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I know this is a totally subjective and possibly meta question, but I will ask it anyways, in part to share my own.

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    ... and why should we not close this as "subjective"?
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 16:47
  • Maybe it is an objective question, Isaac. It doesn't ask what the 'best' passuk is, just what each person's favorite is.
    – Tzvi
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 16:56
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    I recall a maamar hazal (I believe a Gemara, perhaps in Kedushin?) saying that one should not say "I love this section of Torah more than others". This sounds like it fits that category.
    – Yahu
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 3:37
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    @Yahu, are you thinking of 'כל האומר שמועה זו נאה וכו (Eruvin 64a)? If so, then that wouldn't really apply here: the objection there is when someone says "this part of Torah is nice, this other part is not." But one can certainly have a favorite part of Torah - indeed, לעולם ילמוד אדם במקום שלבו חפץ (Avodah Zarah 19a), which as Rashi there explains, refers to a person asking his teacher to teach him an area of Torah that appeals to him.
    – Alex
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 17:46
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    Alex, I stand corrected.
    – Yahu
    Commented Mar 31, 2011 at 5:39

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I Shmuel 15:14: יד וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל, וּמֶה קוֹל-הַצֹּאן הַזֶּה בְּאָזְנָי, וְקוֹל הַבָּקָר, אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי שֹׁמֵעַ.

for being so onomatopoetic, and thus quite funny.

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    Especially with the t'vir trop.
    – Shalom
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 18:43
  • I always chuckle at this one, too, ever since one of my high school rebbes pointed it out to us. Do you suppose Shmuel intended the pun?
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 18:49
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:וַיֹּאמֶר עָרֹם יָצָתִי מִבֶּטֶן אִמִּי, וְעָרֹם אָשׁוּב שָׁמָּה--יְהוָה נָתַן, וַיהוָה לָקָח; יְהִי שֵׁם יְהוָה, מְבֹרָךְ

Iyov managed to sum up one of the most profound aspects of hashkafa in this one-liner.

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Not sure I have a favorite pasuk, but one that has always amused me is B'reshis 31:25:

‎וַיַּשֵּׂג לָבָן אֶת יַעֲקֹב וְיַעֲקֹב תָּקַע אֶת אָהֳלוֹ בָּהָר וְלָבָן תָּקַע אֶת אֶחָיו בְּהַר הַגִּלְעָד׃‏‎

I always picture Lavan attaching his family to the ground with stakes, Yael-style.

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הָבִיאוּ אֶת כָּל הַֽמַּעֲשֵׂר אֶל בֵּית הָאֹוצָר וִיהִי טֶרֶף בְּבֵיתִי וּבְחָנוּנִי נָא בָּזֹאת אָמַר יהוה צְבָאֹות אִם לֹא אֶפְתַּח לָכֶם אֵת אֲרֻבֹּות הַשָּׁמַיִם וַהֲרִיקֹתִי לָכֶם בְּרָכָה עַד בְּלִי דָי׃

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וַיֹּאמֶר, צֵא וְעָמַדְתָּ בָהָר לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, וְהִנֵּה יְהוָה עֹבֵר וְרוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה וְחָזָק מְפָרֵק הָרִים וּמְשַׁבֵּר סְלָעִים לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, לֹא בָרוּחַ יְהוָה; וְאַחַר הָרוּחַ רַעַשׁ, לֹא בָרַעַשׁ יְהוָה וְאַחַר הָרַעַשׁ אֵשׁ, לֹא בָאֵשׁ יְהוָה; וְאַחַר הָאֵשׁ, קוֹל דְּמָמָה דַקָּה

(Melakhim I, 19:12-13)

and

הַשָּׁמַיִם מְסַפְּרִים כְּבוֹד-אֵל וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו מַגִּיד הָרָקִיעַ

(Tehillim 19:2)

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  • These are two of my favorites.
    – Adam Mosheh
    Commented Apr 26, 2012 at 22:18
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'לישועתך קויתי ה

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  • I was thinking of posting this.
    – Tzvi
    Commented Jan 13, 2011 at 19:48
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ספר אסתר פרק ד יד) כִּי אִם הַחֲרֵשׁ תַּחֲרִישִׁי בָּעֵת הַזֹּאת רֶוַח וְהַצָּלָה יַעֲמוֹד לַיְּהוּדִים מִמָּקוֹם אַחֵר וְאַתְּ וּבֵית אָבִיךְ תֹּאבֵדוּ וּמִי יוֹדֵעַ אִם לְעֵת כָּזֹאת הִגַּעַתְּ לַמַּלְכוּת

For if you remain silent at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but you and your father’s house shall be destroyed. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingship for such a time as this?

I love it because it illustrates the ultimate paradox of our existence and its purpose.

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    I love it because of the Scriptural hint to this website.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Mar 31, 2011 at 15:05
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Zechariah 1:15-17:

וְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל אֲנִי קֹצֵף עַל הַגּוֹיִם הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים, אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי קָצַפְתִּי מְּעָט, וְהֵמָּה עָזְרוּ לְרָעָה. לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר ה', שַׁבְתִּי לִירוּשָׁלִַם בְּרַחֲמִים; בֵּיתִי יִבָּנֶה בָּהּ, נְאֻם ה' צְבָ-אוֹת, וְקָו יִנָּטֶה עַל יְרוּשָׁלִָם. עוֹד קְרָא לֵאמֹר: כֹּה אָמַר ה' צְבָ-אוֹת, עוֹד תְּפוּצֶנָה עָרַי מִטּוֹב, וְנִחַם ה' עוֹד אֶת צִיּוֹן, וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלִָם

There is a beautiful sicha of the Lubavitcher Rebbe zt"l (Mishpatim 5744) in which he points out the deep message in the first verse: not only are the gentile nations culpable for making our galus far more difficult than it had to be (והמה עזרו לרעה), but Hashem expects them to feel distress about our galus (not to be שאננים) and to do whatever they can to ameliorate it!

As for the following two verses, we say them at the end of Kinnos on Tish'a Be'Av (night and day), and I find the contrast especially affecting.

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נַעַר הָיִיתִי גַּם-זָקַנְתִּי וְלֹא-רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק נֶעֱזָב וְזַרְעוֹ מְבַקֶּשׁ-לָחֶם

Tehillim 37:25

Especially with:

ה'--עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן; ה' יְבָרֵךְ אֶת-עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם

Tehillim 29:11

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Kol Zeh Aino Shoveh Li

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    That's v'chol ze enenu shove li.
    – msh210 ♦
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 7:42
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    Still only a fragment of Esther 5:13.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Jan 14, 2011 at 14:56

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