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An original Aramaic-language “meturgeman piyyut” for Simḥat Torah and the reading of Bereshit. I’m working on creating a seder meturgeman liturgy, akin to those for day 7 of Pesaḥ and for Shavuot, to be recited on Simḥat Torah. Mostly incorporating older Aramaic poems, I’ve also decided to write some originals myself. This is one of them, a reverse acrostic woven into the recitation of Genesis 1.
The first six stanzas are read before the phrase וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר = “and it was evening and it was morning” for the corresponding day in the targum (meaning they interrupt the translation of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:31, but are recited after 1:13, 1:19, and 1:23. The seventh and eight stanzas are read after the Hebrew and before the targum of 2:2 and 2:3.
Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” This translation also uses the plural pronouns They/Their/Them to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.) All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
תַּרְגּֽוּמָא דְּיוֹמֵי אֶפְתַּח פִּתְחָא חַד תְּהֽוֹמָא וְאַֽרְעָא נְפַֽקוּ מִן־חַד שְׁכִֽינְתָּא דִּמְנַֽשְּׁבָא אַמְרָה מֵֽימְרָא חַד שְׁרָֽגָא יְהֵא וַהֲוָה נְהֽוֹרָא חַד רַעֲוָא קֳדָמֽוֹהִי דְּקָרֵֽינָן אֵל חַד רִיבּוֹן מַר אֲרֵי טָב בִּצְפַר יוֹמָא חַד׃ וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם חַֽד׃ |
The translation of the days I will open with one opening: Abyss and earth emanated from One. The Presence that was hovering said one statement: “Light should be!” And it was one light. Desired before the One called the One Deity The Master said: “it’s good” in the morning of one day. And it was evening, and it was morning, one day. |
קוֹזְמוֹקְרָטוֹר דְּלֵית כְּוָתֵיהּ תִּנְיָן קָם לְאָקָֽמָא קִיּוּם דְּקַדְמִין בְּתִנְיָן צְבַת עִילְיָֽתָא שִׁבְעָא וּרְקִֽיעָא הוּא תִּנְיָן צַלַּח מַֽיָּא רַֽבָּא לְקַדְמַאי וְתִּנְיָן פִּילָגוֹס לִמְעַיֵּיל אוּרָנוֹס תְּבַר בְּתִנְיָן פַּלְגְוָֽאתָא דְּמַלְאָכֵי פְּתַֽחוּ תֻּשְׁבַּחְתְּהוֹן בְּתִנְיָן׃ וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם תִּנְיָֽן׃ |
The Cosmocrat whom no second one is like stood to establish the primordial foundation on the second [day]. They crafted seven upper-chambers, the second being the firmament,[1] Find Bavli Ḥagigah 12b. splitting the great water into first and second. Depths They shattered to insert the stratosphere on the second [day]; cohorts of angels began their praises on the second [day][2] In accordance with the opinion of R. Yoḥanan and not R. Ḥanina, who said angels were made on the fifth day. Find Bereshit Rabbah 1:3. And it was evening, and it was morning, second day. |
עֲבַד תְּחוּמִין דִּימָֽמָא וּדְיַבֶּֽשְׁתָא בִּתְּלִיתָי עַד־כְּדוֹן מַֽיִּן סַגִֽיעִין מַר מָר בִּתְּלִיתָי סְגַרִֽינּוּן כְּדִכְתִיב בְּפִֽיסְקָא תְּלִיתָי סְפַר אוֹרַֽיְתָא דְּיִתְקַבְּלוּן בִּתְּלִיתָי נְבִיאֵי בַּתְרָהּ בְּקִֽרְיָא וּכְתוּבֵי אִנּוּן בָּב תְּלִיתָי נְבַֽטוּ יַרְקִין בְּדִיל מַעְסְרָא עַֽנְיָא בִּשְׁתִיתָי וּתְלִיתָי וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם תְּלִיתָֽי׃ |
They made borders of the sea and dry land on the third [day]. “Until here, many waters!” the Master said on the third [day]. They closed them, as is written in the third paragraph [of] the book of the Torah, which was received on the third [day]. Prophets are after it in Scripture, and writings are the third section. Plants sprouted for the sake of the tithe of the poor in the sixth and third.[3] The years of the sabbatical cycle in which the second tithe is replaced with the tithe of the poor. And it was evening, and it was morning, third day. |
מַזָּלַֽיָּא דְּגִֽלְגְּלָא אִיקְּבַֽעוּ בְּשִׁטְרֵיהוֹן בִּרְבִיעָי מַפְקָנִין דִּנְהֽוֹרָא אַנְהַֽרוּ בְּקַדְמֵֽיתָא בִּרְבִיעָי לֵילָוָן בִּרְשֽׁוּתָא דְּסִֽיהֲרָא דִּבְדִילֵיהּ קָרֵי רְבִיעָי לְאַנְהָֽרָא יְמָֽמָא עֲבַד שִֽׁמְשָׁא דִּבְגִֽלְגְּלָא רְבִיעָי כּוֹכְבַֽיָּא מַן יִכּוֹל לְמִמְנֵי בַּר־מִין בַּֽעַל אָת רְבִיעָי כְּמָה טָב שְׁחָקָא דִּבְרָא בִּרְבִיעָי וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם רְבִיעָֽי׃ |
The constellations of the zodiac were set in their space on the fourth [day]. The sources of light shone first on the fourth [day]. Nights are in the domain of the moon, for whose sake the fourth reads.[4] On new moons, there are four readings from the Torah instead of three. Find Mishnah Megillah 4:2. To illuminate the day They made the sun which is in the fourth sphere.[5] In Ptolemaic cosmology, the sun is in the fourth celestial sphere. Find Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 3:1. The stars, who can count them but the Master of the fourth letter[6] The fourth letter of the divine name is hei. According to a midrash found in Bavli Menachot 29b, the world was created with a hei. ? How good is the heaven that They created on the fourth [day]! And it was evening, and it was morning, fourth day. |
יַמְמַֽיָּא מְלָא בְּכׇל־מִינֵי נוּנַֽיָּא בַּחֲמִישָׁי יִנְעוּ מִן־פּוּטִֽיתָא זְעֵֽרְתָּא עד־לִוְיָתָן רַֽבָּא בַּחֲמִישָׁי טְמִיעִין דִּבְמַֽיָּא וְטַיְיסִין דְּבִשְׁמַֽיָּא בְּרָא בַּחֲמִישָׁי טָרָפִֽיתָא וְדַֽיְּתָא לִזְנַהּ וְכֹל עֽוֹפָא דְכֵי בְּרָא בַּחֲמִישָׁי חֲזָא אֲרֵי־טָב וּבָרֵיךְ יָתְהוֹן עַד־עַֽלְמָא חֲמִישָׁי חֲווּ וּפֽוּשׁוּ וּסְגוּ וּמְלוּ בִּרְיָֽתָא דַּחֲמִישָׁי וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם חֲמִישָֽׁי׃ |
The seas They filled with all kinds of fish on the fifth [day]. Bursting forth, from the smallest sea-bug to the great leviathan, on the fifth [day]. Those sunken in water and those flying in the sky They created on the fifth [day]. The raptor and the falcon in its kind, and every pure bird, They created on the fifth [day]. They saw that it was good and blessed them until the fifth world[7] Death — find Bavli Berakhot 10a. — “Live and breathe and increase and fill, creatures of the fifth [day]!” And it was evening, and it was morning, fifth day. |
זִיוָא דִּידַן בְּצִלְמֵיהּ צְלַם בִּשְׁתִיתָי זַיְּנַן מֵרֵישׁ בִּיכּוּרֵי אַרְעֵיהּ בִּשְׁתִיתָי וּבְרָא בְּעִֽירָא דְּאַֽרְעָא לְאַלְוִֽינָּן בִּשְׁתִיתָי וּבָרְכִֽינָּן בְּתֽוּקְפָא עִילָּוֵי אַֽרְעָא בִּשְׁתִיתָי הֲדָֽרָא דְּעַֽלְמָא אִשְׁתָּכְלַל בִּשְׁתִיתָי הוּא שֵׁיצֵי עוֹבָדֽוֹהִי דְּמִלְּקַדְמִין אַפַּֽנְיָא דִּשְׁתִיתָי וַהֲוָה־רְמַ֥שׁ וַהֲוָה־צְפַ֖ר י֥וֹם שְׁתִיתָֽי׃ |
Our appearance, in Their image, They formed on the sixth [day]. They sustained us from the first fruits of Their earth on the sixth [day],[8] In Genesis 1, humans are given permisson to eat any produce of the field. Interestingly enough, meat is not mentioned as a thing humans eat until after the flood! The rabbis suggest that before the flood humankind was vegetarian. Find Sanhedrin 59b. And created the beasts of the earth to accompany us on the sixth [day], And blessed us with power over earth on the sixth [day]. The universe’s glory was finished on the sixth [day]. They finished Their primordial works in the afternoon of the sixth [day]. And it was evening, and it was morning, the sixth day. |
דֵּין יוֹמָא דְּנִיחָא וּשְׁדוּכְיָא יוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָֽאָה דְּבֵיהּ נָח קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּבָרֵיךְ וְקַדֵּישׁ שְׁבִיעָֽאָה גֵּיוְתֵּיהּ גְּבִיהָה מִן־כׇּל־מוֹעֲדֵי יַרְחָא שְׁבִיעָֽאָה גִּֽנְזָא רַֽבָּא אַחְסִֽינָּן לְעַם מְקַדְּשֵׁי שְׁבִיעָֽאָה וְנָח֙ בְּי֣וֹמָא שְׁבִיעָ֔אָה |
This day is of rest and relaxation, the seventh day, On which the blessed Holy One rested and sanctified the seventh [day]. Its greatness is higher than all the festivals of the seventh month — A great treasure bequeathed to us, the people sanctifying the seventh [day]! And They rested on the seventh day. |
בְּרְכָן וְתוֹדָן לְאֵל דִּשְׁבַת בִּשְׁבִיעָֽאָה בְּרִיכִין תֶּהֱווּן מִן־קֳדָמוֹהִי עַד־דִּרְקִיעָא שְׁבִיעָֽאָה אֲרֵי בְּיוֹם חֶדְוָת אוֹרַֽיתָא יוֹם תְּמִינָאה בָּתַר שְׁבִיעָֽאָה אֲשַׁלֵם כְּעַן יַת־פִּיּוּטִי בְּתַרְגּֽוּמָא דִּשְׁבִיעָֽאָה וּבָרֵ֤יךְ יְהֹוָה֙ יָת־י֣וֹמָא שְׁבִיעָ֔אָה |
Blessings and thanksgivings to the Deity who ceased on the seventh [day]! Blessed be you from before Them, unto the seventh firmament! For on the day of Torah’s rejoicing, the eighth day after seven,[9] Shmini ‘Atseret is the day after the seven-day holiday of Sukkot. In the diaspora, where Simḥat Torah is the day after Shmini ‘Atseret, one could replace this with יוֹם תְּשִׁיעָֽאָה — the ninth day. I will finish now my poem in the translation of the seventh. And the Cause blessed the seventh day! |
Notes
| 1 | Find Bavli Ḥagigah 12b. |
|---|---|
| 2 | In accordance with the opinion of R. Yoḥanan and not R. Ḥanina, who said angels were made on the fifth day. Find Bereshit Rabbah 1:3. |
| 3 | The years of the sabbatical cycle in which the second tithe is replaced with the tithe of the poor. |
| 4 | On new moons, there are four readings from the Torah instead of three. Find Mishnah Megillah 4:2. |
| 5 | In Ptolemaic cosmology, the sun is in the fourth celestial sphere. Find Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 3:1. |
| 6 | The fourth letter of the divine name is hei. According to a midrash found in Bavli Menachot 29b, the world was created with a hei. |
| 7 | Death — find Bavli Berakhot 10a. |
| 8 | In Genesis 1, humans are given permisson to eat any produce of the field. Interestingly enough, meat is not mentioned as a thing humans eat until after the flood! The rabbis suggest that before the flood humankind was vegetarian. Find Sanhedrin 59b. |
| 9 | Shmini ‘Atseret is the day after the seven-day holiday of Sukkot. In the diaspora, where Simḥat Torah is the day after Shmini ‘Atseret, one could replace this with יוֹם תְּשִׁיעָֽאָה — the ninth day. |
“תַּרְגּֽוּמָא דְּיוֹמֵי | Targuma d-Yomei — an original Aramaic “Meturgeman piyyuṭ” for the Bereshit reading of Simḥat Torah by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license.
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