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“Nilah l’Heilil” is the fourth reshut offered before Nishmat at the outset of the Zemirot (preceding Shaḥarit). It is the sixth reshut among the reshuyot in the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon — the final shabbat before 9 Av.
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
נִלְאָה לְהֵילִיל עַל־שִׁבְרֵֽנוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
We tire of howling over our ailing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
אִֽלּוּ לִדְיוֹ יִהְיוּ יַמִּים וְנִמְתְּחוּ גְוִילִים כִּשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמִים וּקְנֵי סוֹפֵר כׇּל־עֲצֵי רְתָמִים אֵין דַּי לִכְתֹּב קְצָת צָרוֹתֵינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
If ink the oceans all became Quills stretched as heaven’s highest frame, The broom-trees reeds for scribal aim, It wouldn’t be enough to write a bit of our travailing! Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
נֶחֱרַב דְּבִירִי וְסָף מִקְדָּשִׁי וְאָבְדוּ חֲכָמַי וּבֵית מִדְרָשִׁי וְאָנָה רִכְבִּי וְעֹז פָּרָשִׁי עַל־אֵ֖לֶּה חָשְׁכ֥וּ עֵינֵֽינוּ׃ (איכה ה:יז) וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
My sanctum ruined, with my temple and all, My sages lost, and my study hall, And where is my Rider, my Knight standing tall? For these things our eyes are failing. (Lamentations 5:17) Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
יוֹקֵד לְבָבִי עַל יְקֹד בֵּית־אֵל וְאֵין מִזְבֵּֽחַ וְאֵין הַהַרְאֵל וְאֵין כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל בַּעֲבוֹדַת אֵל לְכַפֵּר עַל־כׇּל־חַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
My heart burns at the burning of the Deity’s Abode, There is no altar, the hearth did erode, No high priest to do the Deity’s work owned As atonement for our sins availing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
מְנוֹרָה וְשֻלְחָן וְלֶֽחֶם הַפָּנִים כְּרוּבִים וְאָרוֹן לְוִיִּם וְכֹהֲנִים וְשִׁירָה אָזְלָה וּבָֽאוּ יְגוֹנִים וְנֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְאֵ֖בֶל שִׁיר מְחֹלֵֽנוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
Offering-table and showbread and lamp, Cherubim and ark, levites and priests on their ramp, And song have all gone, sorrows came in the camp, And the song of our dances have turned to bewailing.[1] Find Lamentations 5:15 Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
שָׁבַת קְטֹֽרֶת וְקוֹל מַגְרֵפָה וּפָרָה אֲדֻמָּה וְעֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה וְנִסְכֵּי מְנָחוֹת לֹג הִין וְאֵיפָה וְשָׂעִיר מַלְבִּין אַשְׁמוֹתֵֽינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃ |
Shovel-sounds have ceased, as has the incense smoked, And the red heifer and the broken-neck cow unyoked[2] The word “unyoked” is included here for the rhyme, although it is accurate — the cow of the ‘egla arufa ritual w as prohibited from having ever been yoked. And log, hin, and ephah of offerings libation-soaked, And the goat of our guilt countervailing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing! |
הָשֵׁב עֲבוֹדַת מִקְדָּשֵֽׁנוּ וְקַבֵּץ נְפוּצוֹת גָּלוּתֵֽנוּ וְהָקֵם נְפִילַת חָרְבוֹתֵֽינוּ וַהֲשִׁיבֵֽנוּ לְקַדְמוּתֵֽנוּ יָהּ וְאָ֤ז יִמָּלֵ֪א שְׂח֡וֹק פִּ֮ינוּ֮׃ (תהלים קכו:ב) (×2) |
Enable again our temple rites, And gather our exiles from their flights, And reestablish our fallen ruined sights, And return us to our original heights, Yah, that our mouths be full of laughter[3] Find Psalms 126:2. The word “unfailing” is included here for the rhyme. unfailing! (Psalms 126:2) |
Notes
“נִלְאָה לְהֵילִיל | Nilah l’Heilil — reshut №6 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon, by Moshe ibn-Ezra” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license.
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