words of the living God and everlasting King. All of them are beloved, all of them are pure, all of them are mighty; they all perform with awe and reverence the will of their Creator; they all open their mouth with holiness and purity, with song and melody, while they bless and praise, glorify and reverence, sanctify and acclaim—
The name of the great, mighty and revered God and King; holy is he. They all accept the rule of the kingdom of heaven, one from the other, granting permission to one another to hallow their Creator. In serene spirit, with pure speech and sacred melody, they all exclaim in unison and with reverence:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of his glory.[1]
Then the celestial ofannim and the holy beings, rising with a loud sound toward the seraphim, respond with praise and say:
Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his abode.[2]
To the blessed God they offer melodies; to the King, the living and eternal God, they utter hymns and praises. Truly, he alone performs mighty acts and creates new things; he is a warrior who sows justice, produces triumphs, and creates healing. Revered in renown, Lord of wonders, in his goodness he renews the creation every day, constantly, as it is said: “He makes the great lights; truly, his merey endures forever.” [3] O cause a new light to shine upon Zion, and may we all be worthy soon to enjoy its brightness. Blessed art thou, O Lord, Creator of the lights.
With a great love[4] hast thou loved us, Lord our God; great and abundant mercy hast thou bestowed upon us. Our Father, our King, for the sake of our forebears who trusted in thee, whom thou didst teach laws of life, be gracious to us and teach us likewise. Our Father, merciful Father, thou who art ever compas-
- ↑ Isaiah 6:3
- ↑ Ezekiel 3:12
- ↑ Psalm 136:7
- ↑ אהבה רבה, one of the most beautiful prayers in the liturgies of the world, is very old and was probably instituted by the men of the Great Assembly in the early period of the Second Temple. A profound love for God and the. A profound love for God and the Torah is echoed in this prayer, in which the merciful Father is entreated to enlighten our eyes and our minds to understand his teachings. This is the second of the two blessings preceding the Shema, יוצר אור being the first. As Psalm 19 praises God first for the sun and then for the Torah which enlightens the mind, so have we in these two blessings first a thanksgiving for natural light, then a thanksgiving for spiritual enlightenment. As in the case with all the prayers, occasional variations have been introduced here in the course of many centuries.
