אֱלֹהֵי יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ | Elohei Yeshuaténu, a pizmon for 17 Tammuz attributed to the legendary Jewish Pope Andreas (translation by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer)

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

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acrostic, Acrostic signature, פיוטים piyyuṭim, פזמונים pizmonim, סליחות səliḥot, Three Weeks of Mourning

A pizmon (a seliḥah with a refrain, to be recited aloud) recited in the Sephardic rite for the seventeenth of Tammuz, Elohei Yeshuatenu, like most seliḥot for that day, features stanzas for each of the five tragedies that occurred on the day. But what’s unique about it is the legend of its author. This piyyuṭ is signed with the name Andreas (although it’s spelled wrong — the letter R is at the end). Who is Andreas?

According to Eliezer Ashkenazi’s Ta’am Zekenim, published in Frankfurt in 1854 — קבלה בידנו כי מחבר סליחה זו המיר דתו ונעשה הגמון ובימיו נעשה עלילה על ישראל וגזרו עליהם להשמידם ונתקבצו מחנות בתוך העיר לכלותם וקם הוא ודרש להם וביטל את הגזרה. וכאשר באו ראשי ישראל וחכמיהם להחזיק לו טובה אמר להם הוא מבקש מהם שישלחו לכל תפוצות ישראל סליחה אחת אשר חיבר ושיקבעו אותה תוך סדורי תפלות שלהם וכן עשו, ושמו חתום עליה בראשי החרוזות “אנדריאס” ובית אחת נהפך בהמודפס. (It is passed into our hands that the composer of this seliḥah apostatized, and became a pope. And in his days, a libel was made against Israel and they decreed against them to exterminate them, and camps gathered in the city to destroy them. And he rose and interpreted for them and nullified the decree. And when the chieftans and sages of Israel came to him to thank him, he said to them he was asking them to send to all the scattered of Israel one seliḥah that he had composed, and that they would set it in their prayer-books, and they did so, and his name was signed in it in the heads of the stanzas — Andreas — but one stanza was set out of order by the printer.)

This is a variant of the famous and oft-retold legend of the Jewish Pope Andreas, found throughout the Jewish world. According to this legend, this seliḥah was written by a pope! Is this actually the case? Probably not — there’s no historical evidence for the reality of any secretly Jewish pope, and it is more likely that the author was simply a regular old Jew who happened to have a name of gentile origin. Still, it’s a fascinating little story.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אֱלֹהֵי יְשׁוּעָתֵֽנוּ שְׁעֵה שַׁוְעָתֵֽנוּ וּרְאֵה שׁוֹמְמוֹתֵֽינוּ וְאֹֽרֶךְ גָּלוּתֵֽנוּ מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בְּזׇכְרֵֽנוּ עֱנוּתֵֽנוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Ah, God of our salvation! Heed our pleas, and see our desolation and the length of our exile! Year after year in remembering our affliction on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
נָא אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחוֹת וּבוֹחֵן סִתְרֵי טוּחוֹת שְׁעֵה שֵׂיוֹת נִדָּחוֹת נְפוּצוֹת בְּאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בִּזְמַן זֶה נֶאֱנָחוֹת בְּיוֹם עֵֽקֶב מַדּוּחוֹת נִשְׁתַּבְּרוּ הַלּוּחוֹת וּבוֹ כׇּל־יְמֵי שְׁנוֹתֵֽינוּ נְמָרֵר עַל־יְגוֹנֵֽנוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Now God of spirits, who examines the secrets of the gut; heed the exiled lambs, scattered in the four winds. Year after year at this time is groaning, on the day where, on account of seduction, the tablets were shattered. And on it all the days of our years, we will bitterly mourn on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
דְּלֵה מִטִּיט הַיָּוֵן טְבוּעִים בּוֹ וְאֵין מַעֲמִיד עֵֽדֶר תַּֽתָּה לְמַאֲכָל לְבִזָּה וּלְהַשְׁמִיד מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בְּיוֹם זֶה עֶֽצֶב מַצְמִיד יוֹם בּוֹ יַד זָר הֶאֱמִיר וּבוֹ בֻּטַּל הַתָּמִיד עַל־רֹב עֲוֺנוֹתֵֽינוּ וְעֹֽצֶם חַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Draw out from the slimy mire those drowned in it without rescue; the flock You gave as carrion, pillage destruction. Year after year on this day grief-linked, the day when the stranger’s hand soared, on which the daily-offering was nullified, for our great iniquities and mighty sins, on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
יָהּ אֲשֶׁר הַכֹּל יוּכַל פְּדֵה מִשְּׁכוֹל שָׁכַל מִיַּד עִקֵּשׁ וְסָכָל וּשְׁאַר יַעֲקֹב אָכַל מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה בְּיוֹם זֶה מַמְּרֹר אוֹכַל בְּהַעֲמִיד זָר לְמוּלִי בּוֹ צֶֽלֶם בַּהֵיכָל עַל־כׇּל־קוֹרוֹתֵֽינוּ יִזְּלוּ דִמְעוֹתֵֽינוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Each and every thing You, Yah, can do! Save us from being bereaved from the twisted hindering hand that ate Jacob’s remnant! Year after year on this day bitterness I eat, as the stranger raised an idol in the Temple before me. For all our occurences, our tears fall, on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
שִׁבְרֵֽנוּ מַה נּוֹרָא כִּי סַֽרְנוּ מִמּוֹרָא נָאוֹר עֹטֶה אוֹרָה גְּמוּלִי לַכֹּל הוֹרָה מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה נֶֽהִי בְּיוֹם זֶה אֶחְקֹֽרָה יַֽעַן כִּי בוֹ שָׂרַף אַפּוֹסְטְמוֹס אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה לְזֹאת נִשְׁכְּבָה בְּבׇשְׁתֵּֽנוּ לְשֹׁד בֵּית תִּפְאַרְתֵּֽנוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Shattered horribly are we, for we abandoned our Awe, luminous, light-enrobed, my recompense, teaching all. Year after year on wailing on this day I should investigate, since on it Apostomos burned the Torah. For this we should lie in our shame, for the pillage of our glorious house, on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
רַחוּם יְכַפֵּר עָוֺן וְכׇל־חֲמָתוֹ לֹא־יָעִיר פְּדֵה חִישׁ מִידֵי שֵׂעִיר פְּזוּרֵי הַצֹּאן וְצָעִיר מִדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בְּיוֹם זֶה הֶמְיַת מֵעָיו יַסְעִיר יוֹם גָּבְרוּ הַזָּרִים וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר כִּי הָיִֽינוּ לְלַֽעַג וָקֶֽלֶס לִסְבִיבוֹתֵֽינוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Rousing none of Their rage, the Merciful atones for iniquity. Save, quick, from Seir’s^[1] i.e. Edom, referring to the power of Rome, or Christianity in general. In some texts vocalized as שָׂעִיר “the goat’s,” with the same metaphorical meaning. hands the scattered flock and the younger.^[2] Referring to Jacob, and by extension Israel. Find Genesis 25:23 Year after year on this day his innards agitatedly stir, the day the strangers won and the city was breached. For we are a mockery, cursed around us, on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.
רַחֲמָן בְּרַחֲמִים שֽׁוּבָה אֶל־צִיּוֹן הָעֲלוּבָה וְחִישׁ־נָא לְאִשָּׁה עֲצוּבָה נֶחָמָה הַכְּתוּבָה וְאָז־שִׁירָה נָנֽוּבָה בִּבְנוֹתְךָ הַחֲרֵבָה בְּקִבּוּץ נְפוּצוֹתֵֽינוּ וּבְשׁוּבְךָ אֶת־שְׁבוּתֵֽנוּ בְּיוֹם חֲמִשָּׁה דְבָרִים אֵרְעוּ אֶת־אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ׃	Return, o Compassionate One, in compassion to sorrowful Zion, and to the abandoned woman^[3] Another metaphor for Israel. rush comfort as written. And thus we should pronounce song in rebuilding Your ruin,^[4] The Temple gathering our scattered as You return our exile, on the day that five matters befell our ancestors.

Source(s)

Ta’am Zekenim (Eliezer Ashkenazi 1854)

Notes

Notes
1	i.e. Edom, referring to the power of Rome, or Christianity in general. In some texts vocalized as שָׂעִיר “the goat’s,” with the same metaphorical meaning.
2	Referring to Jacob, and by extension Israel. Find Genesis 25:23
3	Another metaphor for Israel.
4	The Temple

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.

Unknown

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Jewish pope Andreas in Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends (Sol Aronson 1919)

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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)