אֲמָרֵר בְּבֶֽכִי | Amarér b-Vèkhi — a seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by Menaḥem ben Makhir (English translation by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer)

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Menaḥem ben Makhir

Shared on:

1 July 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

Tags:

11th century C.E., 49th century A.M., acrostic, Alphabetic Acrostic, אמרר בבכי Amarer b-Vekhi, פיוטים piyyuṭim, סליחות səliḥot, Three Weeks of Mourning

A seliḥah for the seventeenth of Tammuz, the second piyyuṭ recited in the Eastern Ashkenazi custom for that day, written by Menachem ben Machir, an eleventh-century German paytan. This was first translated in 2025 for a summer event with the European Academy for Jewish Liturgy.

Note: This translation 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)
אֲמָרֵר בְּבֶֽכִי מִפְּנֵי יָד שְׁלוּחָה בְּעִי בְּנַאֲצִי בְּתוֹךְ בֵּיתוֹ בְּבִגְדִי וְקׇבְעִי גָּזוּבָרַח וְנָסַע עֶֽשֶׂר וְעָלָה לַשְּׁבִיעִי דִּמַּֽנִי הִצִּיקַֽנִי הִסִּיקַֽנִי בַּחֹֽדֶשׁ הָרְבִיעִי׃	I bitterly cry at the hand streched against the rubble-pile. For my insult in Their House, my treacherous thieving, They left,^[1] The original text here probably read גַּח “thrust, gored” for the sake of the second-letter acrostic of Menaḥem b. Rabbi Machir. But the standard printed text today has the more common גַּז “left” fled, went ten ways to the seventh heaven; slicing, stressing, burning me in the fourth month.
הֵבִיא מוֹעֵד בִּמְלֵאָתוֹ לִשְׁבּוֹר בַּחוּרֵי גִמּוּז וְרִבָּה בוֹ פַעֲמַֽיִם בְּמִסְמוּס וּמִזְמוּז זְבוּלוֹ כְּשָׁר שַׁאֲנַנּוֹת מְבַכּוֹת אֶת־הַתַּמּוּז חִיְּבַֽנִי אִיְּבַֽנִי אֲזַי בְּיֶֽרַח תַּמּוּז׃	They brought the final time to crush those flowering lands, shooting us twice, weakening and melting, as many women wept for Dumuzid in the Temple; They condemned me as foe in the moon of Tammuz.
טָמְנוּ פַחִים חֲמִשָּׁה בְּמִקְרָא תְּלָאוֹת מְשֻׁלָּחוֹת יָכְלוּ לִי בְּשִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בּוֹ בַּאֲלִיחוֹת כִּינוֹקַֽשְׁתִּי כְּכַלָּה עֲלוּבָה בְּחֻפַּת שַׁלְוָה וְהַצְלָחוֹת לְרוֹעִי לֹא־הִמְתַּנְתִּי שֵׁשׁ וְנִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ הַלֻּחוֹת׃	Five traps in the Scripture were laid for us of sent troubles; they overcame me on the seventeenth in contamination, for I was caught like an insolent bride in a canopy of satiety and success; for my Shephard I did not wait until noon, and the tablets were broken!
מִיָּדוֹ עָדִֽיתִי חֳלִי וָכֶֽתֶם אֶצְעָדָה וְצָמִיד נִגָּרוֹת בְּיוֹם אַפּוֹ כְּשִׁחַתִּי דְרָכָי לְהַשְׁמִיד סֵֽדֶר עֲבוֹדָתוֹ וְקַֽיִץ מִזְבְּחוֹ קַֽצְתִּי לְהַעֲמִיד עַל־כֵּן מִלִּשְׁכַּת הַטְּלָאִים בֻּטַּל הַתָּמִיד׃	From Their hand I was decorated with gold jewelry, bracelet and anklet; they flowed off on the day of Their anger, as I corrupted my paths to apostasy. Their ritual order and permanent altar-supply I stopped setting up; so from the lamb chamber the daily-offering ceased.
פּוֹר הִתְפּוֹרְרָה וְנִתְפַּזְּרָה סוֹעֲרָה עֲנִיָּה צִיָּה נִמְשְׁלָה מִבְּלִי חוֹבֵל וְנִטְרְפָה כָּאֳנִיָּה קַחְתָּהּ בְּחַטָּאתָהּ בְּרֹאשָׁהּוּ בְכֶֽפֶל תַּאֲנִיָּה וַאֲנִיָּה רִיבֽוּהָ צָרֶֽיהָ כְּהַיּוֹם וְהׇבְקְעָה הָעִיר בַּשְּׁנִיָּה׃	Broken up and scattered, storm-tossed, unhappy, oppressed, like an uncaptained wrecked ship. You took her head for her sins, doubled mourning and moaning; her enemies attacked her today and the city was again breached.
שֻׁלְּחָה כִּצְבִי מֻדָּח מֵאֵין דּוֹרֵשׁ לְהַסְתִּֽירָה שָׁנְנוּ לְשׁוֹנָם וּנְתָנֽוּהָ כְּשֶׂה צַמְרָהּ וְחֶלְבָּהּ לְהַתִּירָהּ תִּצְעַק עַל־כְּלִי חֶמְדָּה שֶׁבּוֹ נִכְתָּֽרָה תַּחֲמוּד עֵינֶֽיהָ נֻצַּל כְּשָׂרַף אַפּוֹסְטְמוֹס הַתּוֹרָה׃	Sent out like a fleeing gazelle to hide, desired by none; they sharpened their tongues and made her like a lamb, wool and milk to be taken. She cries for the cherished things that crowned her; her eyes’ beloved ramsacked as Apostomus burned the Torah.
חֵרֵף עֲשׁוּקִים וּרְצוּצִים בַּעֲבוּר הַרְעִימָם סָכָל יְרוּדִים בִּוְהָיָה לֶאֱכוֹל וּבְהַסְתֵּר פָּנִים מִלְּהִסְתַּכָּל יָד הִשְׁלִים מִכְּנַף שִׁקּוּצִים נֶאֱכָל עֵת צָרָה כְּהִתְכַּנֵּס וְהׇעֲמַד צֶֽלֶם בְּהֵיכָל׃	A fool cursed the oppressed and crushed so as to vex them, the abject with “They will be devoured,” and “Their face is hidden from sight.” One hand They made finish from the wing, disgusting things eaten, a time of stress when an idol was entered and set up in the Palace.
דְּווּיִם סְגוּפִים בָּנִים הֶהָיוּ מִקֶּֽדֶם רִאשׁוֹנִים סְמוּכוֹת צָרוֹתֵֽיהֶם זוֹ לְזוֹ כַּמָּה שָׁנִים לוֹקִים כַּאֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶֽׂינָה הַדְּבוֹרִים וְהָעַקְרַבִּים שׁוֹנִים הוֹגִים אָבַד שִׂבְרָם וּבָטֵל סִכּוּיָם בְּאִישׁוֹנִים׃	Miserable, plagued children we were once foremost; their stresses stacked on each other for years, beaten as bees and scorpions sting, beliving their hope is lost, those sitting in the tenebrosity made null.
אֵל קַנָּא בְּהִתְאַפֵּק בְּמַקְנִיאֶיךָ דְּשֵׁנִים רְטוּבִים מְחַכִּים תָּקִים עוֹמְדִים לְעוֹלָמִים כִּנְטִיעִים מְחֻטָּבִים בַּאֲהָבִים הָאֱמֶת וְהַשָּׁלוֹם בְּצוֹמוֹת חֲטוּבִים נֶֽצַח הֱיוֹתָם לְשִׂמְחָה וּלְשָׂשׂוֹן וּלְמוֹעֲדִים טוֹבִים׃	Jealous God, as You hold back, those who incite your jealousy grow fat and saucy. Raise those awaiting to stand forever like things planted or carved in love. Truth and peace are on fast-days carved out. Forever may they be joy and happiness and festive days!

Notes

Notes
1	The original text here probably read גַּח “thrust, gored” for the sake of the second-letter acrostic of Menaḥem b. Rabbi Machir. But the standard printed text today has the more common גַּז “left”

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.

Menaḥem ben Makhir

Menaḥem ben Makhir (fl. 11th c.) was German liturgist and a native of Ratisbon. His grandfather, also called Menahem b. Machir, was a nephew of Gershom b. Judah, and he himself was a cousin of Isaac b. Judah, Rashi's teacher. He is quoted in Rashi's "Pardes" (21d, 33c) and in the "Liḳḳuṭe Pardes" (19b; comp. "Pisḳe Reḳanaṭi," No. 589). Menaḥem witnessed the Jewish massacres of 1096 in Germany and commemorated them in a number of seliḥot. His piyyuṭim include: "Adam be-ḳum," for the Esther fast (quoted in Tos. to Ḥag. 11a); "Aḥalleh et pene Adonai," for Yom Kippur minḥah; "Amarer ba-beki," for the 17th of Tammuz; "Lammah Adonai ta'amod" (in ten strophes); a "ḳinah" for the 9th of Ab, beginning "Ebel a'orer"; five "yotserot," including one for the "Naḥamu" Sabbath and one for the "Shuvah" Sabbath; three "ofanim"; three "zulatot"; "Kehosha'ta elim," a "hosha'na" for the Sabbath of Tabernacles; "Ma'ariv," for the Feast of Tabernacles; "Nishmat, to be recited on Simḥat Torah; and a reshut for Ḥatan Torah, to be recited on the same day. Most of his piyyuṭim are alphabetically arranged, but all of them bear the author's signature.

Stable Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=68053

Associated Image:

A Judenhat escutcheon (colorized by Aharon Varady)

(This image is set to automatically show as the "featured image" in shared links on social media.)

Terms of Use: Be a mentsch (a conscientious, considerate person) and adhere to the following guidelines:

Properly attribute the work to Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Menaḥem ben Makhir.
Clearly indicate the date you accessed the work and in what ways, if any, you modified it. (If you have adapted the work, let us know so that the contributor might consider endorsing your revision.)
Provide the stable link to this resource: <https://opensiddur.org/?p=68053>.
Indicate that the original work was shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license. (To redistribute or remix this work in any format, modified or unmodified, you must refer to the terms of the license under which the work is shared.)

Additional Notes:

The views expressed in this work represent the views of their creator(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the Open Siddur Project's developers, its diverse community of volunteer contributors, or its institutional partners.
We strongly advise against printing sacred texts and art containing divine names as these copies must be regarded with reverence, complicating their casual treatment and disposal.
If you must dispose of a printed sacred text (one containing Divine Names), please locate the closest genizah (often established by a synagogue) and contact its custodians for further instructions. We also recommend using Morah Yehudis Fishman's Prayer for Adding a Work to the Genizah.

Support this work: The Open Siddur Project is a volunteer-driven, non-profit, non-commercial, non-denominational, non-prescriptive, gratis & libre Open Access archive of contemplative praxes, liturgical readings, and Jewish prayer literature (historic and contemporary, familiar and obscure) composed in every era, region, and language Jews have ever prayed. Our goal is to provide a platform for sharing open-source resources, tools, and content for individuals and communities crafting their own prayerbook (siddur). Through this we hope to empower personal autonomy, preserve customs, and foster creativity in religious culture.

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)