The Amidah: Yismach Moshe and Retzei Vimnuchaseinu
This lesson can be read on www.tebeka.com. Printing is for signed-in users only. © Rabbi Haim Tebeka.
Lesson 21 ended with Atah Kadosh. On Shabbos, the Amidah has a single blessing in the middle: the holiness of the day. In Shacharis it opens with Moshe’s joy, יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה, quotes the verses of V’shamru, says that Shabbos was given to Israel alone, and ends with the request רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ, “please desire our rest”, and מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת. This lesson tells where these words come from: Moshe and Pharaoh, the good gift in Hashem’s treasure house, the faithful servant and the tablets of Sinai. The last three blessings follow in Lesson 23, and the Kedushah in Lesson 24.
Where we are: one blessing for the holiness of the day
Lesson 21 ended with Atah Kadosh, the third blessing of the Amidah. On a weekday, thirteen blessings of requests follow. On Shabbos there is only one blessing in the middle. The Tur (Orach Chaim 281) describes the Shabbos morning prayer: “he prays the first three and the last three, and the holiness of the day in the middle, and closes ‘Who sanctifies the Shabbos’”. Why only one? The Alter Rebbe explains (268:2): “Nevertheless, as an expression of honor for the Shabbos and the festivals, the Sages did not trouble a person [to recite all those blessings], but instead, instituted one blessing [that focuses on] the holiness of the day.”
Each prayer of Shabbos has its own middle blessing; his translator notes (note 15): “The intermediate blessing of the morning Shabbos Shemoneh Esreh, however, begins, Yismach Moshe (“Moshe would rejoice”).” But one part is the same in all of them. The Alter Rebbe writes (268:10): “The rationale is that the fundamental dimension of the middle blessing is [the request] Retzei na beminuchaseinu (“Let our rest please find favor”). [This theme, which is the main part of the blessing] is [fundamentally] the same in all the [Shabbos Shemoneh Esreh intermediate] prayers.”
This lesson covers that middle blessing, on pages 213 and 214 of our siddur. It has five paragraphs: Yismach Moshe, “Moshe rejoices”; V’shamru, the verses of the Torah about Shabbos; V’lo nesato, “and You did not give it”; Yismechu, “they will rejoice”; and Retzei, “please desire our rest”, which closes מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת. Then come the last three blessings, Lesson 23.
ומתפלל שלש ראשונות ושלש אחרונות וקדושת היום באמצע וחותם מקדש השבתאֶלָּא שֶׁמִּפְּנֵי כְּבוֹד שַׁבָּת וְיוֹם טוֹב לֹא הִטְרִיחוּהוּ חֲכָמִיםלְפִי שֶׁעִקַּר בְּרָכָה הָאֶמְצָעִית הוּא "רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ", שֶׁהוּא שָׁוֶה בְּכָל הַתְּפִלּוֹת
Tur, Orach Chaim 281 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Tur,_Orach_Chayim.281
Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 268:2, 268:10, and note 15 (Chabad.org; Kehot) · Hebrew and English (tr. Eliyahu Touger and Sholom B. Wineberg); quoted, and the translator’s notes · chabad.org/…/3447052
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Kehot), Annotated Edition 5771/2011, pp. 213-214 · page images; every word and vowel checked
Why Moshe? Two reasons in the Tur
Why does the Shabbos morning blessing open with Moshe? The Tur gives two reasons. The first: “When our fathers were in Egypt and Moshe saw the heaviness of the slavery they had made heavy upon them, he asked Pharaoh to give them one day a week on which to rest, and he gave it to him, and he chose the seventh day. And when they were commanded about the day of Shabbos, Moshe rejoiced that he had chosen it; and that is ‘Moshe rejoices in the gift of his portion’.” The story is in the Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 1:28): Moshe “saw that they had no rest. He went and said to Pharaoh: one who has a servant, if he does not rest one day a week, he dies; and these are your servants, if you do not let them rest one day a week, they will die. He said to him: go and do for them as you say. Moshe went and set for them the day of Shabbos, to rest.” The Abudarham tells it at length and ends: “when Moshe saw that his mind had agreed with the mind of his Creator, he rejoiced a great joy; and therefore they instituted ‘Moshe rejoices in the gift of his portion’.”
The second reason, from the Talmud (Shabbos 10b): “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe: I have a good gift in My treasure house, and Shabbos is its name, and I want to give it to Israel; go and let them know.” The Tur: “and therefore they instituted ‘Moshe rejoices’ in that gift”. The Abudarham: “therefore they instituted ‘Moshe rejoices’ in that good gift of Shabbos that was given through him”. And why “gift”? “Because Shabbos was given to them in the language of a gift, as it says: ‘See, for Hashem has given you the Shabbos’.”
כשהיו אבותינו במצרים וראה משה כובד השיעבוד שהכבידו עליהם בקש מפרעה שיתן להם יום אחד בשבוע שינוחו בו ונתנו לו ובחר ביום השביעי וכאשר נצטוו על יום השבת שמח משה שבחר בו וזהו ישמח משה במתנת חלקורָאָה שֶׁאֵין לָהֶם מְנוּחָה, הָלַךְ וְאָמַר לְפַרְעֹה מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ עֶבֶד אִם אֵינוֹ נָח יוֹם אֶחָד בַּשָּׁבוּעַ הוּא מֵת, וְאֵלּוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ אִם אֵין אַתָּה מֵנִיחַ לָהֶם יוֹם אֶחָד בַּשָּׁבוּעַ הֵם מֵתִים. אָמַר לוֹ לֵךְ וַעֲשֵׂה לָהֶם כְּמוֹ שֶׁתֹּאמַר, הָלַךְ משֶׁה וְתִקֵּן לָהֶם אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לָנוּחַוכיון שראה משה שהסכימה דעתו לדעת יוצרו שמח שמחה גדולה ולכך תקנו ישמח משה במתנת חלקומַתָּנָה טוֹבָה יֵשׁ לִי בְּבֵית גְּנָזַי וְשַׁבָּת שְׁמָהּ, וַאֲנִי מְבַקֵּשׁ לִיתְּנָהּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, לֵךְ וְהוֹדִיעָםועל כן תקנו ישמח משה באותה מתנהולכך תקנו ישמח משה באותה מתנה טובה של שבת שנתנה על ידוואומ' במתנת חלקו לפי שהשבת ניתן להם בלשון מתנה שנאמ' ראו כי ה' נתן לכם את השבת
Midrash Shemos Rabbah 1:28 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Shemot_Rabbah.1.28
Abudarham, Shabbos prayers, the morning service · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Abudarham,_Shabbat_Prayers,_Morning_Service
Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 10b · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Shabbat.10b
A faithful servant, and a crown of splendor
“For You called him a faithful servant”: the Abudarham brings the verse. Hashem said of Moshe (Bamidbar 12:7): לֹא כֵן עַבְדִּי מֹשֶׁה בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא, “Not so is My servant Moshe; in all My house he is faithful.” That is the “gift of his portion”: “what is the gift of his portion? For You called him a faithful servant.”
And the crown? The Abudarham explains the next words: “that is to say, since You called him a faithful servant, it is as if You placed a crown of splendor on his head.” The name Hashem gave him is itself the crown.
כי עבד נאמן קראת לו שנאמר לא כן עבדי משה בכל ביתי נאמן הואכלומר כיון שקראתו עבד נאמן כאלו נתת כליל תפארת בראשו
Shemos 31:16-17; Bamidbar 12:7; Yeshayahu 58:13 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; letters compared by script · sefaria.org/Exodus.31.16-17
On Mount Sinai: the tablets, and “so it is written in Your Torah”
“When he stood before You on Mount Sinai”: why mention Sinai here? The Tur: “and that is why they instituted ‘when he stood before You on Mount Sinai’, for the passage ‘And He gave to Moshe’ is next to the passage of Shabbos.” In the Torah, the verses of V’shamru (Shemos 31:16-17) are followed at once by “And He gave to Moshe, when He finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony.” And the Talmud (Shabbos 86b) says: “and according to all, the Torah was given to Israel on Shabbos.”
“And written in them is the keeping of Shabbos”: the Abudarham: “that is, ‘remember’ and ‘keep’”, the two words of the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Then: “and so it is written in Your Torah: V’shamru … for this was not written on the tablets, but in the Torah.” So the blessing quotes it: Shemos 31:16-17. In Chabad.org’s translation, verse 16 reads: “Thus shall the children of Israel observe the Sabbath, to make the Sabbath throughout their generations as an everlasting covenant.”
I compared the two verses letter by letter with the Torah. There are two differences of spelling, and I keep the print of our siddur: the Torah writes הִוא, read “hi”, where our siddur prints הִיא; and it writes לְעֹלָם without a vav, where our siddur prints לְעוֹלָם.
וזהו שתקנו בעמדו לפניך על הר סיני שפרשת ויתן אל משה סמוכה לפרשת שבתוּדְכוּלֵּי עָלְמָא, בְּשַׁבָּת נִיתְּנָה תּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵלוכתו' בהן שמירת שבת דהיינו זכור ושמורוכן כתו' בתורתך ושמרו בני ישראל את השבת וגו' כי זה לא היה כתוב בלוחות אלא בתורה
Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 86b · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Shabbat.86b
Abudarham, Shabbos prayers, the morning service · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Abudarham,_Shabbat_Prayers,_Morning_Service
Shemos 31:13-18 with Rashi (Chabad.org, The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi, Judaica Press) · Hebrew and English; quoted (the English of verse 17 writes the Name and is not quoted) · chabad.org/…/9892
Shemos 31:16-17; Bamidbar 12:7; Yeshayahu 58:13 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; letters compared by script · sefaria.org/Exodus.31.16-17
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Kehot), Annotated Edition 5771/2011, pp. 213-214 · page images; every word and vowel checked
V’lo nesato: a gift for Israel alone
The third paragraph says that Shabbos was not given to the nations, “for to Israel, Your people, You gave it with love”. The Talmud (Beitzah 16a) says: “All the mitzvos that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to Israel, He gave them in public, except Shabbos, which He gave them in private, as it says: ‘Between Me and the children of Israel it is a sign forever’.” These are the words of V’shamru, which we have just said.
Where is V’lo nesato said? The Rambam’s order of prayers, as translated on Chabad.org, does not have it on Shabbos morning; he has it in the middle blessing of Musaf, in a slightly different form (for example לְבֵית יִשְׂרָאֵל נְתַתּוֹ, “to the house of Israel You gave it”). Our siddur has it here, in Shacharis, as I print it (as a historical note, the 1953 printing has it here too).
כׇּל מִצְוֹת שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל — נָתַן לָהֶם בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא, חוּץ מִשַּׁבָּת שֶׁנָּתַן לָהֶם בְּצִנְעָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִיא לְעוֹלָם״
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Kehot), Annotated Edition 5771/2011, pp. 213-214 · page images; every word and vowel checked
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, 1953), pp. 179-180 (historical comparison only) · scanned page images; compared
Yismechu, and “the most desirable of days”
Why “they will rejoice”? The Beis Yosef (281) brings the explanation of Rabbi Kohen Tzedek: “Yismechu b’malchuscha: they relied on what is written, ‘And on the day of your rejoicing and on your festivals’, and they said: ‘the day of your rejoicing’, this is Shabbos.” And “those who call it a delight”, וְקוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג, are the words of the prophet (Yeshayahu 58:13): וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג, “and you call Shabbos a delight”. The Abudarham, after Yismach Moshe, simply says: “and he says Yismechu b’malchuscha … and Retzei na vimnuchaseinu …”.
חֶמְדַּת יָמִים, “the most desirable of days”: the Beis Yosef quotes the Shibbolei HaLeket (as cited): “some explain: where do we find that Shabbos is called ‘desirable’? For it is written וַיְכַל, and it is the language of ‘my soul longs (כָּלְתָה)’.” Our siddur ends the paragraph with חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָאתָ and does not add the words זֵכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, which the Siddur Sefard has. In the newest edition, which I follow, the paragraph Yismechu is in the same type as the rest of the blessing (as a historical note, the 1953 printing sets it in smaller type).
ישמחו במלכותך פי' ה"ר כהן צדק שסמכו על מ"ש וביום שמחתכם ובמועדיכם וגו' ואמרו וביום שמחתכם זה שבתחמדת ימים אותו קראת י"מ היכן מצינו שנקרא שבת חמדה דכתיב ויכל והוא מלשון כלתה נפשיואומר ישמחו במלכותך וכו' ורצה נא במנוחתינו וכו'
Shibbolei HaLeket · as cited in the Beis Yosef; not opened
Shemos 31:16-17; Bamidbar 12:7; Yeshayahu 58:13 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; letters compared by script · sefaria.org/Exodus.31.16-17
Abudarham, Shabbos prayers, the morning service · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Abudarham,_Shabbat_Prayers,_Morning_Service
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, 1953), pp. 179-180 (historical comparison only) · scanned page images; compared
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Kehot), Annotated Edition 5771/2011, pp. 213-214 · page images; every word and vowel checked
“Rest on it”: בוֹ, בָהּ, בָם
The last line before the closing says וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ, “and may they rest on it”. The Alter Rebbe writes (268:6) that there are those who say, “for a reason known to them”, וְיָנוּחוּ בָהּ in the evening prayer, וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ in Shacharis and Musaf, and שַׁבָּתוֹת קָדְשֶׁךָ וְיָנוּחוּ בָם in Minchah. His translator explains (note 18): “All three have the same meaning, but vary in form. The first is feminine, the second is masculine, and the third is plural. The rationale for this practice stems from the AriZal’s mystic teachings. See Likkutei Sichos, Vol. 14, p. 19, where the Rebbe explains the different Sefiros to which these words refer.” (as cited). And (note 19): “The Alter Rebbe varies his text of the Shabbos prayers according to this practice.” So our siddur has בוֹ here (§G92).
Two more halachos from the same chapter, to know and to ask about. If one said Atah by mistake, as on a weekday, the Alter Rebbe (268:4) shows how the words still join: “[In that instance,] the meaning of his words would be: You [Atah], G‑d, cause Moshe to rejoice in his allotted gift.” And (268:5): “If a person erred and began reciting a weekday Shemoneh Esreh on Shabbos, it is an undesirable omen for him. He should examine his conduct and think thoughts of teshuvah.” What to do after a mistake in practice, ask your rav.
יֵשׁ נוֹהֲגִים מִטַּעַם הַיָּדוּעַ לָהֶם … לוֹמַר בְּעַרְבִית "וְיָנוּחוּ בָהּ", וּבְשַׁחֲרִית וּמוּסָף "וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ", וּבְמִנְחָה "שַׁבָּתוֹת קָדְשֶׁךָ וְיָנוּחוּ בָם"וְיִהְיֶה פֵּרוּשׁ דְּבָרָיו: "אַתָּה" הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, "יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה בְּמַתְּנַת חֶלְקוֹ"
Likkutei Sichos, vol. 14, p. 19 · as cited in the translator’s notes on Chabad.org; not opened
Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 268:4-5 (Chabad.org; Kehot) · Hebrew and English (tr. Eliyahu Touger and Sholom B. Wineberg); quoted, and the translator’s notes · chabad.org/…/3447052
A gift you are told about
The Talmud (Shabbos 10b) brings the story of the gift to teach a law of people: “One who gives a gift to his friend must let him know.” Hashem did not only give Shabbos; He sent Moshe to tell us that it is a gift, “a good gift in My treasure house”. So the blessing opens with Moshe’s joy in the gift, and we say it as people who know what we were given.
Rashi says something similar about the Torah itself, on the words “when He finished speaking with him” (Shemos 31:18), right after V’shamru: “for the Torah was delivered to him [Moses] as a gift, as a bride [is given] to a bridegroom, because [otherwise] he could not have learnt it all in such a short time”. Shabbos and the Torah came the same way: as gifts.
הַנּוֹתֵן מַתָּנָה לַחֲבֵירוֹ, צָרִיךְ לְהוֹדִיעוֹשֶׁנִּמְסְרָה לוֹ תּוֹרָה בְּמַתָּנָה כְּכַלָּה לֶחָתָן
Shemos 31:13-18 with Rashi (Chabad.org, The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi, Judaica Press) · Hebrew and English; quoted (the English of verse 17 writes the Name and is not quoted) · chabad.org/…/9892
An inheritance, and a sign
V’lo nesato says twice what was not done: “You did not give it” to the nations, “You did not give it as an inheritance” to the worshippers of idols. And Retzei asks: וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ … שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ, “give us Your holy Shabbos as an inheritance”. Rashi explains the word “sign” a few verses earlier, in the same passage (Shemos 31:13): “It is a sign of distinction between us that I have chosen you, by granting you as an inheritance My day of rest for [your] rest.”
An inheritance is not earned; it comes because of who you are. That is why the paragraph says “for to Israel, Your people, You gave it with love, to the seed of Yaakov, whom You chose”.
אוֹת גְּדֻלָּה הִיא בֵינֵינוּ, שֶׁבָּחַרְתִּי בָכֶם בְּהַנְחִילִי לָכֶם אֶת יוֹם מְנוּחָתִי לִמְנוּחָה
וַיִּנָּפַשׁ: rest that gives back the soul
V’shamru ends שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ, “He ceased and rested”. Rashi: “Now every expression of נוֹפֶשׁ, rest, is an expression of נֶפֶשׁ, soul, for one regains one’s soul and one’s breath when one rests from the toil of work.” The Talmud (Beitzah 16a) reads more in the word: “Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: an extra soul the Holy One, blessed be He, gives a person on the eve of Shabbos, and at the end of Shabbos they take it from him, as it says: ‘He ceased and rested (וַיִּנָּפַשׁ)’: once it has ceased, woe, the soul is lost.”
Retzei asks for the same: וְשַׂמֵּחַ נַפְשֵׁנוּ בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ, “gladden our soul with Your salvation”. The rest of Shabbos is not only a body that stops working; it is a soul that comes back.
וְכָל לְשׁוֹן נֹפֶשׁ הוּא לְשׁוֹן נֶפֶשׁ, שֶׁמֵּשִׁיב נַפְשׁוֹ וּנְשִׁימָתוֹ בְּהַרְגִּיעוֹ מִטֹּרַח הַמְּלָאכָהנְשָׁמָה יְתֵירָה נוֹתֵן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בָּאָדָם עֶרֶב שַׁבָּת, וּלְמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת נוֹטְלִין אוֹתָהּ הֵימֶנּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ״, כֵּיוָן שֶׁשָּׁבַת וַוי אָבְדָה נֶפֶשׁ
Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 16a · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Beitzah.16a
A son who is also a faithful servant
Why does the Shabbos blessing praise Moshe as a servant? On Shabbos, of all days, we are not servants but children at our Father’s table. The Alter Rebbe answers in Likkutei Torah, in the explanation of the maamar “Lo hibit aven b’Yaakov” (Parshas Balak).
There are two ways to serve Hashem: as a servant and as a son. A son serves out of love, and in general that is higher. But the servant has something the son does not: a bittul, a giving up of oneself, that is above reason. And there are two kinds of servant. The Alter Rebbe brings the Zohar: the first servant is in Pesukei d’Zimra, the second in Shemoneh Esreh, and between them is the Shema, the love of a son. The servant of Shemoneh Esreh stands in a higher awe, above even the son’s love. That is the level of Moshe, “My servant”.
Shabbos, he writes, is the level of a son that rises to be the second servant as well: the “faithful servant”. And this higher awe is not heavy. It is joined with joy, as in the words of Nishmas, “all hearts shall fear You” and yet “all the inner parts shall sing to Your Name” (Lesson 16). That is why, in the Amidah of Shabbos morning, we say יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה … כִּי עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן: joy (יִשְׂמַח, §G93) and faithful service in one sentence.
… it is known that there are two levels: the level of a servant and the level of a son. And although in general the level of a son is higher, for he is the one who serves out of love, nevertheless in one respect there is an added advantage in the level of a servant too, which is the level of self-nullification above reason and understanding …
… it is brought in the Zohar, Parshas Balak, that there are two levels of servant: the first in Pesukei d’Zimra, the second in Shemoneh Esreh, and in between is the Shema …
… and afterwards Shemoneh Esreh: this is the level of higher awe, which is above even the love of the level of a son … and this is the level of the second servant …
… and with this one understands the matter of Shabbos: it is the level of Israel, who is called a son, but it is also at the level of a servant, that is, the level and rank of “Moshe My servant”. And this is what we say in the Shacharis of Shabbos: “Moshe rejoices in the gift of his portion, for You called him a faithful servant” …
… the level of a son rises to be also at the level and rank of the second servant, and this is the level of a faithful servant … and this higher awe is joined also with joy, as it says: “and all hearts shall fear You”, and yet “all the inner parts shall sing to Your Name” … and this is “Moshe rejoices … for a faithful servant …” …
— The Alter Rebbe, Likkutei Torah, Parshas Balak, Biur on “Lo hibit aven b’Yaakov” (my translation of the Hebrew, Kehot edition via Sefaria, Likkutei Torah, Balak 4)
Lesson 16: Nishmas (siddur-lesson-16-nishmas) · the earlier lesson of this course
What the sources add, and what I take from it
The words Moshe was given. The Abudarham reads the crown in the same line: since Hashem called him a faithful servant, “it is as if You placed a crown of splendor on his head”. The service is the crown.
From here on, my own thoughts. Joy that does not forget the Master. On Shabbos it is easy to feel only like a child at home: the meal, the songs, the rest. Yismach Moshe reminds me in the middle of the Amidah that the closeness of a son and the awe of a faithful servant belong together. I try to stand before Him with both: glad, and still standing.
When you say it. At יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה, think of the gift you were told about. At רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ, ask that your rest itself be pleasing to Him: the meal, the sleep and the learning of this Shabbos.
Talmud Bavli, Shabbos 10b · Hebrew text via Sefaria; quoted · sefaria.org/Shabbat.10b
Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 268:2, 268:10, and note 15 (Chabad.org; Kehot) · Hebrew and English (tr. Eliyahu Touger and Sholom B. Wineberg); quoted, and the translator’s notes · chabad.org/…/3447052
How the text is printed here
The text is printed here from יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה to מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת, with my own translation. I copied the Hebrew from the page images of our siddur, Tehillat Hashem, in its newest edition (pages 213 and 214), and checked every word and every vowel on the page; as a historical comparison only, I also looked at the 1953 printing (pages 179 and 180); the newest edition is the only authority for the text. On November 8, 2026 I checked every letter, vowel and punctuation mark again against it. Our siddur prints small reading aids: a star over some letters, and a short line (meteg) beside some vowels. They help with pronunciation and are not printed here. Where our siddur prints the Name, I write יְיָ, as in all these lessons.
Chabad.org’s Online Siddur does not have the Shabbos morning Amidah. So I compared every word with the Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet) on Sefaria, and the paragraph V’shamru letter by letter with the Torah (Shemos 31:16-17, on Sefaria and in the Chumash on Chabad.org). I also compared the Rambam’s text of the blessing on Chabad.org, which is a different nusach. The differences are listed after each paragraph. Where they differ, our siddur is followed.
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, 1953), pp. 179-180 (historical comparison only) · scanned page images; compared
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Shemos 31:16-17; Bamidbar 12:7; Yeshayahu 58:13 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; letters compared by script · sefaria.org/Exodus.31.16-17
Shemos 31:13-18 with Rashi (Chabad.org, The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi, Judaica Press) · Hebrew and English; quoted (the English of verse 17 writes the Name and is not quoted) · chabad.org/…/9892
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
1. Yismach Moshe
| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה בְּמַתְּנַת חֶלְקוֹ, | Moshe rejoices in the gift of his portion, |
| כִּי עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן קָרָאתָ לּוֹ, | for You called him a faithful servant; |
| כְּלִיל תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ נָתַתָּ לּוֹ, | a crown of splendor on his head You gave him, |
| בְּעָמְדוֹ לְפָנֶיךָ עַל הַר סִינַי, | when he stood before You on Mount Sinai. |
| וּשְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת אֲבָנִים הוֹרִיד בְּיָדוֹ, | And two tablets of stone he brought down in his hand, |
| וְכָתוּב בָּהֶם שְׁמִירַת שַׁבָּת, | and written in them is the keeping of Shabbos; |
| וְכֵן כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ: | and so it is written in Your Torah: |
Lines 2 and 3 are printed קָרָאתָ לּוֹ and נָתַתָּ לּוֹ, both with a dagesh in the ל (§G89). Differences: the Siddur Sefard has no לוֹ after נָתַתָּ in line 3. The Rambam’s text also has נָתַתָּ without לּוֹ, and has line 5 in another order, “he brought down in his hand two tablets of stone”, and בָּהֶן for בָּהֶם in line 6.
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
2. V’shamru (Shemos 31:16-17)
| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת, | The children of Israel shall keep the Shabbos, |
| לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת לְדֹרֹתָם בְּרִית עוֹלָם: | to make the Shabbos throughout their generations an everlasting covenant. |
| בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹת הִיא לְעוֹלָם, | Between Me and the children of Israel it is a sign forever, |
| כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה יְיָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ | for in six days Hashem made the heavens and the earth, |
| וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ: | and on the seventh day He ceased and rested. |
Shemos 31:16-17 (see the history section). Line 3: our siddur prints הִיא and לְעוֹלָם; the Torah writes הִוא, read “hi”, and לְעֹלָם; the Siddur Sefard has לְעֹלָם. In line 1, בְנֵי has no dagesh after וְשָׁמְרוּ, as in the Torah. The Rambam’s text gives only the first words, וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, and “etc.”.
Shemos 31:16-17; Bamidbar 12:7; Yeshayahu 58:13 · Hebrew text via Sefaria; letters compared by script · sefaria.org/Exodus.31.16-17
Shemos 31:13-18 with Rashi (Chabad.org, The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi, Judaica Press) · Hebrew and English; quoted (the English of verse 17 writes the Name and is not quoted) · chabad.org/…/9892
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
3. V’lo nesato
| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| וְלֹא נְתַתּוֹ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת, | And You did not give it, Hashem our G‑d, to the nations of the lands, |
| וְלֹא הִנְחַלְתּוֹ מַלְכֵּנוּ לְעוֹבְדֵי אֱלִילִים, | nor did You, our King, give it as an inheritance to the worshippers of idols; |
| וְגַם בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ עֲרֵלִים, | and in its rest the uncircumcised shall not dwell either; |
| כִּי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמְּךָ נְתַתּוֹ בְּאַהֲבָה, | for to Israel, Your people, You gave it with love, |
| לְזֶרַע יַעֲקֹב, אֲשֶׁר בָּם בָּחָרְתָּ: | to the seed of Yaakov, whom You chose. |
Differences in the Siddur Sefard: line 3 begins גַּם, without the וְ; line 4 reads לְעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, “to Your people Israel”, in the other order. The Rambam has this paragraph only in Musaf, in another form (see the history section).
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
4. Yismechu
| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| יִשְׂמְחוּ בְּמַלְכוּתְךָ שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת וְקוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג, | Those who keep Shabbos and call it a delight will rejoice in Your kingship, |
| עַם מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי, | the people who sanctify the seventh; |
| כֻּלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּ וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ, | all of them will be satisfied and delight in Your goodness. |
| וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי רָצִיתָ בּוֹ וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ, | And the seventh: You desired it and sanctified it; |
| חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָאתָ: | the most desirable of days You called it. |
Line 1: our siddur prints בְּמַלְכוּתְךָ with a dagesh in the ב, and עֹנֶג without a vav; I keep both as printed. Differences in the Siddur Sefard: בְמַלְכוּתְךָ without the dagesh, עוֹנֶג with a vav, חֶמְדַת without a dagesh in the ד in line 5, and after line 5 it adds זֵכֶר לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית, “a remembrance of the work of creation”, which our siddur does not have. The Rambam’s text has only lines 1 and 2, with בְמַלְכוּתְךָ without the dagesh and קוֹרְאֵי עוֹנֶג without the וְ.
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Rambam, Seder Tefillos, “The Text of All the Intermediate Blessings” (Chabad.org, tr. Eliyahu Touger) · Hebrew text of the blessing; compared · chabad.org/…/1508043
Siddur Tehillat Hashem (Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, 1953), pp. 179-180 (historical comparison only) · scanned page images; compared
5. Retzei vimnuchaseinu
| Hebrew | Meaning |
|---|---|
| אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, | Our G‑d and the G‑d of our fathers, |
| רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ, | please desire our rest; |
| קַדְּשֵׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ, | sanctify us with Your mitzvos and give our portion in Your Torah; |
| שַׂבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ וְשַׂמֵּחַ נַפְשֵׁנוּ בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ, | satisfy us from Your goodness and gladden our soul with Your salvation; |
| וְטַהֵר לִבֵּנוּ לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת, | and purify our heart to serve You in truth; |
| וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ, | and give us as an inheritance, Hashem our G‑d, with love and with favor, Your holy Shabbos; |
| וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁמֶךָ. | and may all Israel, who sanctify Your Name, rest on it. |
| בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת: | Blessed are You, Hashem, Who sanctifies the Shabbos. |
Line 2: בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ without a dagesh after נָא, as printed, and as the Alter Rebbe quotes it in his Shulchan Aruch (268:10). Line 7: וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ, the Shacharis form (see the history section; §G92). Differences in the Siddur Sefard: בִּמְנוּחָתֵנוּ with a dagesh in line 2; מִטּוּבָךָ with a kamatz under the ב in line 4; בֶאֱמֶת without a dagesh in line 5; and שַׁבָּת with a kamatz under the ב in line 6, where our siddur prints שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ.
Siddur Sefard (Torat Emet), Shabbos morning, Amidah · Hebrew text via Sefaria; compared word by word with our siddur, never copied · sefaria.org/Siddur_Sefard,_Shabbat_Morning_Services,_Amidah
Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Orach Chaim 268:2, 268:10, and note 15 (Chabad.org; Kehot) · Hebrew and English (tr. Eliyahu Touger and Sholom B. Wineberg); quoted, and the translator’s notes · chabad.org/…/3447052
Yismach Moshe and V’shamru: the gift, the tablets, the verses
A noun of “giving”, two pasts with “You”, an infinitive with “when”, a hif’il past, a passive participle, and the vav that turns.
יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה בְּמַתְּנַת חֶלְקוֹ,כִּי עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן קָרָאתָ לּוֹ,כְּלִיל תִּפְאֶרֶת בְּרֹאשׁוֹ נָתַתָּ לּוֹ,בְּעָמְדוֹ לְפָנֶיךָ עַל הַר סִינַי,וּשְׁנֵי לוּחוֹת אֲבָנִים הוֹרִיד בְּיָדוֹ,וְכָתוּב בָּהֶם שְׁמִירַת שַׁבָּת,וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת,וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ:
| בְּמַתְּנַת | = | ◌ת | + | תְּנַ | + | מַ | + | בְּ |
| b’mat’nas in the gift of | feminine “of” ־ַת | give | noun with מ | in, with |
| חֶלְקוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | חֶלְק |
| chelko his portion | his, its ־וֹ | portion |
| נֶאֱמָן | = | אֱמָן | + | נֶ |
| ne’emon faithful | trust | nif’al (passive) |
| קָרָאתָ | = | ◌תָ | + | קָרָא |
| koroso You called | You (past) ־ְתָּ | call |
| נָתַתָּ | = | ◌תָּ | + | נָתַ |
| nosato You gave | You (past) ־ְתָּ | give |
| בְּעָמְדוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | עָמְד | + | בְּ |
| b’omdo when he stood | he ־וֹ | stand | when (with infinitive) |
| הוֹרִיד | = | רִיד | + | הוֹ |
| horid he brought down | go down | hif’il הוֹ |
| וְכָתוּב | = | כָתוּב | + | וְ |
| v’chosuv and written | write | and |
| שְׁמִירַת | = | ◌ת | + | שְׁמִירַ |
| sh’miras the keeping of | feminine “of” ־ַת | keep |
| בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ | = | ◌ךָ | + | ◌תֶ | + | וֹרָ | + | ת | + | בְּ |
| b’sorosecho in Your Torah | You, Your | feminine ־ת | teach | noun with ת | in, with |
| וְשָׁמְרוּ | = | ◌וּ | + | שָׁמְר | + | וְ |
| v’shom’ru shall keep | they ־וּ | keep | vav that turns |
| וַיִּנָּפַשׁ | = | נָּפַשׁ | + | יִּ | + | וַ |
| vayinofash and He rested | breathe, rest | he, it (future) | vav that turns |
V’lo nesato and Yismechu: “You gave it”, “the keepers of”, “they will”
Pasts with an object ending, plural participles before a noun, futures of “they”, and a hitpa’el.
וְלֹא נְתַתּוֹ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ לְגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת,וְלֹא הִנְחַלְתּוֹ מַלְכֵּנוּ לְעוֹבְדֵי אֱלִילִים,וְגַם בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ עֲרֵלִים,יִשְׂמְחוּ בְּמַלְכוּתְךָ שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת וְקוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג,עַם מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי,כֻּלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּ וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ,וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי רָצִיתָ בּוֹ וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ,חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָאתָ:
| נְתַתּוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | ◌תּ | + | נְתַ |
| n’sato You gave it | it, him ־וֹ | You (past) | give |
| לְגוֹיֵי | = | ◌י | + | גוֹיֵ | + | לְ |
| l’goyei to the nations of | plural “of” ־ֵי | nation | to, for |
| הִנְחַלְתּוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | ◌תּ | + | נְחַלְ | + | הִ |
| hinchalto You gave it as an inheritance | it, him ־וֹ | You (past) | inherit | hif’il ה |
| לְעוֹבְדֵי | = | ◌י | + | עוֹבְדֵ | + | לְ |
| l’ov’dei to the worshippers of | plural “of” ־ֵי | serve, worship | to, for |
| בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | ◌ת | + | נוּחָ | + | מְ | + | בִּ |
| bim’nucho in its rest | his, its ־וֹ | feminine ־ת | rest | noun with מ | in, with |
| יִשְׁכְּנוּ | = | ◌וּ | + | שְׁכְּנ | + | יִ |
| yishk’nu they will dwell | they ־וּ | dwell | they (future) |
| יִשְׂמְחוּ | = | ◌וּ | + | שְׂמְח | + | יִ |
| yism’chu they will rejoice | they ־וּ | rejoice | they (future) |
| בְּמַלְכוּתְךָ | = | ◌ךָ | + | ◌וּתְ | + | מַלְכ | + | בְּ |
| b’malchus’cho in Your kingship | You, Your | noun ending ־וּת | reign | in, with |
| שׁוֹמְרֵי | = | ◌י | + | שׁוֹמְרֵ |
| shom’rei the keepers of | plural “of” ־ֵי | keep |
| מְקַדְּשֵׁי | = | ◌י | + | קַדְּשֵׁ | + | מְ |
| m’kad’shei those who sanctify | plural “of” ־ֵי | holy | participle מ |
| וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ | = | ◌וּ | + | עַנְּג | + | תְ | + | יִ | + | וְ |
| v’yisan’gu and they will delight | they ־וּ | delight | hitpa’el ת | they (future) | and |
| מִטּוּבֶךָ | = | ◌ךָ | + | טּוּבֶ | + | מִ |
| mituvecho from Your goodness | You, Your | good | from |
| רָצִיתָ | = | ◌תָ | + | רָצִי |
| rotziso You desired | You (past) ־ְתָּ | desire |
| וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ | = | ◌וֹ | + | ◌תּ | + | קִדַּשְׁ | + | וְ |
| v’kidashto and You sanctified it | it, him ־וֹ | You (past) | holy | and |
| חֶמְדַּת | = | ◌ת | + | חֶמְדַּ |
| chemdas the most desirable of | feminine “of” ־ַת | desire |
Retzei: seven requests, and the close
Commands of the kal, pi’el and hif’il with “us”, “our”, an infinitive with “You”, and the singular participle of the close.
רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ,קַדְּשֵׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ וְתֵן חֶלְקֵנוּ בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ,שַׂבְּעֵנוּ מִטּוּבֶךָ וְשַׂמֵּחַ נַפְשֵׁנוּ בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ,וְטַהֵר לִבֵּנוּ לְעָבְדְּךָ בֶּאֱמֶת,וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ בְּאַהֲבָה וּבְרָצוֹן שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ,וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁמֶךָ.בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ, מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת:
| רְצֵה | = | רְצֵה |
| r’tzei desire, accept | desire |
| בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ | = | ◌נוּ | + | ◌תֵ | + | נוּחָ | + | מְ | + | בִ |
| vim’nuchoseinu our rest | our ־ֵנוּ | feminine ־ת | rest | noun with מ | in, with |
| קַדְּשֵׁנוּ | = | ◌נוּ | + | קַדְּשֵׁ |
| kad’sheinu sanctify us | us ־ֵנוּ | holy |
| שַׂבְּעֵנוּ | = | ◌נוּ | + | שַׂבְּעֵ |
| sab’einu satisfy us | us ־ֵנוּ | be satisfied |
| וְשַׂמֵּחַ | = | שַׂמֵּחַ | + | וְ |
| v’sameiach and gladden | rejoice | and |
| נַפְשֵׁנוּ | = | ◌נוּ | + | נַפְשֵׁ |
| nafsheinu our soul | our ־ֵנוּ | soul |
| וְטַהֵר | = | טַהֵר | + | וְ |
| v’taheir and purify | pure | and |
| לְעָבְדְּךָ | = | ◌ךָ | + | עָבְדְּ | + | לְ |
| l’ov’d’cho to serve You | You, Your | serve | to |
| וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ | = | ◌נוּ | + | נְחִילֵ | + | הַ | + | וְ |
| v’hanchileinu and give us as an inheritance | us ־ֵנוּ | inherit | hif’il ה | and |
| וְיָנוּחוּ | = | ◌וּ | + | נוּח | + | יָ | + | וְ |
| v’yonuchu and may they rest | they ־וּ | rest | they (future) | and |
| מְקַדֵּשׁ | = | קַדֵּשׁ | + | מְ |
| m’kadeish Who sanctifies | holy | participle מ |
- Lesson 1 §G2 · Hidden root letters: yud, vav and hei can change shape or drop; a dagesh can mark a merged letter
- Lesson 1 §G3 · One-letter prefixes: ve- and, be- in/with, le- to, mi- from, she- that: written joined to the next word
- Lesson 1 §G4 · Pronouns: standalone and attached: ani I, Ato You; endings -i my/me, -cho/-echo your, -einu our, -o/-ov his
- Lesson 1 §G6 · Adjectives, and sentences without “is”: the adjective follows its noun and agrees with it; put first, it makes a sentence with no word for “is”
- Lesson 1 §G7 · Verb patterns (binyanim) and the hif’il: a root becomes a verb through a pattern; the hif’il means “cause to” and is marked by he- (past) or ma-/mo- (present)
- Lesson 1 §G8 · Present and past: who is speaking: the present (participle) changes for gender and number; the past adds person endings such as -ti I, -to you, -nu we
- Lesson 2 §G10 · The construct chain: “X of Y”: two nouns side by side mean “X of Y”; the article goes on the second; feminine -oh becomes -as
- Lesson 2 §G11 · The pi’el: a doubled middle letter: the pi’el doubles the middle root letter with a dagesh; past ki-, present me-
- Lesson 2 §G12 · Endings on verbs: “us” or “we”?: an ending on a verb names the object; -onu “us” vs. -nu “we” are told apart by the vowels
- Lesson 2 §G13 · The passive participle: boruch: the pattern kotuv (kamatz, then u before the last letter) means “-ed”: boruch blessed
- Lesson 3 §G15 · The active participle: “the One Who does”: the kal present has o after the first root letter and ei under the second: pokei’ach, zokeif; it describes an action that goes on
- Lesson 3 §G17 · Words that work as nouns: “the blind”, “the One Who”: an adjective or participle can stand alone as a noun; with ha- in front, a participle means “the One Who …”
- Lesson 3 §G19 · Two small signs: the furtive patach and the soft letter: a patach under a final ח or ע is read before the letter (koach); בּ כּ פּ lose their dagesh after a vowel (vinoh, gover)
- Lesson 4 §G20 · The future tense: a letter in front: the future puts a prefix letter before the root: e- (א) I, ti- (ת) you or she, yi- (י) he or it, ni- (נ) we; after אִם it means “if … were to”
- Lesson 4 §G21 · The nif’al: when the action is done to the subject: the nif’al is the passive of the simple verb: past and present with ni-/ne- (nivro, ne’emon); future with a dagesh in the first root letter (yisoseim, yiposei’ach)
- Lesson 4 §G22 · The hitpa’el: doing to oneself: the hitpa’el adds hit- (his-) in front and doubles the middle root letter, like the pi’el; it means doing something to or for oneself: l’hiskayeim, “to keep oneself in existence”
- Lesson 4 §G23 · The infinitive: “to do”: the infinitive names the action itself and usually takes le-: la’asos to do, la’amod to stand, l’havchin to distinguish, l’hiskayeim to survive
- Lesson 4 §G24 · אֶת: the sign of a definite object: אֶת (es) is not translated: it stands before the object of a verb when that object is definite (with “the”, a name, or “my/your”); an indefinite object has no אֶת
- Lesson 5 §G26 · “Her, it”: the ending -oh with a dot in the hei: on a verb, infinitive or participle, ־ָהּ (with a mappik, a dot inside the final hei) means “her” or “it” for a feminine noun: v’rosoh You created it
- Lesson 5 §G28 · Nouns with a מ in front: many nouns are made by putting מ (ma-, mi-) before the root: ma’aseh a deed (ע־שׂ־ה, do), mitzvoh a command (צ־ו־ה), mitz’od a step (צ־ע־ד)
- Lesson 6 §G30 · “May He bless you”: the future as a wish, with object endings: the future (§G20) also says “may…”: y’vorech’cho may He bless you; an ending after a future verb names the object: -cho you, -eim them
- Lesson 6 §G31 · Commands and requests: the imperative, and נָא: the command form is the future without its front letter: t’dabeir → dabeir speak!; a form that names the action can also command (omor); נָא makes a request: v’ha’arev no, please make sweet
- Lesson 6 §G32 · The vav that turns: vay’dabeir, “and He spoke”: va- before a future form turns it into a past: vay’dabeir and He spoke; v’- before a past form can turn it into a future: v’somu and they shall set
- Lesson 6 §G33 · Naming an action: nouns from the verb patterns: each verb pattern has its own noun of action: pi’el kibud honoring, bikur visiting; hif’il hachnosoh bringing in (hachnosas in a chain); kal n’tiloh taking; also talmud, g’milus
- Lesson 6 §G34 · “Them” and “all of us”: endings for “they”, and כֹּל with endings: “them, their” is -hem after a preposition (lohem), -eihem after a plural noun (peiroseihem), -eim/-om on a verb or a short word (avor’cheim, kulom); כֹּל + ending: kulonu all of us, kulom all of them
- Lesson 7 §G36 · “When you sit … when you rise”: בְּ + the infinitive, with an ending: בְּ before an infinitive means “when, while”; the ending says who: b’shivt’cho when you sit, uv’lecht’cho when you walk, uv’shochb’cho when you lie down, uv’kumecho when you rise
- Lesson 9 §G44 · Hollow roots: when the middle root letter is a vav (אוֹר, מֵאִיר, טוּבוֹ): in roots like א־ו־ר (light) and ט־ו־ב (good) the middle ו is a vowel, not a full letter: or light, mei’ir gives light (hif’il, §G16), mo’or a luminary (מ in front, §G28), tov good, tuvo His goodness
- Lesson 10 §G48 · Roots that end in hei (עֹשֶׂה, פּוֹדֶה, הָיָה): when a root ends in ה, the participle ends in -eh (עֹשֶׂה oseh, פּוֹדֶה podeh), the past “he” ends in -oh (הָיָה hoyoh), and before an ending the ה drops (מַעֲשֶׂה → מַעֲשֵׂי)
- Lesson 13 §G58 · “Your might” and “Your mighty deeds”: endings on feminine nouns: a feminine noun in ־ָה changes its ה to ת before an ending: גְּבוּרָה → גְּבוּרָתְךָ, “Your might”; a feminine plural in ־וֹת keeps its ת and takes the plural endings ־ֶיךָ, ־ָיו: גְּבוּרֹתֶיךָ, “Your mighty deeds”, גְּבוּרֹתָיו, “His mighty deeds”
- Lesson 14 §G60 · כֹּל and כָּל: one word, two spellings: standing alone, “all” is כֹּל with a cholam; joined to the next word it is כָּל, with a kamatz katan, still read kol; after a joined word ending in a vowel the כ is soft: כָל (chol)
- Lesson 16 §G65 · “You … us”: the ending ־תָּנוּ (גְּאַלְתָּנוּ, פְּדִיתָנוּ): a past verb with ־תָּ, “You did”, takes the object ending ־נוּ, “us”, and becomes ־תָּנוּ, “You did … to us”: מִמִּצְרַיִם גְּאַלְתָּנוּ, “from Egypt You redeemed us”; Nishmas says it seven times in a row
- Lesson 17 §G70 · Fifteen nouns of praise: ־ָה, ־ֶת, ־וּת, ת or מ in front, and plurals: the fifteen words of Yishtabach are nouns built from roots: with ־ָה (שְׁבָחָה, זִמְרָה, גְּדֻלָּה, גְּבוּרָה, קְדֻשָּׁה), with ־ֶת (תִּפְאֶרֶת), with ־וּת (מַלְכוּת), with מ or ת in front (מֶמְשָׁלָה, תְּהִלָּה, תִּפְאֶרֶת), short nouns (שִׁיר, הַלֵּל, עֹז, נֶצַח), and two plurals in ־וֹת (בְּרָכוֹת, הוֹדָאוֹת)
- Lesson 18 §G74 · “When they go out … when they come in”: בְּ + infinitive + “their”: בְּצֵאתָם and בְּבוֹאָם are infinitives with בְּ (§G36) and the ending ־ָם, “their”; צֵאת has lost the root’s first י and taken a ת
- Lesson 20 §G80 · “To love” and “to serve Him”: לְאַהֲבָה and לְעָבְדוֹ: לְאַהֲבָה uses the noun-like form אַהֲבָה, not the plain infinitive לֶאֱהֹב, while לְעָבְדוֹ is an infinitive with the ending ־וֹ, “Him”
- Lesson 20 §G82 · “You did”: a chain of past verbs with ־ְתָּ: Ezras avoseinu tells the Exodus as a chain of verbs ending in ־ְתָּ, “You”: הָרַגְתָּ גָּאַלְתָּ בָּקַעְתָּ טִבַּעְתָּ הֶעֱבַרְתָּ; here the וְ does not turn them to the future
- Lesson 21 §G84 · “Our G‑d and the G‑d of our fathers”: אֱלֹהֵי, and ־ֵינוּ on plural nouns: A plural noun before another noun ends in ־ֵי, “of” (אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם, חַסְדֵי אָבוֹת, לִבְנֵי בְנֵיהֶם); with “our” it ends in ־ֵינוּ (אֱלֹהֵינוּ, אֲבוֹתֵינוּ); and וְ before אֱ is read וֵא, with a silent א
- Lesson 21 §G86 · Titles in the present: participles of the kal and the pi’el: The first two blessings describe Hashem with participles (§G15): kal גּוֹמֵל, זוֹכֵר, סוֹמֵךְ, רוֹפֵא, קוֹנֵה; pi’el, with מְ, מְכַלְכֵּל, מְחַיֶּה, מְקַיֵּם; the objects are often participles too: נוֹפְלִים, חוֹלִים, אֲסוּרִים
- Lesson 21 §G87 · Hif’il participles of weak roots: מֵבִיא, מוֹרִיד, מַתִּיר: The hif’il participle is מַ ־ִי (מַצְמִיחַ, §G16); with a hollow root it is מֵ (מֵבִיא, מֵמִית); with a root that begins with י it is מוֹ (מוֹרִיד, מוֹשִׁיעַ); when a נ is hidden it is מַ with a dagesh (מַתִּיר, and so מַשִּׁיב); the infinitive with לְהוֹ and לְהַ follows
- Lesson 21 §G88 · Asking: the future as a request, “remember us”, and “they praise You”: A request can be a future (תִּפְתָּח, “open”; יַגִּיד, “will tell”) or a command with an ending (זָכְרֵנוּ, וְכָתְבֵנוּ, “remember us”, “inscribe us”); and an ending on a future verb is its object (יְהַלְלוּךָ, “they praise You”)
You did. The past with ־ְתָּ, “You”, was explained in §G8 and §G82. Here it is everywhere. נָתַתָּ, “You gave”, from נ־ת־ן: the last נ of the root is hidden in the dagesh of the ת of the ending (§G2). קָרָאתָ, “You called”: after the א of the root the ת has no dagesh. רָצִיתָ, “You desired”, from ר־צ־ה: a root that ends in ה shows a י before the ending (§G48). And בָּחָרְתָּ, “You chose”, a regular root.
You did it. Add ־וֹ, “him, it”, after the ending, and the vowel of ־תָּ falls away: נָתַתָּ with ־וֹ gives נְתַתּוֹ, “You gave it”; the first vowel shortens too. In the same way הִנְחַלְתָּ, a hif’il (§G7), “You gave as an inheritance”, becomes הִנְחַלְתּוֹ, “You gave it as an inheritance”, and קִדַּשְׁתָּ, a pi’el (§G11), “You sanctified”, becomes וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ, “and You sanctified it”. The “it” is the Shabbos, or the seventh day. Compare ־תָּנוּ, “You … us”, in §G65.
The same object as a separate word. The ending is not the only way. In כִּי עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן קָרָאתָ לּוֹ, “for You called him a faithful servant”, and in נָתַתָּ לּוֹ, “You gave him”, the word לוֹ, “to him”, stands alone: לְ with ־וֹ (§G4). In חֶמְדַּת יָמִים אוֹתוֹ קָרָאתָ, “You called it the most desirable of days”, the object is אוֹתוֹ, the word אֵת with ־וֹ (§G24); it stands first, before the verb, to stress it.
As printed. Our siddur prints both קָרָאתָ לּוֹ and נָתַתָּ לּוֹ with a dagesh in the ל. I keep both exactly as printed; the Siddur Sefard prints the first one with the dagesh too.
| נָתַתָּ | nosato | You gave | past ־ְתָּ, hidden נ |
| נְתַתּוֹ | n’sato | You gave it | past ־ְתָּ + ־וֹ |
| וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ | v’kidashto | and You sanctified it | pi’el past + ־וֹ |
| אוֹתוֹ | oso | it, him | אֵת + ־וֹ |
Participles as nouns. A participle says “doing” (§G15, §G86), and it can stand as a noun, “one who does” (§G17). In the plural it ends in ־ִים: שׁוֹמְרִים, “those who keep”, from שׁ־מ־ר.
Before another noun: ־ֵי. When the next word says what they keep, the plural takes the form “of”, ־ֵי, as any plural noun does (§G10, §G84). So: שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת, “the keepers of Shabbos”; וְקוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג, “and those who call it a delight”, literally “the callers of delight”, from ק־ר־א, the word of Yeshayahu 58:13, וְקָרָאתָ לַשַּׁבָּת עֹנֶג, “and you call the Sabbath a delight” (Chabad.org’s translation); מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי, “the sanctifiers of the seventh”, a pi’el participle with מְ (§G86); and at the end of the blessing, מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁמֶךָ, “those who sanctify Your Name”. In V’lo nesato: לְעוֹבְדֵי אֱלִילִים, “to the worshippers of idols”, with לְ, “to”.
Nouns do the same. גּוֹיִם, “nations”, becomes לְגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת, “to the nations of the lands”; בָּנִים, “sons”, becomes בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, “the children of Israel”, in V’shamru. After a vowel the בּ loses its dagesh: וְשָׁמְרוּ בְנֵי.
The singular, with a direct object. The blessing closes with מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת, “Who sanctifies the Shabbos”: a singular pi’el participle followed by its object, with the article, as in the titles of Lesson 21 (§G86).
| שׁוֹמְרֵי | shom’rei | the keepers of | kal participle, ־ֵי |
| וְקוֹרְאֵי | v’kor’ei | and the callers of | kal participle, ־ֵי |
| מְקַדְּשֵׁי | m’kad’shei | the sanctifiers of | pi’el participle, ־ֵי |
| לְגוֹיֵי | l’goyei | to the nations of | noun, ־ֵי |
Seven requests. The last paragraph of the blessing asks: רְצֵה נָא, “please desire”, קַדְּשֵׁנוּ, “sanctify us”, וְתֵן, “and give”, שַׂבְּעֵנוּ, “satisfy us”, וְשַׂמֵּחַ, “and gladden”, וְטַהֵר, “and purify”, וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ, “and give us as an inheritance”. All are commands (§G31), and said to Hashem a command is a request (§G88); נָא softens it, “please”.
Kal. רְצֵה, from ר־צ־ה: a root that ends in ה has a command in ־ֵה (§G48). וְתֵן, from נ־ת־ן: the first נ drops in the command, and only תֵּן is left (§G2); after the וְ the ת has no dagesh.
Pi’el. The pi’el doubles the middle root letter with a dagesh (§G11). Its command is קַדֵּשׁ, “sanctify”; with ־ֵנוּ, “us” (§G12), the vowel under the ד drops: קַדְּשֵׁנוּ. In the same way שַׂבַּע, “satisfy”, becomes שַׂבְּעֵנוּ. Then וְשַׂמֵּחַ, “and gladden”, from שׂ־מ־ח: our siddur prints a tzeirei under the doubled מ and a patach under the final ח, read before the ח, as letters of the throat like it (§G19). וְטַהֵר, “and purify”, from ט־ה־ר: the ה cannot take a dagesh, so the pi’el shows only in its vowels.
Hif’il. The hif’il command has הַ in front and ־ִי־ before the last letter when an ending follows: הַנְחֵל, “give as an inheritance”, from נ־ח־ל, with ־ֵנוּ becomes וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ, “and give us as an inheritance”. Compare the past of the same verb in V’lo nesato, הִנְחַלְתּוֹ, “You gave it as an inheritance” (§G89).
| רְצֵה | r’tzei | desire, accept | kal command, root in ה |
| קַדְּשֵׁנוּ | kad’sheinu | sanctify us | pi’el command + ־ֵנוּ |
| וְטַהֵר | v’taheir | and purify | pi’el command, ה without dagesh |
| וְהַנְחִילֵנוּ | v’hanchileinu | and give us as an inheritance | hif’il command + ־ֵנוּ |
בְּ with endings. The small word בְּ, “in, with” (§G3), takes the same endings as nouns (§G4, §G26, §G34): בּוֹ, “in him, in it”; בָּהּ, “in her, in it” (feminine); בָּם and בָּהֶם, “in them”. In this blessing: וְכָתוּב בָּהֶם, “and written in them”, the tablets; אֲשֶׁר בָּם בָּחָרְתָּ, “whom You chose”; רָצִיתָ בּוֹ, “You desired it”; וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ, “and may they rest on it”. After a vowel, בּוֹ loses its dagesh: בוֹ.
Verbs that take בְּ. In Hebrew one “chooses in” and “desires in”: בָּחַר בְּ, “to choose”, and רָצָה בְּ, “to desire, to be pleased with”. So בָּם בָּחָרְתָּ is “You chose them”, and רָצִיתָ בּוֹ is “You desired it”, not “in them”, “in it”.
Three forms in the Alter Rebbe’s siddur. The Alter Rebbe writes in his Shulchan Aruch (268:6) that some say וְיָנוּחוּ בָהּ in the evening prayer, וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ in Shacharis and Musaf, and וְיָנוּחוּ בָם in Minchah; his translator notes that “All three have the same meaning, but vary in form.” Our siddur follows this: here, in Shacharis, בוֹ.
The root of rest. נ־ו־ח is a hollow root (§G44): its middle ו shows as וּ or drops. The noun מְנוּחָה, “rest”, is a noun with מ (§G28) and the feminine ־ָה; before an ending the ה becomes ת (§G58): בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ, “in its rest”, and רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ, “please desire our rest”, with ־ֵנוּ, “our”. The verb: וְיָנוּחוּ, “and may they rest”, a future with י … וּ (§G93), and the ו of the root inside, וּ.
| בּוֹ | bo | in it, on it | בְּ + ־וֹ |
| בָּם | bom | in them; them (after בָּחַר) | בְּ + ־ָם |
| בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ | vim’nuchoseinu | our rest | מְנוּחָה + ־ֵנוּ |
| וְיָנוּחוּ | v’yonuchu | and may they rest | hollow root, future plural |
He will. The future was explained in §G20. The blessing opens with one: יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה, “Moshe rejoices”, from שׂ־מ־ח, with a patach before the throat letter ח (§G19). The translator of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch renders it “Moshe would rejoice”: a future that tells what happens, not a request.
They will. For “they”, the future adds ־וּ at the end, and the vowel before the last root letter drops to a sheva: יִשְׂמְחוּ בְּמַלְכוּתְךָ, “they will rejoice in Your kingship”; יִשְׂבְּעוּ, “they will be satisfied”, from שׂ־ב־ע (the same root as שַׂבְּעֵנוּ, §G91); לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ, “they will not dwell”, from שׁ־כ־ן. A future can tell what happens or wish it (§G30); I translate יִשְׂמְחוּ “will rejoice”, and כֻּלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּ “all of them will be satisfied”.
A hitpa’el. וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ, “and they delight themselves”, from ע־נ־ג, the root of עֹנֶג, “delight”. The hitpa’el has תְ after the prefix and a dagesh in the middle root letter (§G22): יִתְ … ־וּ. So קוֹרְאֵי עֹנֶג, those who call Shabbos a delight, are the ones who וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ, delight in it.
A hollow root. וְיָנוּחוּ, “and may they rest”, at the end of the blessing: י … ־וּ, with the ו of נ־ו־ח showing as וּ (§G44, §G92).
| יִשְׂמַח | yismach | rejoices (he will rejoice) | future “he” |
| יִשְׂמְחוּ | yism’chu | they will rejoice | future “they” |
| יִשְׂבְּעוּ | yisb’u | they will be satisfied | future “they” |
| וְיִתְעַנְּגוּ | v’yisan’gu | and they delight | hitpa’el future |
Small words in this lesson
| Word | Transliteration | Meaning | Root | Grammar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּי | ki | for, because | — | כִּי עֶבֶד נֶאֱמָן, “for a faithful servant”; כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים, “for in six days”. |
| וְכֵן | v’chein | and so | — | וְכֵן כָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ, “and so it is written in Your Torah”. |
| בֵּין … וּבֵין | bein … uvein | between … and | — | בֵּינִי וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: בֵּין with ־ִי, “me” (§G4). |
| וְגַם | v’gam | and also, either | — | וְגַם בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ לֹא יִשְׁכְּנוּ: after לֹא, “not … either”. |
| אֲשֶׁר | asher | who, which, whom | — | אֲשֶׁר בָּם בָּחָרְתָּ, “whom You chose” (§G92). |
| נָא | no | please | — | רְצֵה נָא, “please desire” (§G31, §G91). |
| כֻּלָּם | kulom | all of them | — | כֹּל with ־ָם, “them” (§G34, §G60). |
| עַל | al | on, upon | — | עַל הַר סִינַי, “on Mount Sinai”. |
| שַׁבָּת shabbos · Shabbos שְׁמִירַת שַׁבָּת (para. 1); אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת (para. 2); שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת (para. 4); מְקַדֵּשׁ הַשַּׁבָּת (para. 5) | שְׁבִיעִי sh’vi’i · seventh וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי (para. 2); מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי (para. 4); וּבַשְּׁבִיעִי (para. 4) |
| נ־ת־ן nosan · to give בְּמַתְּנַת (para. 1); נָתַתָּ לּוֹ (para. 1); נְתַתּוֹ (para. 3); וְתֵן (para. 5) | ק־ד־שׁ kodosh · holy, to sanctify מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעִי (para. 4); וְקִדַּשְׁתּוֹ (para. 4); קַדְּשֵׁנוּ (para. 5); קָדְשֶׁךָ (para. 5); מְקַדֵּשׁ (para. 5) |
| מְנוּחָה m’nucho · rest בִּמְנוּחָתוֹ (para. 3); בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ (para. 5); וְיָנוּחוּ (para. 5) | שׂ־מ־ח simcho · joy, to rejoice יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה (para. 1); יִשְׂמְחוּ (para. 4); וְשַׂמֵּחַ (para. 5) |
- Why does the Shabbos Amidah have only one blessing in the middle (Shulchan Aruch HaRav 268:2)? Which part of it is the same in every prayer of Shabbos (268:10)?
- Give the two reasons of the Tur for opening the Shabbos morning blessing with Moshe. Where is the story of Moshe and Pharaoh told?
- What does the Talmud learn from the gift of Shabbos about giving a gift (Shabbos 10b)?
- Which verse calls Moshe a faithful servant? How does the Abudarham explain the “crown of splendor”?
- Why does the blessing mention Mount Sinai, according to the Tur? Why does it say “and so it is written in Your Torah”, according to the Abudarham?
- Which two spellings in V’shamru differ from the Torah, and which does our siddur print?
- Which mitzvah was given “in private”, and which verse shows it (Beitzah 16a)? Where does the Rambam put V’lo nesato?
- How does Rashi explain וַיִּנָּפַשׁ? What does the Talmud learn from it about the soul on Shabbos (Beitzah 16a)?
- Why do we say וְיָנוּחוּ בוֹ in Shacharis, and what is said in the evening and in Minchah (268:6)?
- According to Likkutei Torah, what are the two levels of servant, and how is Shabbos both a son and a “faithful servant”?
- Find every verb in this lesson with the ending ־וֹ, “it”. What would each one be without it? → see §G89
- Why is it שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת and not שׁוֹמְרִים שַׁבָּת? Find the other plural participles with ־ֵי in this blessing. → see §G90
- List the seven requests of Retzei and sort them into kal, pi’el and hif’il. Why does וְטַהֵר have no dagesh? → see §G91
- Explain בָּם in אֲשֶׁר בָּם בָּחָרְתָּ and בּוֹ in רָצִיתָ בּוֹ. Which futures of “they” are in the lesson, and which is a hitpa’el? → see §G92, §G93
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