The Shabbat Shacrit Service Begins / Mah Tovu

The Shabbat Shacrit Service Begins / Mah Tovu

The following is taken from Wikipedia as it is clearly not affiliated with any particular synagogue or branch of Judaism and it is easily accessible as well. When possible I will choose text from this source as the Wikipedia people are least likely of all sources to take umbrage with my using their text and I for one am not interested in typing any more than I have to. 

Mah Tovu is the call to worship in many or most synagogues and it is pregnant with meaning. The first line is taken from the words of Balaam, a pagan prophet, who had been hired to curse Israel. But the 
G-d of Israel had other plans. Hashem showed the prophet that it was just as easy to put His words in the mouth of a stubborn Donkey, as it was to put them into the mouth of a stubborn prophet. So, the prophet Balaam could only utter blessings about Israel. Also, it speaks of a familiar theme in scripture and Judaism; the idea of how good it is to dwell in the house of Israel among our people, in the presence of the Eternal our G-d. 

The second line is translated thus on the Mechon-Mamre website and offers a more traditional understanding of the text:  "But as for me, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness will I come into Thy house; I will bow down toward Thy holy temple in the fear of Thee." We see here that from the beginning of the liturgy the congregation is introduced to the idea of bowing before The Almighty King, The Eternal One in awe, if not in fear. Throughout the synagogue service it is customary in some schuls to bow each time one of the names or titles of Hashem are mentioned in the liturgy.

We come together in synagogue to seek G-d's blessing, to pray and to dwell in his lovingkindness.

Hebrew text

מה טבו אהליך יעקב, משכנותיך ישראל. (1 ^{Numbers 24:5}
ואני ברב חסדך אבוא ביתך אשתחוה אל היכל קדשך ביראתך. (2 ^{Psalms 5:7}
3) .ה׳ אהבתי מעון ביתך, ומקום משכן כבודך ^{Psalms 26:8}
ואני אשתחוה ואכרעה, אברכה לפני ה׳ עשי. (4 ^{Psalms 95:6 (adapted)}
5) .ואני, תפלתי לך ה׳, עת רצון, אלהים ברב חסדך, ענני באמת ישעך ^{Psalms 69:14}

Transliteration

Ma tovu ohalekha Ya'akov, mishk'notekha Yisra'el.
Va'ani b'rov hasd'kha, avo veytekha,
Eshtahaveh el heikhal kodsh'kha b'yir'atekha.
Adonai ahavti m'on beitekha, um-kom mishkan k'vodekha.
Va'ani eshtahave v'ekhra'a.
Evr'kha lifnei Adonai osi.
Va'ani t'filati l'kha Adonai et ratzon.
Elohim b'rov hasdekha aneini b'emet yish'ekha.

English translation

How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling places, O Israel!
As for me, O God abounding in grace,
I enter your house to worship with awe in Your sacred place.
I love your house, Eternal One, the dwelling-place of Your glory;
humbly I worship You, humbly I seek blessing from God my Maker.
To You, Eternal One, goes my prayer: may this be a time of your favor.
In Your great love, O God, answer me with Your saving truth.

Audio Link