Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) | Amendation (Hebrew) |
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אֵל רָם חֲסִין יָהּ שׁוֹכֵן עֲלִיָּה מַהֵרָה גוֹאֵל לְעַם שִׁבְטֵי יָהּ |
G!d on high, mighty Yah,
Who dwells above[1]Cf. Psalms 89:9 Quickly redeem Your people, the tribes of Yah[2]Cf. Psalms 122:4 |
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אֵל נִשָּׂא וָרָם גַּלֵּה קֵץ נֶעְלָם לִבְנֵי אַבְרָהָם עַם בָּחַר לוֹ יָהּ |
Exalted G!d on high,[3]Cf. Isaiah 6:1
Reveal the hidden end To the children of Avraham, The people chosen by Yah[4]Cf. Psalms 135:4 |
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To the seekers of unity,
Give loyalty As there was for Ruth The Moabite[5]Ruth 1:18, Ruth 2:2 |
לְדוֹרְשֵׁי אַחְדוּת תֵּן נֶאֱמָנוּת כְּהָיְתָה לְרוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה |
שׁוֹכֵן בַּשַּׁחַק מֵהֶם אַל תִּרְחַק לְזֶרַע יִצְחָק הוֹצֵא לִרְוָיָה |
The One who dwells in cloud,
Do not distance from them The seed of Yitsḥak,[6]Cf. Mekhilta de Rebbe Shimon bar Yokhai, ch. 15: “אבל אנו עמך ונחלתך וצאן מרעיתך בני אברהם אוהבך זרע יצחק יחידך משפחת יעקב בכורך” Brought out into abundance[7]Cf. Psalms 66:12 |
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Listen to her voice,
The mother, the mistress[8]Genesis 16:9 And she laughed, Sarah[9]Genesis 18:12 Who was remembered by Yah[10]Genesis 21:1 |
שְׁמַע בְּקֹלָהּ הָאֵם הַגְּבִירָה וַתִּצְחַק שָׂרָה אֵַשֶׁר פָּקָד יָהּ |
לְעִיר תִּפְאַרְתָּךְ קְַבֵּץ עֲדָתָךְ לִבְנֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁלַח אֵלִיָּה |
To the city of your glory
Gather your nation To the children of Ya’akov Send Eliyah[11]Cf. Malakhi 3:23 |
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Answer your people
When we cry out to You Rivka did so, She went out to seek Yah[12]Genesis 25:22 |
תַּשִׁיב לְעַמָּךְ בְּקָרְאֵנוּ לָךְ כֵּן עָשְׂתָה רִבְקָה הִיא דּוֹרֶשֶׁת יָהּ |
מִקְדַּשׁ הֲדוֹמָךְ יְָשִׁיר בּוֹ עַמָּךְ בְּשִׁירַת מֹשֶׁה נָבִיא בְּחִיר יָהּ |
In your holy Resting-place
Your people will sing[13]Cf. Isaiah 66:1, 1 Chronicles 28:2 The song of Moshe The prophet chosen by Yah[14]Cf. Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:11 |
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She watched the river,[15]Exodus 2:4
She saw the sea split We will sing with her Miryam the prophet of Yah[16]Exodus 15:20 |
מֵי נָהָר שָׁמְרָה קְרִיאָת סוּף רָאָתָה עִמָּהּ נָשִׁירָה מִרְיָם נְּבִיאָת יָהּ |
הָרֵם עַם אֶבְיוֹן וּבְנֵה אַפִּרְיוֹן לְגֶזַע אַהֲרֹן יַקְרִיבוּ לְיָהּ |
Raise up an impoverished people,
And build a canopy[17]Cf. Song of Songs 3:9, Shir HaShirim Rabba 3:1 For the family of Aharon, Who will sacrifice to Yah |
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For our enemies, remember
You will deliver them to a woman[18]Judges 4:9 Devorah, burning Like a fiery torch of Yah[19]Judges 4:4 |
לְאוֹיבֵנוּ זְכֹר בְּיַד אִשָּׁה תִּמְכֹּר דְּבוֹרָה בּוֹעֶרֶת כְּלַפִּידָת יָהּ |
חַזֵּק וְאַסֵּף לְבֵית יוֹסֵף יִרְבּוּ וְיִפְרוּ כְּגֶפֶן פּוֹרִיָה |
Strengthen and increase
The house of Yosef[20]Cf. Zechariah 10:6 Let them multiply Like a fruitful vine[21]Cf. Psalms 128:3 |
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Give strength in Your glory
So that we can say in justice That she was right, Tamar,[22]Genesis 38:26 The mother of the anointed of Yah [23]Genesis 38:29-30; Ruth 4:18-22 |
עֻזָּה בֶּהָדָר בְּצֶדֶק נֹאמַר כִּי צָדְקָה תָּמָר אֵם מְשִׁיחַ יָהּ |
אַמֵּץ בֶּן דָּוִד וְיִשְׁפֹּט תָּמִיד כָּל צַר תַּשְׁמִיד גָּרֵשׁ מֵעִיר יָהּ |
Give courage to the son of David
That he might eternally judge Destroy all trouble Banish it from the city of Yah |
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Grant peace to Your walls
Redeem Your city According to the tears of Raḥel [24]Jeremiah 31:15 And the Shekhina of Yah |
תֵּן שָׁלוֹם בְּחֵיל לְעִירָךְ גּוֹאֵל עַל דִּמְעָת רָחֵל וּשְׁכִינַת יָהּ |
This is one of my favourite Sukkot piyyutim, not least because of the wonderful and easily singable call-and-response melody! The seven verses each highlight one of the seven traditional ushpizin [mythic guests], and a few years ago [in 2012] I wrote an additional seven verses for the seven female ushpizata according to the order of Rabbi David Seidenberg (neohasid.org).
The original lyrics for El Ram Ḥasin Yah, and a recording of the traditional melody, can be found at the Piyut archive hosted by the National Library of Israel.
Notes
1. | Cf. Psalms 89:9 |
2. | Cf. Psalms 122:4 |
3. | Cf. Isaiah 6:1 |
4. | Cf. Psalms 135:4 |
5. | Ruth 1:18, Ruth 2:2 |
6. | Cf. Mekhilta de Rebbe Shimon bar Yokhai, ch. 15: “אבל אנו עמך ונחלתך וצאן מרעיתך בני אברהם אוהבך זרע יצחק יחידך משפחת יעקב בכורך” |
7. | Cf. Psalms 66:12 |
8. | Genesis 16:9 |
9. | Genesis 18:12 |
10. | Genesis 21:1 |
11. | Cf. Malakhi 3:23 |
12. | Genesis 25:22 |
13. | Cf. Isaiah 66:1, 1 Chronicles 28:2 |
14. | Cf. Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:11 |
15. | Exodus 2:4 |
16. | Exodus 15:20 |
17. | Cf. Song of Songs 3:9, Shir HaShirim Rabba 3:1 |
18. | Judges 4:9 |
19. | Judges 4:4 |
20. | Cf. Zechariah 10:6 |
21. | Cf. Psalms 128:3 |
22. | Genesis 38:26 |
23. | Genesis 38:29-30; Ruth 4:18-22 |
24. | Jeremiah 31:15 |

“אל רם חסין יה | El Ram Ḥasin Yah, a piyyut for Sukkot by Shlomo haPaytan (egal adaptation by Noam Sienna, 2012)” is shared by Noam Sienna with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
The first Yah is missing kamatz.
עמה / עמך has a dageish in the mem.
Oozah should not have a vuv.
Nomar the holam is after the nun, not aleph.
Bo-eret is spelled with ayin, not aleph.
Lapidot is spelled with a patah under the lamed.
Thank you Baruch. I found and fixed all the errors you noted.