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Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
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יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח. נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתוֹ׃ |
The living God we praise, exalt, adore! He was, He is, He will be evermore. |
אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדוֹ. נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוֹף לְאַחְדּוּתוֹ׃ |
No unity like unto His can be, Eternal, inconceivable is He. |
אֵין לוֹ דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינוֹ גּוּף. לֹא נַעֲרֹךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתוֹ׃ |
No form or shape has th’ incorporeal One, Most holy beyond all comparison. |
קַדְמוֹן לְכָל־דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא. רִאשׁוֹן וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתוֹ׃ |
He was, ere aught was made in heaven or earth, But His existence has no date or birth. |
הִנּוֹ אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם לְכָל־נוֹצָר יוֹרֶה גְּדֻלָּתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ׃ |
Lord of the Universe is He proclaimed, Teaching His power to all His hand has framed. |
שֶֽׁפַע נְבוּאָתוֹ נְתָנוֹ. אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ׃ |
He gave His gift of prophecy to those In whom He gloried, whom He loved and chose. |
לֹא קָם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמֹשֶׁה עוֹד. נָבִיא. וּמַבִּיט אֶת־תְּמוּנָתוֹ׃ |
No prophet ever yet has filled the place Of Moses, who beheld God face to face. |
תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת נָתַן לְעַמּוֹ אֵל עַל־יַד נְבִיאוֹ נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתוֹ׃ |
Through Him (the faithful in His house) the Lord The law of truth to Israel did accord. |
לֹא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל וְלֹא יָמִיר דָּתוֹ. לְעוֹלָמִים לְזוּלָתוֹ׃ |
This law God will not alter, will not change For any other through time’s utmost range. |
צוֹפֶה וְיוֹדֵעַ סְתָרֵֽינוּ. מַבִּיט לְסוֹף דָּבָר בְּקַדְמָתוֹ׃ |
He knows and heeds the secret thoughts of man: He saw the end of all ere aught began. |
גּוֹמֵל לְאִישׁ חֶֽסֶד כְּמִפְעָלוֹ. נוֹתֵן לְרָשָׁע רָע כְּרִשְׁעָתוֹ׃ |
With love and grace doth He the righteous bless, He metes out evil unto wickedness. |
יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ יָמִים מְשִׁיחֵֽנוּ. לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ׃ |
He at the last will His anointed send, Those to redeem, who hope, and wait the end. |
מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל בְּרֹב חַסְדּוֹ. בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי־עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתוֹ׃ |
God will the dead to life again restore, Praised be His glorious name for evermore. |
This is the philosophical-creed-as-piyyut, Yigdal, by Daniel ben Judah Dayyan. Yigdal means “Magnify [O Living God]” and is based on the 13 Articles of Faith formulated by Maimonides (1135-1204). Daniel ben Judah spent eight years improving his piyyut, completing Yigdal in 1404. This was not the only metrical presentment of the 13 Articles of Faith; but it has outlived all others, whether in Hebrew or in the vernacular. The English translation appearing here is as found on pp. 186-187 of The Jewish Year (1898), by Alice Lucas.
Source(s)
“יִגְדַּל (אשכנז) | Yigdal, by Daniel ben Yehudah (rhyming translation by Alice Lucas, 1898)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.
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