מַה זֶּה אֲיַחֵל | Mah Zeh Ayaḥél — reshut №1 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Shim’u, by Shmuel haPayyetan

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Shmuel haPaytan

Shared on:

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

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Tags:

acrostic, Acrostic signature, phonetic alphabetic acrostic translation, 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 Barukh sheAmar commencing the Zemirot before Shaḥarit on Shabbat Shim’u, composed by Shmuel haPayyetan.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
שִׁמְעוּ וְהַאֲזִֽינוּ וַאֲדַבְּרָה אָֽנִי אוֹמְרָ֤ה ׀ לְאֵ֥ל סַלְעִי֮ לָמָ֢ה שְׁכַ֫חְתָּ֥נִי (תהלים מב:י)	Shall I speak? Hear and listen: I should say to the Deity my Rock, why have You forgotten me? (Psalms 42:10)
מַה זֶּה אֲיַחֵל עוֹד אַחַר אֲשֶׁר מוֹנַי גָּבְרוּ עָלַי וְנֶאֶסְפוּ וְהִכּֽוּנִי	Must I wait so long after my oppressors were victorious over me, gathered and struck me,
וּבְנֵי מוֹאָב וַעֲרָב שׁוּחָה לְלׇכְדֵֽנִי כָּֽרוּ וְכָאֵֽלֶּה רַבּוֹת מְצָאֽוּנִי	Upon which the Moabites and Arabs dug a pit to trap me, and thus and more, so much has come upon me!
אִם בַּשְּׂמֹאל אֶתְמוֹל דָּחֹה דְּחִיתַֽנִי אָנָּא יְמִין עֻזָּךְ הַיּוֹם תְּקׇרְבֵֽנִי	Ere yesterday the left hand brought me down low; Please, let Your strong right hand today bring in me!
לִדְבַר שְׂפָתִי אֵל תַּקְשִׁיב וְתֹאמַר עַל־בָּנַ֛י וְעַל־פֹּ֥עַל יָדַ֖י תְּצַוֻּֽנִי (ישעיה מה:יא)	Lips’ speech of mine, Deity, hearken and say: “Upon My children and My handiworks do you command Me?” (Isaiah 45:11)
נַפְשָׁם לְעִיר קׇדְשִׁי אַקְרִיב לְהוֹדוֹת לִי יוֹם הַנְּפָשׁוֹת יַעַמְדוּ לְשָׁרְתֵֽנִי׃	Their souls I will bring in to My holy city to thank Me, The day their souls stand to serve Me.”

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.

Shmuel haPaytan

Nothing is known about this paytan save his name preserved as an alphabetic acrostic in the piyyut, "Shir Ḥadash Ashir," sung before the Shirat haYam in Iraqi and Indian Jewish communities.

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

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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)