PSALM 114

בֵּצֵאת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרָיִם, בֵּית יַעֲקֹב מֵעַם לֹעֵז: הָיְתָה יְהוּדָה לְקָדְשׁוֹ. יִשְׂרָאֵל מַמְשְׁלוֹתָיו: הַיָּם רָאָה וַיָּנֹס, הַיַּרְדֵּן יִסֹּב לְאָחוֹר: הֶהָרִים רָקְדוּ כְאֵילִים. גְּבָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי–צֹאן:מַה–לְּךָ הַיָּם כִּי תָנוּס. הַיַּרְדֵּן תִּסֹּב לְאָחוֹר: הֶהָרִים תִּרְקְדו כְאֵילִים.  גְּבָעוֹת כִּבְנֵי–צֹאן: מִלִּפְנֵי אָדוֹן חוּלִי אָרֶץ. מִלִּפְנֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעֲקֹב: הַהֹפְכִי הַצּוּר אֲגַם–מָיִם. חַלָּמִישׁ לְמַעְיְנוֹ–מָיִם.

B'tzeit Yisrael mi-Mitzrayim, beit Ya'acov me'am loez: haita y'hudah l'kodsho, Yisrael mamshelovav: Hayam ra'ah vayanos, ha-Yarden yisov l'achor: heharim rakdo k'eilim. G'vaot  kivnei-tzon: mah-lecha hayam ki tanus, ha-Yarden tisov l'achor: heharim tir'kdu ch'eilim, g'vaot kivnei-tzon? Milifnei Adon chuli aretz. Milifnei eloha Ya-akov. Ha-hof'chi ha-tzur agam mayim. Halamish l'maino mayim.


When Israel went forth from Mitzrayim,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange speech,
Judah became God’s holy one,
Israel, God’s dominion.

The sea saw them and fled,
The Jordan ran backward,
Mountains skipped like rams,
Hills like sheep.

What alarmed you, O sea, that you fled,
Jordan, that you ran backward,
Mountains, that you skipped like rams,
Hills, like sheep?

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of Adonai,
At the presence of the God of Jacob,
Who turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flinty rock into a fountain.

****

I thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(I who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

How should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

(—e.e. cummings)

****

From PSALM 118

מִן הַמֵּצַר קָרָאתִי יָּהּ, עָנָנִי בַמֶּרְחָב יָהּ.
Min ha-meitzar karati Yah, anani vamerchav yah.

From the straits I called to You; You answered me with great expansiveness.

עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ, וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה.
Ozi v'zimrat Yah, va-y'hi li li-y'shua.

God is my strength and my song, and will be my salvation.

פִּתְחוּ לִי שַׁעֲרֵי צֶדֶק ,אָבֹא בָם אוֹדֶה יָהּ.
Pitchu li shaarei tzedek, avo vam odeh Yah. 

Open for me the gates of righteousness,  that I may enter and offer praise. 

זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַיְיָ, צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ.
Zeh ha-sha'ar l'Adonai, tzadikim yavo-u vo.

This is the gate of Adonai; righteous people enter through it!

זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה יְיָ, נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ.
Zeh hayom asah Yahh; nahgilah v’nismecha bo. 

This is the day which God has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.


haggadah Section: Hallel
Source: Velveteen Rabbi's Haggadah for Pesach