אָשִׁיר בִּזְמִירִים | Ashir BiZmirim, a piyyuṭ before Qaddish (after Yishtabaḥ) on Shabbat Ḥanukkah by Yaaqov ibn Tsur

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Yaaqov ibn Tsur

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

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18th century C.E., 55th century A.M., Acrostic signature, Maghrebi Jewry, Meknes, Morocco, פיוטים piyyuṭim, זמירות zemirot

Ashir BiZmirim — a piyyuṭ intended to be sung before Qaddish (after Yishtabaḥ) in the Shaḥarit of Shabbat Ḥanukkah — was written by the great Moroccan paytan Yaaqov ibn Tsur (1673–1753) of Fez. It was first put to print in the Sefer ‘Et l-Kol Ḥefetz, printed by ibn Tsur’s descendants in 1893 in Alexandria. It may be sung to the melody of Yaḥid Arba, or the melody of Ya’atzor Me-’Ami.”

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אָשִׁיר בִּזְמִירִים לְיוֹצֵר הָרִים מָסַר גְּבוּרִים בְּיַד חַלָּשִׁים׃	I will sing in hymns to the Maker of mountains, who turned the mighty over to the hand of the week.
נִלְכְּדוּ שׂוֹטְנַי בְּיַד כֹּהֲנַי בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי גֶּֽזַע יְשִׁישִׁים׃	Adversaries mine were conquered by the hand of my priests, the Hasmoneans, the elder race.
יֶשַׁע וּפֻרְקָן לְעַמִּי נִתְקַן כִּי לֹא נִתְרוֹקַן פַּךְ הֶחָרָשִׁים׃	My people’s salvation and rescue was fixed, for the artisans’ vial was not emptied.
יִסְּדוּ תּוֹרוֹת חַכְמֵי הַדּוֹרוֹת לְהַדְלִיק נֵרוֹת שִׁשָּׁה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים׃	Judged the sages of the age to establish teachings, to light thirty-six lamps.
עוֹמְדִים כְּסִדְרָם בִּפְאֵר הֲדָרָם אָכֵן לְאוֹרָם אֵין מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים׃	As they stand in their order, in their glorious splendor, indeed their light is not to be used.
קוֹל שִׁיר בְּמִזְמוֹר הַהַלֵּל נִגְמֹר לְצוּר מִמַּכְמוֹר הִתִּיר חֲבוּשִׁים׃	Choral song in hymn, we will complete the hallel to the Rock who freed the wounded from the net.
בְּעֵת תְּפִלָּה גַּם עֵת אֲכִילָה נוֹדֶה בְּגִילָה בְּטוּב רְחָשִׁים׃	On the hour of prayer, by eating-time as well, we will cheerfully thank with quick speech of good.
אֵל נִסִּים עָשָׂה לְעַם בּוֹ חָסָה וְאוֹתָם פָּצָה מִפַּח יוֹקְשִׁים׃	Signs the Deity did! On the people They had mercy, freeing them from the fowler’s trap.
בְּעֻזְּךָ יוֹצְרִי תָּאִיר עוֹד אוֹרִי וְתָהֵל נֵרִי כְּעֵין תַּרְשִׁישִׁים׃	Now, my Maker, on Your strength, make my light yet glow, so my lamp may shine like beryls.
נוֹצֵר חֲסָדִים שׁוּר רֵעִים דּוֹדִים בָּם זֵדִים רוֹדִים אֲדוֹנִים קָשִׁים׃	Favors You keep; behold the beloved friends; whom arrogant, cruel masters tyrranize!
צוּר יֶֽשַׁע צַוֵּה וְטוּבְךָ רַוֵּה לְעַם בְּקַצְוֵי אֶרֶץ נְטוּשִׁים׃	Zenith, command salvation, and make Your goodness plentiful for the people left to the earth’s ends!
וּלְדַל נֶאֱלָח פְּדוּתְךָ תִּשְׁלַח וְחִישׁ תְּשַׁלַּח רְצוּצִים חׇפְשִׁים׃	Unto the poor despised ones, send Your redemption, and hurry, let the oppressed go free!
רוֹמֵם עַם הוּדַשׁ וּבְנֵה בֵּית מִקְדָּשׁ תִּגְדַּל תִּתְקַדַּשׁ בְּסוֹד קְדוֹשִׁים׃	Raise the trampled people, and build the Temple; be great, be sanctified in the holy assembly!

Source(s)

Sefer Et l-Kol Ḥefets (Yaaqov ibn Tsur) page 33b

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Yaaqov ibn Tsur

Yaaqov ben Reuven ibn Tsur, or Jacob Abensur (1673–1753), born in Fez, Morocco, was a poet, scholar and leading Moroccan rabbi of the 18th century. He studied under the rabbis Vidal Serfaty and Menahem Serero. In 1693, he was appointed as registrar at the bet din (rabbinical court) of Fez, and then as a rabbi and head of the bet din in 1704, a post which he held for another thirty years. Thereafter, oppressive taxation induced him to move to Meknès, where he became a member of the bet din for eleven years, and after that he moved to Tétouan to serve in its bet din for another seven years. Ibn Tsur authored Mishpat u-Tsedeqah be-Ya’aqov, a published collection of some of his responsa, as well as Et le-khol Ḥefeẓ, a collection of piyyutim.

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