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תהלים צ״ד | Psalms 94, the psalm for Wednesday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 16:23:49 +0000

This psalm was the Wednesday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א אֵל־נְקָמ֥וֹת יְהוָ֑ה אֵ֖ל נְקָמ֣וֹת הוֹפִֽיַע׃ ^ב הִ֭נָּשֵׂא שֹׁפֵ֣ט הָאָ֑רֶץ	¹ God who settles scores! Appear in Divine vengeance! ² Make Yourself known, As The Judge of the World.
הָשֵׁ֥ב גְּ֝מ֗וּל עַל־גֵּאִֽים׃	Let the arrogant suffer Your retribution.
^ג עַד־מָתַ֖י רְשָׁעִ֥ים ׀ יְהוָ֑ה עַד־מָ֝תַ֗י רְשָׁעִ֥ים יַעֲלֹֽזוּ׃ ^ד יַבִּ֣יעוּ יְדַבְּר֣וּ עָתָ֑ק יִֽ֝תְאַמְּר֗וּ כָּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃	³ How long yet YHVH will the wicked — How long yet will the evil ones prosper? ⁴ Boasting their malice, They talk each other into greater evil.
^ה עַמְּךָ֣ יְהוָ֣ה יְדַכְּא֑וּ וְֽנַחֲלָתְךָ֥ יְעַנּֽוּ׃ ^ו אַ֭לְמָנָה וְגֵ֣ר יַהֲרֹ֑גוּ וִֽיתוֹמִ֣ים יְרַצֵּֽחוּ׃	⁵ YHVH! They oppress Your people. They demean Your legacy. ⁶ They murder widows and strangers. They kill orphans!
^ז וַ֭יֹּ֣אמְרוּ לֹ֣א יִרְאֶה־יָּ֑הּ וְלֹא־יָ֝בִ֗ין אֱלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ ^ח בִּ֭ינוּ בֹּעֲרִ֣ים בָּעָ֑ם וּ֝כְסִילִ֗ים מָתַ֥י תַּשְׂכִּֽילוּ׃ ^ט הֲנֹ֣טַֽע אֹ֭זֶן הֲלֹ֣א יִשְׁמָ֑ע אִֽם־יֹ֥צֵֽר עַ֝֗יִן הֲלֹ֣א יַבִּֽיט׃ ^י הֲיֹסֵ֣ר גּ֭וֹיִם הֲלֹ֣א יוֹכִ֑יחַ	⁷ Deluded are they, Thinking that Yah cannot see, The God of Jacob is not aware. ⁸ Boorish trash! Try to make sense! Fools, will you ever get wise? ⁹ The One who plants ears — Can He not hear? Who shapes eyes — Can She not see? ¹⁰ He who reproaches nations — Does She not call them to task?
הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד אָדָ֣ם דָּֽעַת׃ ^יא יְֽהוָ֗ה יֹ֭דֵעַ מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת אָדָ֑ם כִּי־הֵ֥מָּה הָֽבֶל׃ ^יב אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀ הַגֶּ֣בֶר אֲשֶׁר־תְּיַסְּרֶ֣נּוּ יָּ֑הּ וּֽמִתּוֹרָתְךָ֥ תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃ ^יג לְהַשְׁקִ֣יט ל֭וֹ מִ֣ימֵי רָ֑ע עַ֤ד יִכָּרֶ֖ה לָרָשָׁ֣ע שָֽׁחַת׃ ^יד כִּ֤י ׀ לֹא־יִטֹּ֣שׁ יְהוָ֣ה עַמּ֑וֹ וְ֝נַחֲלָת֗וֹ לֹ֣א יַעֲזֹֽב׃ ^טו כִּֽי־עַד־צֶ֭דֶק יָשׁ֣וּב מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְ֝אַחֲרָ֗יו כָּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃	He, Who teaches people to be aware, Is She not aware? ¹¹ YHVH, Knows our human thoughts. They are all worthless. ¹² Blissful is the one whom You, Yah, Take to task and teach him Of Your Torah, ¹³ To keep him secure during evil days, Tiding him over until ruin Overtakes the wicked. ¹⁴ Because YHVH, Will not forsake His people. She will not abandon Her heritage. ¹⁵ Justice will return to the courts, Vindicating those of upright heart.
^טז מִֽי־יָק֣וּם לִ֭י עִם־מְרֵעִ֑ים מִֽי־יִתְיַצֵּ֥ב לִ֝י עִם־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃	¹⁶ Will anyone Stand with me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me Against the bullies?
^יז לוּלֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה עֶזְרָ֣תָה לִּ֑י כִּמְעַ֓ט ׀ שָֽׁכְנָ֖ה דוּמָ֣ה נַפְשִֽׁי׃ ^יח אִם־אָ֭מַרְתִּי מָ֣טָה רַגְלִ֑י חַסְדְּךָ֥ יְ֝הוָ֗ה יִסְעָדֵֽנִי׃ ^יט בְּרֹ֣ב שַׂרְעַפַּ֣י בְּקִרְבִּ֑י תַּ֝נְחוּמֶ֗יךָ יְֽשַׁעַשְׁע֥וּ נַפְשִֽׁי׃ ^כ הַֽ֭יְחָבְרְךָ כִּסֵּ֣א הַוּ֑וֹת יֹצֵ֖ר עָמָ֣ל עֲלֵי־חֹֽק׃ ^כא יָ֭גוֹדּוּ עַל־נֶ֣פֶשׁ צַדִּ֑יק וְדָ֖ם נָקִ֣י יַרְשִֽׁיעוּ׃ ^כב וַיְהִ֬י יְהוָ֣ה לִ֣י לְמִשְׂגָּ֑ב וֵ֝אלֹהַ֗י לְצ֣וּר מַחְסִֽי׃ ^כג וַיָּ֤שֶׁב עֲלֵיהֶ֨ם ׀ אֶת־אוֹנָ֗ם וּבְרָעָתָ֥ם יַצְמִיתֵ֑ם יַ֝צְמִיתֵ֗ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃	¹⁷ Had YHVH not helped me, I would not have escaped The silent tomb. ¹⁸ When my knees buckled, Your Grace, YHVH, Held me up. ¹⁹ When overwhelmed By disturbing thoughts—like… ‘How could You assist malice?’ I found comfort As You delighted my soul. ²⁰ Those who scoff all laws and justice, ²¹ Who band together Against righteous souls, And shed pure blood in meanness, ^22-23 You paid them back for their crimes. YHVH, God, You suppressed them for their evil. YHVH, Is at all times my tower of strength, My God, The rock of my safe place.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Wednesday (Psalms 94) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm.

Source

תהלים צ״ג | Psalms 93, the psalm for Friday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 09:29:01 +0000

This psalm was the Friday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃ ^ב נָכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֲךָ֣ מֵאָ֑ז מֵֽעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃	¹ Yah, You ruled, robed in dignity. Donning intensity, Girded with strength, Even the cosmos you arrayed That it not falter. ² Your Throne Is prepared from the farthest past. You have been before There was a world.
^ג נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃ ^ד מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃ ^ה עֵֽדֹתֶ֨יךָ ׀ נֶאֶמְנ֬וּ מְאֹ֗ד לְבֵיתְךָ֥ נַאֲוָה־קֹ֑דֶשׁ יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃	³ The currents raise their roar, The rivers raise the spumes, The mighty torrents’ thunder. ⁴ The thunder of the ocean’s breakers: All exclaim, ‘Most powerful are You, Yah!’ ⁵ Oh, Yah! Your creation witnesses You well. Of sacred beauty is Your house– Through all of time.

Source (Hebrew)

Translation (English)

^א יְהוָ֣ה מָלָךְ֮ גֵּא֪וּת לָ֫בֵ֥שׁ
לָבֵ֣שׁ יְ֭הוָה
עֹ֣ז הִתְאַזָּ֑ר
אַף־תִּכּ֥וֹן תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל
בַּל־תִּמּֽוֹט׃
^ב נָכ֣וֹן
כִּסְאֲךָ֣
מֵאָ֑ז
מֵֽעוֹלָ֣ם אָֽתָּה׃

¹ Yah, You ruled, robed in dignity.
Donning intensity,
Girded with strength,
Even the cosmos you arrayed
That it not falter.
² Your Throne
Is prepared from the farthest past.
You have been before
There was a world.

^ג נָשְׂא֤וּ נְהָר֨וֹת ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה
נָשְׂא֣וּ נְהָר֣וֹת קוֹלָ֑ם
יִשְׂא֖וּ נְהָר֣וֹת דָּכְיָֽם׃
^ד מִקֹּל֨וֹת ׀ מַ֤יִם רַבִּ֗ים אַדִּירִ֣ים מִשְׁבְּרֵי־יָ֑ם
אַדִּ֖יר בַּמָּר֣וֹם יְהוָֽה׃
^ה עֵֽדֹתֶ֨יךָ ׀
נֶאֶמְנ֬וּ מְאֹ֗ד
לְבֵיתְךָ֥ נַאֲוָה־קֹ֑דֶשׁ יְ֝הוָ֗ה
לְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמִֽים׃

³ The currents raise their roar,
The rivers raise the spumes,
The mighty torrents’ thunder.
⁴ The thunder of the ocean’s breakers: All exclaim,
‘Most powerful are You, Yah!’
⁵ Oh, Yah! Your creation
witnesses You well.
Of sacred beauty is Your house–
Through all of time.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Friday (Psalms 93) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source

תהלים צ״ב | Psalms 92, translated by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

the Mesorah (TaNaKh) — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 10:50:59 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
מִזְמ֥וֹר שִׁ֗יר לְי֣וֹם הַשַּׁבָּֽת׃	A psalm, a song for the Day of Shabbat.
ט֗וֹב לְהֹד֥וֹת לַיהֹוָ֑ה וּלְזַמֵּ֖ר לְשִׁמְךָ֣ עֶלְיֽוֹן׃ לְהַגִּ֣יד בַּבֹּ֣קֶר חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ וֶ֝אֱמ֥וּנָתְךָ֗ בַּלֵּילֽוֹת׃	It is good to thank the Cause, and to hymn to Your Name, Highest! To tell of Your mercy in the morning, and Your trust in the nights!
עֲֽלֵי־עָ֭שׂוֹר וַעֲלֵי־נָ֑בֶל עֲלֵ֖י הִגָּי֣וֹן בְּכִנּֽוֹר׃	Upon the ten-string and upon the jar-lute and upon the pipe and the lyre!
כִּ֤י שִׂמַּחְתַּ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּפׇעֳלֶ֑ך בְּֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖י יָדֶ֣יךָ אֲרַנֵּֽן׃ מַה־גָּדְל֣וּ מַעֲשֶׂ֣יךָ יְהֹוָ֑ה מְ֝אֹ֗ד עָמְק֥וּ מַחְשְׁבֹתֶֽיךָ׃	For You gladden me, Cause, with Your deeds, and the work of Your hands I praise. How great are Your works, Cause, how greatly profound Your designs!
אִֽישׁ־בַּ֭עַר לֹ֣א יֵדָ֑ע וּ֝כְסִ֗יל לֹא־יָבִ֥ין אֶת־זֹֽאת׃ בִּפְרֹ֤חַ רְשָׁעִ֨ים ׀ כְּמ֥וֹ עֵ֗שֶׂב וַ֭יָּצִיצוּ כׇּל־פֹּ֣עֲלֵי אָ֑וֶן לְהִשָּׁמְדָ֥ם עֲדֵי־עַֽד׃	A brute of a man does not know, a fool does not understand this: The wicked flourish like grass and all doers of evil blossom to be destroyed forevermore.
וְאַתָּ֥ה מָר֗וֹם לְעֹלָ֥ם יְהֹוָֽה׃ כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה אֹיְבֶ֡יךָ ׀ יְֽהֹוָ֗ה כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֣ה אֹיְבֶ֣יךָ יֹאבֵ֑דוּ יִ֝תְפָּרְד֗וּ כׇּל־פֹּ֥עֲלֵי אָֽוֶן׃	But You are on High forever, Cause! For behold Your enemies, Cause; behold Your enemies, lost; scattered about all doers of evil.
וַתָּ֣רֶם כִּרְאֵ֣ים קַרְנִ֑י בַּ֝לֹּתִ֗י בְּשֶׁ֣מֶן רַעֲנָֽן׃ וַתַּבֵּ֥ט עֵינִ֗י בְּשׁ֫וּרָ֥י בַּקָּמִ֖ים עָלַ֥י מְרֵעִ֗ים תִּשְׁמַ֥עְנָה אׇזְנָֽי׃	But You raise my horn like the aurochs, You douse me in healthy oil. My eyes behold those watching me, as the evil ones rise against me, my ears hear!
צַ֭דִּיק כַּתָּמָ֣ר יִפְרָ֑ח כְּאֶ֖רֶז בַּלְּבָנ֣וֹן יִשְׂגֶּֽה׃ שְׁ֭תוּלִים בְּבֵ֣ית יְהֹוָ֑ה בְּחַצְר֖וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣ינוּ יַפְרִֽיחוּ׃ ע֭וֹד יְנוּב֣וּן בְּשֵׂיבָ֑ה דְּשֵׁנִ֖ים וְֽרַעֲנַנִּ֣ים יִהְיֽוּ׃ לְ֭הַגִּיד כִּֽי־יָשָׁ֣ר יְהֹוָ֑ה צ֝וּרִ֗י וְֽלֹא־עַוְלָ֥תָה עלתה בּֽוֹ׃	The righteous flourish like a palm, thrive like a Lebanon cedar. Planted in the house of the Cause, in the courts of our God they flourish. They will yet bear fruit in old age, vigorous and healthy are they! To tell that the Cause is upright, my Rock, in Whom there is no flaw!

In the translation above, “the Cause” is used in place of the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.”

תהלים פ״ב | Psalms 82, the Psalm for Tuesday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 21:34:11 +0000

This psalm was the Tuesday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א מִזְמ֗וֹר לְאָ֫סָ֥ף אֱ‍ֽלֹהִ֗ים נִצָּ֥ב בַּעֲדַת־אֵ֑ל בְּקֶ֖רֶב אֱלֹהִ֣ים יִשְׁפֹּֽט׃ ^ב עַד־מָתַ֥י תִּשְׁפְּטוּ־עָ֑וֶל וּפְנֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים תִּשְׂאוּ־סֶֽלָה׃ ^ג שִׁפְטוּ־דַ֥ל וְיָת֑וֹם עָנִ֖י וָרָ֣שׁ הַצְדִּֽיקוּ׃ ^ד פַּלְּטוּ־דַ֥ל וְאֶבְי֑וֹן מִיַּ֖ד רְשָׁעִ֣ים הַצִּֽילוּ׃	¹ Assaph sings: God is present to the godly gathering. He presides among those Who administer judgment, (and warns them), ² “How much longer will you twist Your verdicts and favor the wicked? Selah! ³ In your judging, Consider the modest, the orphan. Find justice for the destitute And the oppressed. ⁴ Assist the poor, the down and out. Save them from the bullies’ hands.
^ה לֹ֤א יָֽדְע֨וּ ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כָּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃	⁵ Not knowing, unawares you are, You walk in the dark, While the foundations of earth Are toppling.
^ו אֲ‍ֽנִי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִ֣ים אַתֶּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֖י עֶלְי֣וֹן כֻּלְּכֶֽם׃ ^ז אָ֭כֵן כְּאָדָ֣ם תְּמוּת֑וּן וּכְאַחַ֖ד הַשָּׂרִ֣ים תִּפֹּֽלוּ׃ ^ח קוּמָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים שָׁפְטָ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ	⁶ I set you to be judges, To be like angels of the Most High. ⁷ But you will die like anyone else, Topple like demoted princes. ⁸ Arise, O God! Bring justice to the world!
כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה תִ֝נְחַ֗ל בְּכָל־הַגּוֹיִֽם׃	You can bring order to all the nations.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Monday (Psalms 82) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source

תהלים פ״א | Psalms 81, the psalm for Thursday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 08:51:35 +0000

This psalm was the Thursday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א לַמְנַצֵּ֬חַ ׀ עַֽל־הַגִּתִּ֬ית לְאָסָֽף׃	¹ Accompany this Assaph song with the guitar
^ב הַ֭רְנִינוּ לֵאלֹהִ֣ים עוּזֵּ֑נוּ הָ֝רִ֗יעוּ לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ ^ג שְֽׂאוּ־זִ֭מְרָה וּתְנוּ־תֹ֑ף כִּנּ֖וֹר נָעִ֣ים עִם־נָֽבֶל׃ ^ד תִּקְע֣וּ בַחֹ֣דֶשׁ שׁוֹפָ֑ר בַּ֝כֵּ֗סֶה לְי֣וֹם חַגֵּֽנוּ׃	² Make music to God, The Source of our strength. Trumpet a fanfare to Jacob’s God: ³ Louder, Drum rolls, Sweet sounding violins And pipes. ⁴ Greet the New Moon With the Shofar, The time When the moon is hidden, And still we celebrate.
^ה כִּ֤י חֹ֣ק לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל ה֑וּא מִ֝שְׁפָּ֗ט לֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹֽב׃ ^ו עֵ֤דוּת ׀ בִּֽיה֘וֹסֵ֤ף שָׂמ֗וֹ בְּ֭צֵאתוֹ עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם שְׂפַ֖ת לֹא־יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶשְׁמָֽע׃ ^ז הֲסִיר֣וֹתִי מִסֵּ֣בֶל שִׁכְמ֑וֹ כַּ֝פָּ֗יו מִדּ֥וּד תַּעֲבֹֽרְנָה׃ ^ח בַּצָּרָ֥ה קָרָ֗אתָ וָאֲחַ֫לְּצֶ֥ךָּ	⁵ This is the imperative for Israel. To become prepared, For being judged by Jacob’s God. (Like that day when…) ⁶ Joseph was empowered To go out and rule Egypt, Able to understand a language He never learned. (This caused that, in the end.) ⁷ The heavy load was taken from his back No longer having to knead the clay. ⁸ You called when oppressed, And I (said God) freed you.
אֶ֭עֶנְךָ בְּסֵ֣תֶר רַ֑עַם אֶבְחָֽנְךָ֨ עַל־מֵ֖י מְרִיבָ֣ה סֶֽלָה׃	In the thunder You heard my secret message. Later, I tested you at Meribah’s springs. Selah!
^ט שְׁמַ֣ע עַ֭מִּי וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֑ךְ יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל אִם־תִּֽשְׁמַֽע־לִֽי׃ ^י לֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה בְ֭ךָ אֵ֣ל זָ֑ר וְלֹ֥א תִ֝שְׁתַּחֲוֶ֗ה לְאֵ֣ל נֵכָֽר׃	⁹ Listen my people! I witness this to you! Israel, if only you would listen to Me. ¹⁰ Don’t cling to a strange god. Don’t worship an alien deity.
^יא אָנֹכִ֨י ׀ יְה֘וָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֗יךָ הַֽ֭מַּעַלְךָ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם הַרְחֶב־פִּ֝֗יךָ וַאֲמַלְאֵֽהוּ׃ ^יב וְלֹא־שָׁמַ֣ע עַמִּ֣י לְקוֹלִ֑י וְ֝יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל לֹא־אָ֥בָה לִֽי׃ ^יג וָֽ֭אֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ בִּשְׁרִיר֣וּת לִבָּ֑ם יֵ֝לְכ֗וּ בְּֽמוֹעֲצוֹתֵיהֶֽם׃	¹¹ It is I, Yah, Who took you up from Egypt. I fed you and you were sated to fullness. ¹² But My people did not obey me. Israel did not desire Me close. ¹³ I let them have their hearts’ way, To pursue their own devices.
^יד ל֗וּ עַ֭מִּי שֹׁמֵ֣עַֽ לִ֑י יִ֝שְׂרָאֵ֗ל בִּדְרָכַ֥י יְהַלֵּֽכוּ׃ ^טו כִּ֭מְעַט אוֹיְבֵיהֶ֣ם אַכְנִ֑יעַ וְעַ֥ל צָ֝רֵיהֶ֗ם אָשִׁ֥יב יָדִֽי׃ ^טז מְשַׂנְאֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה יְכַֽחֲשׁוּ־ל֑וֹ וִיהִ֖י עִתָּ֣ם לְעוֹלָֽם׃ ^יז וַֽ֭יַּאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵ֣לֶב חִטָּ֑ה וּ֝מִצּ֗וּר דְּבַ֣שׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶֽךָ׃	Oy! ¹⁴ If only my people would obey Me, Israel would walk in My ways. ¹⁵ In a moment, I would subdue their foes. I would, with My own hands, repay them. ¹⁶ Those who loathe Yah, but deny it, Will have their rebuke forever. (But you who obey…) ¹⁷ I will feed with the fat of grain. And satisfy With honey from the rock.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Thursday (Psalms 81) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source

תהלים מ״ח | Psalms 48, the psalm for Monday (translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 20:26:34 +0000

This psalm was the Monday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א שִׁ֥יר מִ֝זְמוֹר לִבְנֵי־קֹֽרַח׃	¹ Song and music from the Koraḥites
^ב גָּ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד בְּעִ֥יר אֱ֝לֹהֵ֗ינוּ הַר־קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃ ^ג יְפֵ֥ה נוֹף֮ מְשׂ֪וֹשׂ כָּל־הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ הַר־צִ֭יּוֹן יַרְכְּתֵ֣י צָפ֑וֹן קִ֝רְיַ֗ת מֶ֣לֶךְ רָֽב׃	² Here in God’s city, On this holy mountain, God is vast and His fame is glorious. ³ This beautiful landscape, The joy place of Earth, Mount Ẓíōn at Jerusalem’s North side, The great royal capital.
^ד אֱלֹהִ֥ים בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֶ֗יהָ נוֹדַ֥ע לְמִשְׂגָּֽב׃ ^ה כִּֽי־הִנֵּ֣ה הַ֭מְּלָכִים נֽוֹעֲד֑וּ עָבְר֥וּ יַחְדָּֽו׃ ^ו הֵ֣מָּה רָ֭אוּ כֵּ֣ן תָּמָ֑הוּ נִבְהֲל֥וּ נֶחְפָּֽזוּ׃ ^ז רְ֭עָדָה אֲחָזָ֣תַם שָׁ֑ם חִ֝֗יל כַּיּוֹלֵֽדָה׃	⁴ In her palaces, God is known in exaltation. ⁵ Here, kings gathered. They came together. (If they came as enemies…) ⁶ They saw and were overwhelmed With awe. ⁷ They were shaken and took flight. Trembling, they shook, Shaking like a woman in labor.
^ח בְּר֥וּחַ קָדִ֑ים תְּ֝שַׁבֵּ֗ר אֳנִיּ֥וֹת תַּרְשִֽׁישׁ׃ ^ט כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר שָׁמַ֨עְנוּ ׀ כֵּ֤ן רָאִ֗ינוּ בְּעִיר־יְהוָ֣ה צְ֭בָאוֹת בְּעִ֣יר אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ אֱלֹ֘הִ֤ים יְכוֹנְנֶ֖הָ עַד־עוֹלָ֣ם סֶֽלָה׃	⁸ A storm You raised from the East, Shattering Tarshish cruisers. ⁹ All this we heard. We even saw it all, In God’s city, The Seat of Yah—Tzebaot. May God keep it flourishing forever. Selah!
^י דִּמִּ֣ינוּ אֱלֹהִ֣ים חַסְדֶּ֑ךָ בְּ֝קֶ֗רֶב הֵיכָלֶֽךָ׃ ^יא כְּשִׁמְךָ֤ אֱלֹהִ֗ים כֵּ֣ן תְּ֭הִלָּתְךָ עַל־קַצְוֵי־אֶ֑רֶץ צֶ֝֗דֶק מָלְאָ֥ה יְמִינֶֽךָ׃ ^יב יִשְׂמַ֤ח ׀ הַר־צִיּ֗וֹן תָּ֭גֵלְנָה בְּנ֣וֹת יְהוּדָ֑ה לְ֝מַ֗עַן מִשְׁפָּטֶֽיךָ׃	¹⁰ In the midst of Your Temple, We looked for Your Grace, O God. ¹¹ Your reputation is well deserved. So, we praise You To the ends of the Earth. Fairness and kindness Issue from Your right hand. ¹² Zion’s mountain rejoices. Judah daughters are gleeful. All because of how You act justly.
^יג סֹ֣בּוּ צִ֭יּוֹן וְהַקִּיפ֑וּהָ סִ֝פְר֗וּ מִגְדָּלֶֽיהָ׃ ^יד שִׁ֤יתוּ לִבְּכֶ֨ם ׀ לְֽחֵילָ֗ה פַּסְּג֥וּ אַרְמְנוֹתֶ֑יהָ לְמַ֥עַן תְּ֝סַפְּר֗וּ לְד֣וֹר אַחֲרֽוֹן׃	¹³ Go round Ẓíōn, enfold her. Take note of her towers. ¹⁴ Set your heart on her strengths. Raise her mansions high. Then, you will tell about it To generations yet to come:
^טו כִּ֤י זֶ֨ה ׀ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֱ֭לֹהֵינוּ עוֹלָ֣ם וָעֶ֑ד ה֖וּא יְנַהֲגֵ֣נוּ עַל־מֽוּת׃	¹⁵ This is God, our God! Forever and ever. He will guide us past death.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Monday (Psalms 48) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source(s)

תהלים כ״ד | Psalms 24, the Psalm for Sunday (translation by Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation) — Sun, 30 Jul 2017 03:58:07 +0000

This psalm was the Sunday song of the Levites in the Holy Temple.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
^א לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר	¹ David’s song (for opening himself to Spirit).
לַֽ֭יהוָה הָאָ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֑הּ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃ ^ב כִּי־ה֭וּא עַל־יַמִּ֣ים יְסָדָ֑הּ וְעַל־נְ֝הָר֗וֹת יְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃	Earth and her fullness Are Yours, Yah, The cosmos and its beings. ² You founded Earth On the endless seas of space. You set her by the streams Of the great Flow.
^ג מִֽי־יַעֲלֶ֥ה בְהַר־יְהוָ֑ה וּמִי־יָ֝קוּם בִּמְק֥וֹם קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃ ^ד נְקִ֥י כַפַּ֗יִם וּֽבַר־לֵ֫בָ֥ב אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹא־נָשָׂ֣א לַשָּׁ֣וְא נַפְשִׁ֑י וְלֹ֖א נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לְמִרְמָֽה׃ ^ה יִשָּׂ֣א בְ֭רָכָה מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וּ֝צְדָקָ֗ה מֵאֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעֽוֹ׃	³ Who can rise To Your summit, Yah? Who can stand In Your place of holiness? ⁴ One who has hands that are clean, A heart that is pure, Who has no false oath On her conscience, Who swore not to larceny. ⁵ Such a one Will raise a blessing from You, Yah, Kind generosity from You, Her helpful God.
^ו זֶ֭ה דּ֣וֹר דרשו [דֹּרְשָׁ֑יו] מְבַקְשֵׁ֨י פָנֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה׃	⁶ Such people are of a generation That seeks You. Like Jacob seeking to face You, Selah!
^ז שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וְֽ֭הִנָּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָב֗וֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד׃ ^ח מִ֥י זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְ֭הוָה עִזּ֣וּז וְגִבּ֑וֹר יְ֝הוָ֗ה גִּבּ֥וֹר מִלְחָמָֽה׃	⁷ Open your minds’ imagination! Let the Gates to eternity Come into view! Then the King of Glory Will appear. ⁸ Who is this, the King of Glory? Yah – Tzebaot, She is the Queen of Glory. Yah! Powerful and strong. Yah, the ever victorious!
^ט שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וּ֭שְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָבֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד׃ ^י מִ֤י ה֣וּא זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֑וֹת ה֤וּא מֶ֖לֶךְ הַכָּב֣וֹד סֶֽלָה׃	⁹ Open your minds’ imagination! Let the Gates to eternity Come into view, And then the King of Glory Will appear. ¹⁰ Who is this, the King of Glory? Yah – Tzebaot, She is the Queen of Glory. Selah!

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of the Psalm of the Day for Sunday (Psalms 24) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his translation side-by-side with a transcription of the vocalized text of the Psalm. –Aharon N. Varady

The association of particular psalms sung by Levites in the Temple for each day of the week is first attested in Mishnah Tamid 4.7.

Source

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם שַׁבָּת | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Day of Shabbat, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 22:17:25 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אָז בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי נָחְתָּ יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת עַל כֵּן בֵּרַכְתָּ וְעַל כׇּל פֹּעַל תְּהִלָּה עֲרוּכָה חֲסִידֶיךָ בְּכָל עֵת יְבָרְכוּכָה בָּרוּךְ יְיָ יוֹצֵר כֻּלָּם אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם	On the seventh day of old you rested, and therefore you have blessed the Shabbat. Your pious servants will continually bless you in well ordered praise for all your works. Blessed be Hashem who has created them all, the living God and King of the world.^[1] original translation, “everlasting King”
כִּי לְעוֹלָם עַל עֲבָדֶיךָ רֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ וּבְמִצְרַיִם הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהוֹדִיעַ כִּי מְאֹד נַעֲלֵיתָ עַל כׇּל אֱלֹהִים בַּעֲשׂוֹת בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים גְּדוֹלִים וּבֵאלֹהֵיהֶם בְּבָקְעֲךָ יַם סוּף עַמְּךָ רָאוּ הַיָּד הַגְּדוֹלָה וַיִּירָאוּ	For ever,^[2] original translation, “from eternity” the abundance of your mercies and loving-kindnesses have been extended to your servants. In Egypt you began to make it known how greatly you are exalted Above all gods, when you executed great judgments on the nation and its gods. And when you cleaved the Reed Sea, your people saw your great Hand and were afraid.
נִהַגְתָּ עַמְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת לָךְ שֵׁם תִּפְאֶרֶת לְהַרְאוֹת גָּדְלָךְ וְדִבַּרְתָּ עִמָּם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגַם הֶעָבִים נָטְפוּ מָיִם יָדַעְתָּ לֶכְתָּם בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּאֶרֶץ צִיָּה אִישׁ לֹא עָבָר תַּתָּה לְעַמְּךָ דְּגַן שָׁמַיִם וְכֶעָפָר שְׁאֵר וּמִצּוּר מָיִם	You guided them on their way to make you a glorious name, and to show forth your might. You spoke to them from heaven, and the clouds dropped water. You observed their journeying in the wilderness, in a parched land untrodden by man. And you gave your people the corn of heaven, flesh abundant as dust, and water from the rock.
תְּגָרֵשׁ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים עַמִּים יִירְשׁוּ אַרְצָם וַעֲמַל לְאֻמִים בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמְרוּ חֻקִּים וְתוֹרוֹת אִמְרוֹת יְיָ אֲמָרוֹת טְהֹרוֹת וְיִתְעַדְּנוּ בְּמִרְעֶה שָׁמֵן וּמֵחַלְמִישׁ צוּר פַּלְגֵי שֶׁמֶן בְּנוּחָם בָּנוּ עִיר קָדְשֶׁךָ וַיְפָאֲרוּ בֵּית מִקְדָּשֶׁךָ	You drove out many nations and peoples, whose land and whose labour they inherited. That so they might observe statutes and laws, even the sayings of Hashem, which are pure. They enjoyed fat pastures and pools of oil from the flinty rock. And when they had rest, they built your holy city and glorified your sanctuary.
וַתֹּאמֶר פֹּה אֵשֵׁב לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים צֵידָהּ בָּרֵךְ אֲבָרֵךְ כִּי שָׁם יִזְבְּחוּ זִבְחֵי צֶדֶק אַף כֹּהֲנֶיךָ יִלְבְּשׁוּ צֶדֶק וּבֵית הַלֵּוִי נְעִימוֹת יְזַמֵּרוּ לְךָ יִתְרוֹעֲעוּ אַף יָשִׁירוּ בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִרְאֵי יְיָ יְכַבְּדוּ וְיוֹדוּ שִׁמְךָ יְיָ	And you said: “In Ẓion I will dwell for aye, and her substance I will greatly bless.” There her people were wont to offer up righteous sacrifices, and your priests clothed themselves with righteousness. The house of Levi sang sweet melody and praised you with triumphant song. The house of Yisrael, too, and all that feared Hashem gave thanks unto your Name, O Hashem.
הֱטִיבוֹתָ מְאֹד לָרִאשׁוֹנִים כֵּן תֵּיטִיב גַּם לָאַחֲרוֹנִים יְיָ תָּשִׂישׂ נָא עָלֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר שַׂשְׂתָּ עַל אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אוֹתָנוּ לְהַרְבּוֹת וּלְהֵיטִיב וְנוֹדֶה לְךָ לְעוֹלָם כִּי תֵיטִיב	You dealt very kindly with those that went before: deal kindly, too, with those that come after. Yea, rejoice over us, O Hashem, as you rejoiced over our ancestors, To multiply us and to prosper us, that we may thank you forever for your goodness.
יְיָ תִּבְנֶה עִירְךָ מְהֵרָה כִּי עָלֶיהָ שִׁמְךָ נִקְרָא וְקֶרֶן דָּוִד תַּצְמִיחַ בָּהּ וְתִשְׁכֹּן לְעוֹלָם יְיָ בְּקִרְבָּהּ זִבְחֵי צֶדֶק שָׁמָּה נִזְבְּחָה וְכִימֵי קֶדֶם תֶּעֱרַב מִנְחָה	O Hashem, build your city speedily, for it is called by your Name; Cause the horn of David to spring up in it, and do you, O Hashem, dwell in its midst for ever. Let us there again offer up righteous sacrifices, and let the grain-offering be accepted as in the days of old.
וּבָרֵךְ עַמְּךָ בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ כִּי חֲפֵצִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ תַּעֲשֶׂה חֶפְצֵנוּ הַבֶּט נָא עַמְּךָ כֻּלָּנוּ בְּחַרְתָּנוּ הֱיוֹת לְךָ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה עַל עַמְּךָ בִרְכָתֶךָ סֶּלָה	O bless your people with the light of your countenance; be it your will to do their longing, Even as they long to do your will. O Hashem, we beseech you, we are all your people. You have chosen us to be unto you a distinguished^[3] original translation, “peculiar” people, and upon us you have set your blessing. Selah!
וְתָמִיד נְסַפֵּר תְּהִלָּתֶךָ וּנְהַלֵל לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ וּמִבִּרְכָתְךָ עַמְּךָ יְבֹרָךְ כִּי אֶת כׇּל אֲשֶׁר תְּבָרֵךְ מְבֹרָךְ וַאֲנִי בְּעוֹדִי אֲהַלְלָה בוֹרְאִי וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה כׇּל יְמֵי צְבָאִי יְהִי שֵׁם יְיָ מְבֹרָךְ לְעוֹלָם מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם	We will continually declare your praise and extol your glorious Name. Let your people be blessed of you, for whomso you bless is blessed. And as for me, while yet I live, I will praise my Creator, yea, I will bless you all the days of my pilgrimage. Blessed be the Name of Hashem for ever from [this] world until [the next] world.^[4] original translation, “from everlasting unto everlasting”
כַּכָּתוּב בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעֹלָם וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇל־הָעָם אָמֵן וְהַלֵּל לַיהֹוָה׃ (דברי הימים א׳ ו:לו)	As it is written, “Blessed be Hashem Elo’ah of Yisrael from [this] world until [the next] world.^[5] original translation, “for ever and ever” And all the people said: ‘Amen,’ and ‘Praise to Hashem‘” (1 Chronicles 16:36).
עָנֵה דָנִיֵּאל וְאָמַר לֶהֱוֵא שְׁמֵהּ דִּי־אֱלָהָא מְבָרַךְ מִן־עָלְמָא וְעַד עָלְמָא דִּי חׇכְמְתָא וּגְבוּרְתָא דִּי לֵהּ־הִיא׃ (דניאל ב:כ)	“And Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of Elo’ah from [this] world until [the next] world, for wisdom and might are Theirs” (Daniel 2:20).
וְנֶאֱמַר וַיֹּאמְרוּ הַלְוִיִּם יֵשׁוּעַ וְקַדְמִיאֵל בָּנִי חֲשַׁבְנְיָה שֵׁרֵבְיָה הוֹדִיָּה שְׁבַנְיָה פְתַחְיָה קוּמוּ בָּרְכוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מִן־הָעוֹלָם עַד־הָעוֹלָם וִיבָרְכוּ שֵׁם כְּבֹדֶךָ וּמְרוֹמַם עַל־כׇּל־בְּרָכָה וּתְהִלָּה׃ (נחמיה ט:ה)	And it is said, “Then the Levites, Yeshua and Ḳadmiel, Bani, Ḥashbanyah, Sherevyah, Hodiyah, Shevanyah and Petaḥyah said: Stand up and bless Hashem your Elo’ah from [this] world until [the next] world, that all may bless your glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise” (Nehemiah 9:5).
וְנֶאֱמַר בָּרוּךְ־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם וְאָמַר כׇּל־הָעָם אָמֵן הַלְלוּ־יָהּ׃ (תהלים קו:מח)	And it is said: “Blessed be Hashem Elo’ah of Yisrael from [this] world until [the next] world, and let all the people say: Amen, Praise ye Yah” (Psalms 106:48).
וְנֶאֱמַר וַיְבָרֶךְ דָּוִיד אֶת־יְהֹוָה לְעֵינֵי כׇּל־הַקָּהָל וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אָבִינוּ מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד־עוֹלָם׃ (דברי הימים א׳ כט:י)	And it is said: “David blessed Hashem before all the congregation; and David said, ‘Blessed be you, Hashem Elo’ah of Yisrael our father, from [this] world until [the next] world’” (1 Chronicles 29:10).

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom Shabbat (hymn of unity for the day of Shabbat), adapted from the translation by Herbert M. Adler and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Adler and Arthur Davis (1907), pp. 59-60. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language but also, sparingly, elsewhere. (If you find a phrasing which, opposite the Hebrew, should definitely be revised: please suggest a revision.) I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 61-62. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 44-45. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	original translation, “everlasting King”
2	original translation, “from eternity”
3	original translation, “peculiar”
4	original translation, “from everlasting unto everlasting”
5	original translation, “for ever and ever”

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם שִׁישִׁי | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Sixth Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 19:11:03 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אַתָּה לְבַדְּךָ יוֹצֵר הַכֹּל הוּא וְלֹא יִדְמֶה מַעֲשֶׂה לְעוֹשֵׂהוּ	You alone are the Creator of all things, but naught in creation can be likened unto you.
כׇּל הָאֲרָצוֹת לֹא יְכִילוּךָ וְשָׁמַיִם לֹא יְכַלְכְּלוּךָ	Not all the earth can contain you, nor heaven itself sustain you.
אַף יָחִילוּ מַיִם חַיִּים מִפָּנֶיךָ אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים	Of yore the living waters trembled at your presence, O God of Life;
רָעֲשָׁה אֶרֶץ וְנָסוּ מַיִם וְנָטְפוּ מַיִם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם	The earth quaked, and the waters fled and streamed from the sky.
נוֹטֶה לְבַדְּךְ הַשָּׁמַיִם רוֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל הַמָּיִם	You who stretches out the heavens by yourself and spreads out the earth upon the waters.
עָשִׂיתָ כׇּל חֶפְצְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְלֹא נִצְרַכְתָּ עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדֶּךָ	Alone you completed your whole purpose, and had no need of a helpmate.
סוֹעֵד אֵין מִי יִסְעָדֶךָ הַכֹּל מִמְּךָ וּמִיָּדֶךָ	There is none that could assist you; for everything is from you and of your hand.
כְּכֹחֲךָ אָז כֵּן עַתָּה וְדַעְתָּךָ וּלְעוֹלָם כׇּל כְּבוֹדָךְ אִתָּךָ	As were your power and knowledge then, so are they now; for your glory abides with you to eternity.
וְלֹא יָעַפְתָּ וְלֹא יָגַעְתָּ כִּי בִמְלַאכְתְּךָ לֹא עָמָלְתָּ	You were not weary, you were not faint; for in your work was no labour.
כִּי בִדְבָרְךָ כׇּל יְצוּרֶיךָ וּמַעֲשֵׂה חֶפְצְךָ בְּמַאֲמָרֶיךָ	By your word your creatures were formed, and the design of your purpose by your mere utterance.
וְלֹא אֵחַרְתּוֹ וְלֹא מִהַרְתּוֹ הַכֹּל עֲשִׂיתוֹ יָפֶה בְּעִתּוֹ	You did not delay it, you did not speed it, but made everything good in its due season.
מִבְּלִי מְאוּמָה כֹּל חִדַּשְׁתָּ וְאֶת הַכֹּל בְּלִי כְלִי פָּעָלְתָּ	From nothingness you brought forth a new world, forming everything from nothing.
וְעַד לֹא יְסוֹד כֹּל יָסַּדְתָּ בִּרְצוֹן רוּחֲךָ כֹּל תָּלִיתָ	Before any foundation existed, you founded the universe, and by the will of your spirit you suspended it.
זְרוֹעוֹת עֹלָם אֶת כֹּל נוֹשְׂאוֹת מֵרֹאשׁ וְעַד סוֹף וְאֵינָם נִלְאוֹת	Yea, the everlasting arms support the world from the beginning to the end of time and grow not weary.
בְּעֵינֶיךָ לֹא דָּבָר הֻקְשָׁה רְצוֹנְךָ כׇּל דְּבַר רוּחֲךְ עוֹשֶׂה	Naught is difficult in your sight, for your will performs every mandate of your Ruaḥ.
לִפְעֻלָּתְךָ לֹא דָּמִיתָ אֶל כׇּל תֹּאַר לֹא שָׁוִיתָ	You are not like unto your work, nor comparable to any shape.
וְלֹא קָדְמָה לִמְלַאכְתְּךָ מְלָאכָה חָכְמָתְךָ הִיא בַכֹּל עֲרֻכָה	No work preceded yours, but your wisdom prepared everything.
לִרְצוֹנְךָ לֹא קִדְּמוּ וְאֵחֲרוּ וְעַל חֶפְצְךָ לֹא נוֹסְפוּ וְחָסְרוּ	Your creatures were fashioned nor earlier nor later than your will; they neither overstepped your pleasure nor fell short of it.
מִכׇּל חֶפְצְךָ לֹא שָׁכַחְתָּ וְדָבָר אֶחָד לֹא חָסָרְתָּ	You did not forget aught of your purpose, nor leave aught unfinished.
לֹא הֶחְסַרְתָּ וְלֹא הֶעְדַּפְתָּ וְדָבָר רֵק בָּם לֹא פָעָלְתָּ	There was nothing deficient, nothing superfluous, nothing useless in all your works.
אַתָּה תְשַׁבְּחֵם וּמִי הִתְעִיבָם וְשֶׁמֶץ דָּבָר לֹא נִמְצָא בָם	You approved of them; who, then, could reject them? No matter of reproach can be found in them.
הַחִלּוֹתָ בְּחָכְמָה עֲשׂוֹתָם בִּתְבוּנָה וּבְדַעַת כִּלִּיתָם	In wisdom you began them, and with understanding and knowledge completed them.
מֵרֵאשִׁית וְעַד אַחֲרִית עֲשׂוּיִם בֶּאֱמֶת וּבְיֹשֶׁר וּבְטוֹב רְאוּיִם	From the first of them to the last, they were fashioned in truth and in righteousness; yea, and you declared them good.
הִקְדַּמְתָּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ רֹב רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ	Before your handiwork you sent forth the abundance of your mercies and loving-kindness;
כִּי רַחֲמֶיךָ וַחֲסָדֶיךָ הֲלֹא מֵעוֹלָם עַל עֲבָדֶיךָ	For, as for these, are they not of old unto your servants?
וְעַד לֹא כׇל חַי הוּכַן לְכַלְכֵּל לִפְנֵי אוֹכֵל תִּתֶּן אֹכֶל	Before the birth of each living thing, its sustenance was provided; before the eater existed, you prepared their eating.
וּמֵעַז וּמָתוֹק תַּעֲשֶׂה בְּפִי כֹל צָרְכֵי הַכֹּל כַּאֲשֶׁר לַכֹּל	For all your creatures you provided food, for each of them according to their wants.
שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים הֱכִינוֹתָם לָאַחֲרוֹנִים	Thus you made the first three days a prelude to the latter three.
אָז עָטִיתָ אוֹר כַּשַּׂלְמָה אֶדֶר מְאוֹרוֹת מִמּוּל שַׂלְמָה	First you clothed yourself with light as with a garment, even with the splendid mantle of the luminaries.
בְּטֶרֶם כׇּל יְצוּר מְאֹד גָּדַלְתָּ וְאַחַר כֹּל מְאֹד נִתְגַּדַּלְתָּ	You were exceeding great before all, and exceeding great after all.
עַד לֹא אֹרֵג גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ לִפְנֵי לְבוּשׁ הוֹד וְהָדָר לָבֵשׁ	Before any raiment was fashioned, he was arrayed in glory and honour; ere yet a weaver breathed, he was clothed in majesty,
אוֹר כַּשַּׂלְמָה וְכִמְעִיל עָטָה שָׁמַיִם כַּיְרִיעָה נָטָה	Who covers himself with light as with a garment and a mantle, who stretches out the heavens as a curtain.
עָשִׂיתָ בָּם לְאוֹרִים דְּרָכִים רָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב בְּנַחַת מְהַלְּכִים	Therein you set pathways for the stars that travel calmly onward.
הִבְדַּלְתָּ בֵּין מַיִם לְמַיִם בִּמְתִיחַת רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם	You separated the waters with the curtain of the firmament.
מְזוֹנוֹת מְעוֹנוֹת לְשֶׁרֶץ מָיִם וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם	The depths of ocean you made the feeding-ground of water-animals, and the sky of winged birds.
עֵשֶׂב וְחָצִיר לָבְשָׁה אֲדָמָה מַאֲכָל לְחַיָּה וּלְכׇל בְּהֵמָה	The earth was clad with grass and herbs, food for every kind of wild and tame animal.^[1] original translation, “beast and cattle”
בְּקֶרֶן שָׁמֵן גַּן נָטַעְתָּ אֶל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ	In a fruitful spot you planted a garden for the man you made;
עֵזֶר כְּנֶגְדּוֹ עָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ דֵּי מַחְסוֹרוֹ אֲשֶׁר יֶחְסַר לוֹ	And gave him a helpmate that should make his life complete.
כׇּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ בְּיָדוֹ תַתָּה וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו הַכֹּל שָׁתָּה	All your works you placed in his hand; yea, and set them beneath his feet,
לַעֲשׂוֹת מֵהֶם בָּקָר וָצֹאן עַל מִזְבַּחֲךָ יַעֲלוּ לְרָצוֹן	That of them he might offer oxen and sheep, an acceptable offering upon your altar.
עָשִׂיתָ לּוֹ כְּתֹנֶת לְשָׁרֵת לְהַדְרַת קֹדֶשׁ וּלְתִפְאָרֶת	You made him a garment that he might minister therein in the beauty of holiness and glory.
שַׂמְתָּ בְקִרְבּוֹ חָכְמַת אֱלֹהִים כִּי יְצַרְתּוֹ לְךָ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים	In his heart you set the wisdom of Elohim, for in the image of Elohim you formed him for you.
לֹא מָנַעְתָּ עַל פְּנֵי אֲדָמָה צָרְכֵי אָדָם וְכֻלָּם בְּחָכְמָה	And from the face of the earth in wisdom you supplied all his wants, leaving none unsatisfied.
מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מְאֹד רַבּוּ וְגָדְלוּ וְשִׁמְךָ יְיָ כֻּלָּם יְהַלֵּלוּ	Lo! your works are very many and very great, and all of them shall praise your Name, O Hashem.
רַבּוּ וְגָדְלוּ מְאֹד מַעֲשֶׂיךָ יוֹדוּךָ יְיָ כׇּל מַעֲשֶׂיךָ	Yea, and in all their greatness and multitude, O Hashem, they shall give thanks unto your Name.
כֹּל פָּעַלְתָּ לַמַּעֲנֶךָ וְלִכְבוֹדְךָ כׇּל קִנְיָנֶךָ׃	You have created the whole world for your sake, and all your possessions exist but for your glory.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom shishi (hymn of unity for the sixth day), adapted from the translation by Herbert M. Adler and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Adler and Arthur Davis (1907), pp. 57-58. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language but also, sparingly, elsewhere. (If you find a phrasing which, opposite the Hebrew, should definitely be revised: please suggest a revision.) I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 58-61. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 40-43. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	original translation, “beast and cattle”

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם חֲמִישִׁי | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Fifth Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Wed, 27 Aug 2025 02:55:05 +0000

Note: This translation also uses the plural pronouns They/Their/Them to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.) All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
מִי כָמוֹךָ דֵּעָה מוֹרֶה נִיב שְׂפָתַיִם אַתָּה בוֹרֵא מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ עָמְקוּ וְרָמוּ וּשְׁנוֹתֶיךָ לֹא יִתָּמּוּ לֹא לִמְּדוּךָ חָכְמָתֶךָ וְלֹא הֱבִינוּךָ תְּבוּנָתֶךָ	Who is like unto you who teaches knowledge and creates the fruit of the lips? Your purposes are deep and exalted, and your years have no end. None taught you your wisdom nor imparted to you your understanding.
לֹא קִבַּלְתָּ מַלְכוּתֶךָ וְלֹא יָרַשְׁתָּ מֶמְשַׁלְתֶּךָ לְעוֹלָם יְהִי לְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ וְלֹא לַאֲחֵרִים כְּבוֹד הוֹדֶךָ וְלֹא תִּתֵּן לֵאלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים תְּהִלָּתְךָ לֹא לַפְּסִילִים וְזָרִים וְכָבוֹד וְגַם כׇּל יָקָר מֵאִתָּךְ וּכְבוֹדְךָ לֹא לְזָרִים אִתָּךְ	You did not succeed to your kingdom, nor inherit your dominion. For all time shall the glory of your majesty be yours alone and unshared by others; For you will not yield of your praise unto other gods, unto graven images and idols. Glory and honour proceed from you, idols shall not share them with you.
אַתָּה תָּעִיד בְּיִחוּדֶךָ וְתוֹרָתְךָ לַעֲבָדֶיךָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַל יִחוּדֶךָ אַתָּה עֵד אֱמֶת וַאֲנַחְנוּ עֲבָדֶיךָ	Your Unity is declared by you, by your law and by your servants; Yea, O our God, to your Unity you are yourself a faithful witness, and we your servants.
לְפָנֶיךָ לֹא אֵל הִקְדִּימָךְ וּבִמְלַאכְתְּךָ לֹא הָיָה אֵל עִמָּךְ וְלֹא נוֹעַצְתָּ וְלֹא לֻמַּדְתָּ בְּחַדֶּשְׁךָ בְּרִיאוֹת כִּי נְבוּנוֹתָ מִמַּעֲמַקֵּי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ אֵין רֹאשׁ וָסוֹף לִתְבוּנָתֶךָ	No god preceded you, and there was no stranger with you in your work. You were not counselled, nor instructed when you made all things new; for understanding is yours. From the depths of your mind and from your own heart you conceived all your works.
קְצוֹת דְּרָכֶיךָ הֲלֹא הִכַּרְנוּ מִמַּעֲשֶׂיךָ הֵן יָדַעְנוּ שָׁאַתָּה אֵל כֹּל יָצַרְתָּ לְבַדֶּךָ מֵאָז לֹא נִגְרַעְתָּ וְלַעֲשׂוֹת מְלַאכְתֶּךָ לֹא לֻחַצְתָּ וְגַם בַּעַדְךָ לֹא נִצְרָכְתָּ כִּי הָיִיתָ לִפְנֵי הַכֹּל וְאָז בְּאֵין כֹּל לֹא נִצְרַכְתָּ כֹּל כִּי מֵאַהֲבָתְךָ עֲבָדֶיךָ כֹּל בָּרָאתָ לִכְבוֹדֶךָ	Have we not discerned a little portion of your ways? Lo! we have learnt from your works That you are the God who unaided created everything, yourself undiminished. You were not compelled to perform your work, and had no need of a helper. Yea, you were before all, and needed naught when naught existed. For from your love to your servants, you created the whole world unto your glory.
וְלֹא נוֹדַע אֵל זוּלָתֶךָ וְאֵין כָּמוֹךָ וְאֵין בִּלְתֶּךָ וְלֹא נִשְׁמַע מִן אָז וָהָלְאָה וְלֹא קָם וְלֹא נִהְיָה וְלֹא נִרְאָה וְגַם אַחֲרֶיךָ לֹא יִהְיֶה אֵל רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן אֵל יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יָחִיד וּמְיֻחָד יְיָ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד	No god save you is known, none like you, none beside you; Nor ever has arisen or existed, or been heard or seen; Nor after you shall there be any god. First and last is the God of Yisrael. Blessed are you, O one and only Hashem is one and Their Name is one.
אֲשֶׁר מִי יַעֲשֶׂה כִּמְלַאכְתֶּךָ כְּמַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְכִגְבוּרוֹתֶיךָ אֵין יְצִיר זוּלַת יְצִירָתֶךָ אֵין בְּרִיאָה כִּי אִם בְּרִיאָתֶךָ כׇּל אֲשֶׁר תַּחְפֹּץ תַּעֲשֶׂה בַכֹּל כִּי אַתָּה נַעֲלֵיתָ עַל כֹּל אֵין כָּמוֹךָ וְאֵין בִּלְתֶּךָ כִּי אֵין אֱלֹהִים זוּלָתָךָ אַתָּה הָאֵל עוֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא וְדָבָר מִמְּךָ לֹא יִפָּלֵא	For who can do like unto your works, your deeds, your mighty actions? There is no form save of your forming, no creature save of your creation. You work your pleasure over all, for you are exalted above all. Yea, there is none like you and none beside you, for there is no god save you. You are El who perform marvels, but unto whom naught is marvellous.
מִי כָמוֹךָ נוֹרָא תְּהִלּוֹת אֱלֹהִים לְבַדְּךָ עוֹשֶׂה גְדוֹלוֹת אֵין אוֹתוֹת כְּמוֹ אוֹתוֹתֶיךָ אַף אֵין מוֹפֵת כְּמוֹ מוֹפְתֶיךָ אֵין תְּבוּנָה כִּתְבוּנָתֶךָ אֵין גְּדֻלָּה כִּגְדֻלָּתֶךָ כִּי מְאֹד עָמְקוּ מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ וְגָבְהוּ דַּרְכֵי אֹרְחוֹתֶיךָ	Who is like unto you, tremendous in praise, O Elohim who alone works wonders? There are no signs like your signs, no portents like your portents; There is no knowledge like your knowledge, no greatness like your greatness. For your purposes are very deep, and the paths of your treading are very lofty.
אֵין גַּאֲוָה כְּמוֹ גַאֲוָתֶךָ אַף אֵין עֲנָוָה כְּעַנְוָתֶךָ אֵין קְדֻשָּׁה כִּקְדֻשָּׁתֶךָ אֵין קְרֵבוּת כְּמוֹ קְרֵבוּתֶךָ אֵין צְדָקָה כְּצִדְקָתֶךָ אֵין תְּשׁוּעָה כִּתְשׁוּעָתֶךָ אֵין זְרוֹעַ כִּזְרֵעוֹתֶיךָ אֵין קוֹל כְּרַעַם גְּבוּרוֹתֶיךָ אֵין רַחֲמִים כְּרַחֲמָנוּתֶךָ אֵין חֲנִינָה כַּחֲנִינוּתֶךָ אֵין אֱלֹהוּת כֵּאלֹהוּתֶךָ אֵין מַפְלִיא כְּשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ כִּי שְׁמוֹתֶיךָ אֵלִים מְרוּצִים בְּזֳכְרְךָ לְחוּצִים לְהַפְלִיא נְחוּצִים	There is no majesty like your majesty, yea, and there is no gentleness like your gentleness; No holiness like your holiness, no nearness like nearness to you; No righteousness like your righteousness, no salvation like your salvation; No strength like your strength, no sound like the thunder of your might. There is no mercy like your mercy, and no grace like your graciousness. There is no divinity like your divinity, and naught full of wonders like your glorious Name. For your [divine] names are swift angels who speed upon your miracles, when you remember the oppressed.
וְאַשָּׁף וְחַרְטֹם לֹא יְלַחֲצוּךָ וְכׇל־שֵׁם וְלַהַט לֹא יְנַצְּחוּךָ לֹא יְנַצְּחוּךָ כׇּל הַחֲכָמִים כׇּל הַקּוֹסְמִים וְהַחַרְטֻמִּים אַתָּה מֵשִׁיב לְאָחוֹר חֲכָמִים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְךָ עֲרוּמִים וְקוֹסְמִים לְהָשִׁיב לְאָחוֹר מְזִּמּוֹתֶיךָ לְהָפֵר עֲצַת סוֹד גְּזֵרוֹתֶיךָ מֵרְצוֹנְךָ לֹא יַעֲבִירוּךָ לֹא יְמַהֲרוּךָ וְלֹא יְאַחֲרוּךָ	No enchanter or magician can compel you, no spell or sorcery can prevail against you. Not all the wizards, the enchanters and magicians can avail against you. You turn the wizards back, and the subtle enchanters strive in vain To annul your designs, to frustrate the purpose of your secret decree. From your will they cannot move you, nor hasten you, nor delay you.
עֲצָתְךָ תָּפֵר עֲצַת כׇּל יוֹעֲצִים וְעֻזְּךָ מַחֲלִישׁ לֵב אַמִּיצִים אַתָּה מְצַוֶּה וּפַחְדְּךָ מַשְׁוֶה וְאֵין עָלֶיךָ פָּקִיד מְצַוֶּה אַתָּה מִקְוֶה וְאֵינְךָ מְקַוֶּה לְךָ כׇּל מְקַוֶּה נֶפֶשׁ תִּרְוֶה וְכׇל הַיְצוּרִים וְכׇל עִנְיָנָם וְכׇל יְקָר אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֵין דִּמְיוֹנָם לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתָם מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ כִּי אֵין בּוֹרֵא זוּלָתֶךָ	For your counsel frustrates the counsel of all counsellors, and your strength dissolves the heart of the mighty. You command, and your terror levels all before you, but over you lies no directing power. You know not hope, who are the Hope of the world, and in whom every soul that hopes is satisfied. Among all your manifold creatures there is naught to compare with your great majesty. Their thoughts are not your thoughts, for there is no creator beside you.
לְאֵין דִּמְיוֹן נִפְלָא אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֵין חֵקֶר נִשְׂגָּב אֲדֹנֵנוּ סָתוּר מִכׇּל סָתוּר וְעָמוּס מִכׇּל עָמוּס וּמִכׇּל כָּמוּס דַּק מִכׇּל דַּק וּצְפוּן מִכֹּל צָפוּן וְיָכוֹל מִכׇּל יָכוֹל נִשְׂגָּב מִכׇּל נִשְׂגָּב וְנֶעֱלָם מִכׇּל נֶעֱלָם וּשְׁמוֹ לְעוֹלָם גָּבוֹהַּ מִכׇּל גָּבוֹהַּ וְעֶלְיוֹן מִכׇּל עֶלְיוֹן וּמִכׇּל חֶבְיוֹן חָבוּי וְעָמוּק מִכׇּל עָמוּק לֵב כׇּל דַּעַת עָלָיו חָמוּק	Our Elo’ah is wondrous beyond compare, yea, our Lord is exalted past conception; More hidden than aught that is hidden or stored up or treasured, Finer than the finest substance, invisible of the invisible, mightiest of the mighty. Highest are They of the high, and most impenetrable; Their Name also is eternal. They are loftier than the loftiest, greater than the greatest; most mysterious Of all that is mysterious; They are unsearchable above all else, and the heart of all knowledge centres about Them.
שֶׁאֵין שֵׂכֶל וּמַדָּע וְחָכְמָה יְכוֹלִים לְהַשְׁווֹת לוֹ כׇּל מְאוּמָה לֹא מַשִּׂיגִים לוֹ אֵיךְ וְכַמֶּה לֹא מוֹצְאִים לוֹ דָּבָר דּוֹמֶה מִקְרֶה וְעַרְעַר וְשִׁנוּי וְטָפֵל וְחֶבֶר וּמִסְמָךְ אוֹר וְגַם אֹפֶל לֹא מוֹצְאִים לוֹ מַרְאֶה וְצֶבַע וְלֹא כׇל טֶבַע אֲשֶׁר שֵׁשׁ וָשֶׁבַע	For no understanding, no wit, no wisdom can bring aught to compare with Them. For these cannot predicate manner or quantity of Them; they cannot find analogy to Them, Nor any chance or accident, association or combination, light or darkness. They cannot find in Them form or colour nor any corporeal property.
לָכֵן נְבוּכוֹת כׇּל עֶשְׁתּוֹנוֹת וְנִבְהָלוֹת כׇּל הַחֶשְׁבּוֹנוֹת וְכׇל שַׂרְעַפִּים וְכׇל הַרְהוֹרִים נִלְאִים לָשׁוּם בּוֹ שִׁעוּרִים מִלְּשַׁעֲרֵהוּ וּמִלְּהַגְבִּילֵהוּ מִלְּתָּאֲרֵהוּ וּמִלְּפַרְסְמֵהוּ בְּכׇל שִׂכְלֵנוּ חִפַּשְׂנוּהוּ בְּמַדָּעֵנוּ לִמְצֹא מַה הוּא לֹא מְצָאנוּהוּ וְלֹא יְדַעְנוּהוּ אַךְ מִמַּעֲשָׂיו הִכַּרְנוּהוּ שֶׁהוּא לְבַדּוֹ יוֹצֵר אֶחָד חַי וְכֹל יוּכַל וְחָכָם מְיֻחָד כִּי הוּא הָיָה לַכֹּל קוֹדֵם עַל כֵּן נִקְרָא אֱלֹהֵי קֶדֶם	Wherefore every investigation of Them is baffled, and every calculation is confounded. All thoughts and all reflections weary themselves to find terms for Them, To estimate Them, to delimit Them, to delineate Them, to reveal Them. Though with all our wit and mind we have searched to discover what They are. Yet we have not found Them nor known Them. Howbeit from Their works we recognize and learn That They are the sole Creator, Living, Omnipotent, and All-wise; That They are older than aught, wherefore They are called the God of old.
בַּעֲשׂוֹתוֹ בְּלִי כׇל מְאוּם אֶת כֹּל יָדַעְנוּ כִּי הוּא כֹּל יָכוֹל בַּאֲשֶׁר מַעֲשָׂיו בְּחָכְמָה כֻלָּם יָדַעְנוּ כִּי בְּבִינָה פְּעָלָם בְּכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם בְּחַדְּשׁוֹ כֻלָּם יָדַעְנוּ כִּי הוּא אֱלֹהֵי עוֹלָם בַּאֲשֶׁר הָיָה קֹדֶם לְכֻלָּם יָדַעְנוּ כִּי הוּא חַי לְעוֹלָם	Forasmuch as They made everything from nothing, we know that They are almighty. Forasmuch as all Their works are wise, we know that They fashioned them with understanding. As day by day They renew them all, we know that They are elo’ah of the world; And since They existed before any of them, we know that They are living and everlasting.
וְאֵין לְהַרְהֵר אַחַר יוֹצְרֵנוּ בְּלִבֵּנוּ וְלֹא בְסִפּוּרֵנוּ לְמֵמָּשׁ וְגֹדֶשׁ לֹא נְשַׁעֲרֵהוּ לְטַפֵל וְתֹאַר לֹא נְדַמֵּהוּ וְלֹא נְחַשְּׁבֵהוּ לְעִקָּר וְנִצָּב וְלֹא לְמִין וְכׇל אוֹן וּלְכׇל נִקְצָב	Therefore we may not attempt to reason of our Creator by thought or speech. We may not class Them with matter or substance, or ascribe to Them accident or attribute. We may not think of Them as of root or stem, as genus or species, or as in any wise limited.
כׇּל הַנִּרְאִים וְהַנִּשְׂכָּלִים וְהַמַּדָּעִים בְּעֶשֶׂר כְּלוּלִים וְשֶׁבַע כַּמָּיוֹת וְשֵׁשֶׁת נִדּוֹת וְשָׁלֹשׁ גְּזֵרוֹת וְעִתּוֹת וּמִדּוֹת הֵן בַּבּוֹרֵא אֵין גַּם אֶחָד כִּי הוּא בְּרָאָם כֻּלָּם כְּאֶחָד כֻּלָּם יִבְלוּ וְאַף יַחֲלֹופוּ הֵם יֹאבְדוּ וְאַף יָסוּפוּ וְאַתָּה תַעֲמֹד וּתְבַלֶּה כֻּלָּם כִּי חַי וְקַיָּם אַתָּה לְעוֹלָם׃	All things that are seen or conceived or known are included in the ten categories.^[1] In ten categories. — The enumeration here given belongs to Jewish mediaeval philosophy. The ten categories are mentioned by Saadyah, who lived from 892-942 C.E., and were taken by him from Aristotle. They are:—substance (οὐσία, ousia), quantity (ποσόν, poson), quality (ποιόν, poion), relation (πρός τι, pros ti), place (ποῦ, pou), time (πότε, pote), position (κεῖσθαι, keisthei), possession (ἔχειν, echein), activity (ποιεῖν, poiein), and passivity (πάσχειν, paschein). There are seven kinds of quantity^[2] The seven quantities are not to be found in Aristotle, but appear to be borrowed from the philosopher Ibn Rashid (Averrhoes). and six kinds of motion,^[3] The six kinds of motion (Aristotle, Categories, 14,1) are :—creation (γένεσις, genesis), destruction (φθορά, phthora), growth (αὔξησις, auxésis), diminution (µείωσις, meíōsis), transformation (ἀλλοίωσις, alloíosis), and change of place (κατὰ τόπον µεταβολή, katá tópon metabállō). three modes of predication,^[4] The three modes of predication are: by characteristic, by property, and by accident. three times,^[5] The three times are: the present, the past, and the future. and three dimensions.^[6] The three dimensions are: length, breadth and depth. Lo! in the Creator not one of them exists, for They created them all together. They shall all wither and pass away, yea, they shall perish and be no more. But you will abide and see them all to fade, for you live and endure to all eternity.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom ḥamishi (hymn of unity for the fifth day), adapted from the translation by Herbert M. Adler and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Adler and Arthur Davis (1907), pp. 53-56. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language but also, sparingly, elsewhere. (If you find a phrasing which, opposite the Hebrew, should definitely be revised: please suggest a revision.) I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 55-58. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 34-40. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	In ten categories. — The enumeration here given belongs to Jewish mediaeval philosophy. The ten categories are mentioned by Saadyah, who lived from 892-942 C.E., and were taken by him from Aristotle. They are:—substance (οὐσία, ousia), quantity (ποσόν, poson), quality (ποιόν, poion), relation (πρός τι, pros ti), place (ποῦ, pou), time (πότε, pote), position (κεῖσθαι, keisthei), possession (ἔχειν, echein), activity (ποιεῖν, poiein), and passivity (πάσχειν, paschein).
2	The seven quantities are not to be found in Aristotle, but appear to be borrowed from the philosopher Ibn Rashid (Averrhoes).
3	The six kinds of motion (Aristotle, Categories, 14,1) are :—creation (γένεσις, genesis), destruction (φθορά, phthora), growth (αὔξησις, auxésis), diminution (µείωσις, meíōsis), transformation (ἀλλοίωσις, alloíosis), and change of place (κατὰ τόπον µεταβολή, katá tópon metabállō).
4	The three modes of predication are: by characteristic, by property, and by accident.
5	The three times are: the present, the past, and the future.
6	The three dimensions are: length, breadth and depth.

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם רְבִיעִי | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Fourth Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 16:58:24 +0000

Note: As this piyyut is an alphabetic acrostic listing literary epithets and divine names, I have made an attempt to style all of these in unicase. This adaptation of a historic translation uses the plural pronouns They/Their/Them to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.)

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אֲרוֹמֵם אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וְאֵלִי אַנְוֶה אֱלֹהַי צוּרִי וְגוֹאֲלֵי	I will extol the elo’ah of my father and my el; yea, I will praise my elo’ah, my Rock and my Redeemer.
אֲיַחֵד אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ בְּכׇל יוֹם פַּעֲמִים	Twice will I proclaim every day the Unity of the elo’ah of heaven and earth.
אֵל חַי אֶחָד הוּא בְרָאָנוּ אֲבִיר יַעֲקֹב אָב לְכֻלָּנוּ	The one living Deity, They created us; the Mighty One of Israel, Father to us all.
אֲדֹנֵנוּ אֲדוֹן כׇּל הָאָרֶץ מָה אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכׇל הָאָרֶץ	Our Lord, Lord of all the earth; how glorious is your Name in all the earth!
אֵין כָּאֵל אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה וְקַנָּא לְעוֹלָם יְיָ אֱמֶת אֵל אֱמוּנָה	There is none like El, a devouring fire and jealous. Hashem is true for ever, they are the faithful El,
אֵל אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם הוּא מְשַׁלֵּם וְנוֹתֵן לְאִישׁ כְּמַעֲשֵׂהוּ	El is slow to anger, fulfilling and granting to each as they merit.^[1] This couplet does not appear in the variation of the hymn published in Adler & Davis’s maḥzorim.
אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי מָעוֹז חַיָּי עָלָיו תְּלוּיִם כׇּל מַאֲוַיָּי	My Light and my Salvation, the Stronghold of my life; all my desires centre in Them.
אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת הוּא אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים לֹא יָכִילָא זָעֲמוֹ גּוֹיִם	The true Deity is the living Deity; the nations and the isles cannot endure Their wrath,
אַדִּיר וְאַמִּיץ כֹּחַ וְרַב אוֹנִים אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲדֹנֵי הָאֲדֹנִים	Glorious and mighty in strength, and great in power; Deity of deities and Lord of lords.
אֱלֹהַּ עוֹשִׂי אִישִׁי וּבוֹעֲלִי אַלּוּף נְעוּרַי שׁוֹמְרִי וְצִלִּי	Elo’ah is my Crafter, my Beloved and my Master, Guide of my youth, my Guardian and my Refuge,
בּוֹרֵא כֹל וְיִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹאֵל בָּרוּךְ אֱלֹהִים אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל	Creator of all and Redeemer of Yisrael; blessed be Elohim, the Elo’ah of Yisrael.
בּוֹרֵא רוּחַ הָרִים יוֹצֵר מִמְּךְ מְזִמָּה לֹא יִבָּצֵר	Creator of the wind, crafter^[2] Original translation has “former”. In all instances throughout, we have replaced “former” with “crafter” to remove some ambiguity in meaning. of the mountains, from you no design is withheld.
גֵּאֶה מֵשִׁיב גְּמוּל עַל גֵּאִים עַל הָרָמִים וְעַל הַנִּשָּׂאִים	The exalted One will render a reward unto the proud, unto the lofty, and those who are lifted up.
גִּבּוֹר בְּקוּמוֹ לַעֲרֹץ בְּעֶבְרָה מֵהֲדַר גְּאוֹנוֹ מִי לֹא יִירָא	They are mighty when They arise to strike terror with Their wrath; at the glory of Their majesty who shall not be afraid?
גָּבוֹהַּ כׇּל אֲשֶׁר תַּחְתָּיו נוֹשֵׂא וּגְדָל כֹּחַ גְּדוֹלוֹת עוֹשֶׂה	They are most high, They bear up all that is under Them; and, great in strength, They do great deeds.
גָּדוֹל הוּא וּשְׁמוֹ בִּגְבוּרָה אַרְיֵה שָׁאַג מִי לֹא יִירָא	They are great and Their Name is mighty; if a lion roar who is not afraid?
דּוֹדִי דָּגוּל הוּא מֵרְבָבָה אֵל נַעֲרָץ בְּסוֹד קְדוֹשִׁים רַבָּה	My Beloved is the chiefest among ten thousand; a deity pre-eminent^[3] original translation, “very terrible” in the council of the holy ones.
דַּיָּן יָתֵב כְּעַתִּיק יוֹמִין וּצְבָאָיו עַל שְׂמֹאל וְעַל יָמִין	They will sit to judge as the Ancient of Days; Their host is upon the left hand and upon the right.
הָדָר הוּא לְכׇל חֲסִידָיו הֲדָרוֹ וְהוֹדוֹ עַל בְּנֵי עֲבָדָיו	They are honoured by all Their kind ones;^[4] original translation, “saints” Their honour and Their majesty are upon the children of Their servants.
הוּא אֵל אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחוֹת לְכֹל בָּשָׂר שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה מִכֹּל	They are El, Elo’ah of the spirits of all flesh; They hearken unto the prayer of all.
וַדַּאי וָתִיק יוֹדֵע וָעֵד יְיָ יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד	True and perfect, They know and bear witness; Hashem shall reign for ever and ever,
וַאֲשֶׁר חֶרֶב גַּאֲוָתֵנוּ לְהִלָּחֵם מִלְחֲמוֹתֵינוּ	Who is the sword of our excellency^[5] Deut. 33:29. to fight our battles.
זוֹכֵר לְעוֹלָם בְּרִית רִאשׁוֹנִים כְּיּוֹם אֶתְמוֹל לוֹ אֶלֶף שָׁנִים	They remember for ever the covenant of the ancestors; a thousand years are with Them but as yesterday.
זֶה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְלוֹ קִוִּינוּ וְזִמְרָת יָהּ הוּא יוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ	This is our Elo’ah, in Them we hope; Yah is our song, They will save us.
חֵלֶק יַעֲקֹב יוֹצֵר הַכֹּל חַנוּן יְיָ וְחָסִיד בַּכֹּל	The portion of Yaaqov, the crafter of all, Hashem is merciful and gracious unto all.
חַי הָעוֹלָם יְיָ חֶלְקִי חֲכַם הָרָזִים יְיָ חִזְקִי	Hashem who lives for ever is my portion; Hashem, wise in secret things, is my strength.
טוֹב וּמֵטִיב הַמְּלַמֵּד דֵּעָה טְהוֹר עֵינַיִם מַרְאוֹת בְּרָעָה	Good and beneficent are They that teaches knowledge; too pure of sight to look upon evil.
יָשָׁר יְיָ וְיָשָׁר דְּבָרוֹ יְדִידֵי יְדִידוּת מִשְׁכְּנוֹת דְּבִירוֹ	Upright is Hashem and upright Their word; most lovely are Their holy tabernacles.
יוֹעֵץ וְגוֹזֵר מִי יְפִרֶנָּה וְיַחְתּוֹף וְיִפְעַל וּמִי יְשִׁבֶנָּה	They counsel and decree, who can frustrate it? They works suddenly, who shall undo it?
יָפֶה דּוֹדִי יָפְיוֹ וְטוּבוֹ יִרְאוּ וַיֶּחֱזוּ צִיּוֹן בְּשׁוּבוֹ	My Beloved is fair; they shall see and behold Their beauty and Their excellence when They returns unto Ẓion.
כְּגִּבּוֹר יֵצֵא כְּאִישׁ מִלְחָמוֹת יָעִיר קִנְאָה לַעֲשׂוֹת נְקָמוֹת	Like a mighty man They shall go forth, like a man of war; They shall arouse Their anger to do vengeance.
כְּנֶשֶׁר עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים נָשָׂא עֲבָדָיו וְיִשֵּׁר הֲדוּרִים	Like an eagle, They carried Their servants on eagles’ wings, and They made the rugged places plain.
כְּדֹב שַׁכּוּל וּכְנָמֵר שׁוֹקֵד דְּבָרוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת כְּמַקֵּל שָׁקֵד	Like a bear bereaved, like a leopard will They hasten, and as the rod of an almond tree,^[6] Num. 17:8; Jer. 1:11. to perform Their word.^[7] The text of the hymn in Adler & Davis’s maḥzor also includes a variant of this couplet: כְּדֹב שַׁכּוּל וּכְנָמֵר שַֽׁחַל / כְּרָקָב וכְעָשׁ וְרוּחוֹ כַּנָּחַל (“Like a bear bereaved, like a fierce leopard, like destruction, / and like the moth; Their spirit also is as a torrent”). The variant does not appear in Habermann’s text. –ANV
כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ לֵב כְּמוֹ שַׁחַל כְּלָבִיא וְכַאֲרִי וְרוּחוֹ כְּנַחַל	Mighty in power as a leopard; like a lioness and a lion; Their spirit also is like a torrent.
כְּאֶרֶז בָּחוּר בִּגְדֻלָּתוֹ כִּבְרוֹשׁ רַעֲנָן עִנְוְתָנוּתוֹ	Like a choice cedar is Their greatness; yet They are gentle as the green fir tree.
כְּתַפּוּחַ בְּרֵיחוֹ עֹז אַהֲבָתוֹ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל גַּם גַּאֲוָתוֹ	Like the fragrance of an apple tree is the strength of Their love; Their majesty is over Yisrael.
כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר כֵּן דּוֹדִי עִם יוֹשְׁבֵי שָׁעַר	Like an apple tree among the trees of the forest, thus is my beloved among those who sit in the gate.
כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ לְמַרְגִּיזֵי אֵל נוֹקֵם וְכַטַּל הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל	Mighty in power, They take vengeance on those that provoke Them; but They are like the dew unto Yisrael.
כּוֹסִי מְנַת חֶלְקִי וְגוֹרָלִי אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי נַחֲלָה וְדוֹדִי לִי	My cup, the portion of my inheritance, and my lot; I am the heritage of my Beloved, and my Beloved is mine.
כְּבוֹד יְיָ לֹא אֲמִירֶנּוּ הֶאֱמַרְנוּהוּ וְהֶאֱמִירָנוּ	Hashem is my glory, I will not turn from Them; They have betrothed us, and we have betrothed Them.^[8] Here, “betrothed” replaces the original translation “plighted troth unto”.
כְּאַרְיֵה יִשְׁאַג וְכַכְּפִיר יִנְהָם אַל יִהְיֶה כְּגֵר וּכְאִישׁ נִדְהָם	Like a lion They will rage, and roar like a young lion; he will not be like a stranger, like a man astonished^[9] original translation, “astonied” ;
כְּרוֹעֶה גִּבּוֹר אֲשֶׁר לֹא יוּכַל צֹאנוֹ לְהַצִּיל וְהָיָה לְמַאֲכָל	Like a shepherd who is unable to deliver Their flock, so they become a prey;
כְּגִבּוֹר אֵין אֱיָל וּכְאוֹרֵחַ נָס וּבוֹרֵחַ וּמַר צוֹרֵחַ	Like a mighty man whose strength is gone; nor like a wayfarer that flees and hastens away lamenting bitterly.
כְּאַרְיֵה מַשְׁחִית וְכַכְּפִיר לְעֹזְבָיו כָּרָקָב גַּם כָּעָשׁ לְאוֹיְבָיו	They will be like a devouring lion, like a strong lion, unto those that forsake Them; like destruction, even like the moth, unto Their enemies.
כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ כַּשָּׁמִיר וְשַׁית וְלֹא יַשְׁאִיר כְּנֹקֶף זָיִת	Of mighty strength, They will destroy them like the thorn and the briar; They shall not leave aught of them, even as when the olive tree is shaken.
כְּשָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת צָרִים יְמַגֵּן כְּצִפֳּרִים עָפוֹת עָלֵינוּ יָגֵן	As thorn and briar, They will consume Their enemies; as winged birds, They will fly to shield Their city.
כְּגִשְׁמֵי נְדָבָה לָנוּ יָבֹא כְּמַלְקוֹשׁ וְכַטַּל לַדְּבֵקִים בּוֹ	As welcome rain, They will come unto us; As the latter rain, and like dew, to those that cleave unto Them.
כְּנֶשֶׁר יְרַחֵף עַל גּוֹזָלָיו וּבְצֵל כְּנָפָיו יֶחֱסוּ מְיַחֲלָיו	As an eagle hovers over its young, so in the shadow of Their wings all those who trust in Them will find shelter.
כְּצִפֳּרִים עַל עִירוֹ יָגֵן וּבְצֵל כְּנָפָיו רְנָנוֹת נְנַגֵּן	Like birds, They will protect Their city; and in the shadow of Their wings we will sing joyful songs.
לְבַדּוֹ יְיָ הוּא וְנִפְלָאוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת עוֹשֶׂה וְרַב נוֹרָאוֹת	Hashem alone works great wonders, God, awesome in deeds.
לִצְבִי וּלְעֹפֶר דּוֹמֶה דּוֹדִי כִּי יְקַדְּמֵנִי אֱלֹהֵי חַסְדִּי	My Beloved is like the hart and the young roe; my Elo’ah of mercy goes before me.
לִפְנֵי עַמּוֹ יְיַשֵּׁר הֲדוּרִים וִינַשְּׂאֵם עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים	Before Their people They will make the rugged places plain; They will bear them upon eagles’ wings.
לְעוֹלָם חֶלְקִי הוּא וְצוּר לְבָבִי כַּלָּה שְׁאֵרֵי לוֹ וּלְבָבִי	They are my portion for ever, and the Rock of my heart; my flesh and my heart pine for Them.^[10] This couplet is followed by one that does not appear in Habermann’s critical text: לְבַדּוֹ יְיָ הוּא וְנִפְלָאוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת עוֹשֶה וְרַב נוֹרָאוֹת (“The Lord alone works great wonders, / and They are great in terrible deeds.”)
מָקוֹם וּמָעוֹן אַתָּה לְעוֹלָמֶךָ וְאֵין יוֹדֵעַ אֶת מְקוֹמֶךָ	You are the Maqom of your world; and no one knows your place.
מוֹרָאִי אֵל רוֹעִי וְיוֹצְרִי צוּר יְלָדַנִי מְחוֹלְלִי וְצוּרִי	El is my fear, my shepherd and my crafter; the Rock who bore me and brought me forth; yea, They are my Rock.
מָרוֹם וּמָעוֹז מְעוֹנָה וּמַחְסִי מִגְדַּל עֹז שֵׁם יְיָ מְנוּסִי	They are a high place and a stronghold unto me, and my shelter; a tower of strength is the Name of the Lord my Refuge.
מֶלֶךְ יַעֲקֹב מִשְׂגָּב לָנוּ הוּא מְחוֹקְקֵנוּ וּמוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ	The King of Yaaqov is a high tower unto us; They are our law-giver and our Saviour.
מִגְדּוֹל יְשׁוּעוֹת מִשְׁעָן לִי מִבְטַח אֱלֹהִים יְיָ חֵילִי	A tower of salvation and a support They shall be unto me; Elohim is my trust, Hashem is my strength.
מוֹשֵׁל לְעוֹלָם מַלְכוּתֶךָ בְּכׇל דּוֹר וָדוֹר מֶמְשַׁלְתֶּךָ	Your kingdom is an everlasting dominion; your rule is throughout all generations.
מִי יִתֶּנְךָ כְּאָח לִי לְצָרָה הוֹשַׁע כִּי יָדְךָ לֹא קְצָרָה	O that you were as my brother in my distress! Save, for your hand is not waxen short.
מְקוֹר חַיִּים מִקְוֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אֶעֱזֹוב כִּי מָעֻזִּי אֵל	Fountain of life, Hope of Yisrael, I will not forsake Them; for El is my strength.
מָגֵן יִשְׁעִי וְחֶרֶב גַּאֲוָה לְשִׁמְךָ וּלְזִכְרְךָ נֶפֶשׁ תַּאֲוָה	Shield of my salvation and sword of excellence, the soul longs for your Name and the remembrance of you.
מָגֵן הוּא לְכֹל הַחֹסִים בּוֹ אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם אֲשֶׁר עֹז לוֹ בּוֹ	They are a shield unto all that trust in Them; happy is the man whose strength is in Them.
נָבָר וְנָעִים נָאוֹר וְנוֹרָא נֶאְדָּר וְנֶאְזָר שְׁמוֹ בִּגְבוּרָה	Pure and gracious, radiant and awesome; Their Name is glorious and girt with might.
נֶאֱמָן נֵצַח יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יְשַׁקֵּר אַשְׁרֵי כׇּל חוֹכֵי לוֹ	They are faithful, the strength of Israel and Their deliverer; They lie not; happy are all that trust in Them.
נֵצַח יִשְׂרָאֵל הָאֵל הַנֶּאֱמָן מֵאֱלֹהָיו יְהוּדָה לֹא אַלְמָן	The strength of Yisrael,^[11] original translation has “Jeshurun” per the variant text of the hymn published by Adler & Davis. the faithful El; Yehudah is not forsaken of his elo’ah.
נִפְלָא עַל כׇּל הַנִּפְלָאִים וּמִתְנַשֵּׂא עַל כׇּל הַנִּשָּׂאִים	Wonderful are They above all wonders, exalted above all that are exalted.
נִקְדַּשׁ וְנַעֲרָץ אֱלֹהַי קְדוֹשִׁי נָכוֹן וְנִשְׂגָּב יְיָ נִסִּי	My holy Elo’ah is sanctified and feared; abiding and exalted is Hashem, my banner.
נוֹקֵם וְנוֹטֵר וּבַעַל חֵמָה לְצָרָיו לְאוֹיְבָיו אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה	They avenge and keep anger: They are Master of wrath against those that vex Them, a warrior unto Their enemies.
נֵרִי יְיָ בְּהִלּוֹ נֵרוֹ עֲלֵי רֹאשִׁי וְנֵר לְרַגְלִי דְּבָרוֹ	Hashem is my illumination,^[12] original translation, “lamp” when They shed Their light upon my head; and Their word is as a light unto my feet.
סוֹמֵךְ וְסוֹעֵד יְיָ סַלְעִי סוֹבֵל וְסוֹלֵחַ וְנוֹשֵׂא לְפִשְׁעִי	Hashem, my Rock, upholds and supports; They bear and pardon, and forgive my transgressions.
סָהֲדֵי יְיָ סַלְעִי וְסִתְרִי סוֹלֵחַ וְסוֹבֵל סַעֲדִי וְסִבְרִי	Hashem is my witness, my Rock and my hiding-place; They pardon and are patient; They are my support and my hope.
סַלְעֵנוּ וּמְצוּדָתֵנוּ עֶזְרָתֵנוּ וּמִפַלְּטֵנוּ	They are our Rock and our Stronghold, our Help and our Deliverer,
עִזוּז וְגִבּוֹר עֻזִּי וְעֶזְרִי עֶלְיוֹן עֹז לִי וְאַל יְהִי עָרִי	Powerful and mighty, my Might and my Help; Elyon is strength unto me; let Them not be mine enemy.
עִיר וְקַדִּישׁ שָׁת סְבִיבָיו סֵתֶר אָכֵן אַתָּה אֵל מִסְתַּתֵּר	Angels and holy ones has They set round about Their secret place; verily, O El, you are concealed from us.
עֵד מְמַהֵר גְּמוּל לְשַׁלֵּם לְאוֹיְבָיו שׁוֹמֵר הַבְּרִית וְהַחֶסֶד לְאֹוהֲבָיו	They are a speedy witness to render a reward unto Their enemies; They keep Their covenant and Their mercy with those that love Them.
פּוֹדֶה אֶת אַבְרָהָם יְדִידוֹ הוּא יִפְדֶּה יִשְׂרָאֵל עָבְדּוֹ	They delivered Abraham Their beloved; They will deliver Israel Their servant.
פָּחַד יִצְחָק יִתֵּן פַּחְדוֹ עַל צָרֵי בְּנֵי יַעֲקֹב עָבְדּוֹ	The fear of Yitsḥaq will set Their fear upon the enemies of the sons of Their servant Yaaqov.
פּוֹעֵל וְחוֹקֵר וְדוֹרֵשׁ וּבוֹדֵק כׇּל הַלְּבָבוֹת לוֹ אֶתֵּן צֶדֶק	They work and seek out and inquire, and search narrowly all hearts; unto Them I will ascribe righteousness.
צְרוֹר הַמּוֹר אֶשְׁכּוֹל הַכֹּפֶר נוֹתֵן לְעַמּוֹ צָרָיו כֹּפֶר	As a bundle of myrrh, as a cluster of copher; ^[13] Song of Songs 1:14. They deliver unto Their people Their enemies for a ransom.
צַח וְאָדוֹם בִּצְבָאָיו אוֹת עַל כֵּן נִקְרָא יְיָ צְבָאוֹת	My Beloved is white and ruddy, an ensign among Their hosts; therefore is Their Name called Hashem Tsevaōt.
צַדִּיק יְיָ הַצּוּר תָּמִים אֶבְטַח עֲדֵי עַד בְּצוּר עוֹלָמִים	Righteous is Hashem, the perfect Rock; I will trust for evermore in the everlasting Rock,
צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לוֹ שְׂרָפִים עוֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ	The host of heaven bows down before Them; above Them stand the seraphim.
קָדוֹשׁ הוּא בְּכׇל מִינֵי קְדֻשּׁוֹת כִּתּוֹת שָׁלֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ מְשַׁלְּשׁוֹת	They are holy with all manner of holiness; three bands of holy ones thrice cry, Holy.
קַיָּם לְעָלְמִין אֱלָהָא חַיָּא מָרֵא דְּאַרְעָא וּמָרֵא דִּשְׁמַיָּא	The living God abides for ever, Master of the earth and Master of heaven.
קוֹנִי מֵרֶחֶם מְקַנֵּא לְשׂוֹנְאָיו קֶרֶן יִשְׁעִי וְקָרוֹב לְקוֹרְאָיו	My possessor is compassionate, They are jealous against Their enemies; the horn of my salvation, They are nigh unto them that call upon Them.
רָחוֹק מִכֹּל וְאֶת כֹּל רוֹאֶה כִּי רָם יְיָ וְשָׁפָל יִרְאֶה	They are far from all, yet They see all; for Hashem is exalted, yet They behold the lowly.
רוֹעִי יְיָ לֹא אֶחְסַר כֹּל וְרַב כֹּחַ וְרַב חֶסֶד לַכֹּל	Hashem is my Shepherd, I shall not want; and They are of great strength and of abundant mercy unto all.
רַחוּם יְיָ רוֹפֵא וּמְחַבֵּשׁ לִשְׁבוּרֵי לֵב וְעָוֹן כּוֹבֵשׁ	Merciful is Hashem: They heals and binds up the broken of heart, and subdues iniquity.
רֵעִי כֻּלּוֹ הוּא מַחֲמַדִּים מִשְׁפָּטָיו אֱמֶת מְתוּקִים וַחֲמוּדִים	My Beloved is altogether lovely; Their judgments are true, sweet and pleasant.
רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד עוֹלָם אַתָּה אֵל שׁוֹכֵן עַד	First and last, from [this] world until [the next] world,^[14] original translation, “from everlasting unto everlasting”. you are El, who dwells in eternity.
שַׁלִּיט מֶלֶךְ שְׁמַיָּא בְּכׇל דָּר וְדָר לֵהּ אֲנָּא מְשַׁבַּח מְרוֹמֵם וּמְהַדָּר	The Ruler, king of heaven throughout all generations; Them we praise, exalt and glorify.
שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמָגֵן יְיָ אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט צֶדֶק וּמַשְׁפִּיל גְּבוֹהִים	Sun and shield is Hashem Elohim; They judge uprightly and cast down the haughty.
שָׂגִּיא כֹחַ לֹא מְצָאנוּהוּ יַשְׂגִּיב בְּכֹחוֹ וּמִי כָּמֹהוּ	Excellent in strength, we have not found Them; They do loftily in Their power, and who is like unto Them?
שְׁלֹמֹה שְׁמוֹ כִּי שֶׁלּוֹ שָׁלוֹם וַיִּקְרָא לוֹ יְיָ שָׁלוֹם	They Name is Peace, for peace is Theirs; They speaks peace unto Their pious ones.
שֵׁם יְיָ אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה תּוֹעֲפוֹת רְאֵם לוֹ כַּכְּפִיר וְכָאַרְיֵה	The Name of Hashem is: “I am that I am”; the strength of the wild ox is Theirs, They are like a young lion, yea, a mighty lion.
שַׁדַּי מְאוֹרִי מַלְכִּי וְאֵלִי הַלְלוּיָהּ שְׁמוֹ נַפְשִׁי הַלֵּלִי	Shadai, my Light, my King and my El; praise ye Yah, praise Their Name, O my soul.
תִּתַּמָּם עִם יוֹשְׁבֵי נְטָעִים הַשָּׂרִיגִים שְׁלֹשֶׁת הָרוֹעִים	You will show yourself perfect with the inhabitants of Netaïm,^[15] 1 Chronicles 4:23; Talmud Bavli, Baba Batra 91b. the noble branches of the three shepherds.
תִּתְחַסָּד תִּתַּבָּר עִמָּם וְעִם עִקְּשִׁים תִּתַּפָּל לְהֻמָּם	You will show yourself merciful and pure unto them; but with the perverse you will appear froward, to confound them.
תָּמִים דַּרְכְּךָ תַּקִּיף מִכֹּל תּוּכַל לְבַדְּךָ לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כֹּל	Perfect is your way, mighty beyond all; you are able, you alone, to do all things.
תּוֹחַלְתִּי וְסִבְרִי וְתִקְוָתִי תַּאֲוַת נַפְשִׁי וּתְשׁוּקָתִי	For you I wait, you are my trust and my hope; my soul longs for you, you are my desire.
תְּהִלָּתִי וְתִפְאַרְתִּי וְעֻזִּי מִמְּעֵי אִמִּי גּוֹחִי וְגוֹזִי	You are They who brought me forth from my mother’s womb; my praise, my glory and my strength.
תְּמִים דֵּעִים אֵל דֵּעוֹת אֶחָד כׇּל הַלְּבָבוֹת דּוֹרֵשׁ יָחַד׃	Perfect in knowledge, El of knowledge, you are One; all hearts you search together.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom revi’i (hymn of unity for the fourth day), adapted from the translation by Elsie Davis and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler (1907), pp. 49-53. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language but also, sparingly, elsewhere. (If you find a phrasing which, opposite the Hebrew, should definitely be revised: please suggest a revision.) I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 50-55. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 28-33. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	This couplet does not appear in the variation of the hymn published in Adler & Davis’s maḥzorim.
2	Original translation has “former”. In all instances throughout, we have replaced “former” with “crafter” to remove some ambiguity in meaning.
3	original translation, “very terrible”
4	original translation, “saints”
5	Deut. 33:29.
6	Num. 17:8; Jer. 1:11.
7	The text of the hymn in Adler & Davis’s maḥzor also includes a variant of this couplet: כְּדֹב שַׁכּוּל וּכְנָמֵר שַֽׁחַל / כְּרָקָב וכְעָשׁ וְרוּחוֹ כַּנָּחַל (“Like a bear bereaved, like a fierce leopard, like destruction, / and like the moth; Their spirit also is as a torrent”). The variant does not appear in Habermann’s text. –ANV
8	Here, “betrothed” replaces the original translation “plighted troth unto”.
9	original translation, “astonied”
10	This couplet is followed by one that does not appear in Habermann’s critical text: לְבַדּוֹ יְיָ הוּא וְנִפְלָאוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת עוֹשֶה וְרַב נוֹרָאוֹת (“The Lord alone works great wonders, / and They are great in terrible deeds.”)
11	original translation has “Jeshurun” per the variant text of the hymn published by Adler & Davis.
12	original translation, “lamp”
13	Song of Songs 1:14.
14	original translation, “from everlasting unto everlasting”.
15	1 Chronicles 4:23; Talmud Bavli, Baba Batra 91b.

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם שְׁלִישִׁי | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Third Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 03:58:59 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אָמְנָם יָדַעְתִּי כִּי אַתָּה אֱלֹהֵי יַעֲקֹב כֹּל יָצַרְתָּ	In truth, I know that you, O God of Yaaqov, are They that has formed all things.
אַתָּה בּוֹרֵא וְלֹא נִבְרֵאתָ אַתָּה יוֹצֵר וְלֹא נוֹצָרְתָּ	You are the Creator, but you were not created; you are the Former, but you were not formed.
אַתָּה מֵמִית וְאֶת כֹּל תְּבַלֶּה אַתָּה מוֹרִיד שְׁאוֹל וְאַף תַּעֲלֶה	You kill and you cause all to pass away; you bring down to the grave, and bring up.
וְנֶאֱמָן לְהַחֲיוֹת מֵתִים אַתָּה וְעַל יְדֵי נְבִיאֲךָ כֵּן הוֹדָעְתָּ	You are faithful to revive the dead, and this have you made known by the hand of your prophet.^[1] Deut. 32:39.
וְלֹא תָמוּת אֵל חַי וְלֹא מַתָּה וּמֵעוֹלָם וְעַד עוֹלָם אַתָּה	And You, Living Deity, will not die, nor have you died, from eternity to eternity are You.^[2] Arthur Davis’s translation reads: “You, who are the living God, will ever live; you are from eternity to eternity.” This and the following lines directly deny the divinity of Jesus, who was famously born, wounded, and died. This text is saying “what sort of God would have died or been born” and Davis censors the meaning through his translation out of fear of fostering antisemitism. –Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
מַשְׁבִּיר וּמוֹלִיד וְלֹא נוֹלַדְתָּ מוֹחֵץ וְרוֹפֵא וְלֹא חָלִיתָ	You labor and bear but were not born, You wound and heal but were not sickened.^[3] Arthur Davis’s translation reads: “You bring to the birth and cause to bear, but you exist of yourself; you wound and heal, but you are invulnerable.” Find note immediately above.
מָוֶת וּמַדְוֶה אֵין לְפָנֶיךָ תְּנוּמָה וְשֵׁנָה אֵין לְעֵינֶיךָ	Death and disease are not before you; slumber and sleep are not in your eyes.
הֲלֹא מִקֶּדֶם אֵל חַי אַתָּה מֵאֲשֶׁר בְּךָ לֹא נִשְׁתַּנֵּיתָ	Lo! you are the living God from eternity; from ever you are changeless.
וְעַד הָעוֹלָם לֹא תִּשְׁתַּנֶּה וּמֵאֱלֹהוּתְךָ לֹא תִּתְגַּנֶּה	Unto everlasting you are the same; and your divine attributes will never be dimmed.
חָדָשׁ וְנוֹשָׁן לֹא נִמְצֵאתָ חִדַּשְׁתָּ כֹּל וְלֹא חֻדָּשְׁתָּ	You exist! new and old are naught unto you; you renew all, but you are immutable.
לֹא יָחוּלוּ זִקְנָה וּבַחֲרוּת עָלֶיךָ גַּם שֵׂיבָה וְשַׁחֲרוּת	Nor old age nor youth have rested upon you; neither hoary age nor dawn of years.
וְלֹא חָלוּ בְךָ שִׂמְחָה וְעֶצֶב וְדִמְיוֹן נוֹצַר וְכׇל דְּבַר קֶצֶב	Joy and pain come not unto you; nor can form or shape image you.
כִּי לֹא יְסוֹבֵב אוֹתְךָ גוֹשֶׁם אַף לֹא תִדְמֶה אֶל כׇּל נֶשֶׁם	Substance cannot encompass you; neither can you be likened unto any breathing thing.
כׇּל הַיְּצוּרִים גְּבוּל סְבַּבְתָּם אֶל רֵאשִׁיתָם וּלְאַחֲרִיתָם	You have set limits around every being, from their beginning unto their end.
כִּי הַבְּרוּאִים בִּגְבוּל שַׂמְתָּם וְלִימֵי צְבָאָם גְּבוּל הִקַּפְתָּם	Yea, you have set all creatures within bounds; and the days of their appointed time have you encircled with a border.
וּלְךָ אֵין גְּבוּל וּלְיָמֶיךָ וְלִשְׁנוֹתֶיךָ וּלְעַצְמֶךָ	But unto you there are no bounds, nor to your days, your years, or your being.
עַל כֵּן אֵינְךָ צָרִיךְ לַכֹּל לְיָדְךָ וּלְחַסְדְּךָ צְרִיכִים הַכֹּל	Wherefore you have no need of anything; but of your hand, and of your mercy, all have need.
הַכֹּל צְרִיכִים לְצִדְקוֹתֶיךָ וְאֵינְךָ צָרִיךְ לִבְרִיּוֹתֶיךָ	Yea, all have need of your charity; but you have no need of your creatures.
כִּי טֶרֶם כׇּל יְצִיר הָיִיתָ לְבַדְּךָ וּמְאוּמָה לֹא נִצְרָכְתָּ	While yet naught was formed, you alone did exist; and nothing was wanting unto you.
רֵאשִׁית וְאַחֲרִית בְּיָדְךָ עֲרֻכִים אַתָּה בָם וְהֵם בְּרוּחֲךָ שְׂרוּכִים	The beginning and the end of all things are ordered by your hand; you are in them, and they grow by your spirit.
כֹּל אֲשֶׁר הָיָה בָרִאשׁוֹנָה וַאֲשֶׁר יִהְיֶה בָאַחֲרוֹנָה	Lo! all that was at the beginning, and all that shall be hereafter;
כׇּל הַיְּצוּרִים וְכָל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם וְכָל דִּבְרֵיהֶם וּמַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיהֶם	Every created being, and all their works, their words and their thoughts
מֵרֹאשׁ וְעַד סוֹף תֵּדַע כֻּלָּם וְלֹא תִּשְׁכַּח כִּי אַתָּה אֶצְלָם	You know, from the beginning unto the end; you will not forget them, for you are near unto them.
אַתָּה בְרָאתָם וְלִבְּךָ עֲרָכָם לְבַדְּךָ תֵּדַע מְקוֹמָם וְדַרְכָּם	You created them, and your wisdom has directed them; you alone know their place and their way.
כִּי אֵין דָּבָר מִמְּךָ נֶעְלָם כִּי לְפָנֶיךָ נְכוֹנִים כֻּלָּם	Lo! nothing is hid from you; for all things are set before you.
אֵין חֹשֶׁךְ וְאֵין מָנוֹס וְסָתֶר לָנוּס שָׁמָּה וּלְהִסָתֵר	There is no darkness, nor refuge, nor secret place, whither a man may flee to hide himself.
אֶת אֲשֶׁר תְּבַקֵּשׁ אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּלִי נְטוֹת אֲלֵיהֶם בְּעֵת שֶׁתִּרְצֶה	For that which you seek, you turn not aside; at the time you desire, you find.
כִּי אֶת הַכֹּל בְּאֶחָד תִּרְאֶה רָחוֹק וְקָרוֹב וְאֵינְךָ נִרְאֶה	For you see all things at once; you do all things, you alone, and you are never weary.
כִּי עַל גּוֹי וְעַל אָדָם יַחַד עַל כֹּל תְּדַבֵּר בְּרֶגַע אֶחָד	You speak in one moment concerning all; yea, of all nations and all mankind together.
תִּשְׁמַע בְּרֶגַע כׇּל הַקּוֹלוֹת זָעַק וְלַחַשׁ וְכׇל הַתְּפִלּוֹת	In one moment you hear every voice, cry and whisper, and every prayer.
אַף תָּבִין אֶל כׇּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם בְּרֶגַע תַּחְקֹר כׇּל לִבְבֵיהֶם	You also observe their every action, and in a moment you search all their hearts.
לֹא תַּאֲרִיךְ עַל מַחְשְׁבוֹתֶיךָ וְלֹא תִּתְמַהְמַהּ עַל עֲצָתֶךָ	You tame not in your purposes, neither halt you over your counsel.
וְאֵצֶל עֲצָתְךָ גְּזֵרָתֶךָ לְקֵּץ וּלְמוֹעֵד קְרִיאָתֶךָ	Your decree is instantaneous with your counsel, to the appointed time that you have proclaimed.
וְכֻלָּם בֶּאֱמֶת בְּתֹם וּבְיוֹשֶׁר מִבְּלִי עֹדֶף וּמִבְּלִי חֹסֶר	And all is done in truth and rectitude and justice; nothing is superfluous, and nothing is deficient.
מִמְּךָ דָּבָר לֹא יֹאבַד וְדָבָר מִמְּךָ לֹא יִכְבַּד	Naught can fail you; nothing can be too difficult for you.
כׇּל אֲשֶׁר תַּחְפֹּץ תּוּכַל לַעֲשׂוֹת וְאֵין מִי מוֹחֶה בְּיָדְךָ מֵעֲשׂוֹת	All that you desire you can do; and no one may stay your hand.
יְכֹלֶת יְיָ בְּחֶפְצוֹ קְשׁוּרָה וּבִרְצוֹת יְיָ לֹא אֵחֲרָה	The power of the Lord is bound within Their will; and when the Lord wills, there is no delay.
אֵין דְּבָר סֵתֶר מִמְּךָ נִכְחָד עֲתִידוֹת וְעוֹבְרוֹת לְךָ הֵם יָחַד	No secret thing can be hid from you; the things of the future and the things of the past are the same with you.
אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם הֵם כֻּלָּם בְּךָ וְאַתָּה בְּכֻלָּם	From everlasting unto everlasting all things are in you, and you are in all.
חֲדָשׁוֹת תַּגִּיד וְסוֹד דְּרָכֶיךָ אֶל עֲבָדֶיךָ וּמַלְאָכֶיךָ	Unto your servants and messengers you have declared the things to come, and the mystery of your ways.
וְאֵינְךָ צָרִיךְ לְהַשְׁמִיעֶךָ דְּבַר סוֹד וְסֵתֶר לְהוֹדִיעֶךָ	There is no need to tell you, to make known any concealed and secret thing.
כִּי לְךָ כׇּל סוֹד יִגָּלֶה בְּטֶרֶם עַל לֵב כׇּל יְצִיר יַעֲלֶה	For with you, every mystery is revealed, while yet it has not come up upon the heart of any creature.
בְּלֵב כׇּל נִבְרָא לֹא תִמָּצֵא וּמִפִּינוּ עָתָק לֹא יֵצֵא	No man’s heart can comprehend you; then let not arrogancy come out of our mouth.
בְּאֵין לוֹ קָצֶה וְלֹא יֵחָצֶה לֵב לֹא יָתוּר וְאֵין פֶּה פוֹצֶה	They are infinite and indivisible; no heart can perceive Them; no mouth can depict Them.
בְּאֵין לוֹ רוּחוֹת וְלֹא רְוָחוֹת אֵין לוֹ שִׂיחוֹת בּוֹ מוֹכִיחוֹת	For They have no boundaries, and includes no space; so that words fail to tell of Them.
לְמֵרָחוֹק מִי יִשָּׂא דֵעוֹ לְלֹא תְּחִלָּה וְלֹא סוֹף לְהַגִּיעוֹ	Who can fetch Their knowledge from afar, to reach unto Them who is without beginning and without end?
אֲגוּדִים אֲחוּדִים תָּוֶךְ וְסוֹף וָרֹאשׁ פֶּה וָלֵב אֶבְלוֹם מִדְרוֹשׁ וּמֵחֲרוֹשׁ	For midst, end and beginning are bound together. I will restrain both mouth and heart from seeking, and from deep research.
גֹּבַהּ וָעֹמֶק נְעוּצִים בְּסוֹבֵב חֲכַם לֵב וְנָבוּב לֹא יִלָּבֵב	Height and depth are one as in a turning sphere;^[4] See Ibn Gabirol’s Kether Malchuth. lo! the wise man and the understanding cannot conceive it.
סוֹבֵב הַכֹּל וּמָלֵא אֶת כֹּל וּבִהְיוֹת הַכֹּל אַתָּה בַּכֹּל	You encompass all and fill all; and since you are the All, you are in all.
אֵין עָלֶיךָ וְאֵין תַּחְתֶּיךָ אֵין חוּץ לָךְ וְאֵין בֵּינוֹתֶיךָ	There is none above you, and there is none below you; there can be nothing without you, and naught can be in the midst of you.
אֵין מַרְאֶה וְגַב לְאִחוּדֶךָ וְאֵין גּוּף לְעֹצֶם יִחוּדֶךָ	Colour and shape cannot be applied to your Oneness, nor body to the essence of your Unity.
וְאֵין בַּתָּוֶךְ מִמְּךָ נִבְדָּל וְאֵין מָקוֹם מִמְּךָ נֶחְדַּל	Neither is anything separate from you in the midst; nor is the small place void of you. You are not derived or detached from anything; nor is any place empty or devoid of you.^[5] Two separate translations of this couplet were published opposite the source text in Davis & Adler’s maḥzor. –ANV
מִקְרֶה וְשִׁנוּי אֵין בְּךָ נִמְצָא לֹא זְמַן וְאֶרַע וְלֹא כׇּל שִׁמְצָה	Accident and change do not exist in you, nor time, nor discord, nor any imperfection.
כׇּל זְמַן וְכָל עֵת אַתָּה מְכִינָם אַתָּה עוֹרְכָם וְאַתָּה מְשַׁנָּם	You have arranged all seasons and times; you appoint and change them.
כׇּל מַדָּע לֹא יַשִּׂיג אוֹתָךְ אֵין שֵׁכֶל אֲשֶׁר יִמְצָא אוֹתָךְ	No knowledge can reach you; no understanding can comprehend you.
כְּמִדָּתְךָ חָכְמָתֶךָ כִּגְדֻלָּתְךָ תְּבוּנָתֶךָ	For your wisdom is according to your attribute, and your understanding is according to your greatness.
חָכָם אַתָּה מֵאֵלֶיךָ חַי מֵעַצְמְךָ וְאֵין כְּגִילֶךָ	You are wise of your own self, living of yourself, and there is none like unto you.
זוּלַת חָכְמָתְךָ אֵין חָכְמָה בִּלְתִּי בִּינָתְךָ אֵין מְזִמָּה	Except your wisdom, there is no wisdom; save for your understanding, there is no counsel.
חָלַקְתָּ בְּלֵב חֲכָמִים שֵׁכֶל וְרוּחֲךָ תְּמַלְּאֵם וְדַעְתָּם תַּשְׂכֵּל	You have imparted intelligence to the heart of the wise; your spirit fills them, and you direct their knowledge.
מִבַּלְעֲדֵי כֹחֲךָ אֵין גְּבוּרָה וּמִבַּלְעֲדֵי עֻזְּךָ אֵין עֶזְרָה	Without your power, there is no strength; and without your might, there is no help.
אֵין נִכְבָּד כִּי אִם כִּבַּדְתּוֹ וְאֵין גָּדוֹל כִּי אִם גִּדַלְתּוֹ	None is honourable unless you have honoured him; and no man is great, unless you have exalted him.
כׇּל יְקָר וְכׇל טוֹב מִיָּדֶךָ לַאֲשֶׁר תַּחְפֹּץ עֲשׂוֹת כַּחֲסָדֶיךָ	Everything precious and good is from your hand, for him to whom you delight to show your mercy.
אֵין חֵקֶר לִגְדֻלְָתֶךָ וְאֵין מִסְפָּר לִתְבוּנָתֶךָ	Your greatness cannot be searched out, nor can your understanding be declared.
אֵין עוֹד זוּלַת הֲוָיוֹתֶךָ חַי וְכֹל תּוּכַל וְאֵין בִּלְתֶּךָ	There is no being but your, O living God; you can do all things, and there is none beside you.
וְלִפְנֵי הַכֹּל כֹּל הָיִיתָ וּבִהְיוֹת הַכֹּל כֹּל מִלֵּאתָ	Before anything was, you were the All; and when all was, you filled all.
לֹא לִחָצוּךָ וְלֹא הִטּוּךָ יְצוּרֶיךָ אַף לֹא מִעֲטוּךָ	Your creation did not weary you; neither did it turn you aside nor diminish you.
בַּעֲשׂוֹתְךָ כֹּל לֹא נִבְדַּלְתָּ מִתּוֹךְ מְלַאכְתְּךָ לֹא נֶחְדָּלְתָּ	When you had made all, you were not separated, nor did you cease from being in the midst of your works.
בַּעֲשׂוֹתְךָ אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ וְאֶת הַמַּיִם	When you made the heavens, the earth and the waters,
לֹא קֵרְבוּךָ וְלֹא רִחָקוּךָ כִּי כׇל קִירוֹת לֹא יְחַלְּקוּךָ	They did not draw you nearer, nor did they distance you; for no walls can separate you.
זֶרֶם מַיִם לֹא יִשְׁטְפֶךָ וְרוּחַ כַּבִּיר לֹא יֶהְדֳּפֶךָ	Torrents of water cannot overwhelm you; nor can the mighty wind drive you.
אַף כׇּל טִנֹּפֶת לֹא תְּטַנְּפֶךָ אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה אֵשׁ לֹא תִּשְׂרְפֶךָ	No impurity can touch you; you who are a consuming fire, no fire can consume you.
לַהֲוָיוֹתֶיךָ אֵין חִסָּרוֹן וּלְיִחוּדֶךָ אֵין יִתָּרוֹן	Your existence is without defect; and your Oneness has no fault.
כְּמוֹ הָיִיתָ לְעוֹלָם תִּהְיֶה חֹסֶר וְעֹדֶף בְּךָ לֹא יִהְיֶה	As you have been, so you will ever be; less and more have no existence in you.
וְשִׁמְךָ מְעִידְךָ כִּי הָיִיתָ וְהֹוֶה וְתִהְיֶה וּבַכֹּל אָתָּה	Your Name testifies of you: you have been, are and ever will be; and you are in all.
הֹוֶה לְעוֹלָם וְכֵן נוֹדַעְתָּ נְעִידְךָ וְכֵן בְּךָ הַעִידוֹתָ	You exist eternally, and thus have you made yourself known; we testify of you, for thus have you testified of yourself—
שֶׁאַתָּה הוּא וְהֹוֶה בַּכֹּל שֶׁלְּךָ הַכֹּל וּמִמְּךָ הַכֹּל	That you are They who exists in all; all is yours, and all is from you
שְׁמוֹת יְקָרְךָ יַעֲנוּ וְיָעִידוּ בְּתֹקֶף יְקָרְךָ בְּךָ יַסְהִידוּ׃	Your glorious Names declare and bear witness; yea, they testify to the power of your glory.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom shlishi (hymn or song of unity for the third day), as translated by Arthur Davis and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler (1907), pp. 45-48. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language and disambiguated terms for animals and Temple offerings. I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 47-50. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 22-28. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. Two lines have been translated with notation by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Deut. 32:39.
2	Arthur Davis’s translation reads: “You, who are the living God, will ever live; you are from eternity to eternity.” This and the following lines directly deny the divinity of Jesus, who was famously born, wounded, and died. This text is saying “what sort of God would have died or been born” and Davis censors the meaning through his translation out of fear of fostering antisemitism. –Isaac Gantwerk Mayer
3	Arthur Davis’s translation reads: “You bring to the birth and cause to bear, but you exist of yourself; you wound and heal, but you are invulnerable.” Find note immediately above.
4	See Ibn Gabirol’s Kether Malchuth.
5	Two separate translations of this couplet were published opposite the source text in Davis & Adler’s maḥzor. –ANV

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם שֵׁנִי | Hymn of Divine Unity for the Second Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 22:16:07 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
וַאֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ בֶּן אֲמָתֶךָ אֲדַבֵּר אֲמַלֵּל גְּבוּרוֹתֶיךָ	I, your servant, the son of your handmaid, I will speak, I will tell of your might.
דַּרְכֵי שִׁבְחֲךָ קְצָתָם אֲסַפְּרָה מַעֲשֶׂיךָ מַה נּוֹרָא אֹמְרָה	I will declare but the uttermost border of the ways of your praise; I will say how tremendous are your works.
אֵין עֲרֹוךְ אֵלֶיךָ בַּסֵּפֶר וּשְׁבָחוֹת אַגִּידָה עָצְמוּ מִסַּפֵּר	Your praises cannot be set forth in a book; if I would declare them, they would be beyond my power to tell.
חֵקֶר אֱלוֹהַּ לֹא יִמָּצֵא וְתַכְלִית שַׁדַּי לֹא תִקָּצֶה	The secret of God cannot be found, and the perfection of the Almighty cannot be limited.
לִתְבוּנתָוֹ הֲלֹא אֵין חֵקֶר וּמִסְפַּר שָׁנָיו לֹא יֵחָקֵר	Is there any searching out Their understanding? and can the number of Their years be discovered?
גַּם אֵין מִסְפָּר לִגְדוּדֶיךָ בְּצִבְאוֹתֶיךָ אוֹת כְּבוֹדֶךָ	There is no number to your troops; in your hosts is the sign of your glory.
אֵיזוֹ עַיִן אֲשֶׁר תְּעִידֶךָ וְחַי לֹא רָאָה פְּנֵי כְבוֹדֶךָ	Where is the eye that shall testify of you? for none living has seen the face of your glory.
נָבוֹן וְחָכָם הֵן לֹא יֵדָע וְאֵיךְ אֶעֱרֹךְ עַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא אֵדָע	The understanding and the wise—lo! they know not; how then can I set forth that whereof I have no knowledge?
וְאִם אָמַר אִישׁ עַד תַּכְלִיתוֹ אֶעֱרוֹךְ אַלָיו וּבְמַתְכֻּנְתּוֹ	If a man should say: “I will prepare meet praise unto Them, yea, unto the full measure thereof;
אָבֹא וְאֶמְצָא תַּכְלִית שִׁבְחוֹ לֹא נֶאֶמְנָה אֶת אֵל רוּחוֹ	I will come and I will discover the perfection of Their praise,” verily Their spirit is not steadfast with God.
יְבֻלַּע כִּי לֹא יֵדַע עֶרְכּוֹ אַחֲרִית פִּיהוּ רֵאשִׁית דַרְכּוֹ	He would be confounded, for he knows not the estimation thereof; when he has exhausted the words of Their mouth, he has told but the beginning of God’s way.
וְעִמָּדִי לֹא כֵן אָנֹכִי וּפִי לֹא אֶתֵּן לַחֲטוֹא וְחִכִּי	It is not thus with me; I will not suffer my mouth and my lips to sin.
אֲסַפְּרָה לְאַחַי קְצוֹת דַּרְכֵי אֵל וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל מַה פָּעַל אֵל	I will declare unto my brethren but a part of God’s ways, and unto Israel what God has wrought.
כַּכָּתוּב אִמְרוּ לֵאלֹהִים מַה נּוֹרָא מַעֲשֶׂיךָ אֱלֹהִים	As it is written: “Say ye unto God, How fearsome are your works, O God!”
וְאָמַרְתָּ עַם זוּ יָצַרְתִּי לִי יְסַפְּרוּ שְׁמִי וּתְהִלָּתִי	And you have said: “This people which I formed for myself shall declare my name and my praise.”
בְּמִצְרַיִם שַׂמְתִּי עֲלִילוֹתַי לְמַעַן סַפֵּר אֶת אוֹתוֹתַי	“In Egypt I performed my wonders in order that you should declare my signs.”
וַאֲנִי עַבְדְּךָ עַל כֵּן אֲסַפֵּר כַּאֲשֶׁר אֶדְרֹשׁ מֵעַל סֵפֶר	Therefore I, your servant, will declare that which I may seek out of the Book.
תְּהַלֵל נַפְשִׁי כֹּחַ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְכׇל קְרָבַי אֶת שֵׁם קָדְשֶׁךָ	My soul shall praise the might of your works, and all that is within me your holy Name;
וַאֲבָרֶכְכָה בְּכָל עִנְיָנָי וּבְכׇל לִבִּי אוֹדֶה אֲדֹנָי	And I will bless you in all my thoughts, and with my whole heart I will thank the Lord.
גַּם בִּגְרוֹנִי רוֹמְמוֹתֶיךָ וְאֶת פִּי אֲמַלֵּא תְּהִלָּתֶךָ	Yea, my throat and my mouth will I fill with your exaltation and your praise.
כִּי פִי יַגִּיד תְּהִלָּתֶךָ כׇּל הַיּוֹם אֶת תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ	For my mouth shall declare your praise, and your glory all the day.
וְאֹמְרָה נָּא עֱזוּז נוֹרְאוֹתֶיךָ וְאָשִׂיחָה דִּבְרֵי נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ	I will say, how mighty are your fearsome deeds; and I will meditate on the words which tell of your wonders.
וּזְרוֹעֲךָ וֶאֱמוּנָתֶךָ אוֹדִיעַ כְּפִי גְדֻלָּתֶךָ	I will make mention of your goodness and your righteous deeds; your mercies and your might.
יָדַעְתִּי כִּי גָדוֹל אַתָּה עַל כׇּל אֱלֹהִים מְאֹד גָּדָלְתָּ	I know that you are great, that you are very great above all gods.
כִּי כׇּל אֱלֹהֵי הָעַמִּים הֵם אֱלִילִים אִלְּמִים רוּחַ אֵין בָּהֶם	For these give no reward unto them that serve them; wherefore then do they honour them?
הֵן לְעוֹבְדֵיהֶם גְּמוּל אֵין מְשִׁיבִים וְלָמָּה לָהֶם הֵמָּה מְטִיבִים	In the time of trouble, then they pray; but they answer not, nor can they profit them.
וּבְעֵת צָרָה אָז יִתְפַּלְלוּ וְלֹא יַעֲנוּם כִּי לֹא יוֹעִילוּ	They seek with all their heart that which has no spirit; but the Lord is nigh unto the people near unto Them.
דּוֹרְשִׁים בְּכׇל לֵב לְרוּחַ אֵין בּוֹ וְקָרוֹב יְיָ אֶל עַם קְרוֹבוֹ	For all the gods of the heathen are dumb idols; there is no spirit in them.
הַיוֹצֵר כֹּל הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ הוּא עַשָׂנוּ וְלוֹ אֲנָחְנוּ	They who have formed all, They are our God; They made us, and unto Them alone do we belong,
עַם מַרְעִיתוֹ וְצֹאן יָדוֹ נְבָרֵךְ שְׁמוֹ כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ	People of Their pasture and sheep of Their hand; we will bless Their Name, for Their mercy endures for ever.
בַּצַּר לָנוּ מְאֹד נִמְצֵאתָ כִּי דוֹרְשֶׁיךָ לֹא עָזָבְתָּ	In our distress you are verily found of us, for you forsake not those that seek you.
וְתָמִיד בְּפִינוּ תְּהִלָּתֶךָ וּמְהַלְלִים לְשֵׁם תִּפְאַרְתֶּךָ	And continually is your praise in our mouth, praises unto your glorious Name.
עֵד אַתָּה בְּךָ וּבִכְבוֹדֶךָ וּמְשָׁרְתֶיךָ אַף עֲבָדֶיךָ	You are witness of yourself and of your glory; yea, also your ministering angels and your servants,
אֲשֶׁר כְּבוֹדְךָ מְלֹא כׇל הָאָרֶץ וְהוֹדְךָ עַל כׇּל הָאָרֶץ	That your glory is the fulness of the whole earth, and that your glory is over all the earth.
וַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בָּחֲרוּ אוֹתָךְ לְבַדָּךְ לַעֲבֹד וְאֵין זָר אִתָּךְ	Our fathers chose you alone to serve, and no strange god beside you.
גַּם אֲנַחְנוּ אוֹתְךָ לְבַדֶּךָ נַעֲבֹד כְּבֵן אָב וּנְכַבְּדֶךָ	We also will serve you alone, and, as a son his father, will we honour you.
וְהִנְנוּ עַל יִחוּדֶךָ יוֹמָם וָלַיְלָה עֵדֶיךָ	Behold us, your witnesses by day and by night, to declare your unity.
בְּפִי כֻלָּנוּ וּבִלְבָבֵנוּ שָׁאַתָּה לְבַדְּךָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ	Yea, all of us declare from our heart that you alone are our God.
אֱלֹהֵינוּ עַל יִחוּדֶךָ עֵדִים אֲנַחְנוּ וַעֲבָדֶיךָ	You are our God; we are witnesses to your unity, we your servants.
אֵין תְּחִלָּה אֶל רֵאשִׁיתֶךָ וְאֵין קֵץ וְתִכְלָה לְאַחֲרִיתֶךָ	There is no beginning to your existence, neither is there any limit or end to your being;
רִאשׁוֹן וְאַחֲרוֹן מִבְּלִי רֵאשִׁית וּמִבְּלִי אַחֲרִית וְאֵין לֵב לְהָשִׁית	First and last, without beginning and without end; no heart can conceive it.
אֵין קִצְבָּה אֶל גַּבְהוּתֶךָ וְאֵין סוֹף לְעֹמֶק מִדּוֹתֶיךָ	There is no limit to your exaltation, and there is no fathoming the depth of your attributes.
אֵין לְךָ סוֹבֵב וְאֵין לְךָ פֵּאָה עַל כֵּן אוֹתְךָ חַי לֹא רָאָה	There is no boundary unto you nor any limit; wherefore none living has seen you.
אֵין צַד וְצֶלַע יַצְלִיעוּךָ וְרֹחַב וְאֹרֶךְ לֹא יַמְצִיעוּךָ	Surface and side do not enclose you; to you neither breadth nor length nor depth can be ascribed.
אֵין פֵּאָה לִסְבִיבוֹתֶךָ וְאֵין תָּוֶךְ מַבְדִּיל בֵּינוֹתֶךָ	There is no confine that can encompass you, neither is space contained within you.
אֵין חָכְמָה אֲשֶׁר תֵּדָעֶךָ וְאֵין מַדָּע אֲשֶׁר יַגִּיעֶךָ	There is no wisdom that can know you, and no knowledge that can approach you;
לֹא יַשִּׂיג אוֹתְךָ כׇּל מַדָּע וְאֵין שֵׂכֶל אֲשֶׁר יָבִין וְיֵדָע	For naught of it can reach unto you, and there is no intelligence that can understand and know
עִמְּךָ מְאוּמָה וְאֵיכָה אַתָּה וְאֵיךְ בְּלִי מְאוּמָה כֹּל בָּרָאתָ׃	Aught of you whatsoever, or how, from nothing, you have created all.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom sheni (hymn or song of unity for the second day), as translated by Nina Salaman and published in the maḥzor for Yom haKippurim by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler (1904), pp. 60-62. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language and disambiguated terms for animals and Temple offerings. I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 45-47. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 18-22. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

שִׁיר הַיִּחוּד לְיוֹם רִאשׁוֹן | Hymn of Divine Unity for the First Day, by an unknown paytan (ca. 12th c.)

Aharon N. Varady (transcription) — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 22:19:28 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְרָה לֵאלֹהֵי בְּעוֹדִי הָאֱלֹהִים הָרוֹעֶה אוֹתִי מֵעוֹדִי	I will sing songs to my God while I yet have being— God who has shepherded me since I have been.
עַד הַיוֹם הַזֶּה הֶחֱזַקְתָּ בְּיָדִי חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִׂיתַ עִמָּדִי	Until this day you have held fast hold of my hand; life and lovingkindness have you given to me.
בָּרוּךְ יְיָ וּבָרוּךְ שֵׁם כְּבוֹדוֹ כִּי עַל עַבְדּוֹ הִפְלִיא חַסְדּוֹ	Blessed be the Lord, and blessed be Their glorious Name; for unto Their servant Their mercy is wonderful.
אֱלֹהֵי מָרוֹם בַּמָּה אֲקַדֵּם וּבַמָּה אִכַּף לֵאלֹהֵי קֶדֶם	How shall I come before God, the most high? and how shall I bow before the God of old?
אִלּוּ הָרִים הֵם לְמַעֲרָכָה וְכׇל עֲצֵי לְבָנוֹן בַּכַֹל עֲרוּכָה	If the mountains were an altar, and all the wood of Lebanon were laid thereon;
וְאִם כׇּל בְּהֵמוֹת וְחַיּוֹת קְרוּצִים נְתָחִים עֲרוּכִים עַל הָעֵצִים	If all domesticated and wild herds^[1] original translation has “cattle and all beasts” were slain, prepared, and laid upon the wood;
וְאַף זָוִיּוֹת מִזְבֵּחַ מְבוּסִים דָּם כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים	And if blood covered the corners of the altar, as the waters cover the sea;
וְכַחוֹל סֹלֶת דָשֵׁן וְשָׁמֵן בָּלוּל בְּרִבֲבוֹת נַחֲלֵי שָׁמֶן	If fine flour, rich and abundant as sand, were mingled with ten thousand rivers of oil;
וּלְאַזְכָּרָה לְבוֹנָה וְסַמִּים וְלִקְטֹרֶת כׇּל רָאֹשֵׁי בְשָׂמִים	And for a memorial, frankincense and spices, yea, all the chief spices;
וְאִלּוּ נֵרוֹת עַל הַמְּנוֹרוֹת יִהְיוּ מְאִירוֹת כִּשְׁנֵי הַמְּאוֹרוֹת	If the flames on the menorot^[2] original translation has “lights on the lamps” were radiant as the two great luminaries;
וּכְהַרֲרֵי אֵל לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים עַל שֻׁלְחָנוֹת עֲרוּכִים בְּפָנִים	And if the shew-bread, arranged upon tables within, were like high mountains;
וְיַיִן כְּמוֹ מְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם וְשֵׁכָר לְנֶסֶךְ כְּעֵינוֹת מָיִם	And if for drink-offering there were wine like the rain of heaven, and strong drink abundant as fountains of water;
וְאִלּוּ כׇּל בְּנֵי אָדָם כֹּהֲנִים לְוִיִּם מְשׁוֹרֲרִים בִּכְנַף רְנָנִים	If all the sons of men were Kohanim; Levi’im chanting like winged songsters;
וְכׇל עֲצֵי עֵדֶן וְכׇל עֲצֵי יְעֲרִים לְכִנּוֹרוֹת וּנְבָלִים לְשִׁירִים	And all the trees of Eden and all the trees of the forests were harps and viols for the singers;
וְכׇל בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים בְּקוֹל תְּרוּעָתָם וְהַכּוֹכָבִים מִמְּסִלּוֹתָם	If all the angels gave their voice in song and the stars did sing from their courses—
וְכׇל הַלְּבָנוֹן וְחַיָּה כֻּלָּהּ אֵין דֵּי בָעֵר וְאֵין דֵּי עוֹלָה	All Lebanon would not suffice for fuel, nor all its wild herds^[3] original translation, “beasts” for burnt-offering—
הֵן בְּכׇל אֵלֶּה אֵין דֵּי לַעֲבוֹד וְאֵין דֵּי לְקַדֵּם לְמֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד	Lo! all these were not enough to serve, to come therewith before the God of glory.
כִּי נִכְבַּדְתָּ מְאֹד מַלְכֵּנוּ וּבַמֶּה נִכַּף לַאֲדֹנֵנוּ	For you, our King, are exceeding glorious: how then should we bow down before our Lord?
אָמְנָם לֹא יוּכְלוּ כַבְּדֶךָ כׇּל חַי אַף כִּי אֲנִי עַבְדֶּךָ	Verily none living can honour you— how then can I, your servant?
וַאֲנִי נִבְזֶה וַחֲדַל אִישִׁים נִמְאָס בְּעֵינַי וּשְׁפַל אֲנָשִׁים	Seeing I am despised and least of human beings, contemptible in mine own eyes, and lowly among humanity;
וְאֵין לְעַבְדְּךָ כֹּל לִכַבְּדֶךָ לְהָשִׁיב גְמוּל לְךָ עַל חֲסָדֶיךָ	And your servant has naught wherewith to honour you, to render unto you for all your loving-kindness.
כִּי הִרְבִּיתָ טוֹבוֹת אֵלָי כִּי הִגְדַּלְתָּ חַסְדְּךָ עָלָי	For you have multiplied good things towards me— for you have magnified your mercy unto me.
וְרַב שִׁלּוּמִים לְךָ חֻיַּבְתִּי כִּי עָשִׂיתָ טוֹבוֹת אִתִּי	Great are the debts I owe you for the good you have wrought for me.
וְלֹא חֻיַּבְתָּ לִּי גְּמוּלֶךָ כׇּל טוֹבָתִי בַּל עָלֶיךָ	But you owe no debt of benefit to me; for you need not to bestow aught upon me.
עַל הַטּוֹבוֹת לֹא עֲבַדְתִּיךָ אַחַת לְרִבֹּא לֹא גְמַלְתִּיךָ	I have not served you in accordance with your benefits; one in ten thousand I have not repaid you.
אִם אָמַרְתִּי אֲסַפְּרָה כְמוֹ לֹא יָדַעְתִּי סְפוֹרוֹת לָמוֹ	If I say, I will declare their number, I know not how to count them.
מָה אָשִׁיב לְךָ וְהַכֹּל שֶׁלָּךָ לְךָ שָׁמַיִם אַף אֶרֶץ לָךְ	And what shall I return unto you, seeing that all is yours? yours are the heavens, and the earth also is yours.
יַמִּים וְכׇל אֲשֶׁר בָּם בְּיָדֶךָ וְכֻלָּם יִשְׂבְּעוּן מִיָּדֶךָ	The seas and all that is within them are in your hand, yea, and out of your hand all these are satisfied.
וַאֲנַחְנוּ עַמְּךָ וְצֹאנֶךָ הַחֲפֵצִים לַעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹנֶךָ	We are your people and your sheep, who delight to obey your will.
וְאֵיךְ נַעֲבֹד וְאֵין לְאֵל יָדֵנוּ וְלִשְׂרֵפַת אֵשׁ בֵּית מִקְדָּשֵׁנוּ	But how shall we serve, since our hand has no power, and our sanctuary is burnt with fire?
וְאֵיךְ נַעֲבֹד וְאֵין זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה כִּי לֹא בָאנוּ אֶל הַמְּנוּחָה	How shall we serve without animal sacrifice and grain offering^[4] original translation has “sacrifice and meat offering” ? for we are not yet come unto our rest.
וּמַיִם אַיִן לְהַעֲבִיר טֻמְאָה וַאֲנַחְנוּ עַל אֲדָמָה טְמֵאָה	Neither is there water to wash away defilement; lo! we are upon unpurified ground.
שָׂשׂ אָנֹכִי עַל אֲמָרֶיךָ וְהִנֵּה בָאתִי בִּדְבָרֶיךָ	But I rejoice at your word, and I am come according to your bidding;
כִּי כָתוּב לֹא עַל זְבָחֶיךָ וְעוֹלֹתֶיךָ אוֹכִיחֶךָ (תהלים נ:ח)	For it is written: I will not reprove you for your sacrifices, or your burnt offerings. (Psalms 50:8)
עַל דְּבַר זֶבַח וְעוֹלוֹתֵיכֶם לֹא צִוִּיתִי אֶת אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם	Concerning your sacrifices and your burnt offerings I commanded not your fathers.
מַה שָּׁאַלְתִּי וּמַה דָּרַשְׁתִּי מִמְּךָ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה אוֹתִי	What have I asked, and what have I sought of you but to fear me?
לַעֲבוֹד בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְלֵבָב טוֹב הִנֵּה שְׁמֹעַ מִזְּבַח טוֹב	To serve with joy and a good heart; behold, to hearken is better than sacrifice,
וְלֵב נִשְׁבָּר מִמִּנְחָה טְהוֹרָה זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה	And a broken heart than a pure offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.^[5] Psalms 51:18-19
זֶבַח וּמִנְחָה לֹא חָפַצְתָּ חַטָּאת וְעוֹלָה לֹא שָׁאָלְתָּ	In animal sacrifice and grain-offering you delight not; sin-offering and burnt-offering you have not asked.
מִזְבַּח אֲבָנִים בְּשָׂרִי וְלִבִּי וַאֲשַׁבְּרָה אֶת רוּחִי בְּקִרְבִּי	I will build an altar of the broken fragments of my heart, and will break my spirit within me.
רוּם לֵב אַשְׁפִּיל וְאַף רוּם עֵינָי וְאֶקְרַע לְבָבִי לְמַעַן אֲדֹנָי	The haughty heart I will humble, yea, the haughtiness of mine eyes; and I will rend my heart for the sake of the Lord.
שִׁבְרֵי לִבִּי הֵם זְבָחֶיךָ יַעֲלוּ לְרָצוֹן עַל מִזְבְּחֶךָ	My broken spirit—that is your sacrifice; let it be acceptable upon your altar.
וְאַשְׁמִיעַ בְּקוֹל הֲוָיוֹתֶיךָ וַאֲסַפְּרָה כׇּל נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ	I will proclaim aloud your praise, I will declare all your wonders.
אֲשֶׁר יָדְעָה נַפְשִׁי אַחְבִּירָה אֲמַלֵּל גְּבוּרוֹת וַאֲדַבֵּרָה	That which my soul knows I will tell; I will speak and declare your mighty acts.
וּמָה אֶעֱרֹךְ וְלֹא יָדַעְתִּי מָה הֲיָכוֹל אוּכַל דַּבֵּר מְאוּמָה	But what should I set forth, when I know naught? Lo! is there anything that I can utter?
כִּי אֵין חֵקֶר לִגְדֻלָּתוֹ כִּי אֵין מִסְפָּר לִתְבוּנָתוֹ	For there is no searching out Their greatness, and Their understanding is beyond measure.
חֲכַם לֵבָב מִי כָמוֹהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ לֹא מְצָאנוּהוּ	Wise of heart, who is like unto Them? Mighty in strength, we cannot comprehend Them.
עוֹשֶׂה גְדוֹלוֹת וְרַב נוֹרָאוֹת גָּדוֹל אַתָּה וְעוֹשֵֹה נִפְלָאוֹת	Doing great things and abundant in marvels, you are great and work wonders
עַד אֵין מִסְפָּר וְעַד אֵין חֵקֶר וְלֹא נוֹדַע כִּי לֹא יֵחָקֵר	That are without number, yea, they are not to be searched out; neither can they be understood, for they are inscrutable.
אֵיזוֹ עַיִן אֲשֶׁר תְּעִידֶךָ וְאֵיזֶה פֶּה אֲשֶׁר יַגִּידֶךָ	Where is the eye that can testify of you? and where is the mouth that can tell of you?
חַי לֹא רַאֲךָ וְלֵב לֹא יְדָעֶךָ וְאֵיזֶה שֶׁבַח יַצִּיעֶךָ	None living has seen you, and no heart knows you; then where is the praise that shall comprehend you?
גַּם מְשָׁרְתֶיךָ לֹא רָאוּךָ וְכׇל חַכְמֵי לֵב לֹא מְצָאוּךָ	Even your ministering angels have not seen you, neither can the wise of heart perceive you.
אַתָּה לְבַדְּךָ מַכִּיר שִׁבְחֶךָ וְאֵין זוּלָתְךָ יוֹדֵעַ כֹּחֶךָ	You alone know your praise, and none beside you has knowledge of your strength,
וְאֵין יוֹדֵעַ בִּלְעָדֶיךָ שְׁבָחוֹת רְאוּיוֹת לִכְבוֹדֶךָ	And none knows beside you the praises befitting your glory.
עַל כֵּן תְּבֹרַךְ כָּרָאוּי לָךָ כְּפִי קָדְשָׁךְ כְּפִי כְּבוֹדָךְ וְגָדְלָךְ	Therefore may you be blessed as it befits you, according to your holiness, your glory and your greatness;
וּמִפִּי הַכֹּל כְּכׇל אֱיָלוּתָם כְּפִי מַדָּע אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה חֲנַנְתָּם	Yea, from the mouth of all, with their whole strength, according to the knowledge wherewith you have graciously endowed them.
יוֹדוּ פִלְאֲךָ הַשָׁמַיִם וִיאַדְּרוּךָ קוֹלוֹת מָיִם	The heavens shall acknowledge your wonders, and the voice of the waters shall glorify you.
וְיָרִיעוּ לְךָ כׇּל הָאָרֶץ יוֹדוּךָ כׇּל מַלְכֵי אָרֶץ	And all the earth shall shout unto you, and all the kings of the earth shall give thanks unto you.
אַף יוֹדוּךָ כׇּל הָעַמׇּים וִישַׁבְּחוּךָ כׇּל הָאֻמִּים	Yea, all the people shall give thanks unto you, and all the nations shall praise you;
כׇּל זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב עֲבָדֶיךָ כִּי עָלֵיהֶם גָּבְרוּ חֲסָדֶיךָ	And all the seed of Yaaqov, your servant; for upon them have your loving-kindnesses been exceeding great—
אֶת שֵׁם יְיָ יְהַלְלוּ כֻלָּם אֵל אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם׃	They all shall praise the Name of the Lord God, the true God and everlasting King.

This is the shir ha-yiḥud l’yom rishon (hymn or song of unity for the first day), as translated by Nina Salaman and published in the maḥzor for Rosh ha-Shanah by Arthur Davis and Herbert Adler (1907), pp. 40-42. I have made changes to the translation, mainly to update archaic language and disambiguated terms for animals and Temple offerings. I’ve also replaced male default language for God with gender inclusive terms. The transcription of the shir published here is based first on the unvocalized text found in Lia van Aalsum’s dissertation, “Lied van de eenheid. Een onderzoek naar de bijbelse intertekstualiteit van het spirituele geschrift Sjier haJichoed” (2010), pp. 42-44. Dr. Van Aalsum’s transcription was itself derived from the published transcription of Abraham Meir Habermann (Mosad haRav Kook: 1948), pp. 13-18. I have vocalized the text according to A.M. Habermann’s work. –Aharon Varady

In his introduction to a facsimile edition of the first printing of the Shir haYiḥud (Thiengen 1560) published by Joseph Dan in 1981, Dan writes:

“Shir ha-Yiḥud”, “The Hymn of Divine Unity”, is a theological poem, composed in Central Europe in the second half of the 12th century by a Jewish theologian or mystic who probably belonged to the sect of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim (Jewish-German Pietists). This poem became one of the most famous poetic works to be included in the Jewish prayer-book, and had great impact upon the development of theological poetry in Hebrew. To some extent it can be compared to the famous “Keter Malchut” by Rabbi Shlomo ben Gevirol; both poems gave expression to the deepest religious attitudes found in the Jewish cultures which created them.

“Shir ha-Yiḥud” is an anonymous poem, even though some editions, including the one reproduced here, attribute it to the leader of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidic movement, Rabbi Judah ben Samuel the Pious, who lived in Spyer and Regensburg in the second half of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th (died in 1217). In one of the esoteric theological works of Rabbi Judah, written circa 1200, this poem is quoted, and attributed to a “poet”, as if it were an old, well-known work of liturgy (Ms. Oxford 1567, 4b-5a). This could be seen as conclusive evidence that Rabbi Judah did not write this poem, for an author does not, usually, quote his own work in this way. However, the possibility that Rabbi Judah was the author should not be rejected off-hand. It is a fact that Rabbi Judah insisted, in his ethical works, that books and hymns shouid be published anonymously, for the inclusion of the author’s name in them might cause his descendants to commit the sin of pride. We do not have works by Rabbi Judah signed by him, and it seems that he himself scrupulously observed this maxim, though even his closest disciple, Rabbi Eleazar of Worms, did sign all his work in his full name. In the same theological treatise Rabbi Judah quoted “Sefer Ḥasidim”’, his major ethical work, several times, as an anonymous work. However, we do lack a positive indication that proves him to be the author. It seems that by the thirties of the 13th century no clear tradition existed in Germany concerning the authorship of the hymn. In Rabbi Moses Taku’s polemical work, “Ketav Tamim”, the hymn is mentioned twice and attributed to “Rabbi Bezalel and Rabbi Samuel’, and it is evident that Rabbi Moses did not know anything about the author of the work.

The theology of the Shir ha-Yiḥud is based to a very large extent on the text of Rav Saadia Gaon’s Book of Beliefs and Ideas, but not on the original text (in Arabic) or the standard 12th century translation by Rabbi Judah ben Tibbon, but on an early paraphrase of the work, probably made in the 11th century. This paraphrase transformed Rav Saadia’s philosophical treatise into a poetic description of God’s greatness, and several passages of such descriptions were included in the “Shir ha-Yiḥud” almost verbatim. The author in medieval Germany used Saadia’s material to introduce to his own community some basic concepts concerning the creation and the nature of God, emphasizing his remoteness from any corporeal description and insisting especially on the divine immanence throughout the cosmos. Rabbi Moses Taku’s criticism of the work concentrated on this aspect of the hymn’s theology, for Rabbi Moses objected to the new, philosophical attitude towards God which began to spread in the Jewish community in Germany at that time, mainly through the teachings of the Ashkenazi Ḥasidim.

The Shir ha-Yiḥud is the first step in the evolvement of a whole literary genre, which developed in Germany in the 13th century and produced nearly a score of treatises, most of them including the term “Yiḥud” (divine unity) in their titles. These works, written by the Ashkenazi Hasidim, popularized the theology influenced by Saadia, insisting on divine transcendence and immanence at the same time, rejecting anthropomorphic concepts of God and explaining divine revelation in non-corporeal terms. These works were written in prose, leaving Shir ha-Yiḥud as one of the very few examples of Jewish theology of this period expressed in poetic form. One more example, however, is published here — a theological poem which was written in a circle of Jewish mystics late in the 12th century, which was included in several works, among them those of Rabbi Elhanan ben Yaqar of London (middle of the 13th century). This poem was probably written in order to serve as a basis for a theological exegesis, for, unlike Shir ha-Yihud, it is brief and cryptic. These two examples serve, however, to demonstrate the role that poetry played in the emergence of Jewish esoteric and mystical literature in Central Europe.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	original translation has “cattle and all beasts”
2	original translation has “lights on the lamps”
3	original translation, “beasts”
4	original translation has “sacrifice and meat offering”
5	Psalms 51:18-19

Sabbath Blessing, a prayer by Caroline de Litchfield Harby (Reformed Society of Israel ca. 1826)

Caroline de Litchfield Harby — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 03:33:35 +0000

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	We will give praise to God who ceased from all his works, and on the seventh day exalted himself and sat on the throne of his glory. With honour did he adorn the day of rest, and called the Sabbath a day of delight. This is the song of praise for the seventh day, whereon God rested from all his work: and the sabbath day praising and saying, a psalm and song for the Sabbath day. (Psalms 92:1)
	Therefore, all whom God hath formed shall glorify him. They shall ascribe praise, honour, might and glory unto the King who hath formed all things and who causeth his People Israel to inherit rest on the holy Sabbath.
	Thy name, O lord our God! shall be sanctified; and thy memorial, our king! be glorified in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath, for all the the praiseworthy works of thy hands, and for the bright luminaries which thou hast formed: they shall glorify thee for ever. Blessed be thou for ever, our Rock, King, and Redeemer!
	Creator of holy angels, Praised shall be thy name for ever, o, our King! creator of officiating angels, and whose ministering angels are all established in the highest sphere, causing with reverence and unanimity, their voice to be heard, proclaiming the dictates of the Living God and eternal Sovereign. They are all lovely, pure, mighty, and holy Spirits, all performing the will of their master with sacred fear and reverence: all of them opening their mouths in holiness and purity: and with song and psalmody continually blessing, praising, glorifying, hallowing, reverencing, and ascribing sovereign Power, unto the name of God, the great, mighty, and tremendous King, who alone is holy. They also all willingly receive from each other, the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven; and give permission to one another, to sanctify their Maker, with a tranquil spirit, pure delivery, and sacred harmony; they altogether cry aloud with awful fear, and proclaim with reverence, Holy! Holy! Holy! is the Lord of Hosts! the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3) And the Ophanim, and holy creatures, with an impetuous motion upraise themselves towards each other, praising and saying, Blessed be the glory of the Lord from his residence! (Ezekiel 3:12)

“Sabbath Blessing” by Caroline de Litchfield Harby (ca.1800-1876), is included in the so-called Isaac Harby Prayerbook (ca. 1825, facsimile ed. 1974) also known as the Cohn Lithograph, a handwritten prayerbook containing the prayers offered by the Reformed Society of Israel in Charleston, South Carolina in the 1820s.

Source(s)

Sabbath Blessing (Caroline de Litchfield Harby ca.1826) a

Sabbath Blessing (Caroline de Litchfield Harby ca.1826) b

Sabbath Blessing (Caroline de Litchfield Harby ca.1826) c

Für den ersten Tag der Woche | For the first day of the week, a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 10:11:07 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Für den ersten Tag der Woche.	For the first day of the week.
Am ersten deiner Schöpfungstage erhebt sich meine Seele zu dir, Allmächtiger, und die Empfindungen meines Innern schmelzen zu einem Gedanken aneinander, den ich im Gebet vor dir auszusprechen strebe.	On the first day of your creation, my soul rises to you, Almighty, and the sensations of my interior melt into one thought, which I strive to express in prayer before you.
Wohl erkenne ich es, daß ich ein schwaches, hinfälliges Wesen bin; wohl weiß ich, daß ich mit aller Anstrengung meines Geistes und mit Aufbietung aller meiner Kräfte nicht im Stande bin, das kleinste, scheinbar unbedeutendste, in deiner Schöpfung ganz zu begreifen; wie könnte ich erst so vermessen sein, die große Stufenleiter deiner Wunder erklimmen zu wollen? Wie kann der Mensch, der aus Staub gebildete, den großen Raum durchmessen wollen, der vom kleinsten Gewächs, das in einer Nacht entstehet und vergehet, bis zur tausendjährigen Zeder auf dem Libanon, die ihr mächtiges Haupt in die Wolken erhebt; von dem kleinen, kaum sichtbaren Würmchen, das in einem Thautropfen schwimmt, bis zum gewaltigen Lewiatan, der das unendliche Meer durchstreift; — wie könnte der Mensch, dessen Lebenstage von kurzer Dauer sind, und die wie ein Schatten dahin fliehen, diesen endlosen Raum durchmessen wollen? Darum ward einst dein Wort zu Hiob, der sich Gott zu meistern unterfangen wollte: Ich verachte dein Gespräch und verzeihe dem, der nur Staub und Asche ist.^[1] Cf. Hiob 42, 6-7.	I know that I am a weak and frail being; I know that with all the effort of my spirit and with all my strength I am not able to fully understand the smallest and seemingly most insignificant thing in your creation; how could I be so presumptuous as to demand to climb the great ladder of your wonders? How can a person, formed of dust, demand to measure this vast expanse,^[2] Raum, lit. chamber, i.e, the chamber of divine creation. Within a few years of the posthumously published 1939 edition, the term Cosmos would begin to enter wider use. from the smallest plant, which arises and perishes in one night, to the thousand-year-old cedar on Lebanon, which raises its mighty head in the clouds; from the small, barely visible worm that swims in a drop of dew to the mighty Leviathan that roams the endless sea; — how can a person, whose days of life are of short duration, and who flees like a shadow, demand to measure this endless expanse? That is why your word was once spoken to Job, who wanted to master God: I despise your conversation, and forgive him that is but dust and ashes.^[3] Cf. Job 42:6-7.
Wenn ich dich aber auch nicht fassen kann, Herr des Weltalls, Allmächtiger! Gott der Geister alles Fleisches! Wenn ich dich in der Allmacht deiner Werke nur verehren, nicht begreifen kann, so werfe ich mich im Gefühle meiner Nichtigkeit vor dir in den Staub, und danke dir für die große Wohlthat, die du allen lebenden Wesen hast angedeihen lassen durch die Erschaffung des Lichtes. Licht, dieses wohlthätige Element, dieser wahre Abglanz einer höheren Welt! Licht, siebenfaches Sonnenlicht hast du denen verheißen, welche dich hieniden wahrhaft verehren. Mit Entziehung des Lichts hast du die halsstarrigen Egypter gestraft, die deine Macht nicht anerkennen wollten. Und die Finsterniß, in der du sie hast schmachten lassen, sollte ihnen ein Bild der Verfinsterung ihrer Seele sein.	But even if I cannot grasp you, Lord of the Universe, Almighty! God of the spirits of all flesh! If I can only worship you in the omnipotence of your works, but not comprehend you, then I throw myself in the dust before you in the feeling of my nothingness, and thank you for the great benefit that you have bestowed on all living beings through the creation of light. Light, this beneficent element, this true reflection of a higher world! Light, sevenfold sunlight, you have promised to those who truly worship you. With deprivation of light you have punished the stiff-necked Egyptians who did not want to acknowledge your power. And the darkness, in which you let them languish, should be for them a picture of the darkness of their soul.
Schöpfer des Lichtes! bewahre uns gnädig vor Verfinsterung der Seele, vor der Verfinsterung des himmlischen Lichtes in uns. Laß einen Strahl deines unendlichen Lichtes uns erleuchten, und uns das Verständniß eröffnen für die Tiefe deiner Schöpfung und deiner heiligen Lehre, auf daß wir immer weiser und besser werden. Laß uns nie von der Lichtbahn der Tugend und der Religion weichen, auf daß unser Leben den unsrigen ein Vorbild auf ihrem Lebenswege sei, und erfülle uns die Verheißung deines Propheten Daniel: Die Gerechten werden glänzen wie der Glanz der Sonne am heitern Himmel (Daniel 12, 3), und wie die schimmernden Sterne ewiglich. Amen.	Creator of light, mercifully protect us from darkening of the soul, from darkening of the heavenly light in us. Let a ray of your infinite light illuminate us, and open to us the understanding of the depth of your creation and your holy teaching, so that we may become ever wiser and better. Let us never depart from the path of virtue and religion, so that our lives may be a model for ours in their journey, and fulfill the promise of your prophet Daniel: “The righteous will shine like the brightness of the sun in the sky (Daniel 12:3), and like the shining stars forever. Amen.

“Für den ersten Tag der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №5 on pp. 6-8. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №5 on pp. 7-9. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

We welcome corrections and improvements. The transcription of the German from Latin script in Fraktur type provided machine-readable text for a machine translation by DeepL, which we then edited for accuracy and clarity. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Cf. Hiob 42, 6-7.
2	Raum, lit. chamber, i.e, the chamber of divine creation. Within a few years of the posthumously published 1939 edition, the term Cosmos would begin to enter wider use.
3	Cf. Job 42:6-7.

Für Sabath [№2] | For Shabbat (№2), a teḥinah by by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 09:36:09 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Ebenfalls für den Sabath.	Also for the Sabbath.
Gepriesen seyst du, allgütiger Gott, der du uns geheiliget hast durch deine Gebothe, und uns den Sabath gegeben zur Heiligung unserer Seele durch Betrachtung über deine Werke und über deine Gebote, und zur Ruhe und Erhaltung unseres Leibes nach den sechs Werktagen.	Blessed are you, O God of all goodness, who has sanctified us by your commandments, and has given us the Sabbath for the sanctification of our souls through meditation on your works and on your commandments, and for the rest and preservation of our bodies after the six working days.
O flöße Ruhe in unser Gemüth, Kraft in unser Herz, daß wir diesen geheiligten Tag so feiern, wie es deiner würdig ist. Oeffne deine milde Hand, und sättige uns mit Wohlgefallen, daß wir dem Sabath mit freudigem Herzen entgegen gehen und ihn würdig feiern könnten für Geist und Leib. Gieb uns Genügsamkeit und Vertrauen auf deine Gnade und Allmacht, daß der thörichte Gedanke unser Herz nicht beschleiche, daß die Ruhe am Sabath unserm Vermögenstand nachtheilig sein könnte, und wir uns nicht verleiten lassen, ihn zu entweihen, weder durch Arbeit noch durch Uebermaaß am Genuße, ohne an etwas zu denken, als an die Pflege unseres Leibes.	O instill rest into our minds, strength into our hearts, that we may celebrate this holy day in a manner worthy of you. Open your gentle hand and fill us with good pleasure, so that we may approach the Sabbath with a joyful heart and celebrate it worthily for mind and body. Grant us simplicity and trust in your grace and omnipotence, so that the foolish thought may not creep into our hearts that resting on the Sabbath could be detrimental to our fortune, and that we may not be tempted to profane it, either by work or by excess of pleasure, without thinking of anything but the care of our bodies.
Diese Erde, sagen unsere Weisen, gleicht den Wochentagen, jenes Leben aber gleicht dem Sabath. Laß uns den tiefen Sinn dieser Vergleichung nicht vergessen. Wie es keine Sabathfeier giebt für den, der die Woche in dumpfem Müssiggang hinbringt, so giebt es jenseits keine Seligkeit für den, der sein Erdenleben unwürdig im Müssiggang hingebracht.	This earth, say our sages, is like the days of the week, but that life is like the Sabbath. Let us not forget the deep meaning of this comparison. Just as there is no Sabbath celebration for the one who spends the week in dull idleness, so there is no bliss beyond for the one who spends his earthly life unworthily in idleness.
Du hast diesen Tag zur Ruhe bestimmt, und es ziemt uns schwachen Sterblichen nicht überdieß, oder über irgend etwas, was von deiner Erwählung abhängt, zu klügeln. Dieses Leben ist das Leben im Glauben, durch welches wir uns würdig machen, einst die Wunder deiner Lehre zu schauen. Ich dachte, spricht der heilige Sänger, ich will die Weisheit erlangen, aber sie ist fern von mir (Kohelet 7,23). Ich bin gerne unwissend und demüthige mich im Glauben, bis ich einst in das göttliche Heiligthum komme, da werde ich den Zweck der göttlichen Gebote erkennen.	You have appointed this day for rest, and it does not behoove us weak mortals to mull over this or anything that depends on [understanding] your decision. This life is the life of faith by which we make ourselves worthy to behold the wonders of your teaching one day. I thought, says the holy singer, I will attain wisdom, but it is far from me (Kohelet 7:23). I am willingly unknowing and will humble myself in faith, until one day I come into the divine sanctuary; there I will know the purpose of the divine commandments.
Laß uns nie vergessen die Worte des Propheten: Wenn am Sabath deine Füße rasten, deine Geschäfte zu verrichten, und du auch nicht von ihnen redest; wenn du den Sabath Lust der Seele nennst, geehrt dem Heiligen zu ehren. Dann wirst du dich in Gott vergnügen. Ich werde dich setzen auf die Höhen des Erdenglückes, so hat es der Ewige verheißen (Jesaja 58,13-14). Amen.	Let us never forget the words of the prophet: When on the Sabbath you rest your feet from your business affairs, and you refrain from speaking of them either; when you call the Sabbath the delight of the soul, honored to the Holy One, then you shall delight yourself in God. I will set you on the heights of earthly happiness, so has the Eternal promised (Isaiah 58:13-14). Amen.

“Ebenfalls für den Sabath” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №12 on pp. 16-17. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №12 on pp. 19-20. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Am sechsten Tage der Woche | On the sixth day of the week, a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 01:55:21 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am sechsten Tage der Woche.	On the sixth day of the week.
Allmächtiger Vater der Natur! Am heutigen, am sechsten deiner Schöpfungstage, stand das Weltall vollendet da; aber noch fehlte das Wesen, für welches alles dieses gemacht zu sein scheint, und das ausgezeichnet und begabt vor allen erschaffenen Wesen dich, den Schöpfer, erkennen und anbeten soll. Und da ward dein mächtiges Wort: Wir wollen einen Menschen schaffen in unserm Ebenbilde in Aehnlichkeit mit uns.	Almighty Father of Nature! Today, on the sixth day of your creation, the universe stood completed; but still the being was missing, for which all this seems to have been made, and which shall recognize and worship you, the creator, excellently and giftedly before all created beings. And there was your mighty word: We want to create a person in our image in likeness with us.
Wie ein gütiger Vater hast du alles auf der Erde bereitet und es dem Menschen zum Genuße übergeben. Aber um den Menschen der Herrschaft über die Erde würdig zu machen, hast du ihn körperlich und geistig vor allen lebenden Wesen ausgezeichnet. Nicht den Thieren gleich ist sein Auge an den Staub geheftet, nein, sein freies Antlitz erhebt sich zu den Sternen und blickt auf zu dem Himmel, zu seinem wahren Vaterlande.	Like a kind father, you have prepared everything on earth and handed it over to man for his enjoyment. But in order to make mankind worthy of dominion over the earth, you have distinguished him physically and spiritually above all living creatures. Not like the animals is his eye fixed on the dust, no, his free face rises to the stars and looks up to the sky, to his true fatherland.
Geziert hast du den Menschen, die Krone deiner Schöpfung, mit Verstand, Vernunft und Freiheit des Willens. Unser Körper ist freilich vom Staube gebildet und wird wieder in Staub aufgelöst werden. Aber wir sind nicht ganz vergänglich, etwas ist in uns, das sich weit über den Staub erhebt, das sich weit über alles irdische und sichtbare, das sich zu Gott emporschwingt. Unser Geist wirkt nach ganz andern Gesetzen, als unser und jeder andere Körper. Der Mensch kann seine Blicke auf die Vergangenheit zurückwerfen, in die Zukunft hinaus sehen, und beides mit der Gegenwart verbinden. Ja wir tragen das Bild Gottes an uns und sind einer immer zunehmenden Vollkommenheit fähig.	You have adorned mankind, the crown of your creation, with understanding, reason and freedom of will. Admittedly, our body is formed by dust and will be dissolved into dust again. But we are not completely perishable, there is something in us that rises far above the dust, that rises far above everything earthly and visible, that rises up to God. Our spirit works according to completely different laws than our and any other body. Man can cast his eyes back to the past, see out into the future, and connect both with the present. Yes, we bear the image of God on us and are capable of an ever-increasing perfection.
Dieses Leben kann nicht meine ganze, meine einzige Bestimmung sein, es kann nur die erste, die niedrigste Stufe meines menschlichen Daseins sein; hier auf Erden soll ich mich zu größern Dingen geschickt machen und vorbereiten; und je treuer ich meine Bestimmung auf Erden erfülle, desto höhere Stufen der Glückseligkeit darf ich in einem bessern Leben zu ersteigen hoffen. Dieser Wahrheit, Allgütiger, laß mich stets eingedenk sein, diese Erkenntniß lebe stets in meinem Geiste; dann wird mich der Kampf des Lebens nicht muthlos machen. Dann werde ich, einsehend, daß ich nur ein Pilger auf Erden sey, von den Freuden und Leiden im bunten Wechsel des Lebens nicht hingerissen werden. Dann werde ich in der Freude nicht übermüthig, im Leiden nicht verzagt sein. Im Bewußtsein, deinem Gesetze gemäß gelebt und gewirkt zu haben, soll mich die Anerkennung der Welt nicht stolz machen, ihr Verkennen, ihre Gleichgültigkeit oder ihre Anfeindung nicht zu Boden drücken, stets will ich dieses Leben als einen Rüsttag auf den großen, heiligen, himmlischen Sabath betrachten, dessen Ruhe uns einst nach ermüdenden Werktagen winkt. Amen.	This life cannot be my whole, my only destiny, it can only be the first, the lowest stage of my human existence; here on earth I am to make and prepare myself for greater things; and the more faithfully I fulfill my destiny on earth, the higher stages of happiness I may hope to ascend in a better life. Let me always be mindful of this truth, All-Good One, let this knowledge always live in my spirit; then the struggle of life will not make me despondent. Then, realizing that I am only a pilgrim on earth, I will not be carried away by the joys and sorrows in the colorful changes of life. Then I will not be overconfident in joy, not despondent in suffering. In the awareness that I have lived and worked according to your law, the recognition of the world shall not make me proud, its disregard, its indifference or its hostility shall not bring me down, I will always regard this life as a day of preparation for the great, holy, heavenly Sabath, the rest of which beckons us one day after tiring work days. Amen.

“Am sechsten Tage der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №10 on pp. 13-14. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №10 on pp. 15-16. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Für Sabath [№1] | For Shabbat (№1), a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 08:39:57 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Für Sabath (№1).	For Shabbat (№1).
Schön ist es, o Gott! dir zu danken und deinem Namen zu lobsingen, Höchster! Heute an dem heiligen Tage, den du der Ruhe und der stillen Betrachtung gewidmet hast, heute, o Gott! will ich die Ruhe dazu anwenden, mich durch Gebet und fromme Betrachtungen im Glauben zu stärken und für den unsterblichen Theil meines Wesens Sorge zu tragen, welches während der sechs Tage der Woche, wegen mannigfacher Beschäftigungen und Bedürfnisse nicht möglich ist.	It is good, O God, to give thanks to you and to sing praises to your name, Most High! (Psalms 92:2) Today, on the holy day that you have dedicated to rest and quiet contemplation, today, O God! I will use the rest to strengthen myself in faith through prayer and pious contemplation and to care for the immortal part of my being, which is not possible during the six days of the week, because of manifold occupations and needs.
Als vollendet waren der Himmel und die Erde, als die große und unendliche Schöpfung da stand in ihrer hohen Pracht, als der erstaunte Mensch die ersten Freuden des Daseins empfand, da ruhtest du am siebenten Tage von deinem Wirken. Da nun aber die Vernunft uns lehrt, daß dein Wirken mit dem Wirken hinfälliger Geschöpfe nicht zu vergleichen ist, daß bei dir keine Ermüdung und keine Erschlaffung, kein Ausruhen und Erholen denkbar ist und daß allein dein Wort hinreichend war, das alles hervorzurufen, wie der heilige Sänger sich ausdrückt: „er sprach und es wurde, er gebot und es stand da” (Psalm 33, 9) so leuchtet es uns deutlich ein, daß du am siebenten Tage deswegen aufhörtest zu schaffen, um uns schwachen Sterblichen diesen Tag zur Ruhe und Erholung von unsern Mühseligkeiten zu geben, und daß du also uns hierin gleichsam als Vorbild und Muster vorleuchten wolltest.	When the heavens and the earth were completed, when the great and infinite creation stood there in its high splendor, when the astonished Man felt the first joys of existence, then you rested from your work on the seventh day. But since Reason teaches us that your work cannot be compared with the work of feeble creatures, that with you no fatigue and no slackening, no rest and recovery is conceivable, and that your word alone was sufficient to bring about all this, as the holy singer expresses himself: “he spoke and it came to pass, he commanded and it stood there” (Psalm 33:9) so it is clear to us that you ceased to work on the seventh day for this reason, in order to give us weak mortals this day to rest and recover from our labors, and that you therefore wanted to shine before us in this, as it were, as an example and pattern.
Ebenso hast du unsern Vorfahren in der Wüste am sechsten Tag die Speise vom Himmel doppelt gegeben, daß sie am siebenten Tag ruhen und durch die Muße, die ihnen der Ruhetag gewährt, zur Betrachtung über deine Güte und väterliche Fürsorge hingeleitet werden mögen. Dieß, o Allvater, ist die eigentliche Bestimmung, dieß der wahre Zweck des Ruhetages, und du selbst hast uns dieses so mannigfach offenbart.	In the same way, on the sixth day, you gave our ancestors in the wilderness food from heaven twice, so that they might rest on the seventh day and be led to contemplate your goodness and fatherly care through the leisure that the day of rest affords them. This, O All-Father, is the true purpose of the day of rest, and you yourself have revealed this to us in so many ways.
Nicht die körperliche Ruhe allein, die Sammlung des Gemüthes ist es, der ich die bessere Kenntniß von dir und deinen Eigenschaften verdanke. Denn in dieser Betrachtung, o Gott, erfreust du mich mit deinen Werken, und ich rufe mit dem gesalbten Sänger aus: „Wie groß sind deine Werke, o Herr! Wie tief und unergründlich deine Gedanken!” (Psalm 92, 6.) Wenn der Lasterhafte auch grünt und blüht eine kurze Zeit auf Erden, so verliere ich dennoch nicht das Vertrauen auf deine Güte und Gerechtigkeit, o Herr! denn er geht dennoch unter, dein Strafgericht trifft ihn sicherlich, und der Fromme grünt wie die Palme, wie die Ceder auf Libanon.	It is not the bodily rest alone, but the gathering of the mind, to which I owe the better knowledge of you and your attributes. For in this contemplation, O God, you delight me with your works, and I exclaim with the anointed singer: “How great are your works, O Lord! How deep and unsearchable your thoughts!” (Psalm 92:6) Even if the wicked bud and flourish for a short time on earth, I will not lose my confidence in your goodness and righteousness, O Lord! for he nevertheless perishes, your judgment surely smites him, and the pious man grows like the palm tree, like the cedar in Lebanon.^[1] Cf. 92:8-13.
Ja, o Allvater, ich erkenne es mehr und mehr, alle Tage, an denen wir nur für unsere irdische Bedürfnisse uns abmühen, wären verloren aus unserm Leben, als hätten wir sie nie gelebt. Hätte uns deine Allgüte nicht den heiligen Sabath gegeben, den du Lust der Seele nennst (Jesaias 58, 13.).	Yes, O All-Father, I realize it more and more, all the days in which we toil only for our earthly needs would be lost from our lives, as if we had never lived them, if your all-goodness had not given us the holy Sabath, which you call the delight of the soul (Isaiah 58:13).
Hilf du mir, o gütiger Vater, deinen Tag mit der Würde zu feiern, wie ihm gebührt, auf daß mir zu Theil werde der Lohn, den du denen verheißen hast, die deinen Ruhetag heiligen: Du wirst ihnen geben in deinem Hause, spricht dein Prophet, einen Namen, einen ewigen Namen, der nie untergeht. Laß mich, o Allgütiger, der ewigen Freuden jener Welt, der Freuden des großen Ruhetages, theilhaftig werden, die deinen Verehrern aufbewahrt sind. Amen.	Help me, O kind Father, to celebrate your day with the dignity it deserves, so that I may receive the reward you have promised to those who keep your day of rest holy: You will give them in your house, says your prophet, a name, an everlasting name, which shall never perish (Isaiah 56:5). Let me, O All-Good One, partake of the eternal joys of that world, the joys of the great day of rest, which are reserved for your devoted. Amen.

“Für Sabath [№1]” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №11 on pp. 14-16. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №11 on pp. 16-18. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Cf. 92:8-13.

Am fünften Tag der Woche | On the fifth day of the week, a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 01:24:07 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am fünften Tag der Woche.	On the fifth day of the week.
Dank dir, Herr der Welt, der du diese schöne Erde mit Geschöpfen angefüllt hast, daß sie sich deiner unendlichen Güte freuen. Als du den großen Erdball mit allen den Schönheiten ausgeschmückt hattest, in welchen wir ihn heute erblicken, da fand deine göttliche Weisheit, daß diese über alles schöne und erhabene Schöpfung ein todtes Reich, eine schauerliche Wüste sein würde, wenn nicht Wesen auf ihr lebten, los gebunden von der Erde, die sich ihrer freuen.	Thank you, Lord of the world, who has filled this beautiful earth with creatures that they may rejoice in your infinite goodness. When you had adorned the great globe with all the loveliness in which we see it today, your divine wisdom found that this creation, beautiful and sublime above all, would be a dead realm, a ghastly waste, if creatures did not live on it, unbound from the earth, rejoicing in it.
Und du schufst durch deinen allmächtigen Willen Wesen aller Art. Was sich im Wasser regt, was auf der Erde wandelt, was im Staube kriecht oder in den Lüften schwebt; das große Ungeheuer im Meere und der kleinste Wurm, der in einem Wassertropfen mit tausenden seines gleichen, sich des Daseins freut, sie alle sind Werke deiner Allmacht, sie alle verkünden deine Größe, sie alle loben und preisen dich; alle vereinigen sich zu dem großen Hallelujah der Schöpfung; alle hoffen auf dich, daß du ihnen Nahrung giebst zur rechten Zeit, denn du öffnest deine milde Hand, und sättigest alles was lebt, mit Wohlgefallen. So du aber dein Antlitz verbergest, schwinden deine Geschöpfe dahin; nimmst du ihnen den Hauch des Lebens, so verscheiden sie und kehren in ihren Staub zurück; du läßt deinen Hauch über sie wehen, und sie erstehen ungeschaffen; so erneust du stets die Oberfläche der Erde.	And you created beings of all kinds by your almighty will. What stirs in the water, what walks on the earth, what creeps in the dust or floats in the air; the great monster in the sea and the smallest worm, which in a drop of water with thousands of its kind rejoices in existence, they are all works of your omnipotence, they all proclaim your greatness, they all praise and extol you; all unite in the great hallelujah of creation; all hope in you that you will give them food in due season, for you open your bountiful hand, and satisfy all that live. But if you hide your face, your creatures fade away; if you take away the breath of life from them, they pass away and return to their dust; you let your breath blow over them, and they arise uncreated; thus you always renew the surface of the earth.
O, Allmächtiger, der du diese Millionen alle speisest mit deiner ewigen Güte! gieb mir und den Meinigen unsere Lebensbedürfnisse ohne drückenden Kummer, auf daß wir dich mit heiterem Gemüthe preisen können. Dann will ich dir, o Ewiger, lobsingen mein ganzes Leben lang, meinen Gott lobpreisen so lange ich da bin. Es freuen sich, die auf dich hoffen, nie hast du die verlassen, die dich suchen. Amen.	O Almighty, who feeds all these millions with your everlasting goodness, grant me and mine our necessities of life without oppressive sorrow, that we may praise you with serene minds. Then I will sing praises to you, O Eternal One, all my life long, praise my God as long as I am here. Rejoice those who hope in you, never have you forsaken those who seek you. Amen.

“Am fünften Tag der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №9 on pp. 12-13. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №9 on pp. 13-15. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Am dritten Tag der Woche | On the third day of the week, a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 23:16:57 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am dritten Tag der Woche.	On the third day of the week.
Dank dir, erhabenes Wesen, allmächtiger Schöpfer! der du unsere Erde mit deinem unerschöpflichen Segen bei ihrem Entstehen bedacht hast. O, möchtest du die Thräne des tiefgefühlten Dankes in meinem Auge als ein schwaches Opfer aufnehmen, das ich dir, hingerissen von all den Wundern deiner Allmacht, heute darbringe. Du kleidest die Wiesen in labendes Grün und belebst die erstarrten Gewächse mit deinem erquickenden Hauche, daß sie blühen und grünen, zur Freude aller lebendigen Wesen; du tränkst die Berge aus deinen Höhen und die Erdbewohner sättigen sich von den Früchten, die dein Werk sind. Du lehrst sie Brod aus der Erde ziehen, und Wein, daß er des Menschen Herz erfreue (Psalm 104, 15) — erheiterndes Oel, erquickend Brod.	Thank you, sublime Being, almighty Creator! who has bestowed your inexhaustible blessings on our earth at the time of its creation. O, may you receive the tear of heartfelt gratitude in my eye as a faint offering, which I, enraptured by all the wonders of your omnipotence, offer to you today. You clothe the meadows in refreshing green and revive the frozen plants with your refreshing breath, so that they blossom and green, to the joy of all living beings; you water the mountains from your heights and the inhabitants of the earth fill themselves with the fruits that are your work. You teach them to draw bread from the earth, and wine to gladden the heart of man (Psalms 104:15) — uplifting oil, refreshing bread.
Aber Dank, unendlichen, höhern, heiligern Dank dir, Allgütiger, dafür, daß du mir das köstliche Geschenk der Vernunft verliehen hast, welches mich allein von dem Thiere unterscheidet, das nur den irdischen sinnlichen Genuß kennt. Die Vernunft ist es, die mir auch hier, nächst deiner göttlichen Lehre, die du uns aus Gnade offenbart hast, die entzückende Aussicht in das Reich einer höhern Welt und eines seligen Zustandes eröffnete.	But thanks, endless, higher, holier thanks to you, All-Good One, for having given me the precious gift of Reason, which alone distinguishes me from the animal that knows only earthly sensual pleasure. It is Reason, which also here, next to your divine teaching, which you have revealed to us by grace, opened to me the delightful prospect of the realm of a higher world and a blissful state.
Ja, der leblose Baum, der nach einer langen winterlichen Erstarrung, zu neuem, kräftigen Leben aufblühet, und sich jeden Frühling wieder verjüngt, — in ihm erblicke ich das entzückende Bild der Wiederbelebung und der ewigen Fortdauer nach dem zeitlichen Tode.	Yes, the lifeless tree that blossoms into new, vigorous life after a long winter torpor, and rejuvenates itself every spring, — in it I see the delightful image of revival and eternal continuity after temporal death.
O laß auch in diesen Jahren die unendlich mannigfachen Arten von Erzeugnissen, die du alle zur Freude und Lust, zur Nahrung und Lebenserhaltung deiner Geschöpfe bereitet hast, genädig gedeihen! Laß die gesegneten Felder den Schweiß des Menschen lohnen, der sie bebaut, auf daß wir alle mit fröhlichem Herzen dir dienen mögen.	O let also in these years the infinitely varied kinds of products, which you have prepared for the joy and pleasure of all, for the nourishment and life-support of your creatures [to] graciously flourish! Let the blessed fields reward the sweat of the man who cultivates them, so that we may all serve you with a joyful heart.
Mögen wir aber beim Ueberfluß irdischer Güter unsere erhabene Bestimmung nicht vergessen; mögen wir stets eingedenk sein, daß das wahre Gute etwas höheres, heiligeres ist, als alles was die Erde geben kann. Diesen Segen, diese Erkenntniß verleihe uns um aller Frommen und Guten und um deines Volkes Israel willen. Amen.	But may we not forget our sublime destiny in the abundance of earthly goods; may we always be mindful that the true good is something higher, holier than anything the earth can give. This blessing, this knowledge, grant us for the sake of all the pious and good and for the sake of your people Israel. Amen.

“Am dritten Tag der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №7 on pp. 9-10. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №7 on pp. 11-12. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Am vierten Tag der Woche | On the fourth day of the week, a teḥinah by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 01:05:15 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am vierten Tag der Woche.	On the fourth day of the week.
Gelobt seiest du, Vater im Himmel, der du durch dein allmächtiges Herrscherwort die himmlischen Lichter ins Dasein gerufen hast, daß sie, wie die heilige Schrift erzählt, einen Unterschied machen zwischen Tag und Nacht, und dienen mögen zu Zeichen und Zeitbestimmungen, zu Tagen und Jahren. Wie gut und weise ist diese Eintheilung, wie so ganz deiner höchsten Ansicht angemessen. Denn so freundlich uns auch das Tageslicht zulächelt, und so süß es immer den Augen ist, so traurig wäre die Einförmigkeit des Lebens, wenn es nur einen langen Tag ausmachte, ohne Unterbrechung, ohne die wohlthätige Abwechslung der Nacht, die den Müden in die sanften Arme des Schlummers aufnimmt, daß er sich dadurch stärke zu neuer Thätigkeit und zu neuem Leben wieder erwache.	Praise be to you, Father in heaven, who, by your almighty word of command, have called the heavenly lights into being, so that they, as the holy scripture tells us, make a difference between day and night, and may serve for signs and the determination of time, for days and years. How good and wise is this division, how completely appropriate to your highest view. For as friendly as the daylight smiles upon us, and as sweet as it always is to the eyes, so sad would be the monotony of life if it were only one long day, without interruption, without the beneficial alternation of the night, which takes the weary into the gentle arms of slumber, so that he thereby strengthens himself for new activity and awakens to new life again.
Heiliger Gott, der du die Schicksale der Menschen mit deinem allsehenden Blick überschaust, wenn die Fäden derselben unsern Augen noch so verwickelt erscheinen, der du gnädig über uns wachst, wenn wir von der Tageslast und Mühe dem tiefen Schlaf bewußtlos in den Armen liegen. — O du, der du nicht schlummerst und nicht schläfst, Hüter Israels! sei unser Beschützer in dunkeln Nächten! Tag und Nacht sei unser Schirm und Schutz, und Tag und Nacht wollen wir deine Güte preisen. Wie der fromme König David sang: Des Tages befiehlt Gott seine Güte über mich, und des Nachts singe ich ihm des Dankes Lieder.	Holy God, who overlooks the destinies of men with your all-seeing gaze, even when the threads of these appear so tangled to our eyes, who graciously watches over us when we lie unconscious in the arms of deep sleep from the day’s burden and toil. — O you who slumbers not and sleeps not, guardian of Israel! be our protector in dark nights! Day and night be our shield and protection, and day and night we will praise your goodness. As the pious King David sang: By day God commands his goodness upon me, and by night I sing to him songs of thanksgiving.
O laß denen, die nagender Kummer und drückende Sorgen die müden Augenlieder offen halten, daß sie der Erholung des wohlthätigen Schlafes nicht froh werden können, lasse ihnen von deinen Höhen lindernder Balsam in das zerrissene Herz träuflen; laß einen Strahl deiner Gnade ihr Herz erfreuen, daß sie Hoffnung fassen, und froh in ihrem Berufe thätig sein mögen.	O let those whose weary eyelids are held open by gnawing grief and oppressive sorrow, so that they cannot rejoice in the rest of pleasant sleep; let soothing balm from your heights be poured into their torn hearts; let a ray of your grace gladden their hearts, that they may take hope, and be gladly active in their occupation.
Wende uns allen deinen gnädigen Blick zu, so fürchten wir uns nicht vor den Aengsten der Nacht, noch vor dem Pfeil, der am Tage schwebt, und der Pest die im Finstern schleicht. Deine Gnade macht uns die Nacht zum Tage, sie erhelle uns die Finsterniß der Erdenbahn und zeige uns den Weg zum ewigen Lichte.	Turn your merciful gaze upon us all, and we will not fear the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that creeps in darkness. Your grace turns night into day for us; it lights up the darkness of the earth’s path and shows us the way to eternal light.
Unsers Gottes Freundlichkeit werde uns beschieden, so gelingt unser Händewerk, all unser Thun gelingt nur durch ihn. Amen.	May the kindness of our God be granted to us, so that our handiwork will succeed, all our deeds will succeed only through him. Amen.

“Am vierten Tag der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №8 on pp. 10-12. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №8 on pp. 12-13. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Am zweiten Tage der Woche | On the second day of the week, a teḥinah by by Isaak Pleßner (1829)

Andreas Rusterholz (transcription) — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 10:36:22 +0000

Source (German)	Translation (English)
Am zweiten Tage der Woche.	On the second day of the week.
Gelobt seiest du Gott, unser Herr, der mit seinem allmächtigen Schöpferwort aus dem Wasser und der Wüstenleere die Erde und den Himmel hervorgerufen! Und gelobt seiest du in Ewigkeit, daß du uns diese schöne Erde zum Wohnort, während unseres zeitlichen Lebens hast angewiesen!	Praise be to you God, our Lord, who with his almighty word of creation brought forth the earth and the sky from the water and the desolate waste! And praise be to you for Eternity, that you have given us this beautiful earth as our dwelling place during our temporal life!
O, welche Freuden hast du uns bereitet auf dieser Erde! Ueberall wo meine Augen hinblicken, sehe ich die Schönheit deiner Werke und die Vollkommenheit deiner Schöpfung; überall höre ich das Jauchzen lebensfroher Wesen, denen du das Leben und den Trieb zur Freude gegeben hast. O, du Allgütiger, der du diese Millionen Wesen alle mit deiner überschwenglichen Güte überhäuft hast, lehre mich die Güter dieser Erde würdig schätzen, daß ich deine reichen Gaben, die du mit Vaterhuld so gnädig deinen Kindern spendest, nicht mißbrauchen möge.	O, what joys you have prepared for us on this earth! Everywhere my eyes look, I see the beauty of your works and the perfection of your creation; everywhere I hear the rejoicing of joyful beings, to whom you have given life and the drive to joy. O All-Good One, who has showered these millions of beings with your abundant goodness, teach me to appreciate the goods of this earth, so that I may not misuse your rich gifts, which you so graciously bestow on your children with fatherly grace.
Erde und Himmel hast du mit deinem allmächtigen Worte ins Dasein gerufen, so erzählt uns die Geschichte des zweiten Schöpfungstages in der heiligen Schrift, wer möchte die hohe und heilige Bedeutung dieser Worte verkennen, und allein die sichtbare Erde und den sichtbaren Himmel darunter verstehen; unsere verehrten Weisen haben auch den tiefen Sinn, der in diesen Worten liegt, in einem schönen Gleichniß ausgesprochen: Das Erdenleben, sagen sie, gleicht dem Vorzimmer eines Großen, und von dem würdigen Benehmen im Vorzimmer allein wird es abhängen, ob du in das Innere zu gelangen für würdig befunden werden wirst. In das Innere des Heiligthums, in deinen Himmel, aufgenommen zu werden, dies sei mein einziges Bestreben auf der Erde.	Earth and heaven you have called into existence with your almighty word, so the story of the second day of creation tells us in the holy scriptures, who would want to misjudge the high and holy meaning of these words, and understand only the visible earth and the visible heaven by it; our honored sages have also expressed the deep meaning that lies in these words in a beautiful simile: Earthly life, they say, is like the antechamber of a great man, and it will depend on your dignified conduct in the antechamber alone whether you will be found worthy to enter the interior. To be accepted into the interior of the sanctuary, into your heaven, this is my only endeavor on earth.
Mein ganzes Leben sei eine Vorbereitung für das bessere Leben, und habe ich die hohe Stufe der wahren Erkenntniß noch nicht erlangt, und sündige ich auch täglich und stündlich gegen deinen heiligen Willen, o so laß die Schaale deiner Gnade überwiegen, und deine Barmherzigkeit über mich walten! O, laß mich einst, wenn die Erdenhülle, die mich jetzt umgiebt, abgestreift sein wird, der ewigen Freuden theilhaftig werden, die du für deine Verehrer aufbewahrt hast, daß ich nach einem würdigen Erdenleben erwachend mich sättige in der Anschauung deiner Gottesgestalt. Amen.	Let my whole life be a preparation for the better life, and if I have not yet attained the high level of true knowledge, and if I sin daily and hourly against your holy will, let the bowl of your grace prevail and your mercy rule over me! O, let me one day, when the earthly shell that now surrounds me will be stripped off, be made partaker of the eternal joys that you have kept for your worshippers, so that after a worthy earthly life I may awaken and be satisfied in the contemplation of your divine form. Amen.

“Am zweiten Tage der Woche” was included by Yehoshua Heshil Miro in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion as teḥinah №6 on pp. 8-9. In the 1835 and 1842 editions, it also appears as teḥinah №6 on pp. 9-10. In a note to “Gebet am Tage der Gedächtnißfeier verstorbener Eltern, an deren Grabe zu sprechen” published in the 1835 edition, Miro records that Isaak Plessner sent this prayer to him, and from this we infer that its authorship may also be attributed to him.

Source(s)

Prayer for the Sabbath Morn, by Grace Aguilar (ca. 1830s)

Grace Aguilar — Wed, 17 May 2023 02:05:42 +0000

Contribute a translation	Source (English)
	Prayer for the Sabbath morn.
	Father Almighty! may it please Thee in Thine infinite mercy, to pour Thy blessing on Thy Sabbath day, and grant us that grace which will enable us to employ it in a manner acceptable to thee.
	Removed far from our own land, scattered as fugitives among the nations, as a just punishment for our sins against Thee; oh my God, Thou knowest the many things which combine to render the task so difficult, to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; the many interruptions which disturb us, and prevent the sacred day from retaining that holiness which alone can render it acceptable to Thee.
	Oh remember these things, merciful Father. Remember Thou hast visited us in Thy wrath, and taken Thy Holy Spirit from us, and have compassion, for without the fulness of Thy grace within us, how can we address Thee with constancy and fervour? Worldly thoughts, earthly objects, mingle with our prayers, and turn them away from Thee. Our weak and corrupted natures cannot fix attention on things relating to Thee alone, without the help of those outward forms, of which, in our exiled and destitute state, we are now deprived.
	Oh, my God, permit then Thy righteousness to be at work within us. Let Thy grace fix our hearts and souls on Thee this day, which by miracle and precept Thou hast sanctified unto Thyself. Let Thy blessing be amongst us this day, oh my God, more particularly on the members of this family; and so sanctify us that Thy mercy may form Thy temple in the midst of us, where Thy spirit will dwell for evermore.
	Oh teach us to pray to Thee, to bless Thee for the innumerable blessings granted, us this week.
	Enlighten our eyes that we may look well within ourselves, to know and to confess our sins; and give us Thy divine help to depart from them, and become more worthy in Thy sight, in the week that is now dawning.
	Let Thy spirit rest upon Thy Word, oh Lord, that we may understand it better; and each Sabbath day improve us in the knowledge of Thee, and of Thy Law.
	Grant us that holy temper which will turn our thoughts to Thee, even if worldly interruptions occur to distract our attention from those studies most acceptable to Thee.
	Oh sanctify us and bless us, Almighty Father; we would devote this day to Thee. Oh guard us from all temptation to turn aside from seeking Thee; and, in Thine infinite mercy, teach us those things most acceptable to Thee.
	Blessed be Thy Name, merciful and beneficent Father, now and evermore. — Amen and Amen.

“Prayer for the Sabbath morn” by Grace Aguilar was published posthumously by her mother Sarah Aguilar in Essays and Miscellanies (1853), in the section “Sacred Communings,” pp. 234-236. In the UK edition of Sacred Communings (1853) the prayer appears with small variations of spelling and punctuation on pages 140-142.

Source(s)

It is the Solemn Sabbath Day, a hymn for Shabbat by Penina Moïse (Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim 1842)

Ḳahal Ḳadosh Beth Elohim (Charleston, South Carolina) — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 20:54:33 +0000

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	It is the solemn Sabbath day, Let praise to God ascend! In holiness thy soul array, And worldly thoughts suspend.
	Come forth, ye weary sons of care, Toil-worn and grief-opprest; To heaven send a grateful pray’r, For these calm hours of rest.
	Let not the poorest of ye ask, Of Providence long tried; If I forego my daily task, Whose hand will bread provide?
	Remember that celestial food To Israel ordained; When Mercy double portions strewed, Lest Sabbath be profaned.
	With ten-fold gifts will God repay, The transient loss incurred; But tremble ye who disobey, The mandate of the Lord.

“It is the solemn Sabbath day,” by Penina Moïse, published in 1842, appears under the subject “Sabbath” as Hymn 55 in Hymns Written for the Service of the Hebrew Congregation Beth Elohim, South Carolina (Penina Moïse et al., Ḳ.Ḳ. Beth Elohim, 1842), pp. 57-58. –Aharon Varady

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A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Sunday, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Marcus Heinrich Bresslau — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 10:51:29 +0000

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	Hallelujah! Praise ye God, the Eternal, who in His Omnipotence brought forth the world from nothing, and who by His merciful command “Let there be light,”^[1] Genesis 1:3. set a boundary to the darkness of chaos. Thanks to Thee, O Father, for the beneficial and all-rejoicing Light; thanks to Thee for this boon, so worthy of Thy greatness a boon, the salutary influence of which I now also enjoy that I may look up to Thee, Father, with filial confidence, and that I may worship Thee with deep reverence.
	And since light was the first production which Thou, in Thine all-merciful greatness, calledst forth in Thy Creation, since light was the first, which, as we are taught by Holy Scripture, Thou hast deigned to designate a good gift: may it be Thy will, all-gracious Father, that this great boon may rejoice and cheer me also, Thy handmaiden, whilst I live; and that it may also serve me for that purpose, which was intended by Thy wisdom, for the whole community of mankind.
	Grant also, O Lord! I beseech Thee, that the Light of Thy truth may guide, enlighten, and prosper me, that my spirit may not grope in the dark, and that I may not fall a prey to corruption. Grant, O All-merciful One! that the light of Thy sacred law may lead me in the path of virtue, that I may never deviate therefrom, but continue to ennoble my heart, and render myself ever worthier of Thy mercy, which, I trust, Thou wilt never withhold from me. Amen.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Genesis 1:3.

A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Monday, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Marcus Heinrich Bresslau — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 11:10:30 +0000

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	Hallelujah! Praise ye the Eternal, ascribe honor unto Him for evermore; exalt Him, ye nations, and sing of His glory, and His marvelous deeds. Like unto a tent He spread out the firmament over endless waters, and called it “Heaven.”^[1] Genesis 1:8. That Heaven declareth the Omnipotence of its Creator, though “not by speech nor by language.”^[2] Psalms 19:4. From yonder impenetrable heights He looketh down into the heart of every man, whose innermost thoughts He knoweth; ordaineth the steps of every human being; and rewardeth and punisheth the high as well as the low, the superior as well as the inferior, the rich as well as the poor. From yonder heights He compassionates the oppressed here beneath, and lifteth up those that are humbled down. O Lord! may this thought continually be present unto my mind, that I may never, even when I stand on the summit of prosperity, allow myself to be beguiled by vanity, pride, or eagerness for dazzling show; that I may never deny assistance to any one in need thereof, but follow Thee, O benign Father, who art ever near to him, and helpeth him who calleth upon Thee in truth. For art Thou not the God that loveth humility but hateth pride? Art Thou not the Lord who said “the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word?”^[3] cf. Isaiah 66:1-2. Strengthen me also then, O merciful Father, in my resolve to support the fallen, and relieve the oppressed at all times, to the utmost, according to my means and powers, in order that I may render myself worthy of being numbered among the בני רחמנים “the children of the compassionate,”^[4] Sefer HaḤinukh haRokeaḥ 44:1, 498:2. Cf. Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 32b: ואמר רב נתן בר אבא אמר …כל המרחם על הבריות בידוע שהוא מזרעו של אברהם אבינו וכל מי שאינו מרחם על הבריות בידוע שאינו מזרעו של אברהם אבינו a name which ever distinguished Israel. Amen.

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Hallelujah! Praise ye the Eternal, ascribe honor unto Him for evermore; exalt Him, ye nations, and sing of His glory, and His marvelous deeds. Like unto a tent He spread out the firmament over endless waters, and called it “Heaven.” That Heaven declareth the Omnipotence of its Creator, though “not by speech nor by language.” From yonder impenetrable heights He looketh down into the heart of every man, whose innermost thoughts He knoweth; ordaineth the steps of every human being; and rewardeth and punisheth the high as well as the low, the superior as well as the inferior, the rich as well as the poor. From yonder heights He compassionates the oppressed here beneath, and lifteth up those that are humbled down. O Lord! may this thought continually be present unto my mind, that I may never, even when I stand on the summit of prosperity, allow myself to be beguiled by vanity, pride, or eagerness for dazzling show; that I may never deny assistance to any one in need thereof, but follow Thee, O benign Father, who art ever near to him, and helpeth him who calleth upon Thee in truth. For art Thou not the God that loveth humility but hateth pride? Art Thou not the Lord who said “the heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool, but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word?” Strengthen me also then, O merciful Father, in my resolve to support the fallen, and relieve the oppressed at all times, to the utmost, according to my means and powers, in order that I may render myself worthy of being numbered among the בני רחמנים “the children of the compassionate,” a name which ever distinguished Israel. Amen.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Genesis 1:8.
2	Psalms 19:4.
3	cf. Isaiah 66:1-2.
4	Sefer HaḤinukh haRokeaḥ 44:1, 498:2. Cf. Talmud Bavli, Beitzah 32b: ואמר רב נתן בר אבא אמר …כל המרחם על הבריות בידוע שהוא מזרעו של אברהם אבינו וכל מי שאינו מרחם על הבריות בידוע שאינו מזרעו של אברהם אבינו

Prayer for the Sabbath, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Marcus Heinrich Bresslau — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 00:12:15 +0000

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	All merciful God! Animated by sacred thoughts, inspired with holy feelings, freed from all care for transient goods, I appear before Thee, Eternal, to thank Thee, to praise Thee, and to bless Thee, for the manifold benefits which Thou hast conferred upon me, even in the week just elapsed, and for the sublime delight which I enjoy in the conscientiousness not to have fallen under the dominion of vain cravings. Lend me further strength, O Omnipotent, to resist the allurements of unlawful enjoyment, ever to direct my eyes with fervent longing to the great purpose of humanity, to conquer my foibles, and to ennoble my desires. Fortify me, O Father, on this holy Sabbath, which Thou hast given us for the sanctification of our minds, and for the blissful occupation of our spirit through faith in Thee, the witness and judge of our deeds; strengthen me to perseverance in the good, and to the fulfilment of my holy resolutions; strengthen me on this day of rest, in the arduous struggle for the highest and imperishable gems, which I as a daughter, (wife, mother,) friend, citizen of the world, and Israelite, am to possess. O, Omniscient, elevate Thou my power to know myself; rejoice me in Thy salvation, preserve me in the acknowledgment of Thy truth and justice, and be gracious unto me, Thy handmaiden, now and evermore. Amen.

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All merciful God! Animated by sacred thoughts, inspired with holy feelings, freed from all care for transient goods, I appear before Thee, Eternal, to thank Thee, to praise Thee, and to bless Thee, for the manifold benefits which Thou hast conferred upon me, even in the week just elapsed, and for the sublime delight which I enjoy in the conscientiousness not to have fallen under the dominion of vain cravings. Lend me further strength, O Omnipotent, to resist the allurements of unlawful enjoyment, ever to direct my eyes with fervent longing to the great purpose of humanity, to conquer my foibles, and to ennoble my desires. Fortify me, O Father, on this holy Sabbath, which Thou hast given us for the sanctification of our minds, and for the blissful occupation of our spirit through faith in Thee, the witness and judge of our deeds; strengthen me to perseverance in the good, and to the fulfilment of my holy resolutions; strengthen me on this day of rest, in the arduous struggle for the highest and imperishable gems, which I as a daughter, (wife, mother,) friend, citizen of the world, and Israelite, am to possess. O, Omniscient, elevate Thou my power to know myself; rejoice me in Thy salvation, preserve me in the acknowledgment of Thy truth and justice, and be gracious unto me, Thy handmaiden, now and evermore. Amen.

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A Prayer of Thanksgiving for Wednesday, by Marcus Heinrich Bresslau (1852)

Marcus Heinrich Bresslau — Wed, 10 Jun 2020 21:19:34 +0000

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	Hallelujah! Praise God in due meekness, praise Him, —declare His high exalted fame and glory. Myriads of heavenly bodies, suns, moons, and stars were created by His Omnipotence on the fourth day of creation, that in their lofty magnificence reverentially obey His law, and never trespass over the limits assigned to them. All of these bodies, —the sun with his ocean of rays, the moon and the stars with their bright lustres, proclaim Thy glory, and call, “who among the mighty is like unto Thee, O Lord, who so glorified in holiness!”^[1] cf. Exodus 15:11. By those luminaries of heaven Thou, O all-wise Creator, didst divide the seasons of the year, didst fix the boundaries of day and night; therefore, shall my soul be uplifted to Thee in thankfulness, and sing praises unto Thy great name. When the beams of the sun break forth through the grey dawn, and spread light, warmth, life, and joy unto all, who then can resist thanking Thee from the innermost depths of the heart? When the moon with her lovely brightness softly lights up the dark night, accompanied by a choir of stars, what feeling heart of mortal is not then penetrated with emotions of gratefulness? who does not exclaim with amazement, “what is man that Thou, the Creator of so many worlds, rememberest him?”^[2] Psalms 8:4. But Thou art also kind and merciful, O Father, towards all Thy creatures; wherefore, I also will ever comfort myself with the words of the inspired psalmist, “my help cometh from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth.”^[3] Psalms 121:2. Amen.

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Hallelujah! Praise God in due meekness, praise Him, —declare His high exalted fame and glory. Myriads of heavenly bodies, suns, moons, and stars were created by His Omnipotence on the fourth day of creation, that in their lofty magnificence reverentially obey His law, and never trespass over the limits assigned to them. All of these bodies, —the sun with his ocean of rays, the moon and the stars with their bright lustres, proclaim Thy glory, and call, “who among the mighty is like unto Thee, O Lord, who so glorified in holiness!” By those luminaries of heaven Thou, O all-wise Creator, didst divide the seasons of the year, didst fix the boundaries of day and night; therefore, shall my soul be uplifted to Thee in thankfulness, and sing praises unto Thy great name. When the beams of the sun break forth through the grey dawn, and spread light, warmth, life, and joy unto all, who then can resist thanking Thee from the innermost depths of the heart? When the moon with her lovely brightness softly lights up the dark night, accompanied by a choir of stars, what feeling heart of mortal is not then penetrated with emotions of gratefulness? who does not exclaim with amazement, “what is man that Thou, the Creator of so many worlds, rememberest him?” But Thou art also kind and merciful, O Father, towards all Thy creatures; wherefore, I also will ever comfort myself with the words of the inspired psalmist, “my help cometh from the Lord, who created the heavens and the earth.” Amen.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	cf. Exodus 15:11.
2	Psalms 8:4.
3	Psalms 121:2.

Méditation Pour Le Veille Du Sabbat | Meditation for the Eve of the Sabbath (Friday), by Rabbi Arnaud Aron & Jonas Ennery (1852)

Jonas Ennery — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:17:02 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
Sur la Providence.	On Providence.
«Les cieux racontent la gloire du Seigneur et le firmament annonce l’œuvre de ses mains» (Ps. 19, 2).	“The heavens relate the glory of God, and the expanse telleth of the work of His hands.” (Psalms 19:2)
Seigneur, en instituant la solennité sabbatique, commémoration perpétuelle de la création du monde, tu nous a enseigné que c’est à tes œuvres que tu veux être reconnu, que c’est pour tes bienfaits que ta veux être adoré. Tu as tracé dès lors les attributs distinctifs de la foi d’Israël. Tel est, eu effet, le signe lumineux de notre religion, le caractère simple mais saillant de notre croyance. Elle ne repose point sur de subtiles interprétations, elle n’a point pour fondement de mystérieuses légendes, qui bouleversent et confondent la raison. La raison! Elle est un rayon de la lumière divine, le caractère originel qui distingue l’âme humaine de la brute. Bien loin de la proscrire, la foi commande à l’israélite de te remercier, ô Seigneur, de ce don, comme du flambeau que tu as donné à l’homme, pour éclairer, pour admirer tes œuvres et pour te reconnaître aux signes visibles de ta Providence. C’est pourquoi, dans cette soirée sainte, nous célébrons tes œuvres prodigieuses par les chants divins qu’elles ont inspirés au psalmiste.	Lord, by instituting the solemn Sabbath, a perpetual commemoration of the creation of the world, you have taught us that it is for your works that you want to be recognized, that it is for your blessings that you want to be worshiped. You have therefore traced out the distinctive attributes of Israel’s faith. This is, in effect, the luminous sign of our religion, the simple but salient character of our belief. It is not based on subtle interpretations, nor is it founded on mysterious legends, which overwhelm and confound reason. Reason! It is a ray of divine light, the original character that distinguishes the human soul from the brute. Far from forbidding it, faith commands the Israelite to thank you, O Lord, for this gift, as for the torch you have given to man, to enlighten him, to admire your works and to recognize you by the visible signs of your Providence. That is why, on this holy evening, we celebrate your prodigious works through the divine songs which they inspired in the psalmist.
Ainsi, ô souverain Créateur, non-seulement tu t’es révélé en plein jour sur le Sinaï, en face de tout un peuple, par la proclamation des vérités éternelles, par la fondation du monde moral, mais tu te manifestes chaque jour par les marques de ta puissance.	Thus, O Sovereign Creator, not only did you reveal yourself in broad daylight on Sinai, in front of a whole people, by the proclamation of eternal truths, by the foundation of the moral world, but you manifest yourself every day by the marks of your power.
Israélite, que j’ouvre la Bible ou que je promène mes yeux sur la nature, comment la Providence pourra-t-elle échapper aux lumières de ma raison? Il faudrait, comme disait le Seigneur à Job, faire taire auparavant toutes les harmonies, tous les concerts du firmament (Job 38).	Israelite, whether I open the Bible or walk my eyes on nature, how can Providence escape the light of my reason? It would be necessary, as the Lord said to Job, to silence beforehand all the harmonies, all the concerts of the firmament (Job 38).
Dans une nuit sereine, je contemple le spectacle de la voûte céleste, le nombre immense d’étoiles qui étincellent comme des fleurs de diamants semées dans le ciel; qui marchent rangées en bataille sous l’étendard du Seigneur, et décrivent avec tant de précision, depuis le commencement du monde, leur orbe séculaire: c’est le mélodieux concert que la nature chante devant le Seigneur! Est-ce le hasard qui a tracé aux corps célestes les immenses orbites qu’ils parcourent avec tant de régularité?	In a serene night, I contemplate the spectacle of the celestial vault, the immense number of stars which sparkle like diamond flowers sown in the sky; which march in battle under the banner of the Lord, and describe with such precision, since the beginning of the world, their age-old orb: it is the melodious concert that nature sings before the Lord! Is it chance that has traced out for the heavenly bodies the immense orbits which they have traveled with such regularity?
O vous, qui déniez à la Providence vos hommages et vos adorations, ne vous endurcissez pas dans le doute, ou bien faites taire auparavant ce sublime concert qui règne au ciel et sur la terre! Éteignez les célestes flambeaux que la Providence a allumés sur nos têtes; dites à l’aurore de ne plus annoncer le jour, aux saisons de suspendre leurs cours, à la mer de rompre les digues que le Seigneur lui a imposées, quand il a dit à l’Océan: «tu n’iras pas plus loin!» (Job 38, 11)	O you who deny Providence your tributes and your adoration, do not harden yourselves in doubt, or else silence beforehand this sublime concert which reigns in heaven and on earth! Extinguish the celestial torches that Providence has lit on our heads; tell the dawn to proclaim no more the day, the seasons to suspend their courses, the sea to break the dikes that the Lord imposed on it, when he said to the Ocean: “you will go no further!” (Job 38:11)
Ou plutôt, obéissez à votre raison qui vous montre le bras de la Providence! Unissez votre voix à celles de toutes les créatures dans l’ineffable mélodie qu’elles forment pour la gloire de leur auteur!	Or rather, obey your reason which shows you the arm of Providence! Unite your voice to those of all creatures in the ineffable melody they form for the glory of their author!
Mais, si dans la direction du monde matériel la main de la Providence est imprimée avec tant d’évidence, pourrait-elle abandonner au hasard le gouvernement bien supérieur des esprits? Le Seigneur aurait-il donné toute son attention à la nature morte, aux corps formés de poussière, aux choses passagères, pour abandonner au hasard la direction des âmes immortelles? Voici ce que nous répond le prophète: «Je sais, ô Seigneur, que la voie de l’homme n’est pas en son pouvoir, et qu’il n’est pas dans la puissance de l’homme de conduire ses œuvres et ses pas» (Jérémie 10, 23).	But, if in the direction of the material world the hand of Providence is so obviously imprinted, could it abandon at random the far superior government of the spirits? Would the Lord have given all his attention to still life, to bodies made of dust, to passing things, to abandon at random the guidance of immortal souls? Here is what the prophet answers us: “I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in his power, and that it is not in man’s power to direct his works and his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).
Dieu conduit tout. Mais l’esprit borné de l’homme ne saisit pas toujours les voies providentielles. En voyant, parfois, le pécheur jouir en paix des plus doux fruits de la terre, et le juste tremper son pain dans ses larmes, l’homme irréfléchi ne comprend pas que c’est encore la justice et l’amour que ta Providence met en œuvre, «Le fou ne sait pas, dit le roi-prophète, l’insensé ne comprend pas que si le méchant semble croître comme l’herbe, que si les auteurs du mal fleurissent, c’est pour tomber dans l’éternel abîme, tandis que le juste trouvera près de son Dieu une magnifique récompense» (Ps. 92, 7-8, 13).	God conducts all. But man’s narrow-minded spirit does not always grasp the ways of Providence. Seeing, at times, the sinner enjoying in peace the sweetest fruits of the earth, and the just man dipping his bread in his tears, the unthinking man does not understand that it is still justice and love that your Providence puts into action, “The fool does not know,” says the king-prophet, “the fool does not understand that if the wicked seem to grow like grass, that if the authors of evil flourish, it is to fall into the eternal abyss, while the righteous will find near his God a magnificent reward” (Psalms 92:7-8, 13).
Riches et pauvres ont leur compte inscrit au ciel. Dieu, devant qui est ouvert l’histoire du passé, devant qui est déroulé le livre de l’incommensurable avenir, et pour qui les siècles sont à peine des heures, connaît seul la source et l’enchaînement des milliers d’événements qui constituent les destinées humaines. Et vous, esprits faibles et présomptueux, vous qui possédez à peine l’instant actuel de la vie, comment pouvez-vous juger les voies dé la Providence? Comment un prisonnier qui ne verrait qu’un coin du ciel pourrait-il juger des beautés et de l’ensemble de l’univers?	Rich and poor have their accounts inscribed in heaven. God, before whom the history of the past is open, before whom the book of the immeasurable future is unfolded, and for whom the centuries are but hours, knows alone the source and the sequence of the thousands of events that make up human destinies. And you, weak and presumptuous spirits, you who barely possess the present moment of life, how can you judge the ways of Providence? How can a prisoner who sees only a corner of heaven judge the beauty of the entire universe?
Dieu conduit tout. Pourquoi donc agissez-vous comme si vous en doutiez? Pourquoi vous fiez-vous uniquement à votre propre force, à votre propre sagesse; et, quand le mal vous atteint ou que vos rêves satisfaits ne’vous laissent que déceptions, pourquoi murmurez-vous?	God conducts all. Why then do you act as if you doubt it? Why do you rely only on your own strength, on your own wisdom, and when evil reaches you or your happy dreams leave you disappointed, why do you murmur?
Dieu conduit tout. L’orgueil du riche se courbe soudain sous le faix de la pauvreté; l’orgueil des parents s’abîme souvent dans la tombe des enfants; la faveur élève subitement l’homme modeste; un bonheur inespéré vient raviver celui qui pliait naguère sous le poids du malheur.	God conducts all. The pride of the rich man suddenly bends under the weight of poverty; the pride of the parents often falls into the graves of their children; favour suddenly elevates the modest man; an unexpected happiness comes to revive him who was once under the weight of misfortune.
Dieu conduit tout. Ils le savaient bien, ces justes des temps anciens, nos pieux ancêtres, lorsqu’ils s’abandonnaient avec tant de confiance à la sagesse de la Providence. Dans toutes leurs entreprises, c’est sur ses bénédictions et non sur leurs propres forces qu’ils comptaient. Ontils été trompés dans leur confiance? Né voyons-nous pas le bras de Dieu qui dirige leur destinée et celle de leurs enfants? L’histoire des patriarches, de Joseph, de David, n’indique-t-elle pas à chaque page l’œil de la Providence? Et pour n’envisager que nous-mêmes, se passe-t-il un seul jour sans que nous ayons l’occasion de voir le doigt de Dieu empreint sur les destinées des familles?	God conducts all. They knew it well, those righteous people of ancient times, our pious ancestors, when they surrendered themselves so confidently to the wisdom of Providence. In all their endeavors, they relied on His blessings and not on their own strength. Were they deceived in their trust? Do we not see the arm of God directing their destiny and that of their children? Does not the story of the patriarchs, of Joseph, of David, indicate on every page the eye of Providence? And to consider only ourselves, is there a single day that passes without us having the opportunity to see the finger of God imprinted on the destinies of families?
Dieu conduit tout. Mûrissez vos projets, agissez avec prudence, invoquez votre sagesse, c’est votre devoir; mais Dieu seul pourra faire réussir vos désirs, car lui seul sait ce qui est pour votre bien, «Confie tes voies au Seigneur, fie-toi en lui et tu réussiras» (Ps. 37, 5). Semez donc courageusement la semence, mais n’attendez sa maturité que de celui qui peut seul la féconder! Agissez, travaillez , imposez-vous des soins pénibles, c’est la loi de Dieu, mais lui seul peut y joindre la bénédiction.	God conducts all. Maturity in your plans, prudence in your actions, and wisdom in your work; but only God can make your desires succeed, for only he knows what is for your good: “Trust in the Lord your ways, trust in him and you will succeed” (Psalms 37:5). Sow the seed bravely, then, but wait for its maturity only from the one who alone can make it fruitful! Act, work, impose on yourselves painful cares, this is God’s law, but only he can add blessing to it.
Dieu conduit tout avec justice. «Le droit et la justice sont les bases de son trône» (Ps. 89, 15).	God conducts all with justice. “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne” (Psalms 89:15).
Ames pieuses et croyantes, réjouissez-vous à ces paroles consolatrices, et toi, pécheur triomphant, songe à l’instant de leur accomplissemept; le monde peut ne pas voir de si tôt tes œuvres de méchanceté, de vengeance, de volupté , mais le jour de la divulgation arrivera et celui de la punition ne se fera pas attendre!	Pious and believing souls, rejoice at these consoling words, and you, the triumphant sinner, think of the moment of their fulfilment; the world may not see your works of wickedness, vengeance and lust so soon, but the day of revelation will come and the day of punishment will not be long in coming.
Humble israélite, justes de toutes les croyances, qui portez avec tant de résignation le poids des iniquités d’autrui, ce n’est pas en vain que votre père plein d’amour vous impose ce fardeau, il vous aidera à le porter; il vous éprouve dans la douleur; mais l’heure de la délivrance et de la récompense ne tardera pas à sonner, «Les âmes humbles se réjouiront dans le Seigneur et les pauvres parmi les hommes seront ravis dans le Saint d’Israël» (Isaïe 29, 19).	Humble Israelite, righteous of all faiths, who bear with such resignation the burden of the iniquities of others, it is not in vain that your loving father imposes this burden on you, he will help you to bear it; he tests you in pain; but the hour of deliverance and reward will not be long in coming, “Humble souls will rejoice in the Lord and the poor among men will be delighted in the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 29:19).
PRIÈRE.	Prayer
O Providence divine, je m’abandonne à toi sans réserve, je me jette avec confiance dans les bras de ta miséricorde; tu es mon Créateur, mon Dieu et mon Père; tu connais le néant d’où tu m’as tiré, le limon dont tu m’as formé, la fin à laquelle tu me destines, le chemin qui doit m’y conduire. Dispose donc de moi et agis selon ta volonté divine.	O Divine Providence, I surrender myself unreservedly to you, I confidently throw myself into the arms of your mercy; You are my Creator, my God and my Father. You know the nothingness from which you drew me, the silt from which you formed me, the end to which you have destined me, the path which must lead me there. Dispose of me, then, and act according to your divine will.
Quant à moi, ô Seigneur, je n’ai qu’une seule chose à faire à l’égard, de ta Providence: la reconnaître, l’adorer, m’y soumettre, la sanctifier par ma soumission et tout espérer de sa bonté. Puis-je mettre mon sort en meilleures mains qu’en celles du plus tendre des pères?	As for me, O Lord, I have only one thing to do with regard to your Providence: to recognize it, to adore it, to submit to it, to sanctify it by my submission and to hope for all of its goodness. Can I put my fate in better hands than those of the most tender of fathers?
PSAUME 121. — CANTIQUE POUR LA VEILLE DU SABBAT. Confiance dans Je secours de la Providence.	Psalms 121 — Hymn for the Sabbath Evening. Trust in the help of Providence.
Je lève les yeux vers les montagnes: D’où me viendra le secours? Mon secours viendra de l’Éternel Qui a fait le ciel et la terre. Il ne laissera point ton pied faiblir: Ton gardien ne sommeillera pas! Oh! non, il ne sommeille ni ne dort, Le gardien d’Israël. L’Éternel te garde, La droite de l’Éternel te protège. Le jour, le soleil ne te brûlera point, La fraîcheur de la lune ne l’atteindra pas la nuit. L’Éternel te préservera de tout mal, Il protégera ton âme. L’Éternel protégera ton départ et ton arrivée , Dès maintenant et à jamais.	I look up at the mountains: From where will my help come? My help will come from YHVH Who made the heavens and earth. He will not let your foot weaken: Thy keeper shall not slumber! Oh no, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, The keeper of Israel. The Lord is watching over you, The right hand of the Lord protects you. By day, the sun will not burn you, The coolness of the moon won’t reach him at night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil, It will protect your soul. The Lord will protect your going out and your coming in, Now and forever.
On dit aussi les psaumes 92 et 93.	Also say Psalms 92 and 93.