Mah Tovu (How Good)

None Provided

from Shabbat Morning Liturgy

Hebrew Lyrics

Mah tovu ohalecha Ya'akov, mishkenotecha,
Yisrael!
Va'ani, berov chasdecha avo veitecha,
Eshtachaveh el heichal kodshecha beyiratecha.
Adonai, ahavti me'on beitecha, u'mekom mishkan kevodecha.

Va'ani eshtachaveh ve'echra'a, evrecha lifnei Adonai osi.

Va'ani tefilati lecha, Adonai, et ratzon.
Elohim be'rov chasdecha, aneini be'emet yishecha.

Translation

How good are your tents, people of Jacob, and the places
where you live,
descendents of Israel!

As for me, through Your great compassion, I will
enter Your house.
I will bow towards Your holy sanctuary, in awe of
You. Adonai, I love the
house where You dwell, and the holy place where
Your glory rests.

As for me, I will bow, and I will bend, and I will
kneel before Adonai,
the one who made me.

As for me, may my prayer to You come at an
acceptable moment.
God, in Your great kindness, answer me with the
truth of Your help.

I wish you could hear the way it is sung at Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is sung with an incredibly beautiful melody by Rabbi Joe Black (recording artist) and the talented cantor Jaqueline Schucat-Marx. I've never heard it anywhere else done that way, but I adore it. Call them and ask for a tape, or a sample, why don't you? You'd sell a million of their version! Thanks! Patricia Orosco

Media

Added October 7th, 1999