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 Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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 Categories: |
Nirtsah
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 Tags: |
זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., 24th century C.E., חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya, constructed languages, Quenya translation, High-Elven, Middle-Earth
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Ḥad Gadya has a place in Seder tables throughout Arda, and in many communities it was read in translation. This translation into Quenya is necessary for any good Lothlórien sedarim. But to be serious, Quenya was one of several languages developed by J.R.R. Tolkien. It serves as the sacred ancestral language of the Noldorin elves in the Middle-Earth legendarium. The editor here has developed this adaptation of the well-known seder table-song Ḥad Gadya into Quenya, as well as a home-brewed transcription system into Hebrew script included here (PDF | ODT). This translation uses several fan-made terms, such as cuimacir for “butcher” and luhtya- for “extinguish”, as well as one original neologism, yacincë for “kid-goat.” . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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| Categories: |
Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Star Trek, Jews of Star Trek, 24th century C.E., חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya, constructed languages, 61st century A.M., Klingon translation
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Ḥad Gadya has a place in Seder tables throughout the Jewish quadrant, and in many communities it was read in translation. This adaptation into tlhIngan Hol is very useful for when your universal translator is malfunctioning at a Seder on Qo’noS. Okay, but to be serious for a moment, while the many connections between the canon of Star Trek and the Jewish community are well known, one of the lesser-known ones is that the inventor of tlhIngan Hol (the Klingon language), Marc Okrand, is Jewish, and a substantial number of Klingon terms come from Hebrew or Yiddish. In honor of that connection, the editor has developed this adaptation of the well-known seder table-song Ḥad Gadya into tlhIngan Hol, as well as a home-brewed transcription system into Hebrew script called pIluy. The wildlife has also been adapted, so instead of a goat the story begins with one little targ. (Sure, they might LOOK like pigs, but who knows if they chew cud or not!) . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady and Lieba B. Ruth
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Sefirat ha'Omer, Nirtsah
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eco-conscious, barley, wheat, counting, growing, apprehension, watchfulness, trepidation, growth, ecoḥasid, neo-lurianic, ספירת העומר sefirat haomer, ספירות sephirot
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Each day between the beginning of Passover and Shavuot gets counted, 49 days in all, 7 weeks of seven days. That makes the omer period a miniature version of the Shmitah and Yovel (Jubilee) cycle of 7 cycles of seven years. Just as that cycle is one of resetting society’s clock to align ourselves with freedom and with the needs of the land, this cycle too is a chance to align ourselves with the rhythms of spring and the spiritual freedom represented by the Torah. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
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Magid
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Avraham Avinu, Judeo-Arabic, Tunisia, the Furnace, Djerba
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The ancient Jewish community of Djerba, an island off the coast of southern Tunisia, has many unique customs and practices. Among them is that during the Maggid, after the citation of Joshua 24:2-4 and before the paragraph beginning “Praise the One who keep faith with the people Israel,” an extensive work in Judeo-Tunisian Arabic is recited, telling the well-known story of Abraham’s realization of divine unity and his ordeal in the oven of fire. Here is a transcript of that text, vocalized according to the original manuscripts, transcribed, and translated into English and modern Hebrew. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
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Magid
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Freedom, North America, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., haggadah supplements, צדק צדק תרדוף tsedeq tsedeq tirdof
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We are hereby ready to fulfill our obligation of K’vod Habriot, respect for the dignity of every human being. We pray that our fellow citizens shall not be the source of suffering in others. We commit ourselves to raise our voices in support of universal human rights, to know the heart of the stranger, and to feel compassion for those whose humanity is denied. May our compassion lead us to fight for justice. Blessed is the Source of Life, who redeemed our ancestors from Egypt and brought us together this night of Passover to tell the story of freedom. May God bring us security and peace, enabling us to celebrate together year after year. Praised are you, Source of Righteousness, who redeems the world and loves justice and freedom. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation) and Yanai haPayetan
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Nirtsah
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acrostic, פיוטים piyyutim, Alphabetic Acrostic, Latin translation, 5th century C.E., 43rd century A.M., אז רוב נסים Az rov nisim
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The piyyut, Omets G’vurotekha by Elazar ha-Qalir, in its Latin translation by Johann Stephan Rittangel. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation) and Elazar ben Killir
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Nirtsah
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acrostic, פיוטים piyyutim, Alphabetic Acrostic, Latin translation, 7th century C.E., 44th century A.M., אומץ גבורתיך Omets G'vuratekha
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The piyyut, Omets G’vurotekha by Elazar ha-Qalir, in its Latin translation by Johann Stephan Rittangel. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Arthur Waskow and the Shalom Center
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Symbolic Foods, Shulḥan Orekh
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symbolic foods, חרוסת ḥaroset, Jewish Renewal, סגולות segulot, haggadah supplements, recipes
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There it sits on the Seder plate: ḥaroset, a delicious paste of chopped nuts, chopped fruits, spices, and wine. So the question would seem obvious: “Why is there ḥaroset on the Seder plate?” That’s the most secret Question at the Seder – so secret nobody even asks it. And it’s got the most secret answer: none. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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Symbolic Foods, Barekh
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20th century C.E., water, 58th century A.M., סגולות segulot, סימנים simanim, haggadah supplements, water protectors, In the merit of Miriam, water is life
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Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Yehuda says: “Three good sustainers arose for Israel. These are they: Moses and Aaron and Miriam. And three good gifts were given because of them, and these are they: well, and cloud, and manna. The well was given in merit of Miriam… Miriam died and the well ceased, as it is written (Numbers 20:1-2) “And Miriam died there,” and it says right afterwards “and there was no water for the community.” . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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Symbolic Foods, Barekh
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20th century C.E., symbolic foods, השואה the Shoah, 58th century A.M., סגולות segulot, סימנים simanim, the Holocaust, haggadah supplements, shfokh ḥamatkha
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Pearl Benisch… remembers Passover in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany in the spring of 1945, just days before her liberation. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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Symbolic Foods, Shulḥan Orekh
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20th century C.E., symbolic foods, 58th century A.M., סגולות segulot, סימנים simanim, haggadah supplements, inclusion, LGBTQ, inclusion and exclusion, oranges
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In the early 1980s, while speaking at Oberlin College Hillel, Susannah Heschel was introduced to an early feminist haggadah that suggested adding a crust of bread on the seder plate, as a sign of solidarity with Jewish lesbians (suggesting that there’s as much room for a lesbian in Judaism as there is for a crust of bread on the seder plate). Heschel felt that to put bread on the seder plate would be to accept that Jewish lesbians and gay men violate Judaism like ḥamets violates Passover. So, at her next seder, she chose an orange as a symbol of inclusion of gays and lesbians and others who are marginalized within the Jewish community. She offered the orange as a symbol of the fruitfulness for all Jews when lesbians and gay men are contributing and active members of Jewish life. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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| Categories: |
Symbolic Foods, Shulḥan Orekh
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symbolic foods, סגולות segulot, סימנים simanim, haggadah supplements, 3rd century C.E., beets, 41st century A.M.
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The color of beets, which never leaves our hands, symbolizes the teachings of the sages, which are still passed down. And the redness symbolizes the blood of the covenant, still there after all these years. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Daniel Raphael Silverstein and Applied Jewish Spirituality
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Erev Pesaḥ, Magid, Roleplaying
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21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., haggadah supplements, Yetsiat Mitsrayim, liberation from mitsrayim, scripts, guided meditations
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A meditation which can be used to prepare for Pesaḥ, or for sharing at the Seder, to deepen the experience of liberation for yourself and others. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Raysh Weiss
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Magid
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liberation, Prayers as poems, English vernacular prayer, 45th President of the United States, Jewish liberation, Immigration policy of Donald Trump, liberation from mitsrayim, 2020 coronavirus outbreak in the United States, 2020 coronavirus pandemic, virtual community
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Modeled after Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution Will Not be Televised,” written for Passover during the pandemic (April 2020). . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Unknown Translator(s) and Ehud Manor
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Mourning, Rosh haShanah (l’Maaseh Bereshit), Nirtsah, War
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20th century C.E., קינות Ḳinnot, Prayers as poems, ישראל Yisrael, elegies, War of Attrition, lamentation
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“baShanah haBa’ah” (Next Year) by Ehud Manor written in 1968 in memory of his brother Yehudah. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)
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Ḳadesh
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קידוש ḳiddush, Yemenite Jewry, Geonic prayers, 9th century C.E., 47th century A.M., Needing Source Images
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Rav Saadia Gaon lists three additions to the Seder Pesaḥ which he considers not necessary, but acceptable. This is the first, a poetic version of the Kiddush. Interestingly enough, it is still recited in many Yemenite communities, which are in general less likely to incorporate poetic sections to their liturgy. Here it is recorded and translated into English according to two nusḥaot — that recorded in the siddur of Rav Saadia (marked in blue), and that recorded in modern Yemenite texts (marked in red). In cases where only the spelling differs rather than the meaning, the editor generally went with Rav Saadia as the older variant. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Unknown Author(s)
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Shaḥarit l'Shabbat ul'Yom Tov, Hallel
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interpretive translation, Late Antiquity, Crowning, Amoraic prayers, Prayers in the Babylonian Talmud, drought conditions, thanksgiving, rainfall, נשמת כל חי Nishmat kol ḥai
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This “praying translation” of the piyyut Nishmat Kol Ḥai is included in Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s Sabbath Supplement to his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi ~ As I Can Say It (for Praying in the Vernacular) (2009). The translation includes several prayers that follow the piyyut: Ha-El B’ta’atsumot Uzekha, and Shoḥen Ad. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Hallel, Psukei D'zimrah/Zemirot
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interpretive translation, פיוטים piyyutim, Closing Prayers, Closers, devotional interpretation, פסוקי דזמרה pesuqei dezimrah, ישתבח Yishtabaḥ, שבח praise
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The text of the prayer Yishtabaḥ Shimkha, in Hebrew with a Latin translation . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aurora Mendelsohn and Franklin Delano Roosevelt
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Magid, Modern Miscellany
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20th century C.E., Freedom, North America, 58th century A.M., Wine, Four Cups, Four Freedoms, haggadah supplements
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Traditionally each cup in the Passover Seder is liked to a promise made by God in these verses, Exodus 6:6-7. The four cups can also be associated with the Four Freedoms first articulated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, which were an inspiration for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and were explicitly incorporated into its preamble. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
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| Categories: |
Magid, Symbolic Foods
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symbolic foods, סגולות segulot, סימנים simanim, Geonic prayers, haggadah supplements, miriam's fish, 10th century C.E.
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A millennium-old tradition, recorded by Rav Sherira Gaon in 10th-century Iraq. He would always have three cooked foods on the seder plate. The egg, a product of the birds of the sky, a sign of renewal and rebirth, represented Moses, the law, the heavens, and the revelational aspects of faith. The shankbone, a product of the animals of the field, a commemoration of the original Pesaḥ sacrifice, represented Aaron, the priesthood, the earth, and the ritual aspects of faith. And the fish, representing the constant flowing nature of water, represented Miriam, prophecy, the waters, and the spiritual aspects of faith. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Trisha Arlin (liturgist)
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Barekh
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Miriam, Passover seder, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Psychopomp, Passover, Jewish Feminist Prayers, Prayers as poems, אליהו הנביא Eliyahu haNavi
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We lift Miriam’s cup, Dancing prophet celebrating the world that is now. And we tell God we are grateful For the water from the earth that was Miriam’s gift, Welcome necessity, On God’s behalf. Miriam announces joy! And teaches us to save ourselves. Miriam, the bringer of mercy, There’s no prayer for her in the haggadah— So make one up! . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Elijah's Journey and Oren Steinitz
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Barekh
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North America, suicide prevention, community support, still small voice, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Psychopomp, haggadah supplements, suicide, suicide awareness, אליהו הנביא Eliyahu haNavi, Needing Vocalization
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Although God often speaks to humanity in the rumble of earthquakes, the roaring of wind and the thunder of storms, God spoke to Elijah, instead, in a still small voice. And, it was the nurturing power of the still small voice that slowly gave Elijah the courage and strength to be able to peek out of his deep abyss. On this night when we welcome Elijah to join our celebration, we acknowledge those who are so pained that they cannot fully celebrate, for joy eludes them. Although we may witness their physical wound with our eyes, we must also find ways to become attuned to their spiritual hurt and their emotional despair. The blood from the wound in their heart may not be visible and the cry in the depth of their throat may not be audible unless we train ourselves to attend to them. But, they are there. Our challenge is see and hear the pain of those whose depression affects their lives. Our response does not have to be bold in order to make a difference. A still small voice can transform a frown into a smile. A caring whisper that says, “I care” can raise a stooped head. A tender embrace can provide salve to a soul racked with pain. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, acrostic, פיוטים piyyutim, 13th century C.E., 51st century A.M., Alphabetic Acrostic, Latin translation, אדיר במלוכה Adir Bimlukhah
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The text of the popular piyyut “Adir Bimlukhah” (a/k/a “Ki lo na’eh”) in Hebrew, with a Latin translation. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, פיוטים piyyutim, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Yiddish translation, Alphabetic Acrostic, Yiddish vernacular prayer, אדיר הוא Adir Hu, Acrostic translation, Needing Source Images
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This Western Yiddish alphabetical adaptation of Adir Hu is first found in the 1769 Selig Haggadah, under the name of “Baugesang” (meaning Building Song). It grew to be a beloved part of the Western Ashkenazi rite, to the point where the traditional German Jewish greeting after the Seder was “Bau gut,” or “build well!” . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Johann Stephan Rittangel (Latin translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, acrostic, פיוטים piyyutim, 17th century C.E., 55th century A.M., Alphabetic Acrostic, Latin translation, אדיר הוא Adir Hu
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The alphabetic acrostic piyyut, Adir Hu, in its Latin translation by Johann Stephan Rittangel as found in his translation of the Pesaḥ seder haggadah, Liber Rituum Paschalium (1644). . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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פיוטים piyyutim, 21st century C.E., 58th century A.M., Alphabetic Acrostic, English vernacular prayer, English piyyutim, אדיר הוא Adir Hu
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Adir Hu, a classic Pesaḥ song if ever there was one, is a part of Seder tables all over the planet. Its alphabetical list of God’s attributes, combined with its repeated pleas for a return to Jerusalem, make it a classic, to the point where the traditional German farewell greeting for Passover was not “chag sameach” or “gut yontef” but “bau gut” – build well. This interpretation, while not a direct translation by any means, has the same rhythmic pattern and alphabetical structure, giving a sense of the greatness of God. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Aharon N. Varady (transcription) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Prague, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya
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Making sense of Ḥad Gadya beyond its explicit meaning has long inspired commentary. For me, Ḥad Gadya expresses in its own beautiful and macabre way a particularly important idea in Judaism that has become obscure if not esoteric. While an animal’s life may today be purchased, ultimately, the forces of exploitation, predation, and destruction that dominate our world will be overturned. Singing Ḥad Gadya is thus particularly apropos for the night of Passover since, in the Jewish calendar, this one night, different from all other nights, is considered the most dangerous night of the year — it is the time in which the forces of darkness in the world are strongest. Why? It is on this night that the divine aspect of Mashḥit, the executioner, is explicitly invoked (albeit, only in the context of the divine acting as midwife and guardian/protector of her people), as explained in the midrash for Exodus 12:12 . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, Ladino Translation, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Judezmo, Judeo-Spanish, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya
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A Judezmo/Ladino translation of the popular Passover song, Ḥad Gadya. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Judeo-Berber, Judeo-Tamaziɣt, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya
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A Judeo-Berber translation of the popular Passover song, Ḥad Gadya. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut), Erin Piateski (translation) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya, Esperanto translation, constructed languages, L.L. Zamenhoff
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A translation of Ḥad Gadya into Esperanto by Erin Piateski with a Hebraicization schema for Esperanto by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. Piateski’s translation first appeared in her כוכב ירוק הגדה של פסח | Verda Stelo Hagado de Pesaĥo (2010). . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut) and Unknown Author(s)
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Judeo-Arabic, Baghdad, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya
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A Judeo-Arabic translation of the popular Passover song, Ḥad Gadya. . . . |
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| Contributor(s): |
Eden miQedem
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Nirtsah
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זמירות zemirot, Aramaic, פיוטים piyyutim, Syria, predation, salvation, 16th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Arabic translation, Judeo-Arabic, Damascus, חד גדיא Ḥad Gadya
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An Arabic translation of Ḥad Gadya in its Syrian Jewish Damascus variation. . . . |
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