Lyrics
Hod v’hadar lefanav
Oz v’tif’eret b’mikdasho
Oz v’tif’eret b’mikdasho
הוֹד וְהָדָר לְפָנָיו
עֹז וְתִפְאֶרֶת בְּמִקְדָּשׁוֹ
Beauty and splendor before the Divine
Strength and Majesty in the Divine Sanctuary
-Psalm 96:6
beauty and splendor.
The words for this melody also come from Kabbalat Shabbat, and are from Psalm 96. “Beauty and splendor before the Divine, Strength and majesty in God’s sanctuary.” Hod V’hadar is a phrase that is found almost exclusively in relation to God. But in this case it is presented before a description of God’s sanctuary. The words always get me thinking about what it is that creates beauty and splendor, strength and majesty in God’s sanctuary. An answer came to me in the form of this melody. If you listen, you can hear the voices building up together throughout the song. At first soft and tentative, it is the coming together that makes them strong.
