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Night Prayer
Tremble,[1] and do not sin; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.[2][3]
ADON OLAM[4]
- He is the eternal Lord who reigned
- Before any being was created.
- At the time when all was made by his will,
- He was at once acknowledged as King.
- And at the end, when all shall cease to be,
- The revered God alone shall still be King.
- He was, he is, and he shall be
- In glorious eternity.
- He is One, and there is no other
- To compare to him, to place beside him.
- He is without beginning, without end;
- Power and dominion belong to him.
- He is my God, my living Redeemer,
- My stronghold in times of distress.
- He is my guide and my refuge,
- My share of bliss the day I call.
- To him I entrust my spirit
- When I sleep and when I wake.
- As long as my soul is with my body[5]
- The Lord is with me; I am not afraid.
- ↑ רגזו fear God; אמרו בלבבכם על משכבכם that is, let the voice of your conscience make itself heard in the silence of the night; ודמו put an end to your striving after vanity and repent.
- ↑ Psalm 4:5.
- ↑ סלה occurs seventy-one times in the book of Psalms. it is derived from סלל (“to lift up”). In Psalm 68:5, the word סלו is used synonymously with שירו and זמרו in the sense of “extol, exalt.” Hence it is safe to assume that סלה was a direction to the singers to raise their voices before certain pauses. In the writings of medieval poets, however, סלה frequently connotes “forever.”
- ↑ אדון עולם treats of God's omnipotence and providence. This noble hymn has been attributed to various poets, particularly to Solomon ibn Gabirol who flourished in Spain during the eleventh century. It has been part of the morning service since the fifteenth century. It is composed of ten lines, each of which consists of twelve syllables. A single rhyme runs through it.
- ↑ ועם רוחי גויתי... conveys the idea expressed in Sifré, section 139: שכל זמן שאדם נתון בחיים, נפשו פקודה ביד קונו... מה, נתונה באוצר.
