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Vayera: Zemer of The Week

“בלבבי משכן אבנה” – B’levavi Mishkan Evneh (“In My Heart, I Will Build a Sanctuary”)

.בִּלְבָבִי מִשְׁכָּן אֶבְנֶה לַהֲדַר כְּבוֹדוֹ, וּלמִּשְׁכָּן מִזְבֵּֽחַ אָשִׂים לְקַרְנֵי הוֹדוֹ, וּלְנֵר תָּמִיד אֶקַּח לִי אֶת–אֵשׁ הָעֲקֵידָה, וּלְקָרְבָּן אַקְרִיב לוֹ אֶת נַפְשִי, אֶת נַפְשִׁי הַיְחִידָה

I will build a tabernacle in my heart to glorify God's honor. And I will place an altar in the tabernacle dedicated to God's divine rays of splendor. And for the eternal, constant flame I will take upon myself the fire that fueled the Binding (of Isaac). And as a sacrifice I will offer God my soul, my unique soul. (ZemirotDatabase.com)

Here is Benny Friedman’s version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMftk982Epo

This song was composed by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner, zt"l, based on a verse from Sefer Haredim, and set to music by Rabbi Shmuel Brazil.

Avraham’s tent is the first Mishkan in Jewish history – a sacred space built not from gold or silver, but from compassion, courage, and hospitality. When he opens his home to strangers, Avraham transforms a desert tent into a dwelling place for the Divine. B’levavi Mishkan Evneh translates that same idea inward: each of us can build a sanctuary within ourselves, where every act of kindness becomes an offering and every guest becomes a reflection of God’s presence.

If you want a more traditional Zemer for this parsha:

The zemer for this week: צמאה נפשי

This zemer was written by Avraham ben Ezra (better known as the Ibn Ezra), whose name appears in the acrostic of its verses. It focuses on – and yearns for – the closeness between Hashem and Bnai Yisrael, both spiritually (נפשי) and physically (בשרי).

Central elements of this parsha include Avraham’s welcoming guests (הכנסת אורחים) and his davening for S’dom.

Some of the connections to the parsha:

  • The initial letters of the first 5 stanzas spell “אברהם”, the central character in the parsha.
  • 1st line of 9th stanza: “זכור אהבת קדומים” (“Remember the love of the ancients”) – According to Artscroll, “קדומים” refers to Avraham and the other two Avot
  • 2nd line of the 5th stanza:
  • “לאבק דק” – (“To dust that is powdery”) – Avraham’s first offer to his guests was to wash their feet, which Rashi explains was to wash off the “אבק” (“dust”) on their feet (Bereishit 18:4)
  • 3rd line of the 5th stanza:
  • “לא יצדק” (“Would not become righteous / vindicated”) – Avraham repeatedly pleaded with Hashem to save S’dom on behalf of the (few) remaining righteous people (“צדיקים”) in the city (Bereishit 18:23-32).
  • 1st two lines of 7th stanza: “נסוגים אם אבו , ומדרכם שבו” (“Those who have gone astray, if they had desired to repent from their way and had done so”) – If only the sinners of S’dom had wanted to repent before it was too late!
  • 3rd line of the 7th stanza:
  • “טרם ישכבו” (“Before they lie down”) – According to the footnotes to the Artscroll Zemiros, this phrase is taken from the scene in our parsha where the people of S’dom attacked Lot’s house just as the angels were about to lie down (Bereishit 19:4).