אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה | Aḥinu Ata — a pizmon for a (male) Jew-by-choice’s first Aliyah to the Torah after Conversion, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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8 October 2025 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., acrostic, Aliyah, Alphabetic Acrostic, conversion, גרות gerut, פיוטים piyyuṭim, פזמונים pizmonim

A pizmon for calling up a (male) Jew-by-choice for his first aliyah to the Torah after completing his conversion process. (Pizmonim for female and non-binary Jews-by-choice forthcoming!) To be recited before the blessing, led by the gabbai with the community responding with the refrain.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אַבְרָהָם הוּא אָבִֽיךָ אִמְּךָ הִיא שָׂרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Avraham is your father, your mother is Sarah.^[1] The parents of all Israel, traditionally stated to be the parents of all converts as well. You are our brother! You are our brother!^[2] M. Sotah 7:8, the declaration of the people Israel when Agrippas, the descendant of converts, came up to read Torah at the haqhel ceremony. This declaration is the refrain of the entire pizmon.
בָּרוּךְ הַמְּקַבֵּל עֹל מִצְוֺת הַתּוֹרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Blessed be the reciever of the yoke of the Torah’s commandments. You are our brother! You are our brother!
גָּר כָּאֶזְרָח כֵּן כָּתוּב בַּמִּקְרָא. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Convert like native, is written in Scripture.^[3] Find Lev. 19:34 You are our brother! You are our brother!
דַּם בְּרִית הִטַּֽפְתָּ לַמִּילָה הַטְּהוֹרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Dripping covenant-blood for the pure circumcision.^[4] This can refer to a full circumcision or the hatafat dam brit ceremony where a convert who had already been circumcised merely has a drop of blood taken from his penis. This verse would require a major rewrite for a feminine or gender-neutral version. Feel free to suggest your own — remember it has to start with daleth and end with -rah! You are our brother! You are our brother!
הֵ״א מִיּוֹ״ד הֵ״א לַקּוֹנֶה הַמְּעָרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Entering hei from yod-hei for the cave-purchaser.^[5] Avraham, who was named Avram before his conversion. According to the Zohar, Lekh Lekha 35:454-457, the heis added to Avram and Sarai to make them Avraham and Sarah came from the Divine Name itself. You are our brother! You are our brother!
וָי״ו הֵ״א נָתַן הֵ״א לָאֵם וְהוֹרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	From vav-hei was hei given to the mother and parent.^[6] Sarah, who was named Sarai before her conversion. You are our brother! You are our brother!
זְכׇר־נָא עַמִּי אַל־תִּלְחַץ פֶּן־יִקְרָא. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Give no oppression, my people, remember, lest he call out!^[7] Find Exodus 23:9 and Deut. 24:14-15. You are our brother! You are our brother!
חוֹבֵב הַגֵּרִים הַגִּבּוֹר וְנוֹרָא. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	How the Mighty and Awesome one cherishes the convert!^[8] Find Deut. 10:17-18 You are our brother! You are our brother!
טֻמְאָתְךָ הִשְׁלַֽחְתָּ בִּטְבִילָה בָּרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	In a pure dipping^[9] Referring to the miqveh that converts go through as part of their process. you cast off your impurity. You are our brother! You are our brother!
יְהוּדִי אַתָּה בְּשִׂמְחָה וְאוֹרָה. אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Jewish are you, in happiness and light!^[10] Find Esth. 8:16 You are our brother! You are our brother!
כֵּן עֲמֹד פלוני בֶּן־אַבְרָהָם עוֹלֶה לַתּוֹרָה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה! אָחִֽינוּ אַתָּה!	Kinsman (name: ___) son of Abraham, stand, ascending to the Torah! You are our brother! You are our brother!

Notes

Notes
1	The parents of all Israel, traditionally stated to be the parents of all converts as well.
2	M. Sotah 7:8, the declaration of the people Israel when Agrippas, the descendant of converts, came up to read Torah at the haqhel ceremony. This declaration is the refrain of the entire pizmon.
3	Find Lev. 19:34
4	This can refer to a full circumcision or the hatafat dam brit ceremony where a convert who had already been circumcised merely has a drop of blood taken from his penis. This verse would require a major rewrite for a feminine or gender-neutral version. Feel free to suggest your own — remember it has to start with daleth and end with -rah!
5	Avraham, who was named Avram before his conversion. According to the Zohar, Lekh Lekha 35:454-457, the heis added to Avram and Sarai to make them Avraham and Sarah came from the Divine Name itself.
6	Sarah, who was named Sarai before her conversion.
7	Find Exodus 23:9 and Deut. 24:14-15.
8	Find Deut. 10:17-18
9	Referring to the miqveh that converts go through as part of their process.
10	Find Esth. 8:16

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

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 transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic texts, 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.

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Conversion class in Madagascar (credit: William F.S. Miles, license: CC BY-SA)

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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)