יָהּ אֶכְסוֹף נוֹעַם שַׁבָּת | Yah Ekhsof No'am Shabbat, a Shabbes hymn by Reb Aharon of Karlin (interpretive translation by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=29329

Date: 2020-01-19

Last Updated: 2024-12-17

Categories: Se'udat Leil Shabbat

Tags: 18th century C.E., 56th century A.M., Ḥasidic, hymns, זמירות zemirot, יה אכסוף Yah Ekhsof

Excerpt: An interpretive translation of the shabbes hymn, Yah Ekhsof. . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
יָהּ אֶכְסוֹף נוֹעַם שַׁבָּת הֵמֵתְאֶמֶת וּמִתְאַחֶדֶת בְסְגֻלָתֶךָ, מְשֹׁךְ נֹעַם יִרְאָתֶךָ לְעַם מְבַקְשֵׁי רְצוֹנֶךָ. קַדְשֵׁם בִּקְדֻשַּׁת הַשַּׁבָּת הַמִּתְאַחֶדֶת בְּתוֹרָתֶךָ. פְּתַח לָהֶם נֹעַם וְרָצוֹן לִפְתּוֹחַ שַׁעֲרֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ.	Yah! How I long for the bliss of the Shabbat, united in secret with your own fervent wish. Give way to your own deep desire to love us. May Sabbath in Torah be our sacred bliss. Share Her with us who desire to please you — Our deep thirst for union be met with delight
הָיָה הֹוֶה שְׁמוֹר שׁוֹמְרֵי וּמְצַפִּים שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ. כְּמוֹ אַיָּל תַעֲרֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם, כֵּן נַפְשָׁם תַּעֲרֹג לְקַבֵּל נֹעַם קְדוּשָׁת שַׁבָּת הַמִּתְאַחֶדֶת בְּשֵׁם קָדְשֶׁךָ. הַצֵּל מְאַחֲרֵי לִפְרשׁ מִן הַשַּׁבָּת, לְבִלְתִּי תִּהְיֶה סָגוּר מֵהֶם. שִׁשָּׁה יָמִים הַמְקַבְּלִים קְדֻשָּׁה מִשַּׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ, וְטַהֵר לִבָּם בֶּאֱמֶת וּבֶאֱמוּנָה לְעָבְדֶּךָ.	Holy Presence filling all time and space! Keep safe who keep Shabbat in their longing all week. Like a deer that seeks water by the banks of the river, We seek Shabbat, the secret of your sacred Name! Grant us all week long Her shimmering Presence, So our hearts and our faith be pure service to you!
וְיִהְיוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ מִתְגּוֹלְלִים עַל עַם קָדְשֶׁךָ, לְהַשְׁקוֹת צְמֵאֵי חַסְדֶּךָ	Warmly embrace us with your kind compassion, Quench quickly our thirst for your unending Grace.
מִנָּהָר הַיּוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן. לְעַטֵר אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּתִפְאֶרֶת הַמְפָאֲרִים אוֹתְךָ (בְּיוֹם שַׁבָּת) עַל יְדֵי שַׁבַּת קָדְשֶׁךָ.	Give us the bliss drink from Eden’s own river. Your praises we sing with joy on our face.
כָּל שִׁשָּׁה יָמִים לְהַנְחִילָם נַחֲלַת יַעֲקֹב בְּחִירֶךָ.	Let Yaaqov’s gift to us — echo all week long Infusing our lives with a Shabbes-f​illed trace.
הַשַּׁבָּת נוֹעַם הַנְּשָׁמוֹת, וְהַשְּׁבִיעִי עֹנֶג הָרוּחוֹת וְעֵדֶן הַנְּפָשׁוֹת, לְהִתְעַדֵּן בְּאַהֲבָתֶךָ וּבְיִרְאָתֶךָ, שַׁבָּת קֹדֶשׁ נַפְשִׁי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָתֶךָ, שַׁבָּת קוֹדֶשׁ נַפְשׁוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּצֵל כְּנָפֶיךָ יֶחֱסָיוּן, יִרְוְיֻן מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ.	Hail Shabbat, delight of our souls and our Spirits. Ecstasy life-throb am awed by your love, Secure that your caring grants safety and nurture — You feed us sweet nectar from your Source above. As you embrace us with mothering comfort — In you I take refuge and pledge you my love.

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This “praying translation” of the shabbes hymn Yah Ekhsof by Reb Aharon of Karlin is included in Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi’s Sabbath Supplement to his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi ~ As I Can Say It (for Praying in the Vernacular) (2009). There, Reb Zalman describes his translation as composed “after the Shabbat Hymn by Reb Ahron of Karlin, The Great.”

Source(s)

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Contributor: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (translation)
  Bio: Rabbi Dr. Zalman Meshullam Schachter-Shalomi, affectionately known as "Reb Zalman" (28 August 1924 – 3 July 2014) was one of the founders of the Jewish Renewal movement. Born in Żółkiew, Poland (now Ukraine) and raised in Vienna, he was interned in detention camps under the Vichy Regime but managed to flee the Nazi advance, emigrating to the United States in 1941. He was ordained as an Orthodox rabbi in 1947 within the ḤaBaD Hasidic movement while under the leadership of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn, and served ḤaBaD communities in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He subsequently earned an M.A. in psychology of religion at Boston University, and a doctorate from the Hebrew Union College. He was initially sent out to speak on college campuses by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but in the early 1960s, after experimenting with "the sacramental value of lysergic acid", the main ingredient in LSD, leadership within ḤaBaD circles cut ties with him. He continued teaching the Torah of Ḥassidut until the end of his life to creative, free and open-minded Jewish thinkers with humility and kindness and established warm ecumenical ties as well. In September 2009, he became the first contributor of a siddur to the Open Siddur Project database of Jewish liturgy and related work. Reb Zalman supported the Open Siddur Project telling its founder, "this is what I've been looking forward to!" and sharing among many additional works of liturgy, an interview he had with Havurah magazine in the early to mid-1980s detailing his vision of "Database Davenen." The Open Siddur Project is proud to be realizing one of Reb Zalman's long held dreams.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zalman_Schachter-Shalomi
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/zalman-schachter-shalomi-translation
• 
  Name: Aharon ben Yaakov Perlov of Karlin
  Bio: Aharon ben Yaakov Perlov of Karlin (1736-1772) known among Ḥasidim as Rabbi Aharon the Great, or simply as the "Preacher" or "Censor" was one of the early great rabbis of the sect who helped the rapid spread of Ḥasidism in Eastern Europe, and was distinguished for the fiery eloquence of his exhortations. He died one year before his master, the great Rabbi Baer of Mezrich, and was succeeded by his disciple, Rabbi Shlomo of Karlin.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aharon_of_Karlin_(I)
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-ben-yaakov-perlov
• 
  Name: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)
  Bio: Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)
  Website: https://aharon.varady.net
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-varady-transcription

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Title: Mule Deer in Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah
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