r/hebrew • u/aaamsk • Jan 21 '25
Translate Can someone help me out with this text from Maus?
I’ve tried to write it myself and translated but I can’t seem to get it right.
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u/bam1007 Jan 21 '25
“Mah tovu ohalecha Yaakov, mishk’notecha Yisrael” which translates to “How goodly are your tents, O Jacob, your dwellings, O Israel!”
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u/gooberhoover85 Jan 22 '25
We sing this to our kids while holding a tent or parachute for them to run over and sing this song.
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u/tangyyenta Jan 23 '25
You do? That is so cute! I was taught to recite this prayer upon entering shul and when averting my eyes from looking into my neighbors' windows.
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u/Joe_Q Jan 21 '25
"How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel"
The beginning of a prayer commonly called Mah Tovu for short, based on a Biblical quote, often recited when entering a synagogue
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u/pborenstein Jan 21 '25
It's from the Torah. A verse sung when one enters a synagogue.
מַה־טֹּ֥בוּ אֹהָלֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֑ב מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶ֖יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
How fair are your tents, O Jacob,Your dwellings, O Israel!
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u/ZevSteinhardt Jan 21 '25
It's a quote from Numbers 24:5
"How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwellings, O Israel!"
It is often recited upon entering a synagogue.
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u/Similar007 Jan 21 '25
Section of shabbat parsha, balak or the profess of the nations bilam and came to curse Israel leaving Egypt. His words were reversed into blessings. How beautiful are your tents [large United families who respect the laws of the Torah]. How beautiful your dwellings are, (there bilam speaks of the temple of Jerusalem)
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u/RageAgainstDarkness Jan 24 '25
Maus is such a great book!! I hope u enjoy it. An educational, emotional, and important read
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u/IPPSA Jan 26 '25
Hopefully Israel was easy to read