Count our days. Life is finite. Use it wisely.
Limnot Yamenu (Count Our Days)
Lyrics
(Chorus)
לִמְנוֹת יָמֵינוּ כֵּן הוֹדַע
וְנָבִא לְבַב חָכְמָה
[Psalms 90:12]
Limnot yamenu ken hoda’
Ve-navi le-vav ḥokhmah
Help us know
To count our days
And we’ll bring wise heart
To all our ways
Help us know
That we should count our days
And we’ll bring wise heart
To all our ways
If we look to the end
Right from the start
Then we’ll bring wisdom
Into our hearts
Look to the end
Right from the start
And we’ll bring wisdom
Into our hearts
(Chorus)
Make every day count
Let every moment shine
Know where you want to go
Keep all your steps aligned
Make every day count
Let every moment shine
Know where you want to go
Keep all your steps aligned
Don’t let even one hour
Go to waste
Let’s leave this world
An even sweeter place
Don’t let even one hour
Go to waste
Let’s leave this world
An even sweeter place
(Chorus)
What could we build?
What could we be?
What would we want to hear
In our eulogy?
What could we build?
What could we be?
What would we want to hear
In our eulogy?
Fill every fleeting day
With lasting worth
Let’s make the most
Of our time on earth
Fill every fleeting day
With lasting worth
Let’s make the most
Of our brief time on earth
(Chorus)
Count our days
Count our days…
Reflections on this Song
Can you name your dearest goals? Will these goals still hold meaning and value at the end of your life? Are your actions focused toward one or more of those worthwhile goals, each and every day? Do you hold yourself accountable to use each day wisely?
Imagine your own eulogy—summarizing the life you have lived. How will our dear ones describe our lives? What would we want them to say? What are we doing today to live that life?
By today’s standards, Moses lived a long, full, and successful life. Yet he did not merit to achieve all his goals. Psalm 90 envisions Moses, meditating on the brevity of our human sojourn in this world, expressing his regret and his yearning. In verse 12 he implores: “Teach us to count our days, so we can bring a wise heart.”
If we count our days, we’ll aim to make every day count. If we always remember that our time on earth is limited, then we’ll use every morsel of it wisely. If we do, then we can feel satisfaction and draw energy from our day-by-day efforts. At the end of each day we can be whole—shalem—whole with ourselves, whole with others, and whole with the One Above. When we breathe our soul back to the Soul of the Universe we’ll have peace, shalom. We’ll have brought our deepest values to life.
Middot
Humility ענוה Anavah
Responsibility אחריוּת Aḥarayut
Wholeness שלימוּת Shleimut
Peace שלום Shalom
Look to the end, right from the start.
Additional engineering by Alex Green
Mixed by Alex Green
Photo by Adam Nieścioruk on Unsplash