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After the recitation of Shir haShirim — which, in some circles, is recited every Friday night — the Lurianic kabbalists instituted a yehi ratson, a petition to be recited in the merit of what was just read. In many communities, this petition is recited using the same melodies as the recitation of the scroll itself. As an extension of this custom, here I’ve added cantillation marks to the yehi ratson after Shir haShirim. Included also is a recitation of the text following said cantillation marks.
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| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
רִבּ֣וֹן כׇּל־הָעוֹלָמִ֗ים יְהִי־רָצ֨וֹן מִלְּפָנֶ֜יךָ יהו֤ה אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ וֵאלֹהֵ֣י אֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ שֶׁבִּזְכ֨וּת שִׁ֤יר הַשִּׁירִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר קָרָ֔אנוּ שֶׁה֥וּא קֹ֖דֶשׁ קׇדָשִׁ֑ים וּבִזְכ֣וּת פְּסוּקָיו֩ וּבִזְכ֨וּת תֵּבוֹתָ֜יו וּבִזְכ֣וּת אוֹתִיּוֹתָ֗יו וּבִזְכ֤וּת נְקֻדּוֹתָיו֙ וּבִזְכ֣וּת טְעָמָ֔יו וּבִזְכ֨וּת שְׁמוֹתָ֤יו וְצֵרוּפָיו֙ וּרְמָזָ֣יו וְסוֹדוֹתָ֔יו הַקְּדוֹשִׁ֛ים וְהַטְּהוֹרִ֥ים וְהַנּוֹרָאִ֖ים הַיּוֹצְאִ֥ים מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃ |
Master of all eternities, may it be willed before You, Cause our God and God of our ancestors, that by merit of the Song of Songs that we read, which is the holy of holies, and by merit of its verses and by merit of its words and by merit of its letters and by merit of its diacritics and by merit of its cantillations and by merit of its holy and pure and awesome names and rackings,[1] letter-combinations, i.e. combinations of the words in this text with other words to create mystical nomina sacra, a common kabbalistic process. The word “racking” is used here because Marlowe uses it in Faustus — “For when we hear one racke the name of God.” allegories, and mysteries derive from it… |
שֶׁתְּהֵא֙ שָֽׁעָה־ז֔וֹ שְׁעַת֙ רַחֲמִ֔ים שְׁעַת֙ הַקְשָׁבָ֔ה שְׁעַ֖ת הַאֲזָנָ֑ה וְנִ֨קְרָאֲךָ֜ וְתַעֲנֵ֗נוּ נַעְתִּיר֙ לְךָ֔ וְהֵעָ֖תֶר לָֽנוּ׃ |
That this hour be an hour of compassion, an hour of heeding, an hour of hearing;[2] Some add other things worth praying for here, extending the litany. For those who do so, every שְׁעַת פלוני is cantillated as שְׁעַת֙ פלונ֔י— including שְׁעַ֙ת הַאֲזָנָ֔ה — except for the last one which is cantillated שְׁעַ֖ת פלונ֑י. and as we call on You may You answer us, as we plea to You may You accede to us. |
וְתִהְיֶה֩ עוֹלָ֨ה לְפָנֶ֜יךָ קְרִיאַת֙ שִׁ֣יר הַשִּׁירִ֔ים כְּאִ֛לּוּ הִשַּׂ֥גְנוּ כׇּל־הַסּוֹד֖וֹת הַנִּפְלָאִ֣ים וְהַנּוֹרָאִ֑ים אֲשֶׁר־הֵ֧ם חֲתוּמִ֛ים וּסְתֽוּמִים־בּ֖וֹ בְּכׇל־תְּנָאָֽיו׃ |
And may the reading of the Song of Songs be ascending before You as if we achieved all the wondrous and awesome mysteries that are signed and sealed in all its terms. |
וְנִזְכֶּ֣ה לְמָק֗וֹם שֶׁהַנְּפָשׁ֣וֹת ׀ הָרוּח֣וֹת וְהַנְּשָׁמוֹת֮ נֶחֱצָב֣וֹת מִשָּׁם֒ וּכְאִ֨לּוּ עָשִׂ֜ינוּ כׇּל־מַ֤ה שֶּׁמֻּטָּל֙ עָלֵ֔ינוּ לְהַשִּׂ֕יג בֵּ֚ין בְּגִלְגּ֣וּל זֶ֔ה בֵּ֖ין בְּגִלְגּוּלִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וְלִהְי֨וֹת מִן־הָעוֹלִ֤ים וְהַזּוֹכִים֙ לָעוֹלָ֣ם הַבָּ֔א עִם־שְׁאָ֖ר צַדִּיקִ֥ים וַחֲסִידִֽים׃ |
And may we merit a place from where the souls, spirits, and psyches are carved,[3] Under the Throne of Glory, where all the souls of the righteous are stored. See Avot d’Rabbi Natan 12:5. and as if we did all that is cast upon us to achieve, whether in this incarnation or in other incarnations, and to be of those who ascend and merit the next world with the rest of the righteous and pious. |
וּמַלֵּ֣א ׀ כׇּל־מִשְׁאֲל֣וֹת לִבֵּ֗נוּ לְטוֹבָה֮ לַעֲבוֹדָתֶ֒ךָ֒ וְתִהְיֶ֨ה עִם־לְבָבֵ֜נוּ וְאִ֤מְרֵי פִ֙ינוּ֙ בְּעֵ֣ת מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ וְעִם־יָדֵ֖ינוּ בְּעֵ֣ת מַעְבָּדֵ֑נוּ וְתִשְׁלַ֤ח בְּרָכָה֙ וְהַצְלָחָ֣ה וְהַרְוָחָ֔ה בְּכׇל־מַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יָדֵֽינוּ׃ |
And fulfill all the desires of our hearts to goodness to serve You, and be with our hearts and the words of our mouths at the time of our thoughts, and with our hands at the time of our labors, and send blessing and success and relief on all Your handiwork. |
וּמֵעֲפַ֨ר עׇנְיֵ֜נוּ תְּקִימֵ֗נוּ וּמֵאַשְׁפּ֤וֹת דַּלּוּתֵ֙נוּ֙ תְּרוֹמְמֵ֔נוּ וְתָשִׁ֥יב שְׁכִינָ֖תְךָ לְעִ֣יר קׇדְשֶׁ֑ךָ בִּמְהֵרָ֥ה בְיָמֵ֖ינוּ אָמֵֽן׃ |
And from the dust of our poverty raise us up, and from the midden-heaps of our lowliness exalt us, and return Your Presence to Your holy city speedily in our days, amen. |
Notes
| 1 | letter-combinations, i.e. combinations of the words in this text with other words to create mystical nomina sacra, a common kabbalistic process. The word “racking” is used here because Marlowe uses it in Faustus — “For when we hear one racke the name of God.” |
|---|---|
| 2 | Some add other things worth praying for here, extending the litany. For those who do so, every שְׁעַת פלוני is cantillated as שְׁעַת֙ פלונ֔י— including שְׁעַ֙ת הַאֲזָנָ֔ה — except for the last one which is cantillated שְׁעַ֖ת פלונ֑י. |
| 3 | Under the Throne of Glory, where all the souls of the righteous are stored. See Avot d’Rabbi Natan 12:5. |
“יהי רצון אחרי שיר השירים | Yehi Ratson after Shir haShirim, cantillated and translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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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
![Arthur Szyk's black-and-white frontispiece for an illustrated Polish-language edition of Song of Songs: Pieśń nad Pieśniami [Song of Songs] Translated by Zygmunt Bromberg-Bytkowski. Łódź: M. Szajniak, 1924.](https://opensiddur.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/arthur-szyk-1894-1951--piesn-nad-piesniami-song-of-songs-frontispiece-c-1924-lodz-poland-250x250.png)
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