אַתָּה־הוּא וְאָז יָשִׁיר (מקוצר)‏ | Atah Hu and a condensed Az Yashir, adapted and translated by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi

Source Link: https://opensiddur.org/?p=21013

Date: 2018-08-04

Last Updated: 2025-04-11

Categories: Shirat ha-Yam

Tags: Atah Hu, devotional interpretation, interpretive translation, Neḥemyah, Song of the Sea, אז ישיר Az Yashir, פיוטים piyyuṭim, פסוקי דזמרה pesuqei dezimrah, שירת הים Shirat haYam

Excerpt: Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his translation of נחמיה ט׃ו-י (Neḥemyah 9:6-10) in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). . . .

Content:

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אַתָּה־ה֣וּא יְהוָה֮ לְבַדֶּךָ֒ את [אַתָּ֣ה] עָשִׂ֡יתָ אֶֽת־הַשָּׁמַיִם֩ שְׁמֵ֨י הַשָּׁמַ֜יִם וְכָל־צְבָאָ֗ם (נחמיה ט:ו חלק)	You, Yah, You, alone have made the heavens, The heavens beyond our heaven, All those that serve you there.[1] Neḥemyah 9:6 partial
הָאָ֜רֶץ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֤ר עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ הַיַּמִּים֙ וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּהֶ֔ם וְאַתָּ֖ה מְחַיֶּ֣ה אֶת־כֻּלָּ֑ם וּצְבָ֥א הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לְךָ֥ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִֽים׃ (נחמיה ט:ו חלק)	Earth and all that is on her; The oceans, and all That they contain. The host of heaven bow to you, And you infuse them all with Life.[2] Neḥemyah 9:6 partial
	[here give Tsedakah]
אַתָּה־הוּא֙ יְהוָ֣ה הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר בָּחַ֙רְתָּ֙ בְּאַבְרָ֔ם וְהוֹצֵאת֖וֹ מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֑ים וְשַׂ֥מְתָּ שְּׁמ֖וֹ אַבְרָהָֽם׃ וּמָצָ֣אתָ אֶת־לְבָבוֹ֮ נֶאֱמָ֣ן לְפָנֶיךָ֒ וְכָר֨וֹת עִמּ֜וֹ הַבְּרִ֗ית לָתֵ֡ת אֶת־אֶרֶץ֩ הַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י הַחִתִּ֜י הָאֱמֹרִ֧י וְהַפְּרִזִּ֛י וְהַיְבוּסִ֥י וְהַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֖י לָתֵ֣ת לְזַרְע֑וֹ וַתָּ֙קֶם֙ אֶת־דְּבָרֶ֔יךָ כִּ֥י צַדִּ֖יק אָֽתָּה׃ (נחמיה ט:ז-ח)	You chose Avram. You brought him out of Ur, Of the Chaldees. You named him Av-raham, And found his heart To be trustworthy enough, To make a covenant with him.[3] Neḥemyah 9:7-8
כְּהַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (נחמיה ט:י חלק) וַיַּ֨רְא יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַיָּ֣ד הַגְּדֹלָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם (שמות יד:לא חלק)	On the day, when you saved us,[4] Cf. end of Neḥemyah 9:10  Avraham’s children, from Mitsrayim, We saw how you dealt With Mitsrayim, With superior force.[5] Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial
וַיִּֽירְא֥וּ הָעָ֖ם אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיַּֽאֲמִ֙ינוּ֙ בַּֽיהוָ֔ה וּבְמֹשֶׁ֖ה עַבְדּֽוֹ׃ (שמות יד:לא חלק)	We, the people, saw it, And we put our faith in You, Yah, And in Moshe, your servant.[6] Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial
אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ (שמות טו:א חלק) וַיַּֽאֲמִ֙ינוּ֙ בַּֽיהוָ֔ה (שמות יד:לא חלק) תְּבִאֵ֗מוֹ וְתִטָּעֵ֙מוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר נַחֲלָֽתְךָ֔ מָכ֧וֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛ פָּעַ֖לְתָּ יְהוָ֑ה מִקְּדָ֕שׁ אֲדֹנָ֖י כּוֹנְנ֥וּ יָדֶֽיךָ׃ (שמות טו:יז)	We sang then the great song.[7] Cf. Exodus 15:1  And placed our trust in You,[8] Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial  To bring us, plant us, On the mountain sacred to You, The Place You established, To reside there, the sanctuary, That Your hands had set up for us.[9] Exodus 15:17 partial
יְהוָ֥ה ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ (שמות טו:יח) יְהוָ֥ה ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃	Yah, will reign there always.[10] Exodus 15:18  Yah, will reign there always.
בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֗וּא יִהְיֶ֧ה יְהוָ֛ה אֶחָ֖ד וּשְׁמ֥וֹ אֶחָֽד׃ (זכריה יד:ט)	On that day, Yah will be One. And, His Name, will be One.[11] Zekharyah 14:9

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Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, z”l, included his adaptation of the liturgy for Az Yashir (Exodus 14:31, Exodus 15:1-18) with its verses of introduction from Neḥemyah 9:6-10 and its culminating verse from Zekharyah 14:9, in his Siddur Tehillat Hashem Yidaber Pi (2009). To the best of my ability, I have set his English translation side-by-side with these verses in Hebrew from Exodus and Neḥemyah. I have replaced anglicizations and removed capitalization for divine pronouns. –Aharon N. Varady

Source(s)

Notes

Notes

1	Neḥemyah 9:6 partial
2	Neḥemyah 9:6 partial
3	Neḥemyah 9:7-8
4	Cf. end of Neḥemyah 9:10
5	Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial
6	Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial
7	Cf. Exodus 15:1
8	Cf. Exodus 14:31 partial
9	Exodus 15:17 partial
10	Exodus 15:18
11	Zekharyah 14:9

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: Unknown
  Bio: Sometimes the best we can do in attributing a historical work is to indicate the period and place it was written, the first prayer book it may have been printed in, or the archival collection in which the manuscript was found. We invite the public to help to attribute all works to their original composers. If you know something not mentioned in the commentary offered, please leave a comment or contact us.
  Website:
  Profile Link: https://opensiddur.org/profile/unknown

Featured Image:

Title: Moorish synagogue tile with Atah (Morocco, ca. 18th c.)
Caption: Blue and white synagogue tile decorated with Moorish arch and floral motif and inscribed with the Hebrew word אתה “atah” (you), Morocco, 18th century. This tile is most likely from one of the four imperial cities: Fez, Meknes, Marrakesh, or Rabat. Original record notes that this tile came from a Moroccan synagogue. Possibly from the formula “barukh atah bevo’echa uvarukh ata btsetekha” (ברוך אתה בבואך וברוך אתה בצאתך), Deuteronomy 28:6; cf. tiled inscriptions in Lazama synagogue, Marrakech. (From the Magnes Museum collection, Tile [77-275].)