כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת | Ki Eshmera Shabbat, a piyyut by Avraham ibn Ezra (rhyming translation by Israel Abrahams, 1914)

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription), Israel Abrahams (translation) and Avraham ibn Ezra

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18 September 2021 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories:

Se'udat Yom Shabbat

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50th century A.M., כי אשמרה שבת Ki Eshmerah Shabbat, זמירות zemirot, פיוטים piyyutim, 12th century C.E., rhyming translation

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת אֵל יִשְׁמְרֵֽנִי, אוֹת הִיא לְעֽוֹלְמֵי עַד בֵּינוֹ וּבֵינִי׃	If we the Sabbath keep with faithful heart, El will Israel keep with love divine; Of his good grace and our true loyalty O let this day for ever prove the sign!
אָסוּר מְצֹא חֵֽפֶץ מֵֽעֲשׂוֹת דְּרָכִים, גַּם מִלְּדַבֶּר בּוֹ דִּבְרֵי צְרָכִים, דִּבְרֵי סְחוֹרָה אַף דִּבְרֵי מְלָכִים, אֶהְגֶּה בְּתֽוֹרַת אֵל וּתְחַכְּמֵֽנִי׃ כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת וכו׳	The daily round its restless turmoil ends, Our ears are closed to wordly battle-cries; From toil set free, the hour we dedicate To ponder on Torah that maketh wise. If we the Sabbath keep etc.
בּוֹ אֶמְצָא תָמִיד נֹֽפֶשׁ לְנַפְשִׁי, הִנֵּה לְדוֹר רִאשׁוֹן נָתַן קְדוֹשִׁי מוֹפֵת בְּתֵת לֶֽחֶם מִשְׁנֶה בַּשִּׁשִּׁי, כָּֽכָה בְּכָל שִׁשִּׁי יַכְפִּיל מְזוֹנִי׃ כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת וכו׳	Then wondrous memories refresh our soul, Of manna, on our sires conferred of yore; For us, as for our fathers, Heaven provides A double portion for the Sabbath store. If we the Sabbath keep etc.
רָשַׁם בְּדַת הָאֵל חֹק אֶל־סְגָנָיו בּוֹ לַעֲרֹךְ לֶֽחֶם פָּנִים בְּפָנָיו, גַּם בּוֹ לְהִתְעַנּוֹת בּוֹ עַל פִּי נְבוֹנָיו אָסוּר לְבַד מִיּוֹם כִּפּוּר עֲוֹנִי׃ כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת וכו׳	The shew-bread every week the Priests arrayed Anew upon the Table, ’twas El’s word; So we nor grieve nor fast on Sabbath days But feast around the Table of El. If we the Sabbath keep etc.
הוּא יוֹם מְכֻבָּד הוּא יוֹם תַּעֲנוּגִים, לֶֽחֶם וְיַֽיִן טוֹב בָּשָׂר וְדָגִים מִתְאַבְּלִים בּוֹ אָחוֹר נְסוּגִים, כִּי יוֹם שְׂמָחוֹת הוּא וַיְשַׂמְּחֵֽנִי׃ כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת וכו׳	O honoured day, that sets our heart aglow! O day of joy, ordained to make us glad! With bread and wine we greet thee and good cheer, A traitor he, whose Sabbath heart is sad! If we the Sabbath keep etc.
מֵחֵל מְלָאכָה בּוֹ סוֹפוֹ לְהַכְרִית, עַל כֵּן אֲכַבֶּס בּוֹ לִבִּי כְּבֹרִית, אֶתְפַּלְּלָה אֶל־אֵל עַרְבִית וְשַׁחֲרִית, מוּסַף וְגַם מִנְחָה הוּא יַעֲנֵֽנִי׃ כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת וכו׳	At eve and morn and noon our prayers ascend, A loving answer El on us bestows; Our heart with Sabbath balsam let us lave, And find a solace for all earthly woes! If we the Sabbath keep etc.

Abraham Ibn Ezra was the author of the poem “If we the Sabbath keep with faithful hearts.” Ibn Ezra (twelfth century), a writer in several branches of literature, enriched the liturgy with many hymns. The author’s name is given in acrostic simply as Abraham, but all authorities agree in assigning it to Ibn Ezra (cf. Vitry, p. 178). The Sabbath as a sign between God and Israel is taken from Exodus 31:13-17. For some of the ideas in the hymn see T.B. Sabbath 113b, 150b, Shulḥan Aruch, O. Ḥayyim §307. For the allusion to the manna see Exod. 26:5. –Israel Abrahams

I have re-Hebraized divine names and mentions of the Torah in Abrahams’s translation. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

. Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication . 1.0 . Universal .

“כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת | Ki Eshmera Shabbat, a piyyut by Avraham ibn Ezra (rhyming translation by Israel Abrahams, 1914)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

Aharon N. Varady (editing/transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

Israel Abrahams (translation)

Israel Abrahams, MA (honoris causa) (b. London, November 26, 1858; d. Cambridge, October 6, 1925) was one of the most distinguished Jewish scholars of his generation. He wrote a number of classics on Judaism, most notably, Jewish Life in the Middle Ages (1896). In 1902, after teaching for several years at Jews' College, Abrahams succeeded Solomon Schechter, who was moving to New York to head the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, as reader in Talmudic and Rabbinic literature at the University of Cambridge. He received the honorary degree Master of Arts (MA) from the University in late May 1902. In 1914, he published A Companion to the Authorised Prayer Book, a helpful commentary on and supplement to the prayer book compiled by Rabbi Simeon Singer.

Avraham ibn Ezra

Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra (Hebrew: אַבְרָהָם בֶּן מֵאִיר אִבְּן עֶזְרָא‎ ʾAvraham ben Mēʾīr ʾībən ʾĒzrāʾ, often abbreviated as ראב"ע; Arabic: إبراهيم‎ المجيد ابن عزرا‎‎ Ibrāhim al-Mājid ibn Ezra; also known simply as Ibn Ezra, 1089 / 1092 – 27 January 1164 / 23 January 1167) was one of the most distinguished Jewish biblical commentators and philosophers of the Middle Ages. He was born in Tudela in northern Spain.

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כִּי אֶשְׁמְרָה שַׁבָּת | Ki Eshmerah Shabbat, a piyyut by Avraham ibn Ezra (trans. Rabbi David Aaron de Sola, 1857)

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יָהּ רִבּוֹן | Yah Ribōn, a piyyut by Rabbi Yisrael Najara (16th c.) rhyming translation by Israel Abrahams (1914)

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אֱלֹהִים יִסְעָדֵנוּ | Elohim Yisadenu, a piyyut by Avraham ibn Ezra (trans. Rabbi David Aaron de Sola, 1857)

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אֲגַדֶלְךָ | Agadelkha, a piyyut by Avraham ibn Ezra (ca. 12th c.) translation by Anonymous

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "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