[Avodah] Nagilah V'nism'chah Vo

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

"zeh hayom asah HaShem
nagilah v'nism'chah vo"
(Tehillim 118:24)

We say this pasuk quite often enough, yet it occurred to me that I'm not sure what the last word means.

Does it mean that we'll rejoice "in Him" (i.e., HaShem), or that we'll rejoice "on it" (i.e., this day)?

I looked in some siddurim, and it turns out they go both ways. For example, Birnbaum and ArtScroll both have "on it", while Metzuda has "in Him". Not that I put much value in those, because the contrasting translation may not have occurred to the translator. So I looked in the meforshim.

Hirsch is very explicit: "It is the Lord Who has brought about this day... Hence we have reason to rejoice and be glad in *Him*..."

But Radak on the pasuk seems to take it the other way: "We should rejoice and he glad on this day [bazeh hayom] because it was from Hashem and He did it."

I'm not positive, but I think the Ibn Ezra would also translate it as "on it". If I'm understanding him correctly, he quotes "Rabi Moshe" as rephrasing the pasuk to say, "This is the day that Hashem made for rejoicing and being glad on." Is this "Rabi Moshe" the Rambam? Does Rambam talk about this pasuk somewhere?

Does anyone know of any other sources on this? Personally, I think it is entirely possible that the poet had *both* meanings in mind. But if someone can show a similar phrase used elsewhere, it could be very enlightening.

Akiva Miller

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