| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
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אֵלֶֽיךָ אֶקְרָא יָהּ אֵל נוֹרָא
תִּפְקֹד גֶּֽפֶן שֶׁהָעַמִּים זֵרוּהָ אֵל נוֹרָא |
To you I call out, Yahh, awesome Él:
Remember the vine the nations have scattered, Awesome Él. |
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שַׁוְעָתָהּ תְּקַבֵּל אֵל שׁוֹכֵן מְרוֹמִים
וּתְחַדֵּשׁ שַׁחְרוּתָהּ לָעַד וּלְעוֹלָמִים הַֽלְעוֹלָם תִּזְנַח עַמְּךָ נֶאֱנָח צוֹעֵק מִבּוֹר לֹא מָצָא עֶזְרָה אֵל נוֹרָא אֵלֶֽיךָ אֶקְרָא יָהּ אֵל נוֹרָא |
Let Yisrael’s plea be accepted, by the One who dwells on high.
Let her youthfulness be renewed forever; Shall your sighing people be rejected forever? Crying out from the depths, is there no help, awesome Él? To you I call out, Yahh, awesome Él: |
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לְחַם אֶת הָאוֹיֵב כִּי יָדוֹ גָבְרָה
אָכַל אֶת פִּרְיָהּ וְעוֹד יָדוֹ לֹא קָצְרָה שְׁלַח בּוֹ חֵמָה זַעַם וּנְקָמָה יֹאמְרוּ הָעַמִּים שִׁמְךָ נִקְרָא אֵל נוֹרָא אֵלֶֽיךָ אֶקְרָא יָהּ אֵל נוֹרָא |
They will defeat the enemy, Their hand ascendant;
For they consume Yisrael’s fruit and are not weakened. Send forth against them with anger, wrath and retribution, so that the nations call you “Awesome Él.” To you I call out, Yahh, awesome Él: |
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מָרוֹם זְכָר נָא בְּרִית אִישׁ חֲלוֹם חָלַם
הַרְבֵּה אֶת זַרְעוֹ וְתֶן לוֹ שְׁלוֹם עוֹלָם נָא רְצֵה גִזְעוֹ וְחֹן אֶת זַרְעוֹ עַד מָתַי יִהְיֶה שֶׂה פְזוּרָה אֵל נוֹרָא אֵלֶֽיךָ אֶקְרָא יָהּ אֵל נוֹרָא |
Exalted: remember the covenant made with the one who dreamed a dream.[1] i.e., Yaaqov.
Increase his offspring and grant him endless peace. Accept his people and grant favour to their progeny. How long must they be a lamb gone astray, awesome Él? To you I call out, Yahh, awesome Él: |
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הֵידָד יִהְיֶה יוֹם בּוֹ מִקְדָּשְׁךָ יִתְכּוֹנַן
יָרֹנּוּ כֻלָּם כִּי שָׁכַן בּוֹ הֶעָנָן וְשִׁיר וּמִזְמוֹר לְפָנָיו נִגְמוֹר כִּי יָֽדְךָ עַל הָעוֹלָם גָּבְרָה אֵל נוֹרָא אֵלֶֽיךָ אֶקְרָא יָהּ אֵל נוֹרָא |
May the day be soon when your Temple is rebuilt–
the people will rejoice when your presence dwells in it. They shall recite a song and a psalm before you. For you shall prevail over the world, awesome Él. To you I call out, Yahh, awesome Él: |
“Élekha Ekra Yahh Él Nora” was written by שלמה זריהן (Shlomoh Zrihen), a Maghrébi sage and son of the chief rabbi of Marrakesh. This piyyut became a common feature of many celebrations among different North African Jewish cultures (Berber, Tunisian, Moroccan, Algerian, etc.) and is often sung at səmaḥot (festive occasions.) Further details on the song and its composer, the date of its composition, etc., are lacking. If you know more, please contact us or leave a comment below.
Source(s)
Notes
| 1 | i.e., Yaaqov. |
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