MAH TOVU

MAH TOVU (Heb. מַה טֹּבוּ; "How goodly"), the opening words of a prayer recited by Ashkenazi Jews upon entering   the synagogue. The initial words are a quotation from Numbers 24:5. The remainder of the prayer consists of Psalms 5:8; 26:8; 69:14; and 95:6 (with Ps. 95:6 modified from the plural to the singular form). The Talmud interprets the "tents" and "dwellings" of Numbers 24:5 to refer to synagogues and schools (Sanh. 105b), and the "time of grace" mentioned in Psalms 69:14, to mean the time of public worship (Ber. 8a). At one time, the rabbis apparently intended to include Balaam's blessing of the children of Israel (Num. 22–24) in the recitation of shema ; however, they decided that it was too lengthy for the congregation (Ber. 12b). Sephardi Jews recite Psalms 5:8 on entering the synagogue, and Psalms 5:9 on leaving. See liturgy ; Shaḥarit . -BIBLIOGRAPHY: Elbogen, Gottesdienst, 87, 526; Idelsohn, Liturgy, 73f.; E. Levy, Yesodot ha-Tefillah (19522), 76, 131.