תהלים קמ״ב | Psalms 142, a maskil with translations in English and Arabic

Contributor(s):

Ephraim Mirvis, Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations and David ben Yishai (traditional attribution)

Shared on:

16 June 2014 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Tehilim Book 5 (Psalms 107–150), Slavery & Captivity

Tags:

21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., abduction, Arabic translation, Maskil, Psalms 142, גאולה geūlah (redemption)

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)	Translation (Arabic)
מַשְׂכִּיל לְדָוִד, בִּהְיוֹתוֹ בַמְּעָרָה תְפִלָּה׃	A prayer by David at a time of enlightenment, written when he was hiding in the cave.	قصة لداوود عليه السلام عندما كان مختبئاً في المغارة. صلاة: من خلال صلاتي إلى الرب،
קוֹלִי אֶל יְהוָה אֶזְעָק, קוֹלִי אֶל יְהוָה אֶתְחַנָּן׃ אֶשְׁפֹּךְ לְפָנָיו שִׂיחִי, צָרָתִי לְפָנָיו אַגִּיד׃	My voice calls out to YHVH, my voice begs my YHVH to listen. I pour out my words before Hashem to tell of all my troubles.	أصرخ بصوتي إلى الرب بشكواي، راجياً أن يسمعني، وأحدثه بضيقي. أنت أعلم بمسلكي – في كل طريقٍ أسلكها، ينصبوا لي فخاً -.
בְּהִתְעַטֵּף עָלַי רוּחִי וְאַתָּה יָדַֽעְתָּ נְתִיבָתִי, בְּאֹֽרַח זוּ אֲהַלֵּךְ טָמְנוּ פַח לִי׃ הַבֵּיט יָמִין וּרְאֵה וְאֵין לִי מַכִּיר, אָבַד מָנוֹס מִמֶּֽנִּי אֵין דּוֹרֵשׁ לְנַפְשִׁי׃ זָעַקְתִּי אֵלֶֽיךָ יְהוָה אָמַֽרְתִּי אַתָּה מַחְסִי, חֶלְקִי בְּאֶֽרֶץ הַחַיִּֽים׃ הַקְשִֽׁיבָה אֶל רִנָּתִי כִּי דַלּֽוֹתִי מְאֹד, הַצִּילֵֽנִי מֵרֹדְפַי כִּי אָמְצוּ מִמֶּֽנִּי׃ הוֹצִֽיאָה מִמַּסְגֵּר נַפְשִׁי לְהוֹדוֹת אֶת שְׁמֶֽךָ, בִּי יַכְתִּֽרוּ צַדִּיקִים כִּי תִגְמֹל עָלָי׃	When my soul wraps itself around me protectively, you know my path – on every road I take they lay traps for me. Look to the right and see – I don’t recognize anyone; I have lost all avenues of escape, no one is looking for me. I call out to you, YHVH, I say you are my protector, my portion is still in the land of the living. Listen to my prayer for my calamity is boundless; rescue me from my pursuers who are so much mightier than me. Take my soul out of bondage so that it can thank your name; the righteous will crown themselves with me when you act with benevolence towards me.	عندما تلتف روحي في داخلي حولي من أجل الحماية، ألتفتُ إلى يميني فلا أجدُ من يهتم لأمري أو يحميني. فقدتُ كل طرقِ الهرب. لم يبق لي ملاذٌ أو من يسألُ عني سواك. أدعوك يا ربي قائلاً أنت ملجأي. ما زال لي نصيبٌ في أرض الأحياء، فأرجوك أن تُصغِ إلى دعائي لأنني قد تذللتُ كثيراً. أنقذني من مضطهديني فهم أشدُ بأساً مني. فرّج عني محنتي لِتُسَّبِحَ روحي بإسمك فيلتفُ الصدّيقون من حولي ثواباً لي منك.
מִי שֶׁבֵּרַךְ לְפִדְיוֹן שְׁבוּיִם	Mi Sheberakh for Redeeming Captives

Ephraim Mirvis

Ephraim Mirvis (born 1956) is an Orthodox rabbi who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Traditionally the post has entailed that he also serves as the head of all British Jews as the Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Ireland between 1985 and 1992. (via his Wikipedia article)

Office of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations

The Office of the Chief Rabbi is the institutional identity for the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth [UK]. Unlike in other European countries, individuals serving as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations are not formally designated by an authoritative state or civic body. Rather, the "office" is occupied by the senior rabbi of the United Synagogue, the umbrella institution for its affiliated Orthodox and Ashkenazi synagogues in the United Kingdom. The position of Chief Rabbi in the UK grew out of an 18th century desire among British Jewry for a respected representative figure comparable to the Archbishop of Canterbury for Anglican Christians. Rabbi Aaron Hart (1670–1756), rabbi of the Great Synagogue in London since 1704, was thus regarded by the 1750s as the first of the British chief rabbis. Over the next century and as British Jewry continued to grow, by the tenure of Rabbi Nathan Marcus Adler (from 1845-1890) the communal leadership and halakhic authority of the position had become firmly established. When in 1870, the Great Synagogue joined with four other synagogues, and was formally recognized as the United Synagogue by an Act of Parliament, the Chief Rabbi was legally established as its head. The current chief rabbi of the UHC and senior rabbi of the United Synagogue is Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis. (The Office of the Chief Rabbi should not be mistaken for the London Beit Din, the Court of the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations.)

David ben Yishai (traditional attribution)

David ben Yishai was the second king of the United Kingdom of Israel and Judah, reigning ca. 1010–970 BCE. While almost half of the Psalms are headed "l'David" and tradition identifies several with specific events in David’s life (e.g., Psalms № 3, 7, 18, 34, 51, 52, 54, 56, 57, 59, 60, 63 and 142), most scholars consider these headings to be late additions and that no psalm can be attributed to David with certainty. 1 Samuel 16:15-18 describes David as a skillful harp (lyre) player and "the sweet psalmist of Israel."

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

2018-06-14 at 11:26 pm · Reply.

In the event of the abduction of three Jewish Israeli teenagers in 2014, ( גיל־עד מיכאל בן בת גלים (שעאר)‏ | Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim, יעקב נפתלי בן רחל דבורה (פרנקל)‏ | Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel Devorah, and אייל בן איריס תשורה (יפרח)‏ | Eyal ben Iris Teshurah), two of which were students of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s Mekor Haim Yeshiva High School in Jerusalem, Rav Steinsaltz wrote:

The kidnapping of our students is a shocking, painful and frightening event. In a time and place that had seemed to us quiet and serene, we have been thrown into an event that we can do nothing to resolve.
Perhaps we are better off than in past times, when we were totally unable even to attempt rescue and deliverance. We are grateful to the Israel Defense Forces for all their efforts.
Still we, the families, the friends and the teachers of the kidnapped boys are standing with “idle hands” (Ecclesiastes 10:18.) All we have left now is to turn to our Father in Heaven and plead. We do not despair because we doubt our Heavenly Father. Rather we feel helpless because, “God is in Heaven and you are upon earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:1).
Thus, we can never know the extent our pleas and cries reach Heaven — and also have some effect here, on earth. What we can do – and this has been the Jewish way from time immemorial – is to add more holiness and learn more Torah. If we can, each of us should take upon ourselves something additional, no matter how small, especially and explicitly devoted for the sake and well-being of the missing boys.
Furthermore, we Jews have always been accustomed to reciting the Psalms, and we certainly ought to do more of this, especially two psalms that seem to me most relevant: Psalms 142 and 143, chapters that literally deal with our plight. We pray also for the safety of those who are working toward their rescue.
May it be God’s will that in their merit, and for the merit of their suffering, together with our prayers and good deeds, we shall soon see our boys returned to us, God willing, safe and sound.
Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz

Prayers and Mitzvot for the Three Israeli Youth in Captivity | Hardcore Mesorah

2014-06-18 at 11:34 am · Reply.

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