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This piece is about Ḥanina ben Dosa, a wonder-working rabbi who lived in Judea in the first century. The singer pleads to Ḥanina that he intercede on Israel’s behalf and obtain God’s help and salvation for her and the world.
I wrote this song in Late Classical Hebrew save for one stanza in Judeo-Aramaic.
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| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
חרוז א אִישׁ חָסִיד הָיָה בִּֽימֵי קֶדֶם מֵאַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֶׂה וּשְׁמוֹ חֲנִינָא הִצְטַמְצֵם יְהוּדָה לְגֶּֽזַע וָגֶֽדֶם וַיִּבֹּֽלוּ מֵעָלָיו תֹּֽמֶר וּתְאֵנָה |
Verse 1 There once was a saint in days of old From among the men who do wondrous deeds; his name was Ḥanina Judea had shrunken down to a trunk and a stump Date-palm and fig-tree had withered away |
פזמון חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּעֹרֵר רֽוּחַ תֵּבֵל, יִנָּתְקוּ כַבְלֵי בַרְזֶל מִזִקֵּי הַיֵּאוּשׁ נִגָּאֵל! |
Chorus Ḥanina ben Dosa, pray for Israel Awaken the spirit of the world; may the iron chains be broken May we be redeemed from the bonds of despair! |
חרוז ב עָנָיו וְשַׁתְקָן, מִבְּנֵי הַמַּלְאָכִים עֶֽבֶד לִפְנֵי מֶֽלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים דַּיּוֹ כָּל־הַשָּׁבֽוּעַ בְּקַב חָרוּבִים גַּם אִשְׁתּוֹ הָיְתָה מְלֻמֶּֽדֶת בְּנִּסִּים |
Verse 2 Humble and taciturn, from the children of angels A servant to the King of all kings All week he survived on a dry measure of carob His wife too was practiced in the occurrence of miracles |
פזמון חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּעֹרֵר רֽוּחַ תֵּבֵל, יִנָּתְקוּ כַבְלֵי בַרְזֶל מִזִקֵּי הַיֵּאוּשׁ נִגָּאֵל! |
Chorus Ḥanina ben Dosa, pray for Israel Awaken the spirit of the world; may the iron chains be broken May we be redeemed from the bonds of despair! |
חרוז ג אֶל פָּמוֹט הַשַּׁבָּת נִשְׁפַּךְ חֹֽמֶץ מַר וַיָּבֹא אִישׁ טָהוֹר שֶׁחִיֵּךְ וְגָּזַר מִי שֶׁאָמַר לַשֶּֽׁמֶן וְיִדְלֹק יְצַוֶּה אֶת־הַחֹֽמֶץ לְהָאִיר אוֹר מָתוֹק וְכֵן הָיָה… |
Verse 3 Bitter vinegar once fell into the Sabbath candelabrum Then came a pure man who smiled and decreed: “He who told the oil to burn “Will command the vinegar to shine with a sweet light” And so it came to pass… |
פזמון חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּעֹרֵר רֽוּחַ תֵּבֵל, יִנָּתְקוּ כַבְלֵי בַרְזֶל מִזִקֵּי הַיֵּאוּשׁ נִגָּאֵל! |
Chorus Ḥanina ben Dosa, pray for Israel Awaken the spirit of the world; may the iron chains be broken May we be redeemed from the bonds of despair! |
גשר א הֱיֵה לָֽנוּ סַנֵּיגוֹר יָעִיל יוֹם חָדָשׁ סוֹף־סוֹף מַתְחִיל יְרַחֵם אֱלֹקִים, אֶת־דּוֹרְשָׁיו יַצִּיל לְמַֽעַן צִדְקוֹ תּוֹרָה יַגְדִּיל |
Bridge 1 Be for us an effective defender A new day finally begins The Lord will have mercy; He will save those who seek after Him He will magnify the Torah for His righteousness’ sake |
חרוז ד לָֽנוּ דְּרוּשָׁה עֲתִירַת חָכָם אִישׁ אֱמֶת הַמַּכִּיר לֵב הָעָם אָב סָמוּךְ, מָקוֹר בָּרוּךְ בִּשְׁבִילוֹ נִזּוֹן כָּל־הָעוֹלָם |
Verse 4 We are in need of a sage’s prayer A man of truth who knows the heart of the nation A reliable father, a blessed wellspring For whose sake the world is sustained |
פזמון חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּעֹרֵר רֽוּחַ תֵּבֵל, יִנָּתְקוּ כַבְלֵי בַרְזֶל מִזִקֵּי הַיֵּאוּשׁ נִגָּאֵל! |
Chorus Ḥanina ben Dosa, pray for Israel Awaken the spirit of the world; may the iron chains be broken May we be redeemed from the bonds of despair! |
גשר ב הָאֹֽזֶן תִּשְׁמַע וְתַקְשִׁיב הַנְּשָׁמָה בְּצֵאת קוֹל עָרֵב מֵעוֹלָם הַבָּא תְּפִלָּה זַכָּה וּתְמִימָה בְּפִי תַּנָּא רַבָּא שְׁגוּרָה |
Bridge 2 Let the ear hear; let the soul hearken As a sweet voice goes out from the World to Come A pure and perfect prayer Fluent in the mouth of the great tanna[1] The tanna’im (lit. “teachers,” “reciters”) were the outstanding Torah scholars of the Holy Land who knew Scripture by heart and could recite the established traditions of the various yeshivot. Among their number were included Rabban Gamaliel, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir, and Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi. The tanna’im lived from roughly 10 to 220 of the Common Era and were the successors to the zugot, the “pairs” of scholars, like Hillel and Shammai, who had co-led the Jewish people in spiritual matters for two centuries. |
שִׁמְעוּ הָרִים וְדֹּֽמוּ מֹֽסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ פֹּעֵל יְשׁוּעוֹת יִגְדֹר כָּל־פָּֽרֶץ גִּילִי צִיּוֹן בְּאִמְרֵי אֹהֲבֵךְ מוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה מִתְחַנֵּן לִמְקַבְּצֵךְ |
“Hear, o mountains; be silent, ye foundations of the earth A wonder-worker will repair every breach Rejoice, o Zion, in the words of thy lover A righteous teacher supplicates before thy Gatherer |
מִכָּל צָרָה יוֹשִׁיעֵֽנוּ קָהּ בֵּית דָּוִד יָקוּם מִשּׁוֹאָה חֲדָשׁוֹת נוֹרָאוֹת עַֽיִן לֹא־רָאֲתָה תִּפְרַֽחְנָה כָּרִמּוֹן וְתִמָּלֵא אֶֽרֶץ תְּנוּבָה |
“God will save us from every distress The House of David shall rise from the conflagration Awesome new things the eye has not yet seen Will blossom like the pomegranate; and the land will be filled with fruit |
יִבָּנֶה הַמִּקְדָשׁ וְתוּשַׁב הָעֲבוֹדָה וְעָלוּ יְרוּשָׁלַֽיְמָה נֹֽשְׂאֵי אֲלֻמָּה יִנָּבְאוּ יְלָדִים וִילָדוֹת תַחֲלֹֽמְנָה וִישֻׂשׂוּם בַּמָּרוֹם בְּנֵי פַּמַּלְיָה |
“The Temple shall be rebuilt and the Levitical rite shall be restored Those who bear sheaves shall go up to Jerusalem Boys will prophesy and girls will dream And the family of angels will rejoice over them from above!” |
כלי נגינה |
Instruments |
חרוז ה תַּעֲבֵיד דְּבֵיתְהוּ כְּלִילָא דִּילֵיהּ תְּכֵלְתָּא לְצַדִּיקֵי לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי יְקַר אוֹרַיְתָא הֲוָה כְּתִיב עַל־לִבֵּיהּ לְעָלַם יְהֵא רְחִים שְׁמֵיהּ |
Verse 5 Ḥanina’s wife, his crown, will make Sky-blue dye for the fringes of the righteous in the World to Come The glory of the Torah was written on his heart May his name be forever loved |
רִֽיבָה רִיבֵֽנוּ, הַשְׁלֵם בֵּינֵֽינוּ לְצֶֽדֶק הֲבִיאֵֽנוּ, מוּכָנִים לִפְדוּתֵֽנוּ הִנֵּה זֶה בָּא מֵאֲחוֹרֵי אֵלִיָּה רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא! |
Plead our cause; make peace between us Bring us to righteousness that we be ready for our redemption Behold! Someone comes behind Elijah! Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa! |
פזמון (ארבע פעמים) חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּעֹרֵר רֽוּחַ תֵּבֵל, יִנָּתְקוּ כַבְלֵי בַרְזֶל מִזִקֵּי הַיֵּאוּשׁ נִגָּאֵל! (נְשׂוּא פָנִים!) |
Chorus (4×) Ḥanina ben Dosa, pray for Israel Awaken the spirit of the world; may the iron chains be broken May we be redeemed from the bonds of despair! (O favored one of God!) |
Notes
| 1 | The tanna’im (lit. “teachers,” “reciters”) were the outstanding Torah scholars of the Holy Land who knew Scripture by heart and could recite the established traditions of the various yeshivot. Among their number were included Rabban Gamaliel, Rabbi Akiva, Rabbi Meir, and Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi. The tanna’im lived from roughly 10 to 220 of the Common Era and were the successors to the zugot, the “pairs” of scholars, like Hillel and Shammai, who had co-led the Jewish people in spiritual matters for two centuries. |
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“חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא | Ḥanina ben Dosa, a song by Asher Hillel Burstein” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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