עַד־אָן צְבִי מֻדָּח | ʼAd-an Tsvi Mudaḥ — reshut №5 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Shim’u, by Yehudah ha-Levi

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Yehudah ben Shmuel haLevi

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

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Nusaḥ Sefaradi, פיוטים piyyuṭim, רשויות reshuyot, שבת שמעו Shabbat Shim'u, 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. These six reshuyot are meant to be recited on the second sabbath of rebuke, Shabbat Shim’u. Many of their authors are, to the translator’s knowledge, otherwise unknown — any further information about them would be greatly appreciated!

This is the reshut offered before the shaḥarit Torah service on Shabbat Shim’u, by Rabbi Yehuda haLevi.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
עַד־אָן צְבִי מֻדָּח וְאֵין מְקַבֵּץ לוֹ נִגַּשׂ וְגַם־נֶאֱנָח גָּבַר מְאֹד חִילוֹ יִצְעַק וּמַר יִצְרַח מְאֹד עַל־שֹׁד חֶבְלוֹ וּמְחָרְפוֹ וּמְגַדְּפוֹ וַיִּרְדְּפוֹ עַל־צַוָּארוֹ שָׂם עֹל׃ יַשְׁמִיד וְלֹא־יַחְמֹל וְהוּא־יִסְבֹּל׃	How long the deer disowned and none recongregate? Oppressed, he also groaned, with trauma sorely great, How bitterly he moaned, at the looting of his state! And his mocker, and his knocker, and his stalker; on his nape a yoke they tied; destroying without mercy, he’ll abide.
וָאֶצְעַק חָמָס לָאֵל וְאֵין־עֹנֶה עַל־כֵּן מְאֹד נָמָס לִבִּי וְגַם נַעֲנֶה גַּבִּי אֲשַׁו מִרְמָס אֶל־זָר וְאֶל־מוֹנֶה וְאֶדְאָֽגָה מִדְּאָגָה וְאֶשְׁאָֽגָה מִבּוֹר עָמֹק כִּשְׁאוֹל׃ יַשְׁמִיד וְלֹא־יַחְמֹל וְהוּא־יִסְבֹּל׃	As “Violence!” I shriek, the Deity replies no more. Therefore so very weak my heart, afflicted sore. My back, oppressors wreak trampling to the floor. I should worry, from the worry, roar in fury, from a pit like Sheol, deep and wide; destroying without mercy, he’ll abide.
יָרְשׁוּ בְּנֵי זָרִים כׇּל־מַחְמַד עֵינַי וַיֵּלְכוּ בַגּוֹלָה שְׁבָטַי וְגַם־בָּנַי וַיַּעֲשׂוּ כָלָה קׇדְשִׁי וּמִשְׁכָּנִי הָרְגוּ בְאַף נָשִׁים וְטַף כָּרְתוּ עָנָף צוֹרְרַי וְנָתְנוּ קוֹל׃ יַשְׁמִיד וְלֹא־יַחְמֹל וְהוּא־יִסְבֹּל׃	Strangers’ heirs obtained all pleasant in my eyes. And out to exile chained are my tribes and filial ties. They destructively profaned my Temple they despise. They killed in rage those young of age, and in rampage my foes did shout in pride; destroying without mercy, he’ll abide.
פּוֹעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת אֵל עוּרָה וְהִנָּשֵׂא וּפְדֵה בְרַחֲמִים אֵל עַם־דַּל בְּךָ חוֹסֶה מַהֵר וְחִישׁ גּוֹאֵל לָֽנוּ יְהִי מַחְסֶה אֵל יוֹצְרִי שְׁלַח צֳרִי כִּי אֵין צוּרִי בִּלְעָדֶֽיךָ לִגְאֹל׃ כִּי אֵין צוּרִי בִּלְעָדֶֽיךָ לִגְאֹל׃	Salvation-doing Deity, pray rise and do be raised! Redeem in mercy, Deity, poor folk who trust unfazed. Shelter, with spontaneity bring our redeemer praised. My Creator, bring our cure! No rock, I’m sure, but You brings freedom’s tide. No rock but You brings freedom’s tide.

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.

Yehudah ben Shmuel haLevi

Yehudah haLevi (also Judah ha-Levi; Hebrew: יהודה הלוי and Judah ben Shmuel Halevi יהודה בן שמואל הלוי; Arabic: يهوذا اللاوي‎; c. 1075 – 1141) was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Spain, either in Toledo or Tudela, in 1075 or 1086, and died shortly after arriving in the Holy Land in 1141, at that point the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Yehudah haLevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets, celebrated both for his religious and secular poems, many of which appear in present-day liturgy. His greatest philosophical work was The Kuzari.

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Cry of prophet Jeremiah on the Ruins of Jerusalem (1870) by Ilya Repin

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