אתה הוראת לדעת כי ה’ הוא האלקים אין עוד מלבדו
You have been shown to know, that G-d is the Almighty, there is nothing besides him[i]
Custom
There is a custom to recite a series of verses prior to the start of הקפות the dancing with the Torah celebrating (among other things) the conclusion of the reading of the Torah throughout the year.
The verses recited are seemingly disparate and yet, when examined closely, they teach us a narrative that has been singing in the backs of our minds.
The completion of the annual Torah reading cycle is not merely the end of a narrative; it is the acquisition of the Torah perspective. Having just journeyed from the genesis of creation, through the exodus, the giving of the law, and the long wandering in the desert, the reader arrives at a profound, unified understanding of reality. All the seemingly disparate events, strict laws, and complex histories dissolve into a single, clarifying truth: אתה הוראת לדעת You have been shown to know. Through the panoramic perspective of the entire Torah, one sees that the multiplicity of the universe is a veil. Behind every natural law and historical shift, אין עוד מלבדו – there is absolutely nothing besides G-d. He is the singular reality sustaining all existence.
אתה הראת לדעת כי ה’ הוא האלקים, אין עוד מלבדו.[ii]
Once the meditating mind grasps this absolute unity – that G-d is the only true reality operating behind the scenes – the natural next step is to recognize how this singular force interacts with our physical world. Since He is truly all there is, then the wondrous narrative we have just spent a year reading about, and our own congruent life experiences, are not random anomalies, nor are they collaborative efforts with nature. They are the deliberate, miraculous acts of a solitary Creator acting out of boundless love.
לעשה נפלאות גדלות לבדו, כי לעולם חסדו.[iii]
Rashi comments on this verse explaining that it refers to the creation of the universe in which G-d was the only actor, as not even angels had been created yet. Yet, the Zohar brings this profound isolation down to the microscopic, intimate level of our daily lives.[1] As Rabbi Pinĉas wept to realize, G-d performs a continuous stream of subtle miracles for us of which we remain entirely oblivious; G-d is the only one (לבדו) who even knows they are happening.
This powerful duality – the sole cosmic actor and the invisible benefactor – is beautifully framed by the Arizal’s teaching that this verse is the song of the angel דורשיאל. He angels’ name and mission is derived from the root word דרש – to seek, investigate, or demand meaning. The wonders of G-d’s everlasting kindness are not always billboard-sized events like the splitting of the sea; they require our active investigation. We must intellectually and spiritually seek out[iv] (דרוש דרש) the hidden architecture of grace that sustains our every breath, extracting the profound moral and spiritual characterization hidden just beneath the surface of the mundane.
Once a person successfully uncovers these hidden layers of divine action, shifting their perspective to finally see both the grand, solitary architecture of creation and the quiet, uncelebrated miracles of an ordinary day, a profound awe inevitably sets in. When you look at the sheer scale of this constant, individualized providence, comparing this divine choreography to any earthly power, angelic force, or system of nature becomes absurd.
אין כמוך באלקים| אדנ-י, ואין כמעשיך.[v]
Having awakened to these hidden, constant miracles of daily existence, the meditating mind naturally attempts to reconcile the vast Creator of the universe with the intimate G-d of personal experience. This profound contemplation is captured in the third verse: אין כמוך באלקים| אדנ-י, ואין כמעשיך – There is none like You among the Almighty powers/ My Master, and there is nothing like Your deeds.
The text places a פסיק – a deliberate grammatical pause – between the names אלקים and אדנ-י, forcing the reader to stop and weigh these two distinct divine manifestations against one another. אלקים represents the absolute, restrictive power of creation, the force that constricted infinity to create a physical universe, which is why it serves as the exclusive name throughout the Genesis narrative. אדנ-י, however, is a profoundly relational title. It was first appended to the Creator by Adam, the first being endowed with language, who surveyed existence and deliberately named his Creator as the personal Master of all.[2] The meditator concludes that while the cold, vast power of initial creation and the warm, continuous initiation of personal providence seem incomparably different, they are flawlessly united in G-d, as they are both his names.
Specifically, this unity of being is expressed in G-d’s actions which contain the same duality of power and personal attention. G-d did not simply build the world, step back, and leave it to operate on preprogrammed instructions. As the Midrash teaches about the verse’s conclusion ואין כמעשיך, G-d’s active engagement defies human comprehension. A human artisan requires solid, permanent material – wood, stone, or metal – to carve out a (temporarily) lasting work. G-d, conversely, traces his art on water. The foundational reality of the universe is inherently fluid and utterly dependent on his constant will, yet his unceasing, providential action grants it the profound appearance of permanence and stability.
Realizing that existence is a fluid masterpiece held together second by second through G-d’s active, continuous engagement with his creation inevitably draws the observer to celebrate the sheer beauty of this arrangement, and to desire that this realization be made apparent throughout all of creation.
יהי כבוד ה’ לעולם, ישמח ה’ במעשיו.[vi]
Recognizing that the universe is a fluid canvas held together only by G-d’s continuous engagement, the meditator is moved to express the prayerful wish: יהי כבוד ה’ לעולם May the glory of the Lord be forever.The verse expresses the yearning that G-d’s absolute, transcendent honor – a majesty that typically defies human relation – should become universally manifest and recognized within the confines of this physical world (לעולם).
And, when (not if) this transcendent glory permeates reality, the physical world does not remain passive; it actively responds. This leads to the second stanza of the verse: ישמח ה’ במעשיו – May G-d rejoice in his works. Creation aligns itself with the Creator, sometimes even breaking its own nature to do so, and this spontaneous, self-directed alignment is what brings G-d profound “joy”.
The breaking[3] of nature is explained in the Gemara[vii] by Rabbi Ĉanina bar Pappa:. During creation, the grasses were not explicitly commanded to separate into distinct species. Yet, intuiting the divine will from the command given to the trees, the grasses applied a logical deduction to themselves and spontaneously chose to grow each according to their distinct kinds. They pushed beyond their given baseline [grass has no intelligence] to align themselves with the divine intention of growing things. Witnessing this self-transcending obedience from the lowliest of flora, the שר העולם – the angelic Prince of the World[4] burst forth with this very verse: ישמח ה’ במעשיו – May G-d rejoice in his works!
Witnessing the grass spontaneously rising up to align with the divine will, the human observer recognizes their own imperative to do the same. If the voiceless flora can bring joy to the Creator by aligning with his hidden intent, how much more so must conscious humanity actively articulate his praise across the span of time!
יהי שם ה’ מבורך, מעתה ועד עולם.[viii]
Inspired by the spontaneous obedience of the natural world, the meditator resolves to be “true to his type” (למינהו) as well, fulfilling his unique Jewish (and human) mandate to draw the Divine presence into the physical realm. This active drawing-down is expressed in the word מבורך – blessed. Etymologically, it is linked to the agricultural process of הברכה – taking a branch of a vine and pulling it down into the earth so it takes new root. By declaring יהי שם ה’ מבורך, the person is actively drawing down G-d’s presence into the physicality of this world.
Yet, a sudden anxiety can strike: a person is only human. What if this burst of inspiration fades? If he were to inevitably stumble or sin, would he cause the openly revealed Divine Glory (כבוד) of the previous verse to retreat?
The verse itself steps in to comfort him, assuring him that genuine spiritual achievements are permanent. The Gemara[ix] notes that Rav Aviya derives from this verse the Halaĉa that Ha’lel may not be recited out of order (just like the Megilla cannot). Just as G-d’s name is an immutable reality, so too Ha’lel, and by extension the praise resulting from the current genuine inspiration, is an absolute objective reality that cannot be undone by a future failing. [Some say that] Rav Aĉa bar Yaakov [deepens] the lesson by deriving the law from the final section of the verse מעתה ועד עולם – from now and until forever. Just as time flows in only one direction and is irreversible, so too is the spiritual reality brought down by true Ha’lel. A step forward in drawing down the Divine is eternal; it permanently alters existence.
Comforted by the knowledge that his moments of true inspiration are eternally locked into reality, the meditator nevertheless faces the daunting prospect of continuing his journey through a complicated, physical world. He knows that to sustain this connection, he cannot rely on a single moment of inspiration alone. To navigate his challenges, he seeks support from that which sustained and supported his forebears through their own trials, exiles, and human frailties.
יהי ה’ אלקינו עמנו כאשר היה עם אבותינו, אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו.[x]
While we are comforted that moments of spiritual triumph are eternally locked into reality, we remain acutely aware that our connection to G-d in our daily, lived experience is volatile. To survive the inevitable ebbs and flows of inspiration, we need a bond that transcends our own fluctuating emotions. This brings us to King Shlomo’s blessing to the entire people at the dedication of the First Base Hamikdash: יהי ה’ אלקינו עמנו כאשר היה עם אבותינו, אל יעזבנו ואל יטשנו – May the G-d our Almighty be with us, as he was with our forefathers; may he not leave us nor forsake us.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe illuminates the deep meaning behind this plea. In the supernal architecture of the Sefiros, the highest intellectual faculties of חכמה – Wisdom and בינה – Understanding,which serve as the conceptual אבות – “parents / forefathers” of the divine attributes – share a constant, unbroken union described as תרין רעין דלא מתפרשין – two friends who do not separate. Conversely, the relationship between the lower emotional attributes זעיר אנפין and the receiving realm of מלכות (representing us) is notoriously on-again, off-again.
By praying for the unity of the names הויה and אלקינו to be with us “as it was with our forefathers,” we are asking that the permanent, unbreaking union of the higher realms be extended downwards to our connection. For this connection to be truly permanent, it requires a dual guarantee, captured in the verse’s conclusion: אל יעזבנו – that G-d will not abandon his connection to us from above, and אל יטשנו – that he will not allow our own grasp to weaken and slip from below.
However, recognizing the need for this unbreakable, supernal connection immediately forces us to confront the harsh reality of the physical present. The Base Hamikdash that Shlomo built is gone, and the Jewish people are scattered. An unbroken vertical connection to G-d cannot be fully realized while the nation remains horizontally shattered across the globe.
ואמרו הושיענו אלקי ישענו וקבצנו והצילנו מן הגוים, להודות לשם קדשך להשתבח בתהלתך.[xi]
Confronting the reality of a scattered people, our desire for the unbroken, supernal connection of the previous verse naturally translates into an urgent plea for practical redemption. This leads us to the seventh verse: ואמרו הושיענו אלקי ישענו וקבצנו והצילנו מן הגוים… And say: Save us, O G-d of our salvation, and gather us and rescue us from the nations…
What makes this verse startling is its introductory word: ואמרו – And say. This verse originates from the joyous occasion when the Aron was brought to its resting place. As Rashi notes, at this absolute height of Jewish sovereignty and spiritual triumph, why would the people suddenly be commanded to cry out for salvation and ingathering from among the nations?
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naĉman’i[xii] provides a mystical resolution that echoes our earlier discussion of the natural world. This was not a human command. This verse was part of the prophetic song sung by the very cows that transported the Aron, as detailed in the Gemara[xiii]. Just as the mute grasses earlier intuited the Divine will, here the beasts of burden prophetically perceived the future arc of Jewish history. Even while carrying the physical vessel of G-d’s presence in a moment of triumph, nature itself sang out, instructing the future generations to say (ואמרו): Gather us and rescue us. The natural world understands that its own elevation can only occur when the exiled Jewish people are gathered back together להודות לשם קדשך להשתבח בתהלתך – to thank Your holy name and to glory in Your praise.[5]
Hearing the very beasts of the field long for the day when G-d’s name will be fully praised by a reunited people, the meditator is moved to actively declare the absolute, unchanging reality of G-d’s sovereignty. Regardless of current exile or future redemption, G-d’s kingship is the one constant that binds history together.
Hearing this prophetic echo of exile and future redemption, the meditator realizes that the current need for the ingathering of the diaspora and salvation is not a break in G-d’s sovereignty but part of the process:
This idea is reflected in the ‘verse’ we recite, which is actually a composite of three separate statements formed into a single unbroken declaration. G-d’s sovereignty is not a foreign, external authority forced upon a resistant world which we struggle to reimpose; it is the natural, unchanging baseline of reality since before the dawn of creation. Our present moment of exile is not a suspension of G-d’s rule, but rather a deliberate, functional phase within the ultimate redemptive process. Therefore, we cannot separate the present tense – where the Divine presence seems painfully obscured – from the past tense when G-d alone initiated creation and the grasses intuited his will, nor from the future tense when his revealed kingship in the era of Moshiaĉ will be universally recognized. It is all a single, continuous sovereignty.
This synthesis perfectly explains why the Gemara anchors the recitation of this specific triad to the verses recited in relation to the Maftir. The very custom of reading the Haftorah was born out of the darkness of Greek persecution, a period when the then-present Jewish sovereignty seemed entirely extinguished. The Haftorah structurally bridges the lament of current exile with the absolute certainty of future salvation, declaring that historical time is merely the fluid canvas upon which his eternal, unchanging kingship is painted.
If this single, eternal kingship is the true reality, and the struggles of the present are simply steps in the currently ongoing redemptive process, then the Jewish people do not need to despair over the length of the journey. They only require the fortitude to bring about the change in the world.
ה’ עוז לעמו יתן, ה’ יברך את עמו בשלום.[xvii]
Recognizing that the exile was simply a functional phase within G-d’s unified, eternal kingship, we seeks the exact mechanism to bring about this historical process. This is provided in the verse: ה’ עוז לעמו יתן, ה’ יברך את עמו בשלום – G-d will give strength to his people; G-d will bless his people with peace.
As noted in the Gemara[xviii] and throughout the Zohar, this “strength” (עוז) explicitly refers to the Torah. How perfectly appropriate to declare this at the precise moment the congregation has completed the annual Torah reading cycle! Yet, this strength is not meant to remain a hidden, internal intellect. Elsewhere, the Gemara[xix] brings a fascinating teaching from Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol, who links this verse specifically to the Tefillin worn in[6] the head. Tefillin embody the promise[xx] וראו כל עמי הארץ כי שם ה’ נקרא עליך ויראו ממך – and the nations of the world will see that the name of G-d is called upon you, and they will be afraid from you. The physical performance of the Mitzvah leaves a visible, indelible mark on the Jew. They become an open, walking manifestation of G-d’s presence – a reality that the natural world can clearly perceive and naturally draw the feeling of the fear of G-d.
However, the verse does not end with this imposing strength. As the Yerushalmi[xxi] establishes, the ultimate, most perfect vessel for containing and holding divine blessing is peace (שלום). We pray that the strength given in the past to endure the exile and the strength to bring about the manifestation of G-d’s presence will not only survive the journey but will achieve its ultimate goal in the optimal way – culminating in a redemptive era defined by absolute peace.
Armed with this visible strength, the vessel of peace, and a mindset that has successfully bridged Sinai, the exile, and the Messianic future, the person is finally ready to take physical action. The theological preparation is complete; it is almost time to lift the scrolls and dance. But before taking that first physical step, the meditator offers a brief, humble plea that all these profound internal realizations be received favorably.
ויהיו נא אמרנו לרצון, לפני אדון כל.
Armed with this visible strength in the vessel of peace, the meditator realizes that the theological preparation is complete, yet one critical step remains before taking physical action. Unlike the preceding biblical verses, the bridging petition ויהיו נא אמרנו לרצון, לפני אדון כל – May our sayings be acceptable, before the Master of all – is a profoundly human-generated prayer. The choice of אמרנו (our sayings) deliberately harkens back to the ואמרו of the prophetic cows; having aligned with the hidden truth of creation, the meditator now brings their own articulated realization to the Creator.
In the Kabbalistic framework, לפני (before) is not a spatial metaphor but a hierarchical reality, meaning “on a plane prior to or greater than.” אדון כל (Master of All) represents the divine level where all of creation is equalized under G-d’s absolute, transcendent mastery, existing above individual, specific relationships. We are asking that their words reach לפני אדון כל – to a ‘place above’ even this transcendent mastery, directly to G-d. By asking that they be received לרצון, we actively ask that G-d generate a new Divine Will and bring ultimate redemption into being.
The moment this supernal Divine Will is stimulated, potential energy must instantly become kinetic.
ויהי בנסע הארון ויאמר משה, קומה ה’ ויפצו איביך וינסו משנאיך מפניך.[xxii]
As the supernal Divine Will is successfully created, the spiritual atmosphere instantly shifts from petition to mobilization. The congregation declares: ויהי בנסע הארון ויאמר משה, קומה ה’ ויפצו איביך וינסו משנאיך מפניך – And it came to pass when the Aron traveled, Moses said: Arise, G-d, and let Your enemies be scattered, and let those who hate You flee from before You. During the rest of the year, reciting this verse serves as the immediate mechanical cue to open the Ark and extract the scroll. On Simchas Torah, however, the Ark remains closed for just a few moments longer. This delay underscores that tonight, this verse is not merely a liturgical stage direction; it is the definitive call to break camp. We are formally mobilizing the entirety of the spiritual forces of the Jewish people to finally leave the exile behind, demanding that the Divine presence actively scatter the spiritual and physical impediments – the “enemies” and “haters” – that block the path to redemption.
Yet, unlike in the wilderness where the destination was deliberately unknown [as a result of the decree to wander for forty (40) years] here the mobilization has a predetermined destination planned. As we are leaving the exile behind, the marching orders specify exactly where the Ark, and the Jewish people, are heading. We are not returning to the temporary, shifting encampments of the wilderness; we are marching toward permanent redemption.
קומה ה’ למנוחתך, אתה וארון עזך.[xxiii]
Having initiated the march out of exile with ויהי בנסוע, the Aron (Torah) requires an immediate destination. It cannot wander again. Therefore, the very next breath is קומה ה’ למנוחתך, אתה וארון עזך – Arise, G-d, to Your resting place, You and the Ark of Your strength. The priority is establishing the physical and spiritual anchor – the מנוחה resting place of the Base Hamikdash.
כהניך ילבשו צדק, וחסידיך ירננו.[xxiv]
But a building without service is just an empty shell. Once the Temple is established, it immediately requires the human element to function, which triggers the next verse: כהניך ילבשו צדק, וחסידיך ירננו – Your priests shall be clothed in righteousness, and Your pious ones sing joyously. The Kohanim will resume the physical service of righteousness, and the pious ones (the Levi’im) resume the spiritual service of song. The apparatus of the Base Hamikdash is now fully operational.
The physical establishment of the third Base Hamikdash demands a corresponding spiritual upgrade of the people who serve within it. The verse deliberately breaks from standard Temple terminology to describe this new reality. Priests do not physically wear צדק – righteousness; they wear linen and gold. And חסידים can be from any tribe. Here though the garments are spiritual, pointing to the elevated, uncompromising standards demanded of the Kohanim in the Messianic era, as prophesied by Yeĉezkel.
Even more strikingly, the verse assigns the joyous singing (ירננו) not to the tribal Levi’im, but to the חסידיו – the pious ones. This evokes Rambam’s ruling at the conclusion of the Laws of Shemita and Yovel [13:13]: ‘the elevated status of the Tribe of Levi is not biologically exclusive. Any individual whose spirit moves them to step aside from the herd and dedicate themselves entirely to knowing and serving G-d becomes “sanctified as the Holy of Holies.”’
The rebuilt Base Hamikdash operates on an elevated plane where the entire Jewish people have the capacity to achieve this priestly, Levitical devotion. The singing is driven by the sheer joy of this fully realized holiness.
בעבור דוד עבדך, אל תשב פני משיחך.[xxv]
Only after[7] the final Base Hamikdash (מנוחתך) is built and the divine service is restored does the sequence culminate in the final verse of the triad: בעבור דוד עבדך, אל תשב פני משיחך – For the sake of Dovid Your servant, do not turn away the face of Your anointed (Moshiaĉ). We realize that the third Base Hamikdash is not merely the result of Moshiaĉ’s arrival; it is the necessary vessel that must be prepared to receive him.
With the Base Hamikdash rebuilt, the priests serving, and the Moshiaĉ crowned in place, the great historical arc is finally complete. The long, fractured exile has been fully repaired.
ואמר ביום ההוא הנה אלקינו זה קוינו לו וישיענו, זה ה’ קוינו לו נגילה ונשמחה בישועתו.[xxvi]
The Gemara[xxvii] highlights the highly demonstrative language of this verse. The repeated[8] use of the word זה – this implies pointing with a physical finger. In the future, the Gemara states, G-d will make a circle (הקפות) for the righteous, and they will literally point to the Divine presence. All the hidden, microscopic miracles of לבדו that required intense intellectual seeking at the beginning of the sequence are now so clearly manifested in the physical world that a person can simply point at them. The faith that sustained the long exile קוינו לו – we hoped for him is entirely vindicated by visible sight.
מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים, וממשלתך בכל דור ודור.[xxviii]
When the righteous can point their physical finger and declare “This is our G-d,” the sheer clarity of that moment illuminates not just the present, but the entirety of history. This sudden, total comprehension triggers the penultimate verse: מלכותך מלכות כל עולמים, וממשלתך בכל דור ודור – Your kingdom is a kingdom of all worlds, and Your dominion is in every generation. In the blinding light of this revelation, every dark era of exile, every moment of hiddenness, and every previous generation’s struggle is suddenly understood as an integral, deliberate part of his perfect reign. The visible revelation of G-d’s presence renders his absolute sovereignty retroactively true across all of time and space.
כי מציון תצא תורה, ודבר ה’ מירושלים.[xxix]
But the true punch line of the entire sequence – and the ultimate goal of history – is sung in the final verse. The revelation of the era of Moshiaĉ is not a static finish line; it is a launchpad. The sequence concludes with Yeshayahu’s prophecy: כי מציון תצא תורה, ודבר ה’ מירושלים – For out of Zion shall go forth Torah [guidance], and the word of G-d from Yerushalayim.
The era of Moshiaĉ is the beginning of a profound new paradigm. As mystical traditions emphasize (based on the prophecy of תורה חדשה מאתי תצא – a new Torah shall go forth from Me, this does not mean a replacement of the text. It means a radically new, infinitely deeper understanding of the Divine wisdom. Once the physical and spiritual vessels are perfected in Yerushalayim, this new understanding of Torah will begin to issue forth, ascending level after level, ad infinitum.
This final realization is exactly what prepares the congregation for the physical act of making a circle (הקפות) and the rolling back of the scroll. As we stand at the threshold of a new year, we recognize that completing the Torah is not a closed, repetitive loop. By concluding with כי מציון, we align ourselves with the infinite, unfolding revelation of the era of Moshiaĉ. We take the Torah out to dance, and then roll it back to בראשית, ready to engage with the text anew, prepared to uncover layers of meaning this year that were completely inaccessible to us the year before.
and Therefore… ופרצת
GO DANCE!
[1] Presumably because the act of creation is not a historical event, but an ongoing process. In which case, the macroscopic miracles of creation are performed by G-d entirely alone.
[2] The Midrash relates that after naming all the creatures of creation [Beraishis 2:19-20] G-d asked Adam: “And you yourself, what is your name?” Adam replied, “Adam, because I was created from אדמה – the earth.” G-d then asks, “And I, what is my name?” To which Adam responds, “אדנ-י שאתה אדון לכל בריאתך – My Master, as you are the master of all your creations.”
(See Gem. Beraĉos 7b which attributes this to Avraham. See Maharsha and Torah Temima who differentiate: Adam named G-d impersonally – it was a title like “בורא עולם – Creator”. Avraham made it personal.)
[3] Which actually is the fulfillment of nature, which exists to align that which is above nature within nature. This discourse is beyond the scope of this essay.
[4] There is a discussion as to which angel this is. Tosefos notes that while some say this is מטטרון, who was חנוך who broke his nature to become an angel, that does not align with the timeline, as חנוך lived (and was not) many generations after the creation of the world. Tosefos does not reconcile this identity.
[5] This is not a one-time lesson for Shemini Atzeres. This is why the sages instituted this song at the start of our morning Tefillah to remind us that the natural world demands us to pray to G-d for salvation and to bring about the ultimate redemption.
[6] The exact phrase is אלו תפילין שבראש. The proper way to say the Tefillin on the head is אלו תפילין שעל הראש.
[7] [Yerushalmi Ma’aser Sheni 5:2] the Mishna and Gemara there discuss the laws of קרם רבעי – the grapes of a vineyard in its fourth year, which had to be brought to Yerushalayim to be eaten, or redeemed with coins. Based on a specific Rabbinic decree regulating how these grapes are processed and redeemed in the areas surrounding Yerushalayim, Rav Aĉa makes a stunning, explicit declaration: זאת אומרת שבית המקדש עתיד להבנות קודם למלכות בית דוד – This says [note the use of the word אומרת here] that the (3rd) Base Hamikdash will be rebuilt prior to the [reestablishment of the] Kingdom of the House of Dovid.
While the Rambam [מלכים 11:1] rules clearly that Moshiaĉ will first fight the wars of G-d, and then build the Temple, the sequencing of our verses takes a definitive stance that mirrors the Yerushalmi’s timeline.
[8] Especially considering we’ve already used the word הנה within the verse.
[i] Devarim 4:35
[ii] Devarim 4:35
[iii] Tehillim 136:4
[iv] Vayikra 10:16
[v] Tehillim 86:8
[vi] Tehillim 104:31
[vii] Gem. Ĉulin 60a
[viii] Tehillim 113:2
[ix] Gem. Megilla 17a
[x] Melaĉim I 8:57
[xi] Divrei Hayamim I 16:35
[xii] See Midrash Raba Beraishis 54
[xiii] Gem. Avoda Zara 24b
[xiv] Tehillim 10:16
[xv] Tehillim 93:1
[xvi] Shemos 15:18 – מסכת סופרים 14:8 notes that these three tenses (past, present and future) of G-d’s sovereignty should be recited together, as part of what the Maftir would recite.
[xvii] Tehillim 29:11
[xviii] Gem. Zevaĉim 116a
[xix] Gem. Beraĉos 6a
[xx] Devarim 28:10
[xxi] Yer. Beraĉos 2:4
[xxii] Bamidbar 10:35
[xxiii] Tehillim 132:8
[xxiv] Tehillim 132:9
[xxv] Tehillim 132:10
[xxvi] Yeshaya 25:9
[xxvii] Gem. Ta’anis 31a
[xxviii] Tehillim 145:13
[xxix] Yeshaya 2:3
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