Ma’oz Tzur Yeshu’ati
Rock of Ages,
Fortress of Redemption,
Rock of Salvation,
Refuge and Shelter,
Lekha na’eh leshabe’ach
It is a delight,
Lovely and fine,
To sing Your praises.
Tikon beit tefilati
Restore my house of prayer,
This house that has seen violence and hate,
Bloodshed and death.
It is firm and established,
Now and forever.
Vesham toda nezabe’ah
There we will offer thanksgiving,
In the name of our people,
An Or l’Simcha,
A light for joy,
An Eitz Chaim,
A tree of life,
Le’et takhin matbe’ach
When by Your will
All bloodshed ends,
The time when You eliminate
All slaughter.
Mi’tzor hamnabe’ach
The furious, they assail us,
Oppressors with hatred,
But Your arm avails us,
Az egmor beshir mizmor
So with joyous song,
Yet still in mourning,
With a heavy heart,
Yet singing in music,
In poetry and psalms,
Chanukat hamizbe’ach
For the dedication of Your house,
The rededication of Your sanctuary,
An altar of Your praises,
Where our strength will not fail us.
Members of the community in Pittsburgh are invited to join Rodef Shalom and Tree of Life for Shabbat Hanukkah services at 6 p.m., Friday, December 7.
“Ma’oz Tzur for Pittsburgh” is © 2018 Alden Solovy and tobendlight.com. Read the story behind the creation of this prayer at ReformJudaism.org.
