Mishpatim: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School
Source: http://www.ramaz.org/the-ramaz-difference/torah-mitzvot/zemeroftheweek/parshat-mishpatim
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:21
Mishpatim: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School
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Mishpatim: Zemer of The Week
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ / Pote’ach Et Yadecha
Ishay Ribo and other artists:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrVT3UlMAD8
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי
You open Your hand and satisfy every living being.
This song reframes human generosity as
imitatio Dei
(imitating Hashem’s actions). Hashem opens His hand not reluctantly, but naturally. As described in “Word of the Week,”
Mishpatim
teaches us to mirror that stance – not just
what
to give, but
how
to see our resources: entrusted, purposeful, and meant to flow outward.
If you want a more traditional
zemer
:
The
zemer
for this week:
יום שבתון
Yaakov Shwekey’s new version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoijftIvaJE
This
zemer
was written by the author of the
Kuzari
, R’ Yehuda Halevi. (His name is formed by the acrostic across the
zemer
’s five stanzas.) He lived from 1075-1140 C.E.
Originally from Spain, at the end of his life he finally achieved his lifelong dream of living in
Eretz Yisrael
. The
zemer
describes the love of
Bnei Yisrael
for the Shabbat, the way in which Shabbat helps us rest from the challenges of the week, and how the honor given to Shabbat by Hashem on
Har Sinai
still echoes down to our generations.
Central elements of this
parsha
include
Bnei Yisrael’s
accepting the Torah, learning new
mitzvot
, and hearing previously given
mitzvot
reiterated.
Some of the connections to the
parsha
:
· 2
nd
line of 3
rd
stanza:
“
נעשה ונשמע אמרו כאחד
”
(“ ‘We will do and we will listen’ they said as one”) – After Moshe read
Sefer Habris
to
Bnei Yisroel,
they declared
“
נעשה ונשמע
”
(Shemot 24:7).
o Moshe’s reading the
Sefer Habris
also has echoes in the 2
nd
line of the 5
th
stanza of this zemer:
“
יזכר לפקדו
ברית
ושבועה
”
(“May He remember to invoke [for
Bnei Yisroel
] His convenant and oath”).
· 1
st
line of 4
th
stanza:
“
דבר בקדשו בהר המור
”
(“He declared in His holiness at the mountain of teaching”) – In this
parsha
,
Bnei Yisrael
are standing at
Har Sinai
, learning
Torah
from Hashem through Moshe.
At the end of the
parsha
, Hashem tells Moshe to come up the mountain to receive the
luchot
, and he stays there for 40 days and nights (Shemot 24:12-24:18).
· 1
st
line of 1
st
stanza, 2
nd
line of 4
th
stanza:
...
יום שבתון אין לשכח
”
"יום השביעי זכור ושמר"
(“Do not forget the day of rest … The seventh day you shall remember and safeguard”) – Here, Hashem reiterates the importance of keeping Shabbat (Shemot 23:12).
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my
Login
Mishpatim: Zemer of The Week
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ / Pote’ach Et Yadecha
Ishay Ribo and other artists:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrVT3UlMAD8
פּוֹתֵחַ אֶת יָדֶךָ וּמַשְׂבִּיעַ לְכָל חַי
You open Your hand and satisfy every living being.
This song reframes human generosity as
imitatio Dei
(imitating Hashem’s actions). Hashem opens His hand not reluctantly, but naturally. As described in “Word of the Week,”
Mishpatim
teaches us to mirror that stance – not just
what
to give, but
how
to see our resources: entrusted, purposeful, and meant to flow outward.
If you want a more traditional
zemer
:
The
zemer
for this week:
יום שבתון
Yaakov Shwekey’s new version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoijftIvaJE
This
zemer
was written by the author of the
Kuzari
, R’ Yehuda Halevi. (His name is formed by the acrostic across the
zemer
’s five stanzas.) He lived from 1075-1140 C.E.
Originally from Spain, at the end of his life he finally achieved his lifelong dream of living in
Eretz Yisrael
. The
zemer
describes the love of
Bnei Yisrael
for the Shabbat, the way in which Shabbat helps us rest from the challenges of the week, and how the honor given to Shabbat by Hashem on
Har Sinai
still echoes down to our generations.
Central elements of this
parsha
include
Bnei Yisrael’s
accepting the Torah, learning new
mitzvot
, and hearing previously given
mitzvot
reiterated.
Some of the connections to the
parsha
:
· 2
nd
line of 3
rd
stanza:
“
נעשה ונשמע אמרו כאחד
”
(“ ‘We will do and we will listen’ they said as one”) – After Moshe read
Sefer Habris
to
Bnei Yisroel,
they declared
“
נעשה ונשמע
”
(Shemot 24:7).
o Moshe’s reading the
Sefer Habris
also has echoes in the 2
nd
line of the 5
th
stanza of this zemer:
“
יזכר לפקדו
ברית
ושבועה
”
(“May He remember to invoke [for
Bnei Yisroel
] His convenant and oath”).
· 1
st
line of 4
th
stanza:
“
דבר בקדשו בהר המור
”
(“He declared in His holiness at the mountain of teaching”) – In this
parsha
,
Bnei Yisrael
are standing at
Har Sinai
, learning
Torah
from Hashem through Moshe.
At the end of the
parsha
, Hashem tells Moshe to come up the mountain to receive the
luchot
, and he stays there for 40 days and nights (Shemot 24:12-24:18).
· 1
st
line of 1
st
stanza, 2
nd
line of 4
th
stanza:
...
יום שבתון אין לשכח
”
"יום השביעי זכור ושמר"
(“Do not forget the day of rest … The seventh day you shall remember and safeguard”) – Here, Hashem reiterates the importance of keeping Shabbat (Shemot 23:12).