Ma Tovu (Hebrew for "O How Good" or "How Goodly") is aprayer inJudaism, expressing reverence and awe forsynagogues and otherplaces of worship.
The prayer begins withNumbers 24:5, whereBalaam, sent to curse the Israelites, is instead overcome with awe atGod and the Israelites' houses of worship. Its first line of praise is a quote of Balaam's blessing and is thus the only prayer commonly used inJewish services that was written by anon-Jew. The remainder of the text is derived from passages inPsalms relating to entering the house of worship and preparation for further prayer (Psalms 5:8;26:8;95:6; and69:14). In this vein is the prayer recited byJews upon entering the synagogue; in the Western Ashkenazic rite, it is usually sung before beginningMaariv on Festivals, especially the second night of Yom Tov.
| Hebrew מַה טֹּבוּ אֹהָלֶיךָ, יַעֲקֹב; מִשְׁכְּנֹתֶיךָ, יִשְׂרָאֵל | Romanization Ma tovu ohalekha Ya'akov, mishk'notekha Yisra'el. | English translation How lovely are your tents, O Jacob; your encampments, O Israel! |
In modern times various composers have developed musical settings for Ma Tovu including: