Week of Yom Kippur - Psalm Reading for Friday

Psalm 90

A prayer of Moses, man of Hashem.

Hashem, you have been a dwelling place for us
from one generation to the next.

Before mountains were born,
before earth and its people came to exist.

From eternity until eternity, You are holy.

Mortals can turn to You until they are crushed.

You say, “Return, children of Adam.”

Because a thousand years You can hold in your sight
like a yesterday passing into today,
a watchman’s hour of relief at night.

You flood the years; they pass like sleep.
By morning, they vanish like grass.

At dawn a person flowers and is fragrant;
by evening we become withered and dry.

For by Your wrath we are extinguished.
By Your anger we are made to feel afraid.

You have laid out our transgressions before You,
our secrets are illumined by the light of Your face.

All our hours pass by in Your fury.
Our years come to an end as though imagined.

The days of our years are seventy;
if we are strong, maybe eighty.

All our boasts are toil and delusion,
because life passes and rushes and flies away.

Who can bear the force of Your rejection?
Our fear of You seems to us like Your anger.

Make known to us the portion of our days
so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Turn back to us, Hashem—-Oh, how long?
Have compassion on those trying to serve Your will.

Fill our morning with acts of Your kindness
and we will sing and rejoice all our days.

Bring us joy in proportion to our days of affliction,
years we saw only strife.

May Your acts be visible to Your servants,
Your splendor to their children’s eyes.

May the sweetness of the Holy One, our Creator,
be constantly before us.

And the work of our hands give us direction.
And the work of our hands–give it direction toward You.

Week of Rosah Hashanah - Friday

Genesis 22:15-24, 1 Samuel 1:2-10, Psalm 138:1-8

Genesis 22:15-24

15 Hashem’s angel called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, 16 and said, “‘I have sworn by Myself,’ says Hashem, ‘because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your offspring greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gate of his enemies. 18 All the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring, because you have obeyed My voice.’”

19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba. Abraham lived at Beersheba.

20 After these things, Abraham was told, “Behold, Milcah, she also has borne children to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, 22 Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.

1 Samuel 1:2-10

2 He had two wives. The name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 3 This man went up out of his city from year to year to worship and to sacrifice to Hashem of Armies in Shiloh. The two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, priests to Hashem, were there. 

4 When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; 5 but he gave a double portion to Hannah, for he loved Hannah, but Hashem had shut up her womb. 6 Her rival provoked her severely, to irritate her, because Hashem had shut up her womb. 

7 So year by year, when she went up to Hashem’s house, her rival provoked her. Therefore, she wept and didn’t eat. 

8 Elkanah, her husband, said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep? Why don’t you eat? Why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons?”

9 So Hannah rose up after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his seat by the doorpost of Hashem’s temple. 10 She was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to Hashem, weeping bitterly.

Psalm 138:1-8

I will give You thanks with my whole heart.
    Before the gods, I will sing praises to You.

2 I will bow down toward Your holy temple,
    and give thanks to Your Name for Your loving kindness and for Your truth;
    for You have exalted Your Name and Your Word above all.

3 In the day that I called,You answered me.
    You encouraged me with strength in my soul.

4 All the kings of the earth will give You thanks, Hashem,
    for they have heard the words of Your mouth.

5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of Hashem,
    for Hashem’s glory is great!

6 For though Hashem is high, yet He looks after the lowly;
    but He knows the proud from afar.

7 Though I walk in the middle of trouble, You will revive me.
    You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies.
    Your right hand will save me.

8 Hashem will fulfill that which concerns me.
    Your loving kindness, Hashem, endures forever.
    Don’t forsake the works of your own hands.