עָלֵינוּ לְשַׁבֵּחַ | Aleinu, interpretive translation by Joshua Gutoff

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=7692

open_content_license: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Date: 2013-10-21

Last Updated: 2024-06-01

Categories: Aleinu

Tags: 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., English Translation, interpretive translation, Late Antiquity, North America, particularism and universalism, Rosh Hashanah, tolerance of difference, על כן נקוה al ken n'qaveh, עלינו Aleinu

Excerpt: A "redemptive translation" of Aleinu emphasizing universalist Jewish values. . . .


Content:
Source (Hebrew) Translation (English)
עָלֵֽינוּ לְשַׁבֵּֽחַ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל
לָתֵת גְּדֻלָּה לְיוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית.‏
שֶׁלֹּא עָשָֽׂנוּ כְּגוֹיֵי הָאֲרָצוֹת
וְלֹא שָׂמָֽנוּ כְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה׃
שֶׁלֹּא שָׂם חֶלְקֵֽנוּ כָּהֶם וְגֹרָלֵֽנוּ כְּכָל הֲמוֹנָם׃‏
[. . .] 
וַאֲנַֽחְנוּ כּוֹרְעִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים
וּמוֹדִים לִפְנֵי מֶֽלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא׃‏
שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֶ֣ה שָׁמַיִם֘ וְיֹסֵ֣ד אָרֶץ֒ (ישעיה נא:יג)‏
וּמוֹשַׁב יְקָרוֹ בַּשָּׁמַֽיִם מִמַּֽעַל וּשְׁכִינַת עֻזּוֹ בְּגָבְהֵי מְרוֹמִים׃‏
הוּא אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ אֵין עוֹד אֱמֶת מַלְכֵּֽנוּ אֶֽפֶס זוּלָתוֹ
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתוֹ:
וְיָֽדַעְתָּ֣ הַיּ֗וֹם וַֽהֲשֵֽׁבֹתָ֘ אֶל־לְבָבֶ֒ךָ֒
כִּ֤י יְהוָֹה֙ ה֣וּא הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם מִמַּ֔עַל
וְעַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ מִתָּ֑חַת אֵ֖ין עֽוֹד: (דברים ד:לט)‏
Ours is to praise the Master of all;
to recognize the greatness of the One who fashioned our beginning.
Not as a nation-state,
nor as a tribe;
but by giving us a particular task, a particular fate:
[. . .][1] [omitting the passage, שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק, וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים אֶל אֵל לֹֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ – built from the two verses, Isaiah 30:7, “For the help of Mitsrayim (Egypt) shall be (הבל וריק) vain and empty …”; and Isaiah 45:20. “… No foreknowledge had they who carry their wooden images (וּמתפּללים אל־אל לא יוֹשׁיע) and pray to a god who cannot give success.” For more, refer to this Wikipedia article. –Aharon Varady, ed.]   
to bow, to bend,
to acknowledge the Authority over all authority,
the Blessed Holy One,
who stretched out the expanse and gathered the substance,[2] Isaiah 51:13   
filling the farthest emptiness and humbling the heights.
This alone is our God, the one true ruler.
As it is written:
“That you may know today and understand this truth:
that Adonai alone is God in the heavens above
and on Earth below; there is none other.”[3] Deuteronomy 4:39  
עַל כֵּן נְקַוֶּה לְּךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ
לִרְאוֹת מְהֵרָה בְּתִפְאֶֽרֶת עֻזֶּֽךָ
לְהַעֲבִיר גִּלּוּלִים מִן הָאָֽרֶץ וְהָאֱלִילִים כָּרוֹת יִכָּרֵתוּן
לְתַקֵּן עוֹלָם בְּמַלְכוּת שַׁדַּי:‏
וְכׇל בְּנֵי בָשָׂר יִקְרְאוּ בִשְׁמֶֽךָ
לְהַפְנוֹת אֵלֶֽיךָ כָּל רִשְׁעֵי אָֽרֶץ:‏
יַכִּֽירוּ וְיֵדְעוּ כָּל יוֹשְׁבֵי תֵבֵל כִּי לְךָ תִּכְרַע כָּל בֶּֽרֶךְ
תִּשָּׁבַע כָּל לָשׁוֹן:‏
לְפָנֶֽיךָ יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ יִכְרְעוּ וְיִפּֽוֹלוּ
וְלִכְבוֹד שִׁמְךָ יְקָר יִתֵּֽנוּ:‏
וִיקַבְּלוּ כֻלָּם ׀ אֶת עֹל מַלְכוּתֶֽךָ
וְתִמְלוֹךְ עֲלֵיהֶם מְהֵרָה לְעוֹלָם וָעֶד:‏
כִּי הַמַּלְכוּת שֶׁלְּךָ הִיא
וּלְעֽוֹלְמֵי עַד תִּמְלוֹךְ בְּכָבוֹד׃‏
כַּכָּתוּב בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ:
יְהוָ֥ה ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ (שמות טו:יח)
And so we put our hope in You, Adonai our God,
to see your power revealed in its beauty,
erasing that which is wicked, that which is false.
To restore Creation under Your nurturing rule;
that all life be able to call upon You,
and even the evil will return to the light.
All who share this earth will see that only to You need we be humble,
only to You need we be loyal.
Then, Adonai our God, all will bow and bend before You,
acknowledging Your name as precious.
All humanity will join in the task You set,
and You will lead all humanity for ever.
For You are the true Ruler,
and will rule gloriously forever.
As the Torah teaches,
“Adonai will rule for all eternity.”[4] Exodus 15:18   
וְנֶאֱמַר:‏
וְהָיָ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה לְמֶ֖לֶךְ עַל־כָּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ
בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה
יְהוָ֛ה אֶחָ֖ד
וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃ (זכריה יד:ט)‏
And it is said:
“And Adonai shall be king over all the earth;
In that day who Adonai is
and how Adonai is called
will be one.”[5] Zechariah 14:9  

Notes

Notes
1 [omitting the passage, שֶׁהֵם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְהֶבֶל וָרִיק, וּמִתְפַּלְּלִים אֶל אֵל לֹֹא יוֹשִׁיעַ – built from the two verses, Isaiah 30:7, “For the help of Mitsrayim (Egypt) shall be (הבל וריק) vain and empty …”; and Isaiah 45:20. “… No foreknowledge had they who carry their wooden images (וּמתפּללים אל־אל לא יוֹשׁיע) and pray to a god who cannot give success.” For more, refer to this Wikipedia article. –Aharon Varady, ed.]
2 Isaiah 51:13
3 Deuteronomy 4:39
4 Exodus 15:18
5 Zechariah 14:9

Contributor: Joshua Gutoff

Co-authors:

Featured Image:
Reeds by Markles55 (CC BY)
Title: Reeds by Markles55 (CC BY)
Caption: "Reeds catch some winter sunlight along the river Tamar on the Devon/Cornwall border" (credit: Markles55, license: CC BY)