כִּי יָשִׂישׂ | Ki Yasis — an ofan piyyuṭ for Tu b’Av by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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

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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., acrostic, Acrostic signature, ofanim, פיוטים piyyuṭim, יוצרות yotsrot

An ofan for Tu b’Av, the second part of an intended cycle of yotsrot. Structured around Hosea 11:1 and Ezekiel 3:12, and focusing on the bridal love between Israel and God as well as the corresponding of Israel’s and angelic hymning. Written in honor of my friend Eliran’s anniversary.

The first word of each line is from Hosea 11:1. In the translation these words are colored blue. Note that in the original verse, the “them” of line four (literally: him) refers to Israel, not God, but here its context is shifted.

The first word of the second half of each line is from Ezekiel 3:12, the verse which is recited immediately after an ofan. In the translation these words are colored red. Note that the actual words recited after an ofan are not included here, only the opening portion of the verse.

Each line ends with either the word “holy,” “blessed,” or, in the last verse, both. In the translation, these words are colored magenta.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
כִּ֛י יָשִׂישׂ עָלָי כְּחָתָן הַמָּקוֹם וַתִּשָּׂאֵ֣נִי צׇהֳלָתִי לְמָקוֹם קָדוֹשׁ׃	As the Place rejoices over me like a groom;^[1] Find Isaiah 62:5 my joy carried me to a holy place.
נַ֥עַר חמוּד וְנַעֲרַת תִּפְאֶֽרֶת ר֔וּחַ קְדוֹשָׁה אוֹמֶֽרֶת בָּרוּךְ׃	A pleasant lad, and a splendid lass; a spirit of holiness says, “blessed.”
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל הוּא עַם מְשׁוֹרְרִים וָאֶשְׁמַ֣ע רַבְרְבֵי מַֽעַל מְזַמְּרִים קָדוֹשׁ׃	Israel is a nation of songsters, and I heard the princes on high hymning, “holy.”
וָאֹהֲבֵ֑הוּ אַף־עַל־פִּי כׇּל־צַֽעַר אַחֲרַ֔י לִפְתֹּֽחַ אֶת־הַשַּֽׁעַר בָּרוּךְ׃	And I loved Them despite all the pain, after me! to open the blessed gate.^[2] The gate of heaven, which is opened from the prayer of those in distress.
וּמִמִּצְרַ֖יִם חֻזַּק הָרַֽעַם ק֖וֹל זִקְנֵי עַם קָדוֹשׁ׃	And from Egypt the thunder was strengthened, the voice of the elders of the holy people.
קָרָ֥אתִי קְרָא זֶה אֶל־זֶה רַ֣עַשׁ אֵל רָאָה חוֹזֶה בָּרוּךְ׃	I called, “Call one to another!”^[3] A reference to Isaiah 6:3 and Isaiah 40:6 Divine tumult a blessed prophet saw.
לִבְנִֽי מְכֻנֶּה יְשֻׁרוּן גָּד֑וֹל נָשִֽׁירָה לוֹ מוּל יְשִׁירוּן קָדוֹשׁ וּבָרוּךְ׃	“My son” Jeshurun is called; great! Let us sing while they sing^[4] According to the heikhalot mystic corpus, very influential on the structure of ofanim, Israel and the angels pray at the same time. “holy and blessed.”

Notes

Notes
1	Find Isaiah 62:5
2	The gate of heaven, which is opened from the prayer of those in distress.
3	A reference to Isaiah 6:3 and Isaiah 40:6
4	According to the heikhalot mystic corpus, very influential on the structure of ofanim, Israel and the angels pray at the same time.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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 transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic texts, 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.

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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)

כִּי יָשִׂישׂ | Ki Yasis — an ofan piyyuṭ for Tu b’Av by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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