שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה | Shanah b-Shanah — reshut №5 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Divrei

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

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12th century C.E., 49th century A.M., acrostic, Acrostic signature, Nusaḥ Sefaradi, פיוטים piyyuṭim, רשויות reshuyot, שבת דברי Shabbat Divrei, Three Weeks of Mourning

In older Sephardic practice, there are cycles of reshuyot (permission-poems) recited on the three sabbaths of rebuke. These reshuyot, inserted before important prayers, date back to medieval Andalusian poets. They are largely mournful in tone, and accordingly the Ḥida opposed their recitation as unbefitting the joy of sabbaths, but due to their antiquity and cherishedness some communities (for instance those of Morocco) preserved them, reciting them all prior to Maariv on the ninth of Av instead. In any case, they are very clearly designed for the Shabbatot to which they are assigned, and to serve as reshuyot for the prayers to which they are assigned.

This reshut is the fifth of six reshuyot for the first sabbath of rebuke, Shabbat Divrei, the first Sabbath of Rebuke after 17 Tammuz. It is recited before Barkhu and the blessings before the Shema of the Shaḥarit service. The signature acrostic indicates the paytan was named Yosef, possibly Yosef ibn Abitur (according to Israel Davidson. The acrostic is unclear, so perhaps a vav is missing from the second verse, and the samekh verse is missing entirely.)

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה אֶהְגֶּה כְּיוֹנָה כִּי עִיר עֲדִינָה הָיְתָה לְזוֹנָה׃	Year after year, like a dove I’ll moan sore, for the Edenic city has become like a whore!
יָרְדוּ פְלָאִים מַלְכָּהּ וְעַמָּהּ נָשְׂאוּ מְשַׂנְּאִים חֶלְיָהּ וְנִזְמָהּ לִמְעוֹן פְּרָאִים הׇהְפַּךְ מְקוֹמָהּ תַּנִּים וְיַעֲנָה בִּמְקוֹם שְׁכִינָה וּנְהִי וְקִינָה תַּחַת רְנָנָה׃ שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה…	Inconceivably low are her people and king; the enemies stripped her jewel and earring. Her place was turned to an onager’s housing; Jackals and ostriches where the Presence did soar, Wailing and keening where cheers were before. Year after year…
בַּמֶּה יְנֻחַם יוֹדְעָהּ וְרוֹאָהּ קֵדָר וּבֶן־חַם יוֹשְׁבִים בְּכִסְּאָהּ אֵיכָה תְּנֻחַם וְעוֹדָהּ בְּחֶטְאָהּ וּלְכׇל־מְדִינָה הָיְתָה שְׁנִינָה חֶרְפָּה וּבֹשְׁנָה לָקְחָה לְמָנָה׃ שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה…	By what will they be consoled, those who know and see it? Qedar and Ḥam’s sons^[1] Meaning Arabs and Egyptians respectively dwelling in her seat. Alas, how will she be consoled, still in sin and deceit? And to all the land she’s something to abhor, Shame and disgrace as her portion to store. Year after year…
פְּנֵה לְהֶגְיוֹן נִבְזֶה וְעַרְעַר עַם דַּל וְאֶבְיוֹן שׁוֹכְבִים בְּצַֽעַר קַבֵּץ לְצִיּוֹן נִדָּח בְּשִׁנְעָר בּֽוֹאוּ בְּרִנָּה גִּבְעַת לְבוֹנָה מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה אֵל בָּרְכוּ־נָא׃	Face the meditations of the despised and laid bare, the poor needy people in distress they bear. Gather to Zion those exiled in Sumer, Come to the incense-hill in ardor; From Amana’s peak, we’ve a Deity to adore!

Notes

Notes
1	Meaning Arabs and Egyptians respectively

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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Augsburger Wunderzeichenbuch — Folio 11? „Vision des Jeremia“ (ca. 1552) by Heinrich Vogtherr the Younger (or Hans Burgkmair der Jüngere)

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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)

שָׁנָה בְּשָׁנָה | Shanah b-Shanah — reshut №5 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Divrei

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