A seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by the great payṭan and philosopher Shlomo ibn Gabirol. This seliḥah is referred to as pizmon, meaning that (in the Ashkenazi rite) each stanza is recited aloud by the congregation followed by the shaliaḥ tzibbur. This piyyuṭ, in Ashkenazi practice, serves as the final unique seliḥah of the 17 Tammuz seliḥot. (There are other piyyutim recited as part of fast day seliḥot but they aren’t unique to 17 Tammuz.)
Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
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שְׁעֵה נֶאֱסַר אֲשֶׁר נִמְסַר בְּיַד בָּבֶל וְגַם שֵׂעִיר לְךָ יֶהֱמֶה זֶה כַּמֶּה וְיִתְחַנֵּן כְּבֶן צָעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃ |
Shoot a glance at the bound, who was delivered into the hand of Babel and Seir;[1] i.e. Edom, i.e. Rome. sighing to You for oh so long, pleading like a young child, on the day the enemy prevailed and the city was breached. |
לְזֹאת אִכַּף וְאֶסְפּוֹק כַּף בְּיוֹם חִמֵּשׁ פִּזְרוֹנִי וְעַל־רֶֽגֶל הָעֵֽגֶל הַלּוּחוֹת יְצָאֽוּנִי וְגַם הִשְׁמִיד הַתָּמִיד וּבַסּוּגַר הֱבִיאַֽנִי וְהוּשַׂם אֱלִיל בְּהֵיכַל כְּלִיל וּמֵעֲצָתוֹ כְּלָאַֽנִי וְהַמִּנְחָה הוּנָחָה וְדָתְךָ צָר בָּאֵשׁ הִבְעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃ |
Low bent, I thus slap my palms on the day my sorrow was fivefold — for the calf’s foot the tablets left me, so too the daily sacrifice was destroyed and I was imprisoned, a godlet was placed in the utmost Palace and from Their counsel I was held back, and the grain-offerings ceased, and Your law the foe burned in fire, on the day the enemy prevailed and the city was breached. |
מְאֹד אֶתְחַל וָאֶתְחַלְחַל בְּיוֹם שַׁדַּי דְּחָפַֽנִי וְהַשְּׁפִיפוֹן מִצָּפוֹן כְּשִׁבּֽוֹלֶת שְׁטָפַֽנִי מְאוֹר חָשַׁךְ וְגַם שֵׁשַׁךְ כְּמוֹ כַּדּוּר צְנָפַֽנִי וְהַצַּיָּד שָׁלַח יָד וְהַצָּפִיר וְהַשָּׂעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃ |
Much I grieve and panic on the day Shaddai cast me out, as the viper from the north[2] Nebuchadnezzar. For “from the north” see Jeremiah 1:13-14. swept me away like grain; light darkened, as Sheshakh[3] Babylon in atbash. See Jeremiah 25:26. like a ball tossed me, and the hunter[4] Esau, i.e. Edom, i.e. Rome. See Genesis 25:27. sent out his hand, as did the antelope and the billy-goat,[5] Greece. See Daniel 8:5. on the day the enemy prevailed and the city was breached. |
הוֹד לִבִּי וּמִשְׂגַּבִּי הֲלָעַד אַפְּךָ יֶעֱשַׁן הֲלֹא תִרְאֶה עַם נִלְאֶה אֲשֶׁר הָשְׁחַר כְּמוֹ כִּבְשָׁן גְּדוֹר פִּרְצִי בְּבֶן פַּרְצִי וּמֵחֶֽדֶק לְקוֹט שׁוֹשָׁן בְּנֵה בֵּית זְבוּל לְהָשִׁיב גְּבוּל הַכַּרְמֶל וְהַבָּשָׁן וְעַֽיִן פְּקַח וְנָקָם קַח מֵאֵֽצֶר וּמִדִּישָׁן שְׁפוֹט אִלֵּם וְאָז יְשַׁלֵּם הַמַּבְעֶה וְהַמַּבְעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃ |
O my heart’s splendor, and my fortress, will Your rage forever smoke? Do You not see the weary people who have been darkened like an oven? Mend my breach with the Perezite[6] The Messiah, a descendant of Perez through the line of David. and from the thorns pick the rose! Build the glorious house to return the boundaries of the Carmel and Bashan![7] Often used as a synecdoche for the land of Israel. See Isaiah 33:9, Jeremiah 50:19, and Nahum 1:4 Open Your eye and take vengenace on Ezer and Dishan![8] Descendants of Seir (see Genesis 36:21, 30), thus representing Edom, i.e. Rome. Judge for the silenced, so that the destroyers and kindlers will be paid back for the day the enemy prevailed and the city was breached. |
Notes
1 | i.e. Edom, i.e. Rome. |
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2 | Nebuchadnezzar. For “from the north” see Jeremiah 1:13-14. |
3 | Babylon in atbash. See Jeremiah 25:26. |
4 | Esau, i.e. Edom, i.e. Rome. See Genesis 25:27. |
5 | Greece. See Daniel 8:5. |
6 | The Messiah, a descendant of Perez through the line of David. |
7 | Often used as a synecdoche for the land of Israel. See Isaiah 33:9, Jeremiah 50:19, and Nahum 1:4 |
8 | Descendants of Seir (see Genesis 36:21, 30), thus representing Edom, i.e. Rome. |

“שְׁעֵה נֶאֱסַר | Sh’eh Ne’esar — a pizmon seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by Shlomo ibn Gabirol (ca. 1050)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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