(ו) כשמכניסים ס"ת להיכל אומרים:
וּבְנֻחה יאמַר. שׁוּבָה יי רִבְבות אַלְפֵי יִשרָאֵל:
קוּמָה יי לִמְנוּחָתֶךָ. אַתָּה וַאֲרון עֻזֶּךָ:
כּהֲנֶיךָ יִלְבְּשׁוּ צֶדֶק. וַחֲסִידֶיךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ:
בַּעֲבוּר דָּוִד עַבְדֶּךָ אַל תָּשֵׁב פְּנֵי מְשִׁיחֶךָ:
כִּי לֶקַח טוב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם. תּורָתִי אַל תַּעֲזבוּ:
עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ. וְתמְכֶיהָ מְאֻשָּׁר:
דְּרָכֶיהָ דַרְכֵי נעַם וְכָל נְתִיבתֶיהָ שָׁלום:
הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יי אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה. חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם:
When you place the Torah scroll in the ark, say:
When [the ark] rested, [Moses] would say: "Return, Adonai, to the myriads of the thousands of Israel." Arise, Adonai, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. May Your priests be robed in righteousness and Your pious ones rejoice. For the sake of David, Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed (messiah). For it is a good doctrine I have given you. Do not forsake My Torah. It is a tree of life to those who hold it fast. And the one who supports it is happy. Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace. Return us, Adonai, to You and we shall return. Renew our days as of old.
(כ) לָ֤מָּה לָנֶ֙צַח֙ תִּשְׁכָּחֵ֔נוּ תַּֽעַזְבֵ֖נוּ לְאֹ֥רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃ (כא) הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יי ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ ונשוב [וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה] חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם׃ (כב) כִּ֚י אִם־מָאֹ֣ס מְאַסְתָּ֔נוּ קָצַ֥פְתָּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ עַד־מְאֹֽד׃
[השיבנו יי אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם]
(20) Why have You forgotten us utterly, Forsaken us for all time? (21) Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old! (22) For truly, You have rejected us, Bitterly raged against us. [Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old!]
(ב) הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יי. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁמְּסַיֵּם בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹכֵחָה הֻצְרַךְ לִכְפֹּל מִקְרָא שֶׁלְּפָנָיו פַּעַם אַחֶרֶת, וְכֵן יְשַׁעְיָה וּתְרֵי עָשָׂר וְקֹהֶלֶת:
(2) Adonai return us. Because he concludes with words of reproof, he had to repeat the preceding verse again,14In order to end on a note of consolation. and so did Yeshayahu, Trei Asar, and Kohelet.
(א) לָמָּה לָנֶצַח תִּשְׁכָּחֵנוּ. הֲלֹא נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לָנוּ בְּךָ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַתָּה קַיָּם כַּךְ שְׁבוּעָתְךָ קַיֶּמֶת:
(1) Why do You forget us for eternity? Have You not sworn to us Yourself that just as You exist, so does Your oath exist?
(א) כִּי אִם מָאֹס מְאַסְתָּנוּ. בִּשְׁבִיל שֶׁחָטָאנוּ לֹא הָיָה לְךָ לְהַרְבּוֹת קֶצֶף עַד מְאֹד כַּאֲשֶׁר קָצַפְתָּ:
(1) For although You may have considered us contemptible. Although we have sinned, [nonetheless] You should not have raged to the extent that You raged.
(א) השיבנו – לעיר משכן שמך, ונשוב לעבדך כימי קדם:
RETURN US – To the city of the dwelling place (sanctuary) of your name, and we shall return to serving (worshiping) You as in days of old.
Akeidat Yitzchak 77:1:9 (Isaac Arama, 15th Century Spain)
Loss of the land of Israel to the Jewish people, is comparable to loss of the garden of Eden to mankind... Life in the land of Israel is of a quality similar to what life in the garden of Eden had been...
(ח) וַיִּטַּ֞ע יי אֱלֹקִ֛ים גַּן־בְעֵ֖דֶן מִקֶּ֑דֶם וַיָּ֣שֶׂם שָׁ֔ם אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָצָֽר׃
(8) The LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom He had formed.
חדש ימינו כקדם, כאדם הראשון כמד"א (בראשית ג') ויגרש את האדם וישכן מקדם לגן עדן...
Eichah Rabbah
"Renew our days as of old": Like the first human being, as it is written: "He drove the man out, and stationed east of the garden of Eden [the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword to guard the way to the tree of life]" (Gen 3:24).
Rabbi Robert Scheinberg
It means, “Renew our lives, as you renewed our lives after we were exiled from the Garden of Eden.” Hadesh yameinu ke-kedem is then not a plea for restoration of a formerly perfect condition, but rather it is a plea for resilience, a plea for the ability to renew ourselves after future crises and dislocations, just as our lives have been renewed before. As Elie Wiesel said, “God gave Adam a secret — and that secret was not how to begin, but how to begin again.”
(א) מָשְׁכֵנִי אַחֲרֶיךָ נָרוּצָה. אֲנִי שָׁמַעְתִּי מִשְּׁלוּחֶיךָ רֶמֶז שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לְמָשְׁכֵנִי, וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי, "אַחֲרֶיךָ נָרוּצָה" לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לְאִשָּׁה:
(1) Draw me, we will run after you. I heard from your messengers a hint that you said to draw me, and I said, “We will run after you,” to be as a wife to you.16Alternatively, You initiate, by drawing us after You and to return to You as it is stated, “Bring us to You Adonai and we will return,” in Eichah 5:21.
(תשפב) שְׁמַע קוֹלֵֽנוּ יי אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ
(תשפג) חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵֽינוּ
(תשפד) וְקַבֵּל
(תשפה) בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצוֹן אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵֽנוּ:
(תשפו) הֲשִׁיבֵֽנוּ יי אֵלֶֽיךָ
(תשפז) וְנָשֽׁוּבָה
(תשפח) חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵֽינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם:
(תשפט) אֲמָרֵֽינוּ הַאֲזִֽינָה יי
(תשצ) בִּֽינָה הֲגִיגֵֽנוּ:
(תשצא) יִהְיוּ לְרָצוֹן אִמְרֵי פִֽינוּ
(תשצב) וְהֶגְיוֹן לִבֵּֽנוּ לְפָנֶֽיךָ
(תשצג) יי צוּרֵֽנוּ וְגוֹאֲלֵֽנוּ:
(תשצד) אַל תַּשְׁלִיכֵֽנוּ מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ
(תשצה) וְרֽוּחַ קָדְשְׁךָ אַל תִּקַּח מִמֶּֽנּוּ:
(תשצו) אַל תַּשְׁלִיכֵֽנוּ לְעֵת זִקְנָה
(תשצז) כִּכְלוֹת כֹּחֵֽנוּ אַל תַּעַזְבֵֽנוּ:
(תשצח) אַל תַּעַזְבֵֽנוּ יי
(תשצט) אֱלֹקֵֽינוּ אַל תִּרְחַק מִמֶּֽנּוּ:
(782) Hear our voice, Adonoy, our God;
(783) spare us and have compassion on us,
(784) and accept
(785) our prayers mercifully and willingly.
(786) Lead us back to You, Adonoy
(787) and we shall find the way back;
(788) renew our days as of old.72Eichah 5:21.
(789) Give ear to our words, Adonoy!
(790) Consider our meditations.
(791) May the words of our mouths be acceptable —
(792) and the thoughts of our hearts—before You,
(793) Adonoy, our Rock, and our Redeemer.
(794) Cast us not away from Your Presence,
(795) and Your holy spirit take not from us.73Tehillim 51:13.
(796) Do not cast us off in time of old age,
(797) when our strength fails, do not forsake us.74Tehillim 71:9.
(798) Forsake us not, Adonoy,
(799) our God, be not far removed from us.75Tehillim 38:22