Unknown • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

Resources filtered by CATEGORY: “Purim” (clear filter)

Sorted Chronologically (new to old). Sort oldest first?

Purim—the Festival of Joy, a prayer for that mirth which dispels hatred (CCAR 1923)

Contributed by: Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown, Central Conference of American Rabbis [CCAR]

“Purim—The Feast of Joy” is the twenty-sixth prayer found in ברכה ותהלה Blessing and Praise: A Book of Meditations and Prayers for Individual and Home Devotion (CCAR 1923), pp. 90-92.

אֵל שְׁמֹר הַמַּלְכָּה | God Save the Queen, an adaptation of Hyman Hurwitz’s Hebrew translation of “God Save the King” for Queen Victoria’s Jubilee Celebration (1887)

Contributed by: Hyman Hurwitz, Unknown, Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

“God Save the Queen” is an adaptation of “God Save the King,” a work by an unknown author, first circulated in three stanzas during the reign of Britain’s King George Ⅱ, circa 1745. This Hebrew translation was published in a pamphlet circulated by New Road (Whitechapel) Synagogue in 1892 “on the 73rd Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Victoria,” an event attended by then chief rabbi of the British Empire, Rabbi Dr. Hermann Adler.

אַךְ זֶה הַיּוֹם קִוִּֽיתִי | Akh Zeh haYom Kiviti — a Sefardic pizmon for Shabbat Zakhor and Purim

Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), Unknown

A pizmon for Shabbat Zakhor and Purim, found in many Livorno siddurim (seen as the standard form for most Sephardic communities) as far back as the 18th century and possibly earlier. It is signed with the name Avraham, as well as the names Moshe and Aharon, but the author is otherwise unknown. Seder Mishmeret haKodesh (1847) inserts it as an introduction to the Mi Khamokha piyyut of Yehuda haLevi, recited on Shabbat Zakhor. The bouncy, joyous tune used for this piyyut, of Italian origin, is also used for Purim songs in multiple languages, such as Fate Onore al Bel Purim, Con Gran Placer Señores, and Haman Mamzer el Malo.

הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין־כִּפּוּר לְפוּרִים | HaMavdil bein Kippur l-Furim — a Purim parody of the Havdalah and Yom Kippur piyyuṭ “HaMavdil” (ca. 16th c.)

Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), Israel Davidson, Unknown

By a 16th century paytan named Yitsḥaq, this is a Purim parody of the Havdalah (and Yom Kippur) piyyuṭ “HaMavdil,” found in Israel Davidson’s classic work Parody in Jewish Literature (1907), pp. 36-37.

पुरीमचे किर्तन | Purim Kirtan, a traditional song of the Bene Israel of India

Contributed by: Jewish Language Project, Unknown

“Purim Kirtan” is a traditional Purim song of the Bene Israel community of Mumbai, India. Many thanks to our friends at the Jewish Language Project and to their team member Jacob Kohn for recording, transcribing, and translating the song as sung by Rivkah Moshe.

Con Gran Placer, Señores — a Western Sefaradi table-song for Purim

Contributed by: Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation), Unknown

A very old Western Sephardic table-song, mentioned as early as the 18th century in Livorno and possibly even older, this ballad retelling the story of Purim is sung to the tune of “Akh Zeh Hayom Kiviti.” It is related to the briefer Haketia-language song “Haman mamzer el malo.” Also included are literal and singable English translations.

המן ממזר איל מאלו | Haman Mamzer el Malo (Haman the Evil Bastard) — a Haketía (Western Judeo-Spanish) song for Purim

Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

This somewhat crude Purim song is sung in many variants in the Moroccan and Gibraltar Sephardic communities, often to the tune of the popular Purim hymn “Akh Ze Hayom Kiviti.”

פַאטֵי אוֹנוֹרֵי אַלְבֵּיל פּוּרִים | Fate Onore al Bel Purim — a Judeo-Livornese Purim song

Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

This Purim song, popular among the Sephardic and Italki communities of Livorno, can be sung to the melody of “Akh, Zeh Hayom Kiviti.” Like a lot of Italian Purim content, a large portion of it is listing different desserts.

קִילוּס לְפּוּרִים לִלְמְגִלָּה | Qillus l’Purim lil’Megillah — an enconium for Purim, for Megillat Esther

Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

A Byzantine-era Aramaic piyyut for Purim, perhaps written as an introduction to the Megillah reading. It tells the narrative of the Jewish people from Abraham to the final redemption, focusing on the foes who sought to destroy us and their inevitable failure to do so. Uniquely among early-medieval poems, this one actively mentions the Romans (read: Christians) and Saracens (read: Muslims) and prays for their downfall in non-coded language. This translation loosely preserves the couplet rhyme scheme, as well as the alphabetical acrostic — perhaps with a phonetic punning reference to the name “Shlomo” at the end.

ברכת המזון לפורים | Poetic Birkat haMazon for Purim, according to the Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 vocalized and translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

This is a reconstruction of a liturgy for a Birkat haMazon for Purim witnessed in the Cairo Geniza fragment T-S H6.37 (page 1, recto and verso)‬.

אֲשֶׁר הֵנִיא | Asher Heni, a piyyuṭ recited after the reading of Megillat Esther and its concluding blessing

Contributed by: Simeon Singer (translation), Unknown, Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

An alphabetical acrostic piyyut celebrating the victory of Esther and Mordekhai over the forces of Haman.

אַצִיתוּ לִי אִילָנַיָּא | Atsitu Li Ilinaya | The Argument of the Trees — a debate-poem for Purim in Aramaic from the Targum Sheni

Contributed by: Unknown, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

This Aramaic poem, written in the early Byzantine era by an unknown author, can be found in its entirety within the Targum Sheni for Esther 7:9. It features an argument between an assortment of trees over which one is required to bear the great dishonor of having to be the one to hold Haman. It’s also chock-full of anti-Christian polemic and references to Toledot Yeshu.

Reddit Facebook Mastodon Bluesky Telegram WhatsApp SMS Email