תִּתְבָּרַךְ צוּרֵנוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ וְגואֲלֵנוּ בּורֵא קְדושִׁים. יִשְׁתַּבַּח שִׁמְךָ לָעַד מַלְכֵּנוּ יוצֵר מְשָׁרְתִים וַאֲשֶׁר מְשָׁרְתָיו כֻּלָּם עומְדִים בְּרוּם עולָם. וּמַשְׁמִיעִים בְּיִרְאָה יַחַד בְּקול. דִּבְרֵי אֱלקִים חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עולָם:
כֻּלָּם אֲהוּבִים. כֻּלָּם בְּרוּרִים. כֻּלָּם גִּבּורִים. וְכֻלָּם עושים בְּאֵימָה וּבְיִרְאָה רְצון קונָם: וְכֻלָּם פּותְחִים אֶת פִּיהֶם בִּקְדֻשָּׁה וּבְטָהֳרָה. בְּשִׁירָה וּבְזִמְרָה. וּמְבָרְכִים וּמְשַׁבְּחִים וּמְפָאֲרִים וּמַעֲרִיצִים וּמַקְדִּישִׁים וּמַמְלִיכִים:
אֶת שֵׁם הָאֵל, הַמֶּלֶךְ הַגָּדול הַגִּבּור וְהַנּורָא קָדושׁ הוּא. וְכֻלָּם מְקַבְּלִים עֲלֵיהֶם על מַלְכוּת שָׁמַיִם זֶה מִזֶּה. וְנותְנִים רְשׁוּת זֶה לָזֶה לְהַקְדִּישׁ לְיוצְרָם בְּנַחַת רוּחַ. בְּשפָה בְרוּרָה וּבִנְעִימָה. קְדֻשָׁה כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד. עונִים וְאומְרִים בְּיִרְאָה:
קָדושׁ קָדושׁ קָדושׁ ה' צְבָאות. מְלא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבודו:
וְהָאופַנִּים וְחַיּות הַקּדֶשׁ בְּרַעַשׁ גָּדול מִתְנַשּאִים לְעֻמַּת שרָפִים. לְעֻמָּתָם מְשַׁבְּחִים וְאומְרִים:
בָּרוּךְ כְּבוד ה' מִמְּקומו:
לְאֵל בָּרוּךְ נְעִימות יִתֵּנוּ. לְמֶּלֶךְ אֵל חַי וְקַיָּם זְמִירות יאמֵרוּ וְתִשְׁבָּחות יַשְׁמִיעוּ. כִּי הוּא לְבַדּו פּועֵל גְּבוּרות. עושה חֲדָשׁות. בַּעַל מִלְחָמות. זורֵעַ צְדָקות. מַצְמִיחַ יְשׁוּעות. בּורֵא רְפוּאות. נורָא תְהִלּות. אֲדון הַנִּפְלָאות: הַמְחַדֵּשׁ בְּטוּבו בְּכָל יום תָּמִיד מַעֲשה בְרֵאשִׁית. כָּאָמוּר לְעשה אורִים גְּדלִים. כִּי לְעולָם חַסְדּו: אור חָדָשׁ עַל צִיּון תָּאִיר וְנִזְכֶּה כֻלָּנוּ מְהֵרָה לְאורו. בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה'. יוצֵר הַמְּאורות:
Translation from the Koren-Sacks Siddur (edited for gender neutrality)
May You be blessed, our Rock, Sovereign, and Redeemer, Creator of holy beings. May Your name be praised for ever, our Sovereign, Creator of the ministering angels, all of whom stand in the universe's heights, proclaiming together, in awe, aloud, the words of the living God, the eternal Sovereign.
They are all beloved, all pure, all mighty, and all perform in awe and reverence the will of their Maker. All open their mouths in holiness and purity, with song and psalm, and bless, praise, glorify, revere, sanctify and declare the sovereignty of
the name of the great, mighty, and awesome God and Sovereign, the Holy Blessed One. All accept on themselves, one from another, the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, granting permission to one another to sanctify the One who formed them, in serene spirit, pure speech and sweet melody. All, as one, proclaim God's holiness, saying in awe:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole world is filled with God's glory.
Then the Ophanim and the Holy Hayot, with a roar of noise, raise themselves toward the Seraphim and, facing them, give praise, saying:
Blessed be the Lord's glory from God's place.
To the blessed God they offer melodies, to the Sovereign, living and eternal God, they say psalms and proclaim praises. For it is God alone who does mighty deeds and creates new things, who is Master of battles and sows righteousness, who makes salvation grow and creates cures, who is revered in praises, the Lord of wonders, who in divine goodness continually renews the work of creation, day after day, as it is said: "Praise the One who made the great lights, for God's love endures for ever." May You make a new light to shine over Zion, and may we all soon be worthy of its light. Blessed are You, Lord, who forms the radiant lights.
What does this passage teach us about prayer? If we assume that the angels described here are meant to be a model for us, then:
- What dispositions should we as individuals strive for when praying?
- What types of prayers should we offer to God?
- What methods should we use when praying to God?
- What does this teach us about how we ought to pray in community/with others?
- What general things can we learn from this passage about our own prayer, especially considering it's placement in the service, between the Bar'khu and the Sh'ma?
Commentary from the Koren-Sacks Siddur
נחת רוח Serene spirit: The angels' praise has three elements, and by implication, so should ours: serene spirit (nahat ruah), pure speech (safa berurah), and sweet melody (ne'ima). These are the three dimensions of prayer: spiritual tranquility, cognitive clarity, and emotional-aesthetic beauty.
Commentary from Siddur Eit Ratzon
In the Jewish tradition, angels are very focused; each is created to perform a single task. Acknowledging God's holiness, recognizing God's presence, and declaring God's glory - each requires us to be single-minded as well, leaving aside for a moment our reservations and letting go of our distractions.
- What do these interpretations add to your understanding of this text?
- How do (or could) these comments impact your own prayer?
Commentary from Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim Shalom by Reuven Hammer
כולם אהובים [All of them loved, all of them pure, all of them mighty]: In the Hebrew, a form of the word כל (kol), all, is repeated three times, stressing again the concept of inclusiveness, which is a major theme. אהובים, beloved, begins with the first letter of the alphabet and is followed by two other words beginning with the second and third letters of the alphabet. . . This section may be a fragment of a poem that once went through all the letters of the alphabet.
- What is the significance of an acrostic in this context?
- Do you agree that the phrasing "all of them loved, all of them pure, all of them mighty" implies inclusiveness, or does it (also) imply something else?
Commentary from the Koren-Sacks Siddur
והאופנים וחיות...שרפים Ophanim, Hayot, Seraphim: Three kinds of angels seen by Isaiah and Ezekiel in their visions. Seraphim are angels of fire. Hayot are "living beings" surrounded by fire. Ophanim are "wheels within wheels." They form a heavenly retinue surrounding the Divine throne, an angelic choir singing God's praises.
- Why do you think all three types of angels are mentioned here?
- What could this mean for our own experience of praying in community?
(א) בִּשְׁנַת־מוֹת֙ הַמֶּ֣לֶךְ עֻזִּיָּ֔הוּ וָאֶרְאֶ֧ה אֶת־אדושם יֹשֵׁ֥ב עַל־כִּסֵּ֖א רָ֣ם וְנִשָּׂ֑א וְשׁוּלָ֖יו מְלֵאִ֥ים אֶת־הַהֵיכָֽל׃ (ב) שְׂרָפִ֨ים עֹמְדִ֤ים ׀ מִמַּ֙עַל֙ ל֔וֹ שֵׁ֧שׁ כְּנָפַ֛יִם שֵׁ֥שׁ כְּנָפַ֖יִם לְאֶחָ֑ד בִּשְׁתַּ֣יִם ׀ יְכַסֶּ֣ה פָנָ֗יו וּבִשְׁתַּ֛יִם יְכַסֶּ֥ה רַגְלָ֖יו וּבִשְׁתַּ֥יִם יְעוֹפֵֽף׃ (ג) וְקָרָ֨א זֶ֤ה אֶל־זֶה֙ וְאָמַ֔ר קָד֧וֹשׁ ׀ קָד֛וֹשׁ קָד֖וֹשׁ ה' צְבָא֑וֹת מְלֹ֥א כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּבוֹדֽוֹ׃ (ד) וַיָּנֻ֙עוּ֙ אַמּ֣וֹת הַסִּפִּ֔ים מִקּ֖וֹל הַקּוֹרֵ֑א וְהַבַּ֖יִת יִמָּלֵ֥א עָשָֽׁן׃
(1) In the year that King Uzziah died, I beheld my Lord seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of His robe filled the Temple. (2) Seraphs stood in attendance on Him. Each of them had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his legs, and with two he would fly. (3) And one would call to the other, “Holy, holy, holy! The LORD of Hosts! His presence fills all the earth!” (4) The doorposts would shake at the sound of the one who called, and the House kept filling with smoke.
(12) Then a spirit carried me away, and behind me I heard a great roaring sound: “Blessed is the Presence of the LORD, in His place,” (13) with the sound of the wings of the creatures beating against one another, and the sound of the wheels beside them—a great roaring sound.
They would take permission from one another so that one would not precede [the others] and be guilty of [a sin punishable by] burning; rather, they all commenced simultaneously. This is the basis for what is said in the K'dushah d'Yotzeir Or: "all, as one, respond [and proclaim God's holiness...]"
(א) וקרא וכו׳. שרף קורא לחבירו לומר קדוש כאחד ולא יקדים האחד לחבירו ואמר. הקול יוצא מבין כולם כאחד כאילו הוא קול אחד:
A seraph calls to its fellow to say "kadosh" as one; and one does not precede its fellow in saying it. The voice goes forth from among all of them as one, as if it is one voice.
(3) Holy. An adjective. Holiness is an essential attribute of the Lord; it is therefore the same in every place. God showed Isaiah this vision, that he might purify himself from the uncleanness of the lips; for the Lord is holy, and so also should be God's servants and messengers.