בָּאנוּ חֹשֶׁךְ לְגָרֵשׁ | Banu Ḥoshekh l’Garesh (We come to chase the dark away), by Sara Levi-Tanai (1960)

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=1658

Date: 2010-12-08

Last Updated: 2025-04-11

Categories: Ḥanukkah, the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere (21 December)

Tags: 20th century C.E., 58th century A.M., באנו חשך לגרש banu ḥoshekh l'garesh, זמירות zemirot, ישראל Yisrael

Excerpt: In 1960, the Publishing House of the Composers' League in cooperation with the Center for Culture and Education (בית הוצאה של איגוד הקומפוזיטורים בשיתוף עם המרכז לתרבות ולחינוך), published the songbook זמר־חן (Zemer Ḥén), containing the now popular Ḥanukkah song and melody "Banu Ḥoshekh l'Garesh" (p. 49), originally simply titled "Ḥanukkah" by Sara Levi-Tanaiׁ (1910-2005). . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
בָּאנוּ חֹשֶׁךְ לְגָרֵשׁ.‏ בְּיָדֵינוּ אוֹר וַאֵשׁ.‏ כׇּל אֶחָד הוּא אוֹר קָטָן,‏ וְכֻלָּנוּ – אוֹר אֵיתָן.‏ סוּרָה חֹשֶׁךְ! הָלְאָה שְׁחוֹר!‏ סוּרָה מִפְּנֵי הָאוֹר!‏	We come to chase the dark away. In our hands are light and fire. Each individual light is small, But together – the light is mighty. Flee, darkness and night! Flee, before the light!

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In 1960, the Publishing House of the Composers’ League in cooperation with the Center for Culture and Education (בית הוצאה של איגוד הקומפוזיטורים בשיתוף עם המרכז לתרבות ולחינוך), published the songbook זמר־חן (Zemer Ḥén), containing the now popular Ḥanukkah song and melody “Banu Ḥoshekh l’Garesh” (p. 49), originally simply titled “Ḥanukkah” by Sara Levi-Tanaiׁ (1910-2005). Because it was initially published as a government publication of the Center for Culture and Education, an Israeli state agency, the work is in the Public Domain in the United States. (Additionally, more than fifty years have passed since its initial publication — the term of copyright for the State of Israel under the 1994 Uruguay Round Agreement Act.)

Source(s)

 

Contributor: Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Co-authors:

• 
  Name: Sara Levi-Tanai
  Bio: Sara Levi-Tanai (Hebrew: שרה לוי-תנאי‎‎; c. 1910 – 3 October 2005) was an Israeli choreographer and song writer. She was the founder and artistic director of the Inbal Dance Theater and recipient of the Israel Prize in dance in 1973.
  Website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sara_Levi-Tanai
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/sara-levi-tanai
• 
  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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