whatever they please. There are others who do just the opposite. In private they are governed by fear of God, but in the presence of others they are too embarrassed or intimidated to be God-fearing. A Jew must always fear God, in private as well as in public.— Siach Yitzchok [he should] admit the truth, 2 Acknowledging the truth is fundamental to serving God, and to all human behavior. One who is concerned merely with "winning the argument" will go to any extreme to come out on top. This attitude caused the downfall of the 250 leaders who joined Korach, rather than acknowledge the truth of Moses' declaration (Numbers 16:2-35).— Siach Yitzchok and speak truth in his heart, 3 It is not sufficient to merely acknowledge the truth verbally but one must speak truth in his heart as well. Rashi on the Talmud (Maseches Makos 24a) cites the following incident as an example of how one should speak truth in his heart: A buyer once offered to purchase an article from Rav Safra while he was reciting the Shema. Because he could not indicate his acceptance, the anxious purchaser increased his offer. Rav Safra refused the increment because in his heart he had already accepted the original offer. and rise early and proclaim:

Lord of all the worlds! Not on account of our righteousness do we offer our supplications before You, but on account of Your abundant mercy. What are we? What is our life? What are our acts of kindness? What is our righteousness? What is our deliverance? 4 Of ourselves or others. What is our strength? What is our might? What can we say before You, Adonoy, our God and God of our fathers? Are not all the mighty men as nothing before You? Famous men as though they had never been? The wise as if they were without knowledge? And men of understanding, as if they were devoid of intelligence? For most of their actions are a waste, 5 In terms of achievement.— Dover Sholom and the days of their life are trivial 6 In terms of time.— Dover Sholom in Your presence. The superiority of man over the beast is nil, for all is futile.

However, we are Your people, children of Your covenant, children of Avraham, Your beloved, 8 Others translate, "Children of Avraham who loved You." See commentaries on Yeshaya 41:8. to whom You swore on Mount Moriah; the seed of Yitzchak, his only son, who was bound on top of the altar; the community of Yaakov, Your firstborn, [whom]—because of Your love for him and Your joyous delight in him— You named him Yisrael 9 The name Yisrael symbolizes Yaakov's wandering through history proclaiming the sovereignty of Hashem, while the name Yeshurun indicates his task to fulfill Hashem's will as revealed to him, and to devote his life to the execution of that which is right in the eyes of Hashem.—S.R. Hirsch and Yeshurun. 10 Devarim 33:5.

Therefore, we are obligated to thank You, to praise You, and to glorify You; to bless, to sanctify, and to offer praise and thanks to Your Name. We are fortunate! How good is our portion! How pleasant is our destiny! How beautiful is our heritage! We are fortunate that we rise early and stay late - morning and evening - and twice daily say:

"Hear Israel, Adonoy is our God, Adonoy is One."

The following line is to be said silently

Blessed [is His] Name, Whose glorious kingdom is forever and ever.

And you shall love Adonoy your God 11 Deuteronomy 6:4-9. with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your possessions. And these words which I command you today, shall be upon your heart. And you shall teach them sharply to your children. And you shall discuss them when you sit in your house, and when you travel on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for totafos between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and upon your gateways.

You existed before the world was created. You exist [in the same way] now that the world has been created. You exist in this world, and You will exist in the World-to-Come. Sanctify Your Name upon those who hallow Your Name, and sanctify Your Name in Your world. And through Your deliverance You will be exalted 12 According to other versions, the text is translated, "You will be exalted," since the Hebrew reads תָּרוּם. and You will uplift our power. Blessed are you Adonoy who sanctifies His Name among the multitudes.

You are Adonoy, our God, in heaven and on earth, and in the highest heavens. In truth, You are First, 13 We refer to God as "First" to preclude the notion that anything existed before Him, but not to assert that He has a beginning.— Kuzari and You are Last. 14 Similarly, "Last" is used only to repudiate the idea that there is an end to His existence, not to fix a term for Him.— Kuzari And besides You there is no God. Gather the ones who hope in You from the four corners of the earth. Let all mankind recognize and know that You alone are the God 15 Elohim is a descriptive term which signifies God as ruler or judge.— Kuzari of all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all that is in them. Who is there among all Your handiwork, among the heavenly or earthly creatures, that can say to You, "What are You doing?" Our father in Heaven, deal graciously and kindly with us for the sake of Your great name which is called upon us 16 The Jewish people are called "God's People" and their name Israel, 'שר-אל—officers of God, includes God's Name. and fulfill for us, Adonoy, our God that which is written: ‘At that time, I will bring you in and at that time, I will gather you: for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes,' said Adonoy. 17 Zephanyah 3:20.