שְׁעֵה נֶאֱסַר | Shə’éh Neèsar (Am Tage, da der Feind siegte und die Stadt erstürmte), a seliḥah by Shlomo ibn Gabirol (German translation by Isaac Seligman Baer)

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Seligman Baer and Shlomo ibn Gabirol

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1 July 2026 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

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11th century C.E., 49th century A.M., acrostic, Alphabetic Acrostic, German translation, פיוטים piyyuṭim, סליחות səliḥot, Three Weeks of Mourning

A seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by the great payṭan and philosopher Shlomo ibn Gabirol. This seliḥah is referred to as pizmon, meaning that (in the Ashkenazi rite) each stanza is recited aloud by the congregation followed by the shaliaḥ tzibbur. This piyyuṭ, in Eastern Ashkenazi practice, serves as the final unique seliḥah of the 17 Tammuz seliḥot. (There are other piyyutim recited as part of fast day seliḥot but they aren’t unique to 17 Tammuz.) Translated to German by Isaac Seligman Baer in 1865. First transcribed from the Fraktur and orthographically modernized in 2025 for a European Academy for Jewish Liturgy retreat. Thank you to the great David Schapiro for his extensive help in the process!

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
שְׁעֵה נֶאֱסַר אֲשֶׁר נִמְסַר בְּיַד בָּבֶל וְגַם שֵׂעִיר לְךָ יֶהֱמֶה זֶה כַּמֶּה וְיִתְחַנֵּן כְּבֶן צָעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃	Wende Dich zu dem Gefesselten, in die Hand Babels und Seïrs Überlieferten, der schon so lange seufzet, und wie ein kleines Kind zu Dir flehet, am Tage, da der Feind siegte und die Stadt erstürmte.
לְזֹאת אִכַּף וְאֶסְפּוֹק כַּף בְּיוֹם חִמֵּשׁ פִּזְרוֹנִי וְעַל רֶֽגֶל הָעֵֽגֶל הַלּוּחוֹת יְצָאֽוּנִי וְגַם הִשְׁמִיד הַתָּמִיד וּבַסּוּגַר הֱבִיאַֽנִי וְהוּשַׂם אֱלִיל בְּהֵיכַל כְּלִיל וּמֵעֲצָתוֹ כְּלָאַֽנִי וְהַמִּנְחָה הוּנָחָה וְדָתְךָ צָר בָּאֵשׁ הִבְעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃	Darob bin ich gebeugt und schlage die Hände zusammen, dass an diesem Tage fünffaches Leid mich betroffen! Wegen des goldenen Kalbes entschwanden mir die Gesetzestafeln; auch das tägliche Opfer ward abgeschafft und ich ward in Verschloß gebracht; ein Götzenbild ward in des Tempels Allerheiligste gestellt und mir entzog Gott seinen Schutz; die Opfergaben unterblieben und der Dränger ließ Dein Gesetzbuch in Feuer auflodern, am Tage, da der Feind siegte und die Stadt erstürmte.
מְאֹד אֶתְחַל וָאֶתְחַלְחַל בְּיוֹם שַׁדַּי דְּחָפַֽנִי וְהַשְּׁפִיפוֹן מִצָּפוֹן כְּשִׁבּֽוֹלֶת שְׁטָפַֽנִי מְאוֹר חָשַׁךְ וְגַם שֵׁשַׁךְ כְּמוֹ כַּדּוּר צְנָפַֽנִי וְהַצַּיָּד שָׁלַח יָד וְהַצָּפִיר וְהַשָּׂעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃	Ich gräme und entsetze mich am Tage, da der Allmächtige mich verstoßen, mein Licht verfinsterte und in Scheschachs (Babylons) Tiefe wie einen Ball mich hinschleuderte; der Basilisk (Nebuchadnezar), von Norden kommend, stürmte mich hinweg, die Jäger (die Römer) verfolgten mich, so wie die schnellen Griechen, am Tage, da der Feind siegte und die Stadt erstürmte.
הוֹד לִבִּי וּמִשְׂגַּבִּי הֲלָעַד אַפְּךָ יֶעֱשַׁן הֲלֹא תִרְאֶה עַם נִלְאֶה אֲשֶׁר הָשְׁחַר כְּמוֹ כִּבְשָׁן גְּדוֹר פִּרְצִי בְּבֶן פַּרְצִי וּמֵחֶֽדֶק לְקוֹט שׁוֹשָׁן בְּנֵה בֵּית זְבוּל לְהָשִׁיב גְּבוּל הַכַּרְמֶל וְהַבָּשָׁן וְעַֽיִן פְּקַח וְנָקָם קַח מֵאֵֽצֶר וּמִדִּישָׁן שְׁפוֹט אִלֵּם וְאָז יְשַׁלֵּם הַמַּבְעֶה וְהַמַּבְעִיר׃ יוֹם גָּבַר הָאוֹיֵב וַתִּבָּקַע הָעִיר׃	Stolz meines Herzens! meine Festung! Will Dein Zorn ewig rauchen? Siehst Du nicht das matte Volk, das wie ein Ofen schwarz geworden? O bessere meine Risse aus durch Perez’s Sohn (den Messias), suche die Rose aus den Dornen hervor, erbaue wieder das Haus Deiner Wohnung und stelle die Grenzen des Karmel und des Baschan wieder her! O öffne Deine Augen und übe Gericht an Ezer und Dischon! nimm Dich der Verstummten an, dass die Verheerer und Verbrenner den Schaden ersehen müssen, am Tage da der Feind gesiegt und die Stadt erstürmt.

This is a transcription of “Shə’éh Neèsar,” a seliḥah for the 17th of Tammuz by Shlomo ibn Gabirol and translated by Isaac Seligman Baer in הסליחות לכל השנה: לפי מנהג האשכנזים Ha-Seliḥot le-khol ha-shanah: le-fi minhag ha-Ashkenazim (1865), pp. 566-569.

Source(s)

Ha-Seliḥot le-khol ha-shanah le-fi minhag ha-Ashkenazim (Isaac Seligman Baer 1865), p. 566

Ha-Seliḥot le-khol ha-shanah le-fi minhag ha-Ashkenazim (Isaac Seligman Baer 1865), p. 567

Ha-Seliḥot le-khol ha-shanah le-fi minhag ha-Ashkenazim (Isaac Seligman Baer 1865), p. 568

Ha-Seliḥot le-khol ha-shanah le-fi minhag ha-Ashkenazim (Isaac Seligman Baer 1865), p. 569

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 Seligman Baer

Seligman (Isaac) Baer was a masoretic scholar, and an editor of the Hebrew Bible and of Jewish liturgy. He was born in Mosbach, the northern district of Biebrich, Sept. 18, 1825 and died at Biebrich-on-the-Rhine, March, 1897. He belonged to the school of Wolf Heidenheim, and had in his possession some of Heidenheim's original manuscripts and personal copies of his published works with handwritten marginal notes. Baer's monumental edition of the Jewish prayerbook according to the Ashkenazic rite, Seder Avodat Yisrael (Rödelheim, 1868), accompanied by a critical commentary, became the authoritative model for numerous editions published subsequently in the 20th century. His editions of the Jewish liturgy also include Kinnot for the fast of the ninth of Av. He never occupied an academic position, but was content with the office of Hebrew teacher to the Jewish community of Biebrich. In recognition of his services to the Commission for the History of the Jews in Germany, the honorary degree of doctor of philosophy was conferred upon him by the University of Leipzig.

Shlomo ibn Gabirol

Shlomo ibn Gabirol (also Solomon ben Judah; Hebrew: שלמה בן יהודה אבן גבירול‎, Arabic: أبو أيوب سليمان بن يحيى بن جبيرول‎ Abu Ayyub Sulayman bin Yahya bin Jabirul, Latin: Avicebron or Avencebrol; 1021/22-1058), born in Malaga, Spain was an Andalusian poet and Jewish philosopher. He published over a hundred poems, as well as works of biblical exegesis, philosophy, ethics, and satire.

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