Chapter 2

Amar rabbi eli'ezer, kol ha'osek beperek shirah ba'olam hazeh zocheh ve'omerah le'olam habba shenne'emar az yashir mosheh – shar lo ne'emar ella yashir la'olam habba.

ve'amar rabbi kol ha'osek beperek shirah ba'olam hazeh ma'id ani alav shehu ben olam habba venitzol miyetzer hara umiddin kasheh umissatan hamashchit umikkal minei mazikin umechevlo shel mashiach umiddinah shel geihinom vezocheh lilmod ulelamed lishmor vela'asot ulekayeim vetalmudo mekayeim beyado uma'arich yamim vezocheh lechayei olam habba.

(yalkut shimoni, sof tehilim) ameru rabboteinu zl al david hamelech h besha'ah shessiyeim sefer tehilim zachah da'atto alav. Amar lifnei hakadosh baruch hu yesh beri'ah shebbarata be'olmcha she'omeret shirot vetishbachot yoter mimeni? be'otah sha'ah nizdamnah lo tzefardea achat ve'amerah lo, david! al tazzuach da'techa aleicha, she'ani omeret shirot vetishbachot yoter mimmeka. Velo od ella kol shirah she'ani omeret memashelet aleiha sheloshet alafim mashal shenne'emar (malachim 1 ch5 v12) vaydabber sheloshet alafim mashal vayhi shiro chamishah va'alef. Velo od ella she'ani oseket bemitzvah gedolah, vezu hi hammitzvah she'ani oseket bah – yesh bisfat hayam min echad she'ein parnasato ki im min hamayim uvesha'ah shehu ra'ev noteleni ve'ocheleni lekayeim mah shene'emar (mishle ch 25 v.21-22) im ra'ev sona'acha ha'achilehu lechem ve'im tzamei hashkehu mayim ki gechalim attah choteh al rosho vaAdo-naï yeshallem lacha al tikrei yeshallem lach ella yashlimehu lach.

Yom omer. Yom leyom yabbia omer velaylah lelaylah yechavveh da'at:

Laylah omer. Lehaggid babboker chasdecha ve'emunatecha baleilot:

Shemesh omer. Shemesh yareach amad zevulah le'or chitzeicha yehallechu lenogah berak chanitecha:

Yareach omeret. Asah yareach lemo'adim shemesh yada mevo'o:

Kochavim omerim. Attah hu Ado-naï levaddecha attah asita et hashamayim shemei hashamayim vechol tzeva'am ha'aretz vechol asher aleiha hayammim vechol asher bahem ve'attah mechayeh et kullam utzeva hashamayim lecha mishtachavim:

Avim omerim. Yashet choshech sitro sevivotav sukkato cheshchat mayim avei shechakim:

Anenei kavod omerim. Af beri yatriach av yafitz anan oro:

Ruach omer. Omar latzafon teni uleteiman al tichla'i havi'i vanai merachok uvenotai miktzeh ha'aretz

Berakim omerim. Berakim lammatar asah motzei ruach me'otzerotav:

Tal omer. Ehyeh chattal leyisra'el yifrach kashoshannah veyach sharashav kallevanon:

Geshamim omerim. Geshem nedavot tanif elohim nachalatecha venil'ah attah chonantah

Rabbi yesha'yah talmido shel rabbi chanina ben dosa hit'annah chamesh ushemonim ta'aniyot. Amar kelavim shekkatuv bahem vehakkelavim azzei nefesh lo yade'u save'ah, yizku lomar shirah. Anah lo mal'ach min hashamayim ve'amar lo yesha'yah ad matai attah mit'anneh al zeh haddavar. Shevu'ah hi millifnei hammakom baruch hu miyom sheggillah sodo lachavakkuk hannavi lo gillah davar zeh leshum beri'ah ba'olam. Ella bishvil shettalmido shel adam gadol attah shelachuni min hashamayim lizdakkek eleicha lehagid lecha bameh zachu hakkelavim lomar shirah. Lefi shekkatuv bahem  ulechol benei yisra'el lo yecheratz kelev leshono. Velo od ella shezachu le'abbed orot mitzo'atam shekkotevim bahem tefillin umezuzot vesifrei torah. Al ken zachu lomar shirah. Ule'inyan hash'elah shesha'alta chazor la'achoreicha ve'al tosif baddavar hazzeh od, kemo shekkatuv shomer piv uleshono shomer mitzarot nafsho. Baruch Ado-naï le'olam amen ve'amen

Ribbon kol ha'olamim, yehi ratzon millefaneicha Ado-naï elohai ve'elohei avotai, shebbizchut perek shirah shekkarati, shehu shirat haddomem hatzomeach vehachai, vehammal'achim hammemunnim aleihem me'et Ado-naï yitbarech, shettehei amirato kehakravat korban al gabbei hammizbeach. Shettehei sha'ah zu she'at rachamim, she'at hakshavah, she'at ha'azanah, venikra'acha ute'anninu, na'tir lecha vehe'ater lanu. Shettihyeh olah lefaneicha amirat perek shirah ke'illu hissagnu kol hassodot hannifla'ot vehannora'ot asher hem chatumim bo bechol tena'av. Hachzirenu bitshuvah shelemah lefaneicha, venizkeh lemakom shehannefashot haruchot vehanshamot nechtzavot misham, uche'illu asinu kol asher mutal aleinu lehassig, bein begilgul zeh bein begilgulim acherim, umallei kol mish'alot libbenu letovah vetishlach berachah hatzlachah veharvachah bechol me'aseh yadeinu , venizkeh leshorer la'atid lavo, vetashiv shechinatecha le'ir kodshecha bimherah beyameinu amen.

Rabbi Eliezer said: Anyone who involves himself with Perek Shirah in this world, merits saying it in the World-to-Come, as it says, “Then Moshe will sing”; it does not say “sang,” but “will sing” in the World-to-Come.

And Rebbi said: Anyone who involves himself with Perek Shirah in this world — I testify that he is destined for the World-to-Come, and he is saved from the evil inclination, and from harsh judgment, and from the destroying Satan, and from all types of enemies, and from the birth pangs of Mashiaḥ, and from the judgment of Gehennom; and he merits to learn and to teach, to observe and to fulfill and to perform [the Torah], and his studies are established in him, and his days are lengthened, and he merits life in the World-to-Come.

The Sages said concerning King David that when he completed the book of Psalms, he became proud. He said before the blessed Holy One, “Is there any creature you have created in your world that says more songs and praises than I?” At that moment a frog happened across his path, and it said to him: “David! Do not become proud, for I recite more songs and praises than you. Furthermore, every song I say contains three thousand parables, as it says, ‘And he spoke three thousand parables, and his songs were one thousand five hundred.' And furthermore, I am busy with a great mitsvah, and this is the mitsvah with which I am busy: there is a certain type of creature by the edge of the sea whose sustenance is entirely from [creatures living in] the water, and when it is hungry, it takes me and eats me, such that I fulfill that which it says, ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for you shall heap coals of fire on his head, and YHVH shall reward you'; do not read ‘shall reward you’ but instead ‘shall make him complete you.’”

The Day is saying: “Day to day utters speech, and night to night relates knowledge.”

The Night is saying: “To speak of his kindness in the morning, and of his faithfulness by nights.”

The Sun is saying: “The sun, [when covered by] the moon, stood in its abode; they speed at the light of your arrows, and at the shining of your glittering spear.”

The Moon is saying: “He made the Moon for the festivals; the Sun knows the time of its coming.”

The Stars are saying, “You, only you, are YHVH; You made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host; the earth, and everything that is in it; the seas, and everything that is in them; and you preserve them all; and the host of heaven prostrate themselves to you.”

The Thick Clouds are saying, “He made darkness his secret place; His pavilion around him was dark with waters and thick clouds of the skies.”

The Light Clouds are saying, “Also he burdens the thick cloud with an overflow; the cloud scatters its light.”

The Wind is saying, “I will say to the north, ‘Give up’; and to the south, ‘Do not withhold; bring My sons from far, and My daughters from the ends of the earth.’”

The Lightning Bolts are saying, “…He makes lightning for the rain; He brings forth the wind from his storehouses.”

The Dew is saying: “I shall be as the dew to Yisra’el, he shall blossom as a rose, he shall spread forth his roots as the Lebanon.”

Other texts add: “Arouse yourself O north [wind], and come, O south! Blow upon my garden, let its spices flow out; let my Beloved come to his garden and eat of its precious fruit.”

The Rains are saying, “You, Elohim, poured a generous rain, to strengthen your heritage when it languished.”

Rabbi Yeshayah, student of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, fasted eighty-five fasts. He said, “Dogs, about which it is written, ‘the dogs are brazen of spirit; they do not know satisfaction' - shall they merit saying a song?” An angel answered him from Heaven and said to him, “Yeshayah, until when will you fast over this? It is an oath from the blessed Holy One; from the day that he revealed his secret to Havakuk the prophet, he has not revealed this matter to anyone in the world. But because you are the student of a great man, I have been sent from Heaven to assist you. They said that dogs have written about them, ‘No dog sharpened its tongue against any of the children of Yisra’el'. Furthermore, they merited that hides are tanned with their excrement, on which Tefillin, Mezuzot, and Torah scrolls are written. For this reason they merited saying a song. And regarding what you asked, take back your word and do not continue in this way, as it is written, ‘He that guards his mouth and tongue, guards from afflictions of his soul.’” Blessed is YHVH forever, Amen and Amen.

Master of all the Worlds, may it be Your will, O HaShem, my G-d and the G-d of my forefathers, that in the merit of Perek Shirah that I have recited and in which I involved myself, which is the song of mineral, vegetable, and animal, and the holy angels that are appointed over them by HaShem, Blessed is He, and [which is the song] of the connection of the Divine Presence with all the worlds, and the connection of the lower worlds with the higher worlds, and the recitation of which is like an offering upon the Altar - that this time should be a time of mercy, a time of attentiveness, a time of giving ear, when we call upon You and You answer us, [a time] when we beseech You and You respond to us. May our recitation and involvement in Perek Shira rise up before You as if we have comprehended all the mysteries, wonders, and awesomeness that are sealed within it, in its every manifestation. Bring us back in complete repentance before You, and may we merit [to reach] the place from which the life-forces, spirits, and souls are hewn, as if we had performed everything that we are called upon to comprehend, whether in this transmigration [of the soul] or in other transmigrations. And may we be among those who ascend to and merit the World to Come, among the other righteous and devout people. And may You fulfill all the requests of our heart for good (**at this point one may express one's personal requests**) and may You be with our heart and the utterances of our mouth at the times of our thoughts, and with our hands at the times when we act. And may You send blessing and success and relief in all our handiwork. May You let us stand up from amid our suffering and may You raise us up from the trash heaps of poverty. Through the strength of this song may all the powerful [judgments] be sweetened and may blessing be spread out in all the worlds. May we merit to sing in the Time to Come and may You return the Divine Presence to Your Holy City speedily, in our days, Amen.

This prayer was composed by HaGaon Rabbi Mordechai Gross, shlita, Raavad of Merkaz Beni Brak.