Exalted and sanctified be His great Name in the world which He created according to His will; and may He rule His Kingdom in your lifetime and in your days, and in the lifetime of the entire House of Yisrael, speedily and in the near future— and say Amein. May His great Name be blessed forever and for all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified, and exalted and uplifted, honored and elevated and extolled be the Name of the Holy One, blessed is He; far above all the blessings and hymns, praises and consolations which we utter in the world—and say Amein. May there be abundant peace from heaven and life for us and for all Yisrael, —and say Amein. He Who makes the peace in His high heavens may He, make peace for us and or all Yisrael, and say, Amein.

On Monday: Today is the second day of the week, on which the Levites used to recite in the Holy Temple: A song, a psalm by the sons of Korach. Adonoy is great and highly extolled in the city of our God, the mountain of His Sanctuary. Beautiful in its panoramic vista, the joy of all the earth is Mount Tziyon, on the northern extremities (of Yerushalayim); the city of the great King. God, in its palaces, has become known as a Stronghold. For behold, the kings assembled, they passed by together. They saw and were astounded, they panicked and fled in haste. Trembling siezed them there, like the pangs of a woman in labor. With an east wind You smashed the ships of Tarshish. As we heard, so we saw in the city of Adonoy of Hosts, in the city of our God; may God establish it for eternity, Selah. We hoped, God, for Your lovingkindness in the midst of Your Sanctuary. As Your Name, God, so is Your praise— to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Let Mount Tziyon rejoice, let the daughters of Judah exult, because of Your judgments. Rally around Tziyon and encircle her, count her towers. Consider well her ramparts, raise high her citadels, that you may recount it to future generations. That this is God, our God forever and ever, He will lead us like children.

On Tuesday: Today is the third day of the week, on which the Levites used to recite in the Holy Temple: A psalm of Assaf. God stands in the congregation of the Almighty, in the midst of the judges He gives judgement. How long will you judge lawlessly and show partiality to the wicked, Selah? Render justice to the lowly and the orphan, deal righteously with the poor and destitute. Rescue the lowly and the needy, save them from the hand of the wicked. They neither know nor understand, they walk along in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I had said “You are godlike beings, all of you sons of the Most High.” Nevertheless, you shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, God, judge the earth, for You will inherit all the nations.

On Thursday: Today is the fifth day of the week, on which the Levites used to recite in the Holy Temple: To Him Who grants victory— upon the Gittis, a psalm of Assaf: Sing joyously to God, our strength, shout for joy to the God of Yaakov. Take up the hymn, sound the drum, the pleasant harp and the lute. Blow the shofar on the Rosh Chodesh, at the appointed time for our festive day. For it is a statute for Yisrael, a [day of] judgement of the God of Yaakov. As a testimony for Yehosef, He ordained it when he went out over the land of Mitzrayim, [where] an unfamiliar language I heard. From the burden, I removed his shoulder, his hands were removed from the cauldron. In distress you called out, and I released you, I answered you [though you called] in secret [I answered you] thunderously; I tested you at the waters of Merivah. Selah. Hear, My people, I will testify about you, Yisrael, if you would just listen to Me. Let no strange god be within you, nor bow before a foreign god. I am Adonoy, your God, Who brought you up from the land of Mitzrayim, open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. But My people did not heed My voice, and Yisrael did not want Me. So I sent them to follow their heart’s desires, let them follow their own devices. If only My people would heed Me, if Yisrael would walk in My ways. I would immediately subdue their enemies, and turn My hand against their tormentors. Those who cause hate of Adonoy deceive [pretend obedience to] Him, but their time (of punishment) will be forever. But He would feed him (Yisrael) from the cream of the wheat, and from the rock, I would sate you with honey.

On Shabbos: Today is the holy Shabbos on which the Levites used to recite in the Holy Temple: A psalm, a song for the Shabbos day. It is good to thank Adonoy, and sing praise to Your Name, Most High. To relate Your kindliness in the morning, and Your faithfulness in the nights. Upon a ten-stringed instrument and lute, in meditation upon the harp. For You have given me joy, Adonoy, with Your deeds, at the work of Your hands I sing joyously. How great are Your works, Adonoy; how infinitely profound are Your thoughts. An empty-headed man cannot know, nor does a fool understand this: When the wicked bloom like grass, and all the evildoers blossom— it is so that they may be destroyed forever. But You will remain on high forever Adonoy, For behold, Your enemies, Adonoy; behold, Your enemies shall perish; dispersed shall be all evildoers. You uplifted my horn like that of a unicorn; I am saturated with fresh oil. My eye has seen [the defeat of] those who spy on me; of the wicked who rise against me, my ears have heard [that they are doomed]. The righteous will blossom like a date palm, like a cedar in Lebanon, he will grow tall. Planted in the House of Adonoy, in the Courtyards of our God they will blossom. They will still be fruitful in old age; they will be full of sap and freshness. To declare that Adonoy is upright; He is my Stronghold; in Whom there is no injustice.

By Dovid: Adonoy is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? Adonoy is the strength⁴⁴ of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers approach me to devour my flesh— my tormentors and my foes they stumble and fall. If an army should encamp against me, my heart would not fear; if war were to rise against me in this⁴⁵ I trust. One thing I request of Adonoy, [only] that shall I seek: that I may dwell⁴⁶ in the House of Adonoy all the days of my life, to behold the pleasantness of Adonoy, and to meditate in His Sanctuary. For He will hide me in His Tabernacle⁴⁷ on the day of distress, He will conceal me in the shelter of His Tent, upon a rock He will lift me. And now my head is raised high above my enemies around me;⁴⁸ and I will offer in His Tent, sacrifices [accompanied] with trumpets of joy; I will sing and chant to Adonoy. Adonoy, hear my voice⁴⁹ when I call; be gracious to me and answer me. Of You, my heart has said, “Seek My Presence”; Your Presence, Adonoy I will seek. Conceal not Your Presence from me, do not turn away Your servant in anger. You have been my help; neither cast me off nor abandon me, God of my deliverance. Altough my father and mother abandon⁵⁰ me, Adonoy will gather me up. Adonoy, teach me Your way, and lead me in the path of uprightness, because of my watchful foes.⁵¹ Do not deliver me to the will of my tormentors, for false witnesses have risen against me, who breathe violence. Had I not believed⁵² that I would see the goodness of Adonoy in the land of living.⁵³ Hope to Adonoy, be strong and He will give you courage; and hope to Adonoy.

footnotes: ⁴⁴ Rav S.R. Hirsch’s translates, “Adonoy is the source of my life’s strength,” thus Dovid declares that Hashem is the fount from which his life derives its power to resist all foes. ⁴⁵ Dovid says that he trusts in the declaration stated in the opening verse, “Adonoy is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”—Rashi, Radak ⁴⁶ The literal translation of שִׁבְתִּי is “my sitting.” The Talmud states that “no man may ‘sit’ in the courtyard of the Temple except for the kings of the House of Dovid.—Maseches Soteh 40b ⁴⁷ The Vilna Gaon comments that the commandment of Succos is implied in this verse and the next. ⁴⁸ Dovid declares, “Because I look up to Hashem in every aspect of my existence, I am so exalted that no enemy can harm me.—S.R. Hirsch ⁴⁹ This verse alludes to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. “Hear my voice,” refers to Rosh Hashana when we sound the shofar. The word “my voice (sound)” refers to the “voice” of the shofar. “When I call” refers to Yom Kippur, about which Yeshaya (55:6) said, “call to Him when He is near.”—Siddur HaGra ⁵⁰ Even if I were so depraved that my own mother and father would abandon me to my own devices, Hashem would still gather me up and believe in my ability to mend my ways.—S.R. Hirsch ⁵¹ His enemies. Dovid asks for Divine help that he be saved even from the mere semblance of wrongdoing so that his foes should not be able to rejoice over his faults.—S.R. Hirsch ⁵² “These false witnesses would have destroyed me had I not believed that I would see the goodness of Hashem in the land of the living.”—Rashi, Radak ⁵³ There are various interpretations of the “Land of the living.” Some hold that it refers to the present world in which we live—Metsudas Tziyon; Ramban holds that it refers to the World-to- Come; and Malbim says that it refers to Eretz Yisroel.