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TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS

Chapter 135

Translation and Transliteration of 

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew:

1Hallelujah. Praise the name of Hashem; give praise, you servants of Hashem

אהַלְלוּ יָהּ הַלְלוּ אֶת־שֵׁם יְהֹוָה הַלְלוּ עַבְדֵי יְהֹוָה׃

2who stand in the house of Hashem, in the courts of the house of our God.

בשֶׁעֹמְדִים בְּבֵית יְהֹוָה בְּחַצְרוֹת בֵּית אֱלֹהֵינוּ׃

3Praise Hashem, for Hashem is good; sing hymns to His name, for it is pleasant.

גהַלְלוּ־יָהּ כִּי־טוֹב יְהֹוָה זַמְּרוּ לִשְׁמוֹ כִּי נָעִים׃

4For Hashem has chosen Yaakov for Himself, Yisrael, as His treasured possession.

דכִּי־יַעֲקֹב בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לִסְגֻלָּתוֹ׃

5For I know that Hashem is great, that our Lord is greater than all gods.

הכִּי אֲנִי יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־גָדוֹל יְהֹוָה וַאֲדֹנֵינוּ מִכָּל־אֱלֹהִים׃

6Whatever Hashem desires He does in heaven and earth, in the seas and all the depths.

וכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־חָפֵץ יְהֹוָה עָשָׂה בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ בַּיַּמִּים וְכָל־תְּהוֹמוֹת׃

7He makes clouds rise from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain; He releases the wind from His vaults.

זמַעֲלֶה נְשִׂאִים מִקְצֵה הָאָרֶץ בְּרָקִים לַמָּטָר עָשָׂה מוֹצֵא־רוּחַ מֵאוֹצְרוֹתָיו׃

8He struck down the first-born of Egypt, man and beast alike;

חשֶׁהִכָּה בְּכוֹרֵי מִצְרָיִם מֵאָדָם עַד־בְּהֵמָה׃

9He sent signs and portents against Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants;

טשָׁלַח אֹתוֹת וּמֹפְתִים בְּתוֹכֵכִי מִצְרָיִם בְּפַרְעֹה וּבְכָל־עֲבָדָיו׃

10He struck down many nations and slew numerous kings—

ישֶׁהִכָּה גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְהָרַג מְלָכִים עֲצוּמִים׃

11Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and all the royalty of Canaan—

יאלְסִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ הָאֱמֹרִי וּלְעוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן וּלְכֹל מַמְלְכוֹת כְּנָעַן׃

12and gave their lands as a heritage, as a heritage to His people Yisrael.

יבוְנָתַן אַרְצָם נַחֲלָה נַחֲלָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ׃

13Hashem, Your name endures forever, Your fame, Hashem, through all generations;

יגיְהֹוָה שִׁמְךָ לְעוֹלָם יְהֹוָה זִכְרְךָ לְדֹר־וָדֹר׃

14for Hashem will Champion His people, and obtain satisfaction for His servants.

ידכִּי־יָדִין יְהֹוָה עַמּוֹ וְעַל־עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם׃

15The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of men's hands.

טועֲצַבֵּי הַגּוֹיִם כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָדָם׃

16They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;

טזפֶּה־לָהֶם וְלֹא יְדַבֵּרוּ עֵינַיִם לָהֶם וְלֹא יִרְאוּ׃

17they have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.

יזאָזְנַיִם לָהֶם וְלֹא יַאֲזִינוּ אַף אֵין־יֶשׁ־רוּחַ בְּפִיהֶם׃

18Those who fashion them, all who trust in them, shall become like them.

יחכְּמוֹהֶם יִהְיוּ עֹשֵׂיהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־בֹּטֵחַ בָּהֶם׃

19O house of Yisrael, bless Hashem; O house of Aharon, bless Hashem;

יטבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה בֵּית אַהֲרֹן בָּרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃

20O house of Levi, bless Hashem; you who fear Hashem, bless Hashem.

כבֵּית הַלֵּוִי בָּרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה יִרְאֵי יְהֹוָה בָּרֲכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה׃

21Blessed is Hashem from Tzion, He who dwells in Yerushalayim. Hallelujah.

ba-RUKH a-do-NAI mi-tzi-YON sho-KHAYN y'-ru-sha-LA-im ha-l'-lu-YAH

כאבָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה מִצִּיּוֹן שֹׁכֵן יְרוּשָׁלָ ִם הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃

 135:21   He who dwells in Yerushalayim

Why did Hashem choose Yerushalayim as His resting place? The Sages find two revealing biblical passages that, when synthesized, teach us the value and message of Yerushalayim. In Genesis, Avraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son, in order to prove his allegiance to the Lord. This profound, inexplicable test took place on a mountain which Avraham called “Adonai yir’eh,” meaning ‘on the mount of Hashem there is vision,’ or ‘the mount where Hashem is seen’ (Genesis 22:14). A few years earlier, Avraham showed the world his allegiance to his family, to justice and to righteousness when he fought against the four kings and retrieved his nephew Lot. After that battle, Melchizedek, the King of Shalem (another name for Jerusalem), went out to greet Avraham and bless Hashem (Genesis14:18-20). When these two names, Yir’eh and Shalem are combined, the result is Yerushalayim. The name of the holy city thus expresses the harmonization of man’s selfless actions towards Hashem and towards other people, both of which were manifest in Yerushalayim. It was thus chosen as Hashem’s resting place.