Home

How to Play "Ma Tovu" on the lyre

In this lesson, I'm going to show all you lovely "Levite Wannabes" out there, how to play the beautiful Shabbat melody, "Ma Tovu". The translation into English from the timeless Hebrew text of this haunting song is as follows:

"How lovely are your tents, O Jacob, your dwelling-places, O Israel! Through your great love, O God, I enter your house; with awe I worship in Your sanctuary.

Eternal God, I love the house where Your glory dwells; humbly I worship before my God and Maker.

May my prayer be acceptable to You, Eternal God. In your great kindness, answer me with Your saving truth"

To play this piece, the 10 strings of the Kinnor are tuned again in the melodic minor mode (as discussed in my 1st lesson), but this time, the TONIC of this particular melodic minor scale is A instead of E - so the Kinnor here, is tuned, lowest note to highest:

DEFGA(tonic)BECDF

The notes of the tune are as follows:

AGAEABCDB,high E DCDEDCBGA (REPEAT)

C high E high E high E C high E DDCCB, DBBB, BDCCBBA,CAAA, ACBAG#FE, high E DCD high E DCBGA (REPEAT)

Apple's iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 updates are packed with new features, and you can try them before almost everyone else. First, check Gadget Hacks' list of supported iPhone and iPad models, then follow the step-by-step guide to install the iOS/iPadOS 26 beta — no paid developer account required.