Psalm 150: Praising Hashem with All of the Vowels

B"H

To find the vowel connected to each Hallelu, just find the vowel comes immediately after word "Hallelu." If a vowel has already been used, find the next available vowel. The last three Hallelu's stand for the three Chatafs. (It might be worth noting that they repeat the word Tziltzeleh (which has three shvahs).

א. הַלְלוּיָהּ

Kamatz

 | הַלְלוּ אֵל בְּקָדְשׁוֹ

Tzerei

 הַלְלוּהוּ בִּרְקִיעַ עֻזּוֹ:

Chirik

ב. הַלְלוּהוּ בִּגְבוּרֹתָיו

Shvah

 הַלְלוּהוּ כְּרֹב גֻּדְלוֹ:

Cholam

ג. הַלְלוּהוּ בְּתֵקַע שׁוֹפָר

Patach

 הַלְלוּהוּ בְּנֵבֶל וְכִנּוֹר:

Segol

ד. הַלְלוּהוּ בְתֹף וּמָחוֹל

Shuruk

 הַלְלוּהוּ בְּמִנִּים וְעֻגָב:

Kubutz

ה. הַלְלוּהוּ בְּצִלְצְלֵי שָׁמַע

Chataf-Kamatz

 הַלְלוּהוּ בְּצִלְצְלֵי תְרוּעָה:

Chataf-Patach

ו. כֹּל הַנְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּל יָהּ הַלְלוּיָהּ:

Chataf-Segol

Introduction to the Aleph-Beit, based on the Zohar

Introduction to the Aleph-Beit, based on the Zohar[1]

Aleph: “the first and the head of all letters, and My uniqueness will be expressed only through you. And you will be the first of all numbers, and all unity of disparate entities will be through you.” [Aleph has the numerical value of 1 and also stands for the Aluphoh Shel Olam, the Master of the World, Hashem.] 

Beit: “initial letter of the word Bracha, blessing, and with it the Holy One is blessed both above and below… the first letter of creation.” [Beit, the second letter, stands for Bayit, home. Midrash Tanchuma teaches that G-d created the world because He desired a dwelling place in the lower realms. The Talmud teaches that Alef Beit together stand for Aluf Binah (learn understanding).]

Gimmel: Gmilut Chassadim, acts of loving kindness.

Dalet: Dal (poor) [Gimmel and Dalet must not become separated from one another.]

Heh: Concealed within the name of Hashem, the Tetragrammaton. They represent feminine qualities. The first Heh in Hashem’s name represents Binah, understanding, and the second Malchut, kingship.  [The letter Heh also is tied to the concept of pregnancy, as it is the first letter in the Hebrew word for it, Herayon.]

Vav: Also concealed in Hashem’s name, representing the six male emotional attributes (Chesed, kindness, through Yesod, foundation). [The Vav, which literally means a "hook," grammatically is a letter that connects and transforms. A Vav preceding a word usually means "and." If that word is a verb, the Vav can transform it from past tense to future tense, or vice-versa.]

Zayin: The Sabbath, the seventh day, and the verse, “Zachor, Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy.” Zayin also means “weapon.”

Chet: Cheit, sin. [Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, in the opening pages of Likutei Moharan, explains that Chet is Chiut (vitality)]

Tet: “Tov veYashar Hashem,” God is good and fair. This good must remain hidden until the World to Come. Teviah, sinking. Also forms the word Chet, sin, when together with the letter Chet. [Tet also means snake in Aramaic, which represents desire, as well as physicality in general.]

Yud: Beginning of Hashem’s Holy Name. Yud symbolizes the male intellectual attribute of Chochmah, wisdom. [Yud represents spirituality. It is simply a dot on the page. The Heavens are said to have been created with the letter Yud. ]

Caf: Kissei HaKavod, the Throne of Glory, and represents Hashem’s Kavod, glory, in general. Also the first letter of Kliyah, destruction. Numerical equivalent of two Yud’s, “representing the Jew’s service of G-d, by which he elicits a corresponding response.” [Caf is also the first letter of the word Keter, crown, which in Kabbalah is connected to those aspects of the soul that are above intellect: Emunah (faith), Ta'anug (pleasure), and Ratzon (desire). Caf also means the palm of the hand, or a spoon, both of which are slightly bent in order to serve as a receptacle, a Kli (which is also with the letter Caf).]

Lamed: Second letter of the word Melech, King. [Lamed also means Limmud, study. The Lamed is particularly connected with the Oral Torah, the part of the Torah which was never intended to be written down, but instead was transmitted orally from teacher to student.

Mem: Melech, King. [Mem also stands for Mayim, water, and has the numerical value of 40; the minimum size of a kosher Mikveh. Em (Alef Mem), means "mother."]

Nun: Norah Tehilot, Na’avah Tehillah, awesome to praise, inspiring song; Nefillah, fall. [Nun also means "fish" in Aramaic, and, along with the Heh, also represents the Divine attribute of Malchut, kingship]

Samech: Somech Noflim, supporting those that are falling [Its shape is a circle, and stands for the different highs and lows of life.]

Ayin: Anavah, humility. Avon, transgression. [Ayin means "eye," as well as "well," "fountain," "spring." The eye is known as the "window to the soul," shedding light on a person's inner dimension. Similarly, a wellspring represents the revelation of the hidden, inner spiritual aspects of the earth, its deeper waters.]

Peh: Pedut, redemption; Pesha, deliberate transgression. [Peh literally means "mouth."] 

Tzadi: Tzaddik, saint (comprised of a Yud and a bent Nun, representing male and female, and also represents a servant of Hashem engaged in prayer)

Kuf: [Kuf is the first letter of Kadosh, holy. Kof literally means monkey, representing unholiness, Klippah, which imitates the holy.]

Reish: [Rosh, head; but also Rash, (poor), Rasha, evil person; Kuf and Resh together spell Kar, cold]

Shin: First letter of the Holy Name, Sh-D-Y, and associated with the three Patriarchs. Together with Reish and Kuf forms Sheker. Kesher means “knot.” [Esh, Alef Shin, means "fire."]

Tav: Concluding letter of Emet, truth. Used to mark the foreheads of mean of faith who had fulfilled the Torah from Aleph to Tav, beginning to end. The tav was also used to mark the head of wicked and punished by death. Final letter of Mavet, death.

Caf Sofit: Third letter of the word, Melech, king [The Caf Sophit is "a long straight letter, indicat[es] that one who succeeds in bending his primitive impulses and controlling them... (Munk)]

Mem Sofit: [While the regular "open" Mem is connected to the revealed aspects of Creation and of the Torah, the Mem Sofit is "sealed," representing that which is hidden and concealed. It is also a reference the final redeemer Mashiach, while the regular Mem is a reference to the first redeemer, Moshe.]

Nun Sofit: [While the regular Nun is bent, the final Nun is an unbounded straight line, reaching even below the "resting place" of the regular letters. (Ginsburgh) The final Nun represents Mashiach's ability to infuse even the lowliest of realms with G-dliness. The final Nun also has the shape of an extended vav, which stands for uprightness.]

Peh Sofit: [The final Peh symbolizes a mouth that is wide open. Similar to the final Nun, the long downward "leg" of the final Peh appears to represent Mashiach's ability to infuse even the lowliest of realms with the revelation of G-dliness.]

Tzadi Sofit: the Tzadik Sofit represents the Ba'al Teshuvah.  It represents someone who went far below in order to then climb back up. Moshe, "bent" in humility, is the quintessential Tzadik. The Tzadi Sofit, the "end Tzadik," is a reference to Mashiach. Mashiach will elevate even the lowest of realms. When Mashiach comes, even Tzadikim will do Teshuvah.

---

[1]  Zohar I, 2b ff. Selections translated and annotated by Moshe Miller, Fiftieth Gate Publications and Seminars, pp. 75 – 84. Information that is in brackets [ ], is based on other sources. 

Book of Lamentations, Chapter 5 Acrostic

Chapter 5 of Lamentations works as an acrostic if you take the three verses that begin with 'Al, עַל , and apply them as above for the letter Gimmel, Dalet and Samech (which is an exception). Furthermore, for the letter Tet, take the first letter of the second word in verse 13. Also, for those verses for which the first letter appears in more than one verse, use only one verse and take the second letter of the remaining verses.


7. Our fathers have sinned and are no more, and we have borne their iniquities.
ז. אֲבֹתֵינוּ חָטְאוּ וְאֵינָם וַאֲנַחְנוּ עֲו‍ֹנֹתֵיהֶם סָבָלְנוּ:

9. With our lives we bring our bread, because of the sword of the wilderness.
ט. בְּנַפְשֵׁנוּ נָבִיא לַחְמֵנוּ מִפְּנֵי חֶרֶב הַמִּדְבָּר:

5. We are pursued [with a yoke] on our necks; we toil but it does not remain with us.
ה. עַל צַוָּארֵנוּ נִרְדָּפְנוּ יָגַעְנוּ וְלֹא הוּנַּח לָנוּ:

17. For this our heart has become faint, for these things our eyes have grown dim.
יז. עַל זֶה הָיָה דָוֶה לִבֵּנוּ עַל אֵלֶּה חָשְׁכוּ עֵינֵינוּ:

21. Restore us to You, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old.
כא. הֲשִׁיבֵנוּ יְהֹוָה | אֵלֶיךָ וְנָשׁוּבָה חַדֵּשׁ יָמֵינוּ כְּקֶדֶם:

10. Our skin is parched as by a furnace because of the heat of hunger.
י. עוֹרֵנוּ כְּתַנּוּר נִכְמָרוּ מִפְּנֵי זַלְעֲפוֹת רָעָב:

1. Recall, O Lord, what has befallen us; behold and see our disgrace.
א. זְכֹר יְהֹוָה מֶה הָיָה לָנוּ הַבִּיטָה וּרְאֵה אֶת חֶרְפָּתֵנוּ:

2. Our heritage has been turned over to strangers, our houses to aliens.
ב. נַחֲלָתֵנוּ נֶהֶפְכָה לְזָרִים בָּתֵּינוּ לְנָכְרִים:

13. Young men carried the millstones, [and] youths stumbled under [loads of] wood.
יג. בַּחוּרִים טְחוֹן נָשָׂאוּ וּנְעָרִים בָּעֵץ כָּשָׁלוּ:

3. We have become orphans and fatherless, our mothers are like widows.
ג. יְתוֹמִים הָיִינוּ וְאֵין אָב אִמֹּתֵינוּ כְּאַלְמָנוֹת:

22. For if You have utterly rejected us, You have [already] been exceedingly wroth against us.
כב. כִּי אִם מָאֹס מְאַסְתָּנוּ קָצַפְתָּ עָלֵינוּ עַד מְאֹד:

20. Why do You forget us forever, forsake us so long?
כ. לָמָּה לָנֶצַח תִּשְׁכָּחֵנוּ תַּעַזְבֵנוּ לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים:

4. Our water we have drunk for payment; our wood needs must come by purchase.
ד. מֵימֵינוּ בְּכֶסֶף שָׁתִינוּ עֵצֵינוּ בִּמְחִיר יָבֹאוּ:

11. They have outraged women in Zion [and] maidens in the cities of Judah.
יא. נָשִׁים בְּצִיּוֹן עִנּוּ בְּתֻלֹת בְּעָרֵי יְהוּדָה:

18. For Mount Zion, which was desolate; foxes prowled over it.
יח. עַל הַר צִיּוֹן שֶׁשָּׁמֵם שׁוּעָלִים הִלְּכוּ בוֹ:

8. Slaves rule over us, [and] there is none to deliver [us] from their hand.
ח. עֲבָדִים מָשְׁלוּ בָנוּ פֹּרֵק אֵין מִיָּדָם:

16. The crown of our head has fallen, woe to us, for we have sinned.
טז. נָפְלָה עֲטֶרֶת רֹאשֵׁנוּ אוֹי נָא לָנוּ כִּי חָטָאנוּ:

6. We have stretched out our hands to Egypt [and to] Assyria to get enough food.
ו. מִצְרַיִם נָתַנּוּ יָד אַשּׁוּר לִשְׂבֹּעַ לָחֶם:

14. The elders have ceased from the [city] gate, the young men from their music.
יד. זְקֵנִים מִשַּׁעַר שָׁבָתוּ בַּחוּרִים מִנְּגִינָתָם:

12. Princes were hanged by their hands, elders were not shown respect.
יב. שָׂרִים בְּיָדָם נִתְלוּ פְּנֵי זְקֵנִים לֹא נֶהְדָּרוּ:

15. The joy of our heart has ceased, our dancing has turned into mourning.
טו. שָׁבַת מְשׂוֹשׂ לִבֵּנוּ נֶהְפַּךְ לְאֵבֶל מְחוֹלֵנוּ:

19. [But] You, O Lord, remain forever; Your throne endures throughout the generations.
יט. אַתָּה יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם תֵּשֵׁב כִּסְאֲךָ לְדוֹר וָדוֹר:

Nachum Acrostic

B”H

In the first half of the first chapter of Nachum, half an acrostic can be easily identified.  The second half requires changing verses around and also focusing on when letters are repeated at the beginning of the sentence.


א. מַשָּׂא נִינְוֵה סֵפֶר חֲזוֹן נַחוּם הָאֶלְקֹשִׁי:

1. The harsh prophecy concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

ב. אֵל קַנּוֹא וְנֹקֵם יְהֹוָה נֹקֵם יְהֹוָה

2. The Lord is a jealous and vengeful God

וּבַעַל חֵמָה נֹקֵם יְהֹוָה לְצָרָיו וְנוֹטֵר הוּא לְאֹיְבָיו ג. יְהֹוָה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם:

and is full of wrath; the Lord avenges Himself upon His adversaries, and He bears a grudge against His enemies.  3. The Lord is slow to anger

 וּגְדָל כֹּחַ וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה יְהֹוָה בְּסוּפָה וּבִשְׂעָרָה

and great in power, but He will surely not acquit; the Lord-[His way] is with a tempest and with a storm and cloud is the dust of His feet.

 דַּרְכּוֹ וְעָנָן אֲבַק רַגְלָיו ד. גּוֹעֵר בַּיָּם וַיַּבְּשֵׁהוּ וְכָל:

His way; and cloud is the dust of His feet.  4. He rebukes the sea and dries it up, and He has dried up (and) all...

 הַנְּהָרוֹת הֶחֱרִיב אֻמְלַל בָּשָׁן וְכַרְמֶל וּפֶרַח לְבָנוֹן אֻמְלָל:

the rivers; Bashan and Carmel are cut off, and the blossoms of the Lebanon are cut off

 ה. הָרִים רָעֲשׁוּ מִמֶּנּוּ וְהַגְּבָעוֹת הִתְמֹגָגוּ

5. Mountains quaked because of him and the hills melted,

וַתִּשָּׂא הָאָרֶץ מִפָּנָיו וְתֵבֵל וְכָל יוֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ:

and the land raised up from before Him-and the inhabited earth and all who dwell thereon.

 ו. לִפְנֵי זַעְמוֹ מִי יַעֲמוֹד וּמִי יָקוּם בַּחֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ

6. Who can stand before His fury and who can rise amidst His wrath?

 חֲמָתוֹ נִתְּכָה כָאֵשׁ וְהַצֻּרִים נִתְּצוּ מִמֶּנּוּ:

His wrath has reached [the earth] like fire, and the rocks have been broken up by Him.

 ז. טוֹב יְהֹוָה לְמָעוֹז בְּיוֹם צָרָה וְיֹדֵעַ חֹסֵי בוֹ ח. וּבְשֶׁטֶף עֹבֵר כָּלָה:

7. The Lord is good-yea, a stronghold on a day of trouble- and is cognizant of those who trust in Him. 8. But, with an overrunning flood...

 יַעֲשֶׂה מְקוֹמָהּ וְאֹיְבָיו יְרַדֶּף חֹשֶׁךְ ט. מַה תְּחַשְּׁבוּן אֶל יְהֹוָה:

He shall make a full end of its place, and darkness shall pursue His enemies. 9. What do you think of the Lord?
 כָּלָה הוּא עֹשֶׂה לֹא תָקוּם פַּעֲמַיִם צָרָה :

He will make a full end; the trouble will not rise twice.

לֹא יִזָּרַע מִשִּׁמְךָ עוֹד

No more [offspring] of your name shall be sown;

מָלֵא יא. מִמֵּךְ יָצָא חֹשֵׁב עַל יְהֹוָה:

fully ripe. 11. From you has emanated one who plots evil against the Lord,

מֹטֵהוּ מֵעָלָיִךְ וּמוֹסְרֹתַיִךְ אֲנַתֵּק:

his yoke from you, and I will rend your bonds asunder.

  וְכֵן רַבִּים וְכֵן נָגוֹזּוּ:

-and likewise many-and likewise they have crossed

י. כִּי עַד סִירִים סְבֻכִים וּכְסָבְאָם סְבוּאִים אֻכְּלוּ כְּקַשׁ יָבֵשׁ

10. For, while the thorns are entangled and the drunkards are drinking, they are consumed like dry stubble,

וְעָבָר וְעִנִּתִךְ לֹא אֲעַנֵּךְ עוֹד יג. וְעַתָּה אֶשְׁבֹּר

and passed over, I will no longer afflict you. 13. And now I will break off...

פֶּסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה אָשִׂים

a graven image and a molten image; I will make

יד. וְצִוָּה עָלֶיךָ יְהֹוָה

14. And the Lord shall command concerning you;

קִבְרֶךָ כִּי קַלּוֹתָ:

your grave, for you have become worthless.

 רָעָה יֹעֵץ בְּלִיָּעַל יב. כֹּה | אָמַר יְהֹוָה:

 one who counsels wickedness. 12. So said the Lord:

אִם שְׁלֵמִים

Though they be at peace...

 מִבֵּית אֱלֹהֶיךָ אַכְרִית

from the house of your god I will cut off

The 70 Souls of Israel, the 70 Nations of the World, and the Jewish Calendar

In honor of the passing of Maran, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, of Blessed Memory, on the day of this writing:

As already mentioned in the introduction to Book 5, there is an interesting parallel between the 70 souls of the Jewish people that descended to Egypt and the calendar. Leah's children are seven in total, six men (the first six sefirot/ the first six days of the week) and one female (malchut, Shabat).

The counting of the omer/ weeks of the year. Leah children and grandchildren are 33 in total, including Yocheved, the hidden descendant. (See Rashi). Bilhah's (Leah's maidservant) descendants are 16, bringing the total number to 49. Dina again plays a special role, she's number 33, like Lag Ba'omer.

Book 4b then included Rachel, Joseph and Binyamin (which are mentioned next in the verse in Vayigash) as parallel to the weeks of Pessach/Shavuot, weeks 50, 51 and 52. (See Introduction to Book 1 as to why the last three weeks of the year represent the end of one cycle as well as the beginning of the next).

The remaining descendants of Rachel, her grandchildren, are 12 in total, and appear to parallel the months of the year. This would follow the notion that Joseph's progeny were supposed to parallel Jacob's, and it is well known that each of Jacob's sons, the Tribes, represent a month of the year. Because of the test Joseph faced with Potiphar's wife, he ended up having only two sons instead of twelve. However, not by coincidence, Benjamin has ten sons, all named after Joseph. 

Zilpah's descendants are seven in total, like Leah's children, one for each day of the week. 49 (52), 12, and 7 are the numbers most associated with the months, weeks, and days of the calendar. 

The listing of the 70 souls that descended to Egypt is in Chapter 46 of Genesis, which can be found here:

http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/showrashi/false/aid/8241/jewish/Chapter-46.htm 

There also appears to be a parallel between the 70 souls that descended to Egypt and the nations of the world, which we read about in this week's portion. Verse 8 in Haazinu states: "When the Most High gave  nations their lot, when He separated the sons of man, He set up the boundaries of peoples according to the number of the children of Israel." This is also mentioned in the Zohar, Shemot 5)[1]

- The sons of Japheth are 7, which parallel the children of Leah (or the descendants of Zilpah).

- The grandchildren of Japheth are also 7, which also parallel the children of Leah (or the descendants of Zilpah).

- The descendants of Shem are 26, which parallel the grandchildren of Leah.

- The descendants of Ham are 30, which parallel the descendants of Rachel (14) plus those of Bilhah (16). 

Below is Chapter 10 of Bereshit, with numbers added by the descendants: 

1. And these are the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and sons were born to them after the Flood.  

2. The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal, and Meshech and Tiras. (Sons of Japheth: 7)

3. And the sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. (3)

4. And the sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim. (4)

(Descendants of Japheth: 14)

6. And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. (Sons of Ham: 4)

7. And the sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabta and Raamah and Sabtecha, and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. (7)

8. And Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty man in the land. 

(...)

13. And Mizraim begot the Ludim and the Anamim and the Lehabim and the Naphtuhim,

14. And the Pathrusim and the Casluhim, from whom the Philistines emerged, and the Caphtorim. (7)  

15. And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn and Heth.

16. And the Jebusites and the Amorites and the Girgashites.

17. And the Hivvites and the Arkites and the Sinites.

18. and the Arvadites and the Zemarites and the Hamathites, and afterwards the families of the Canaanites were scattered. (11)

(Descendants of Ham: 30)

22. The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. (Sons of Shem: 5) 23. And the sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. (4)

24. And Arpachshad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. (2)

25. And to Eber were born two sons: one was named Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan. (2)

26. And Joktan begot Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah.

27. And Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah.  

28. And Obal and Abimael and Sheba.  

29. And Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. (13)

(Descendants of Shem: 26)

The following is a link to Chapter 10 of Genesis: http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/8174

Observation: Interestingly, Nimrod is usually not included in the counting of the nations of the world. Instead "Plishtim," the Philistines are included. If one groups the Philistines with Canaan instead of  Mizraim (after all, historically they dwelt in the Land of Canaan), then the 30 descendants of Ham can be further subdivided int two groups:

- Put, Canaan and their descendants (including Plishtim) total 14, which parallel the descendants of Rachel.

- Cush, Mizraim and their descendants (not including Plishtim) are 16, which parallel the descendants of Bilhah.

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[1] http://www.chabad.org/kabbalah/article_cdo/aid/1381811/jewish/Included-in-the-Seventy.htm