תהלים ל׳ | Psalms 30 by David (interpretive translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=16071

Date: 2017-07-23

Last Updated: 2025-03-27

Categories: Tehilim Book 1 (Psalms 1–41), Ḥanukkah

Tags: devotional interpretation, English Translation, interpretive translation, Jewish Renewal, Liturgical customs of Kabbalists, North America, Openers, Psalms 30, Uva Letsiyon, מוצאי שבת Motsei Shabbat, תהלים Psalms

Excerpt: This is an English translation of Psalms 30 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z"l, first published in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). The translation was set side-by-side with the original Hebrew by Aharon Varady. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
מִזְמ֡וֹר שִׁיר־חֲנֻכַּ֖ת הַבַּ֣יִת לְדָוִֽד׃	A Psalm for A Housewarming, Composed by David
ב אֲרוֹמִמְךָ֣ יְ֭הוָה כִּ֣י דִלִּיתָ֑נִי וְלֹא־שִׂמַּ֖חְתָּ אֹיְבַ֣י לִֽי׃ ג יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהָ֑י שִׁוַּ֥עְתִּי אֵ֝לֶ֗יךָ וַתִּרְפָּאֵֽנִי׃ ד יְֽהוָ֗ה הֶֽעֱלִ֣יתָ מִן־שְׁא֣וֹל נַפְשִׁ֑י חִ֝יִּיתַ֗נִי מיורדי־[מִיָּֽרְדִי־] בֽוֹר׃	2 I acclaim You, my God. You set me free So that my foes Could not gloat at my troubles. 3 Yah, my God, I pleaded with You. You healed me.  4 Yah, you lifted me from the pit; From the brink of the grave You brought me back to Life.
ה זַמְּר֣וּ לַיהוָ֣ה חֲסִידָ֑יו וְ֝הוֹד֗וּ לְזֵ֣כֶר קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃	5 Fellow devotees! Join me in my song.  Remembering what is sacred,  Let’s give thanks.
ו כִּ֤י רֶ֨גַע ׀ בְּאַפּוֹ֮ חַיִּ֪ים בִּרְצ֫וֹנ֥וֹ בָּ֭עֶרֶב יָלִ֥ין בֶּ֗כִי וְלַבֹּ֥קֶר רִנָּֽה׃	6 For a moment, I felt You angry, Then I felt Life and acceptance. Though weeping as I fell asleep, I woke up singing.
ז וַ֭אֲנִי אָמַ֣רְתִּי בְשַׁלְוִ֑י בַּל־אֶמּ֥וֹט לְעוֹלָֽם׃ ח יְֽהוָ֗ה בִּרְצוֹנְךָ֮ הֶעֱמַ֪דְתָּה לְֽהַרְרִ֫י עֹ֥ז הִסְתַּ֥רְתָּ פָנֶ֗יךָ הָיִ֥יתִי נִבְהָֽל׃	8a You, Yah, made my mountain firm, 7 I thought I was safe; That I won’t ever stumble.   8b But when You hid your Face from me,  I panicked.
ט אֵלֶ֣יךָ יְהוָ֣ה אֶקְרָ֑א וְאֶל־אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י אֶתְחַנָּֽן׃ י מַה־בֶּ֥צַע בְּדָמִי֮ בְּרִדְתִּ֪י אֶ֫ל־שָׁ֥חַת הֲיוֹדְךָ֥ עָפָ֑ר הֲיַגִּ֥יד אֲמִתֶּֽךָ׃ יא שְׁמַע־יְהוָ֥ה וְחָנֵּ֑נִי יְ֝הוָה הֱ‍ֽיֵה־עֹזֵ֥ר לִֽי׃	9 I call to You, Yah!  I plead with You, Adonai! 10 What use is there in my death To go down to ruin? Can dust appreciate You? Can it discern Your Truth? 11 Listen, Yah! Be kind to me! Yah, Please help me.
יב הָפַ֣כְתָּ מִסְפְּדִי֮ לְמָח֪וֹל לִ֥י פִּתַּ֥חְתָּ שַׂקִּ֑י וַֽתְּאַזְּרֵ֥נִי שִׂמְחָֽה׃ יג לְמַ֤עַן ׀ יְזַמֶּרְךָ֣ כָ֭בוֹד וְלֹ֣א יִדֹּ֑ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י לְעוֹלָ֥ם אוֹדֶֽךָּ׃	12 You turned my grieving Into a dance of reconcilation. You took off my rags And wrapped me in joy. 13 Now, Your Glory is my song. I won’t hold back. Yah, my God, I will ever be grateful!

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This English translation of Psalms 30 by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi z”l, was first published in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). Versification by Aharon Varady.

Psalms 30 is the psalm for the days of Ḥanukkah. In the daily prayers, this psalm is often recited in the morning prayers just before the Pesukei Dezimra, appearing in siddurim in the context of messianic aspirations during the 17th century. Psalms 30:12 is found in the prayers recited following Motsei Shabbat Maariv. Psalms 30:13 is part of the prayer, “Uva Letzion.”

Source

Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)
  Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi-translation
• 
  Name: David ben Yishai (traditional attribution)
  Bio: 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."
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/david-ben-yishai
• 
  Name: the Masoretic Text
  Bio: The Masoretic Text is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the Tanakh for Karaite and Rabbinic Judaism. It was primarily copied, edited and distributed by a group of Jews known as the Masoretes between the 7th and 10th centuries CE. The Masoretic Text defines the Jewish canon and its precise letter-text, with its vocalization and accentuation known as the Masorah.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masoretic_Text
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/mesorah

Featured Image:

Title: Israel-2013-Jerusalem-Temple_Mount-Dome_of_the_Rock-Detail_01
Caption: Dome of the Rock (Arabic: مسجد قبة الصخرة‎, Hebrew: כיפת הסלע), (NE facade, panel detail with ceramic tiles on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. The tiles were added as part of the redecoration of the building ordered by Sultan Suleyman who sent a group of tile-makers from Istanbul to Jerusalem. They were led by Abdullah Tabrizi who signed the cut-tile inscription at the top of the drum with the date 952 AH/AD 1545-6 and the inscription above the north porch with the date 959 AH/AD 1551-2. The tile-makers used a range of techniques, including cut-tile work, cuerda seca, and under-glaze. (credit: Godot13, license: CC BY-SA)