Ma Tovu
Encyclopedia
Ma Tovu is a prayer
in Judaism
, expressing reverence and awe for synagogue
s and other places of worship.
The prayer begins with , where Balaam
, sent to curse the Israelites, is instead overcome with awe at God
and the Israelites' houses of worship. Its first line of praise is a quote of Balaam's blessing and is thus the only prayer commonly used in Jewish services
that was written by a non-Jew
. The remainder of the text is derived from passages in Psalms
relating to entering the house of worship and preparation for further prayer . In this vein is the prayer recited by Jews
upon entering the synagogue.
ואני ברב חסדך אבוא ביתך אשתחוה אל היכל קדשך ביראתך. (2 Psalms 5:7
3) .ה׳
אהבתי מעון ביתך, ומקום משכן כבודך Psalms 26:8
ואני אשתחוה ואכרעה, אברכה לפני ה׳
עשי. (4
Psalms 95:6 (adapted)
5) .ואני, תפלתי לך ה׳
, עת רצון, אלהים ברב חסדך, ענני באמת ישעך Psalms 69:14
Va'ani b'rov hasd'kha, avo veytekha,
Eshtahaveh el heikhal kodsh'kha b'yir'atekha.
Adonai ahavti m'on beitekha, um-kom mishkan k'vodekha.
Va'ani eshtahave v'ekhra'a.
Evr'kha lifnei Adonai osi.
Va'ani t'filati l'kha Adonai et ratzon.
Elohim b'rov hasdekha aneini b'emet yish'ekha.
As for me, O God abounding in grace,
I enter your house to worship with awe in Your sacred place.
I love your house, Eternal One, the dwelling-place of Your glory;
humbly I worship You, humbly I seek blessing from God my Maker.
To You, Eternal One, goes my prayer: may this be a time of your favor.
In Your great love, O God, answer me with Your saving truth.
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
in Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, expressing reverence and awe for synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s and other places of worship.
The prayer begins with , where Balaam
Balaam
Balaam is a diviner in the Torah, his story occurring towards the end of the Book of Numbers. The etymology of his name is uncertain, and discussed below. Every ancient reference to Balaam considers him a non-Israelite, a prophet, and the son of Beor, though Beor is not so clearly identified...
, sent to curse the Israelites, is instead overcome with awe at God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
and the Israelites' houses of worship. Its first line of praise is a quote of Balaam's blessing and is thus the only prayer commonly used in Jewish services
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
that was written by a non-Jew
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
. The remainder of the text is derived from passages in Psalms
Psalms
The Book of Psalms , commonly referred to simply as Psalms, is a book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Bible...
relating to entering the house of worship and preparation for further prayer . In this vein is the prayer recited by Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
upon entering the synagogue.
Hebrew text
מה טבו אהליך יעקב, משכנותיך ישראל. (1 Numbers 24:5ואני ברב חסדך אבוא ביתך אשתחוה אל היכל קדשך ביראתך. (2 Psalms 5:7
3) .ה׳
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
אהבתי מעון ביתך, ומקום משכן כבודך Psalms 26:8
ואני אשתחוה ואכרעה, אברכה לפני ה׳
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
עשי. (4
Psalms 95:6 (adapted)
5) .ואני, תפלתי לך ה׳
Tetragrammaton
The term Tetragrammaton refers to the name of the God of Israel YHWH used in the Hebrew Bible.-Hebrew Bible:...
, עת רצון, אלהים ברב חסדך, ענני באמת ישעך Psalms 69:14
Transliteration
Ma tovu ohalekha Ya'akov, mishk'notekha Yisra'el.Va'ani b'rov hasd'kha, avo veytekha,
Eshtahaveh el heikhal kodsh'kha b'yir'atekha.
Adonai ahavti m'on beitekha, um-kom mishkan k'vodekha.
Va'ani eshtahave v'ekhra'a.
Evr'kha lifnei Adonai osi.
Va'ani t'filati l'kha Adonai et ratzon.
Elohim b'rov hasdekha aneini b'emet yish'ekha.
English translation
How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!As for me, O God abounding in grace,
I enter your house to worship with awe in Your sacred place.
I love your house, Eternal One, the dwelling-place of Your glory;
humbly I worship You, humbly I seek blessing from God my Maker.
To You, Eternal One, goes my prayer: may this be a time of your favor.
In Your great love, O God, answer me with Your saving truth.