פיוט לתפילת ערבית | Introductory piyyuṭ for the ‘Arvit service, by Aryeh Cohen (translation by Maeera Shreiber)

Contributor(s):

Maeera Shreiber (translation) and Aryeh Cohen

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28 September 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., מעריבים maarivim, פיוטים piyyuṭim

This is a piyyuṭ which was originally commissioned (by Maeera Shreiber who largely translated it into English) and written as an introductory piyyuṭ for the ‘arvit service for a gathering of HUC faculty. It draws on the image of Jacob (who is credited in the Talmud with instituting the ‘arvit prayer) and the angels he met at the place that he rested; and many other images from the tradition (as is made clear in the footnotes). This year it is being chanted in my community (Shtibl in Los Angeles) before the ne’ilah service.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
ברכות כו ב׳ יַעֲקֹב תִּקֵּן תְּפִלַּת עַרְבִית שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ”וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי־בָ֣א הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ (בראשית כח:יא)“	Berakhot 26b Yaaqov initiated the evening prayer; as it says, “And he came upon a certain place and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11).
וְיִפְגַּע יַעֲקֹב בַּמָּקוֹם…	And Yaaqov came upon a certain place…
בבֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, בְּלִי כַּוָּנָה מָקוֹם עֲלוּם שֵׁם, אֶל נִסְתָּר. יַעֲקֹב פָּגַשׁ אֶת אֲשֶׁר אָהַב וְשָׂם אֶת רֹאשׁוֹ עַל הָאֶבֶן וְשָׁכַב.	The sun set, without intention A place with no name, a hidden God Yaaqov met the one whom he loved And lay his head on the stone and slept.
***	***
וְשָׁכַנְתְּ. בְּתוֹכִי. וּבְשָׂרֵינוּ, נַפְשֵׁנוּ, לְאֶחָד הָיִינוּ. תְּפִלָּתִי קולֵךְ, רֶשֶׁף אֵשׁ קָדשֵׁך, שְׂפָתַי רְמִיָה שְׂפָתֵךְ דּוּמִיָּה, לוּ שָׁמַעְנוּ לוּ רָאִינוּ אֲחוּזֵי בַּלָּהוֹת הָיִינוּ.	You dwelt in me, And our flesh, our souls Became as one. Your voice is my prayer,^[1] There is a teaching of the Ba’al Shem Tov in Amud Hatefilah (Pillar of Prayer) where the worshipper is described as a shofar blown by God. That is, the breathe and the “voice” belongs to God. the sparks of holy fire My lips deceitful,^[2] Find, for example, Psalms 120:2 yours utterly silent If we had only heard, if we had only seen We would have been in the grips of a nightmare
צַעֲקוֹתֵינוּ עוֹלוֹת מִבֵּין הַכְּרוּבִים עֵת רָצוֹן, שְׁעַת דִּמְדּוּמִים פִּי הַבְּאֵר, פִּי הָאָתוֹן וְהַמַּלְאָכִים עוֹלִים וְיוֹרְדִים.	Our cries ascend Between the Cherubim^[3] God’s voice comes from between the “Aron” in the Temple. “Between the Cherubim” is a phrase used to describe God’s inner circle, those who are closest. The hour of yearning—twilight The mouth of the well, the mouth of the donkey^[4] In Pirqei Avot 5:6 it is said that ten things we were created at twilight, including the mouth of Miriam’s well and the mouth of Bilaam’s jenny. The angels ascend and descend
עֶרְגָּה וְזַעַם זֶה בָּזוֹ אֲחוּזִים הָעוֹלָם בּוֹעֵר וַאֲנַחְנוּ רְדוּמִים וּבַעַל הַבִּירָה אִיּוֹ?	Yearning and anger gripped The world is burning, and we are spent. And where is the owner of the castle?^[5] A midrashic reference to God as responsible for the word. Find, for example, Genesis Rabbah 39:1
לָך דּוּמִיָּה תְּהִלָּה פַּעַם קוֹלוֹת וּבְרָקִים, כָּעֵת שְׁתִיקָה האֶל מְקוֹמֵךְ הָלַכתְּ וְדַיּוֹ?	Silence is praise to you^[6] Psalms 65:2 Once there was thunder, lightning, now silence Have you just returned to Your Place,^[7] In the Talmud, God is described as retreating to a place beyond reach. and are through?
בְּעָמְדִי לְפָנֶיךָ לֹא דֹּם אֲנִי בְּזִכְרִי אֶת הָעוֹלָם לֹא שָׁקֵט אָנֹכִי אֲבָל לְרֶגַע אֶרְפֶּה אֶת יָדַי הַקְּפוּצוֹת אֶתְפַּלְלָה אֶל אֵל עַל אַף הַבַּלָּהוֹת כִּי אָכֵן יֵשׁ אֱלֹהִים בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה.	As I stand before you, I am not silent As I remember, I am not settled Nevertheless, for a moment, I will unclench my fists I will pray to God despite the nightmare Because truly there is God in this place^[8] ”Surely Adonai is present in this place…” (Genesis 28:16)

Notes

Notes
1	There is a teaching of the Ba’al Shem Tov in Amud Hatefilah (Pillar of Prayer) where the worshipper is described as a shofar blown by God. That is, the breathe and the “voice” belongs to God.
2	Find, for example, Psalms 120:2
3	God’s voice comes from between the “Aron” in the Temple. “Between the Cherubim” is a phrase used to describe God’s inner circle, those who are closest.
4	In Pirqei Avot 5:6 it is said that ten things we were created at twilight, including the mouth of Miriam’s well and the mouth of Bilaam’s jenny.
5	A midrashic reference to God as responsible for the word. Find, for example, Genesis Rabbah 39:1
6	Psalms 65:2
7	In the Talmud, God is described as retreating to a place beyond reach.
8	”Surely Adonai is present in this place…” (Genesis 28:16)

Maeera Shreiber (translation)

Maeera Y. Shreiber is Associate Professor of English, and former Director of Religious Studies, at the University of Utah, where she teaches and writes about poetry, Jewish American literature, ethnic American studies, religious studies, and interfaith relations. Professor Shreiber is the author of, among other books, Singing in a Strange Land: A Jewish American Poetics.

Aryeh Cohen

Aryeh Cohen is a professor, a social justice activist, a rabbi, and a lecturer. He teaches all things Rabbinic Literature (Mishnah, Talmud, midrash) and social justice at the Ziegler School for Rabbinic Studies of the American Jewish University. Prof. Cohen is a founder and member of the Shtibl Minyan, a former chair of the Boards of the Progressive Jewish Alliance, and CLUE. He is the co-convener of the Black Jewish Justice Alliance and is the author of Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism (2012).

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." (Psalms 90:17)