שִׂימוּ לֵב עַל הַנְּשָׁמָה לֶשֶׁם שְׁבוֹ וְאַחְלָמָה

וְאוֹרָה כְּאוֹר הַחַמָּה שִׁבְעָתַיִם כְּאוֹר בֹּקֶר

“Take heart. Pay heed to your own soul. Opal, amethyst, and gold,

As bright as is the sun's warm glow, far brighter than the morning.”

—“Odeh La-El” by R. Shma’ya Kosson

Simu Lev is a collection of traditional Middle Eastern and North African piyyutim (liturgical poems), centered around the theme of our inner spiritual lives and our relationship with the divine. As stated in the above excerpt from “Odeh La-El,” the music in this album calls its listeners to nourish the neshamah, the soul, and to tend the holy and precious inner workings of the human heart and consciousness. Literally meaning “place your heart,” Simu Lev also means, “pay attention” in modern Hebrew. By curating and presenting Mizrahi cultural heritage, which has often sat at the margins of American Jewish society, this album is indeed a call to pay attention – to recognize the diversity amongst our communities, and to embrace the deeply rooted, ornate, and beautiful Arab musical traditions that are so essential to the landscape of Jewish expression at large.

This album is the first release from Kedmah: The Rising Song Piyyut Project. Led by Rabbi Yosef Goldman (vocals) and Yoni Avi Battat (oud, violin, viola, vocals), Kedmah honors the artists’ Iraqi, Syrian, and Yemenite ancestry in conversation with their intersecting musical influences. Their interactive performances, workshops, and recordings allow listeners to experience the spiritual and emotional depth of Mizrahi piyyutim and the ages-old tradition of Arab melodies that adorn them. Building on the fragments of the Mizrahi musical traditions that they grew up with, Yoni and Yosef have made a concerted effort to reclaim the texts and melodies that brought meaning to the lives of their ancestors.

After years of musical hevruta and study with their cherished teacher Roni Ish-Ran, Yoni and Yosef founded Kedmah as a part of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. Part educational initiative, part performance group, the social and pedagogical impact of this project is strengthened by a commitment to musical creativity, historical accuracy, spirituality, and public performance at the highest level.

This recording features the Rising Song Institute’s founder and artistic director, Joey Weisenberg, on electric fretless bass along with Arabic percussion expert, April Centrone, on darbuka, riq, bendir, and drum kit. Yahala Lachmish, Anat Halevy Hochberg, and Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer contribute stunning vocal performances inspired by their own personal connection to this music and their Yemenite and Libyan ancestry.

Lyrics: Unknown

Music: Arab Classical Repertoire - Mawwashah “Yah Sahi As-Sabru”

Maqam: Nawa

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Master of all eternity, whose reign began

Before creation came to be

Ever since You formed all life in Your will

Every being sings Your praise

When all things will cease to be

You alone will remain

You were, You are

and You will exist in infinite splendor

You are One — there is no other

Matchless in your glory

With no beginning and never ending

Strength and dominion are Yours

Beyond imagination, beyond measure

Unchanging and beyond compare

Singular, utterly whole, and indivisible

wondrous in your might and power

You are my God, my living Redeemer

My Rock in times of distress

You are my banner, my refuge

My cup of sustenance when I cry out

You are the healer, and the remedy

You keep watch, You are my help

In Your hands, I entrust my spirit

As I sleep and when I awaken

With my breath, my soul resides

My Lord is with me, I shall not fear

In Your sanctuary, my soul will exult

For You will soon send our redeemer

Then we will sing in the holy abode

Amen, amen—the awesome Name

***

Adon Olam (Master of All Eternity) is one of the oldest known piyyutim, and is still used broadly in liturgy across Jewish communities. Beloved for centuries, it serves as a declaration of faith in the Creator of the world and expresses a sense of natural, emotional closeness to the Divine. Of unknown authorship, the poem first appeared in prayer books in the 13th Century. Its Arabic meter suggests it was composed during the Middle Ages, likely in Spain or Italy.

Adon Olam was traditionally recited on Yom Kippur eve during the Middle Ages and over time, it came to be used at various other times as well. It has become such a central piece of liturgy that many prayer books open the morning prayers with it, prompting Jews to recite it first thing in the morning before daybreak. Many Ashkenazi communities conclude the Friday evening prayer service with this poem. It is also recited in the middle of night on Shabbat in the baqashot service of multiple Sephardic communities. Its connection to the nighttime hours is evidenced by the line "In God’s hand I entrust my spirit at the time of sleep and I will awaken," which is also part of the bedtime Shema.

Kedmah’s recording includes 5 additional lines that may be unfamiliar to listeners who use Ashkenazi prayer books. These lines have appeared in Sephardic prayer books for hundreds of years, though they are likely a later addition to the piyyut and were not written by the original author.

This melody comes from the Arab mawashah repertoire - a composed vocal form based on an ancient Andalusian poetry tradition by the same name. This genre has developed an elaborate performance practice throughout the Arab world, and some of the melodies have continued to hold a place in Arab folklore, even today. This particular song يا صاح الصبر وهى مني (Ya Sahi as-Sabru Waha Minni) was recorded famously by the iconic Syrian master singer Sabah Fakhri. Our rendering takes inspiration from Fakhri, adapting the melodic structure to be more cyclical and conducive for group singing.

This melody has been used for generations by Middle Eastern Jews for a variety of liturgical texts besides Adon Olam - especially for Kabbalat Shabbat because it utilizes the maqam Nawa, which is the quintessential musical mode for Kabbalat Shabbat. Our teacher Roni reminds us this by cheekily referencing Psalm 93, the final words of Kabbalat Shabbat:

”עֵדֹתֶיךָ נֶאֶמְנוּ מְאֹד לְבֵיתְךָ נַאֲוָה־קֹדֶשׁ יהוה לְאֹרֶךְ יָמִים׃“

In doing so, he recontextualizes the word “naava” נַאֲוָה as the name of the maqam Nawa, with tongue in cheek, as if to say, “in Your abode, Nawa is sacred.” emphasizing the mode’s central place in the soundscape of our Friday night traditions.

Lyrics: Asher Mizrahi / אשר מזרחי (Sefaradi-Yerushalmi, 20th C.)

Music: Rahamim Amar / רחמים עמר (Sefaradi-Yerushalmi, 20th C.)

Maqam: Hijaz-Kar

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artist: Yahala Lachmish

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑑𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑖

𝐷𝑎𝑖 𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑎 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑝𝑎𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑖

𝐼𝑚 𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑎𝑡𝑖 ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑏𝑒’𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐻𝑎𝑟-𝑒𝑛𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑦𝑎𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐾𝑜ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑖 𝑦𝑎𝑘𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑢 𝑜𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑌𝑖𝑠𝑟𝑎-𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑓𝑡𝑎𝑖 𝑦𝑒𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑣𝑢 𝑏𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒’𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑚

𝑈𝑣𝑎ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑖 𝑦𝑖ℎ𝑖𝑦𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑚

𝐿𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑦𝑖𝑚 𝑦𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑚

𝐴𝑧 𝑡𝑖𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑖 𝑦𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑚

𝑅𝑎’𝑎𝑑𝑎ℎ 𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑧𝑒𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑖 𝑖𝑦𝑖𝑚

𝐾𝑖 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑘𝑒ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑘ℎ 𝑏𝑖𝑦𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑚

𝑀𝑎’𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑖 𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑦𝑖𝑡𝑛𝑢 𝑘ℎ𝑖𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑚

‘𝐴𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑖 𝑦𝑒ℎ𝑢𝑑𝑎 𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑖 𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑚

Please, through Your boundless grace, uplift me

for my soul has borne enough, enduring the reproach of my neighbors

If I find favor in Your eyes

May I live to see the rebuilding of Your sacred abode

Let my priests offer sacrifices on Your altar

While Israel gathers to bow in reverence.

May my judges sit again at the city gates

while my youth keep watch

And the Levites will sing You their songs

Then Your Name will be exalted by the righteous

Tremors will shake distant shores

For the Sovereign reigns in Jerusalem

Abundant delicacies shall be shared

Upon the hills of Judah and the mountains of Ephraim

***

“Ana B'hasdecha Teromemeni” is a cherished piyyut in the Sephardi-Yerushalmi tradition and is sung at various occasions, including at the Shabbat table on Friday nights. Penned by Asher Mizrahi, one of the greatest Sephardic Hazzanim and liturgical poets of the 20th century, it takes its inspiration from the text of the Musaf service on festivals, reflecting the profound longing for redemption and the restoration of Temple worship. A celebrated musician himself, hailing from Jerusalem and Tunisia, Asher Mizrahi concludes the composition with a distinctive signature in the line:

מַעֲדַנֵּי אָשֵׁר יִתְּנוּ כִפְלַיִם

Abundant delicacies shall be shared

By reinterpreting the word אָשֵׁר asher (that) as the name of the author this line can be reinterpreted as “Asher’s delights with be offered in abundance.”

The melody for the piyyut was crafted by Rahamim Amar, known for his contributions to several other renowned piyyutim attributed to Asher Mizrahi, such as “Nagilah Halleluyah,” “Havivi, Ya Havivi,” and “Lamoledet Shuvi Roni.” Amar’s setting shows a 20th-century global sensibility, utilizing maqam Hijaz-Kar, which is common in Turkey, but also hints towards musical modes found in the Balkans, Greece, and even as far as Eastern Europe. But lest we start hearing this melody in the context of these other musical traditions, Amar utilizes a short modulation to maqam Bayati towards the end of the form, which cements the piece solidly in the Arab maqam tradition. Paired with simple yet stirring lyrics, the song has become a beloved part of the repertoire of diverse Jewish communities in Israel.

Lyrics: Psalm 59:17-18, Job 38:7

Music: Improvisation by Yosef Goldman

Maqamat: Hijaz-Kar, Nahawand, Bayati, Saba

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artist: Yosef Goldman

𝑉𝑎-𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟 ‘𝑢𝑧𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑣𝑎-𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑛

𝑉𝑎-𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑛 𝑙𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑑𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐾𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑡𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑔𝑎𝑣 𝑙𝑖

𝑈𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑚 𝑠𝑎𝑟 𝑙𝑖

‘𝑈𝑧𝑖 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑎

𝐾𝑖 𝑒𝑙𝑜ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑔𝑎𝑏𝑖 𝑒𝑙𝑜ℎ𝑒𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑑𝑖

𝐵𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑘𝑜𝑘ℎ𝑣𝑒𝑖 𝑣𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟

𝑉𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑢 𝑘𝑜𝑙 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑖 𝐸𝑙𝑜ℎ𝑖𝑚

I will sing of Your strength

Yes, I extol each morning Your steadfast love

for You have been my haven

a refuge in my time of trouble

O my strength, to You I will sing praise

for You, O God, are my haven, the God who shows me steadfast love

When the morning stars sang together

And all the divine beings shot for joy

***

The singing of baqashot (petitions) is a cherished devotional tradition of Jewish communities across the Sepahrdic and Mizrahi world. In the darker months between Sukkot and Pesah, Jews gather every Shabbat in the synagogue, singing piyyutim from midnight until dawn, the time of the Shabbat morning prayers. Community members of all ages assemble for this mystical practice; illustrious hazzanim, lay singers, adults and children, offer improvised solos and join together in thick heterophony. Even as the weather grows cold outside, the synagogue is full of warmth and excitement, with warm drinks served.

This tradition evolved out of the practice of individuals saying petitionary prayers at home before dawn. The origins are obscure, though it appears that the practice developed in earnest in Al-Andalus, with the rise of Kabbalah. It was at this time that the piyyutim of the baqashot first appeared in prayer books in Spain.

Though the practice among Syrian Jews seems to go back some 500 years, it wasn’t until in the 16th century, within the Kabbalistic circles of Safed, that Shirat Habaqashot (the singing of baqashot) gained momentum and earned a place of honor. With the dissemination of the Kabbalistic teachings of Isaac Luria and his students, Shirat Habaqashot reached the wider Sephardic and Mizrahi world including communities in the Middle East such as Iraq, around the Mediterranean Basin, including in Morocco and Tunisia in the Maghreb, in Turkey and Greece, and even in Sephardic communities in Western Europe such as Amsterdam.

Many of the piyyutim of the baqashot come from the heartfelt writings of late medieval Spanish poets—including Solomon ibn Gabirol, Abraham ibn Ezra, Moses ibn Ezra, and Yehuda Halevi—while other pieces are esoteric chants of the Kabbalistic masters of Safed and Eretz Yisrael, such as the great Rabbi Israel Najara. As this practice traveled through different regions it weaved its way through diverse cultures. Distinct baqashot traditions began to develop, absorbing local customs, melodies, and practices, even adding newly written texts that enriched its repertoire and expanded its spiritual significance. Shirat Habaqashot, with all its variations, embodied the collective soulful yearnings of the Jewish people.

By the 20th century, baqashot had become a widespread Jewish practice. The tradition continues today, though only in a handful of communities around the world. ‘Ades Synagogue, in the Nahlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem, is renowned as a hub for Syrian Hazzanut. It is one of only two synagogues in the city to hold regular baqashot on Shabbat (and the gatherings are usually packed). Only a couple of other Syrian communities around the world maintain the practice, in Brooklyn, New York and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Throughout the Syrian Baqashot, the codified progression of piyyutim is interspersed with short collections of verses called petihot, literally “openings.” These words are intended to be sung as a mawwal (soloistic vocal improvisation) that prepares the ears of the community for the maqam of the upcoming piyyut. Normally, this particular petihah would bridge from the piyyut Ashir ‘Oz El Lev Hoker, in maqam ‘Ajam, to Odeh La-El in maqam Saba. Though less traditional, we’ve adapted our approach to modulate from the maqam Hijaz-Kar of Ana B’Hasdekha, the previous song of this album to maqam Saba of Odeh La-El, the next song. The text of this petihah is an interstitial reference to the gathering itself—the midnight session of praise to the divine.

Lyrics: R. Shma’ya Kassin / ר׳ שמעיה קוסון (Algeria, 16th C.)

Music: Traditional Syrian

Maqam: Saba

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat and Yosef Goldman

Translation: Adapted from R. Adam Zagaria-Moffet

I thank the One

who probes the heart –

As stars, in unison,

sing praise the morning

Pay heed to the soul;

As precious as jacinth, agate and amethyst.

As bright as is the sun’s glow,

seven-fold brighter than the morning!

It is hewn from the Heavenly throne,

In the wilderness it dwells.

Seeking deliverance from burning flames–

Illuminating the way toward morning.

Arise each night;

As your soul ascends on high,

accounting for its deeds,

before the Maker of night and morning.

If it is found sanctified,

with mitsvoṭ and merits;

It is like a bride adorned.

Each day, morning after morning.

They is a faithful guardian,

who willingly returns the deposit.

No one need die for one’s sin,

in the night before the morning.

Let us revive the poor one;

An innocent and pure soul.

If the soul has not yet renewed,

How can it attain the light of the morning?

May we merit,

This year to behold Their beauty!

In joy and not anger

Hear my voice in the morning.

***

Odeh La-El (also known as Simu Lev ‘Al Haneshamah) is one of the central piyyutim in Syrian baqashot. (It is also sung on Shabbat afternoon by Hasidim.) It is a profound reflection on the human soul and its divine origin. Despite scant information about the author, the piyyut's enduring resonance lies in its timeless message urging individuals to recognize the intrinsic value of their souls and to nurture them accordingly. Chanting this piyyut in darkness highlights the juxtaposition to the physical light of day and the light of the soul that is not visible to the eye.

The opening line, “Beron Yahad Kokhvei Boker” (lit. “When the morning stars sang together”) evokes the imagery of dawn and the beginning of a new day. This symbolism reinforces the piyyut's emphasis on awakening to spiritual consciousness and embracing the opportunities for renewal and transformation that each new day brings. It also resonates with the overtones of the Talmudic passage (Hullin 91b) which imagines that the ministering angels refrain from offering their praise at dawn above until the Jewish people (who are compared to the stars of the sky) have recited their song below, as it is stated in Job: “When the morning stars sang together and all the divine beings shout for joy.” That verse leads directly into the following piyyut, Odeh La-El, which quotes the verse and then concludes each verse with the word “boker” (morning).

Musically, this piyyut utilizes maqam Saba, a musical mode whose character is other-worldly and dense. In this melody, group singing is interspersed with semi-improvised solos that follow some specific conventions in their melodic contour. During the Baqashot, young boys would often be called upon to sing these solos off-the-cuff, a true rite of passage as keepers of this precious musical tradition.

Lyrics: Yosef Sittehon / יוסף סתהון (Syria, 19th C.)

Music: Traditional Syrian (Aleppo)

Maqam: Bayati

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat and Yosef Goldman

Translation: Yosef Goldman

𝐴𝑛𝑖 𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑣ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑎-𝐸𝑙 𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑟

𝐴𝑘𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑖𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑠𝑏𝑎 𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑑𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑘𝑒𝑟

𝑌𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑜ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑢 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑖𝑙 𝑧𝑒ℎ 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑜𝑑𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑢

𝑁𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑚 𝑘𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑓𝑎𝑟 𝑘𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑢 𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑖𝑘𝑟𝑎 𝑦𝑎’𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑢

𝑈𝑠ℎ𝑚𝑜𝑟 𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑏𝑎𝑡 𝑘𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑜 𝑣𝑒𝑡𝑎’𝑎𝑛𝑢𝑔 𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑎 𝑜𝑡𝑜

𝐾𝑖 𝑘𝑜𝑑𝑒𝑠ℎ ℎ𝑢 𝑣𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑖𝑏𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑎𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑟 𝑧𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑜

𝑆𝑎’𝑎𝑑𝑢 𝑣𝑜 𝑒𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑣𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑙𝑜 𝑡𝑎’𝑎𝑠𝑢 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑘ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚

𝑈𝑣𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑔𝑎𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑘𝑖 𝑣𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑡 𝐸𝑙𝑜ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚

𝑃𝑖𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑦𝑒ℎ𝑔𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡 ‘𝑜𝑧 𝑘𝑖 ℎ𝑜𝑘ℎ𝑚𝑎 𝑙𝑒-𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑚 𝑡𝑎’𝑜𝑧

𝑈𝑣𝑦𝑎ℎ 𝑧𝑖𝑚𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑣𝑎’𝑜𝑧 𝑘𝑖 ℎ𝑢 𝑙𝑎-𝑒𝑣𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑚 𝑚𝑎’𝑜𝑧

𝐻𝑎𝑧𝑒𝑘 𝑎𝑛𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑖 𝑘𝑒ℎ𝑎𝑙 𝑠𝑜𝑣𝑎 𝑦𝑖𝑡’𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑢 𝑏𝑖𝑟𝑣𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑣𝑎ℎ

𝑉𝑒’𝑜𝑑 𝑦𝑒𝑛𝑢𝑣𝑢𝑛 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑎 ‘𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑣𝑎ℎ 𝑢𝑟ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑎ℎ

I will call out at dawn,

In the Halls of the Divine I will visit

With morning prayers, I will begin my approach.

I will be sustained by God’s steadfast love

in the morning

On this sacred Sabbath night,

we beseech our God,

Like the shofar, we will lift our voices,

and on the day we call, You will answer

Observe the Sabbath according to its ordinances and delight in it,

For it is holy, and honor it by refraining from speaking idle words.

Nourish your hearts in it, refrain from your labors, Both you and your household,

for on this day your God rested.

Let your mouths meditate on the Torah,

your might, for its wisdom is fortifying.

And in Yah, let your song and strength be found, for God is a fortress for those in need.

Empower the people of the Soba community

to revel in abundant goodness

And may they continue to flourish in contentment upon the fertile and expansive land

***

This text was written specifically for the baqashot prayers in the community of Aram-Soba, the Hebrew biblical name used by Jews for the city of Aleppo in Northern Syria. Jewish tradition traces the community's origins to the time of Joab ben Seruiah, who, during King David's reign, conquered the city and erected the great synagogue.

The poet places Shabbat and its laws, the study of Torah, and the commandments at the center of the piyyut. He calls on his community to praise and glorify the Almighty, and from God, he requests that his community be graced with kindness and goodness.

The music utilizes a rhythmic meter that naturally flows from the text, though it doesn’t conform to the most common iqa’at (rhythmic cycles) of Arab music. Since this music developed as an unaccompanied singing tradition, the beat was imposed only more recently in history while adding instruments. The resulting sub-division of the 11/8 meter harkens to folk melodies in the country-side of Lebanon and Syria.

Lyrics: R. Yisrael Najara / ר׳ ישראל נג'ארה (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Traditional Iraqi

Maqam: Bayati

Arrangement: Yosef Goldman

Translation: Yosef Goldman

𝑌𝑎’𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑠ℎ ‘𝑎𝑙 𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑎ℎ 𝑘ℎ𝑎-𝑙𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑎ℎ

‘𝐴𝑟𝑣𝑢 𝑙𝑖 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑖 ℎ𝑒𝑔𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑝𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑙𝑖 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑟 𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑎ℎ

‘𝐴𝑡𝑎 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑘ℎ 𝑧𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑖 𝑣𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ ‘𝑒𝑑𝑛𝑎ℎ

𝑆ℎ𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑎𝑔𝑑𝑖𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑠𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑟𝑎’𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑎ℎ

𝑆𝑎𝑣𝑎’𝑎𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑑 𝑏𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑢𝑣𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑑𝑏𝑎𝑟 𝑚𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑛 𝑜𝑟𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑚

𝐻𝑢𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑛𝑢ℎ𝑜𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑎-𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑢𝑚𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑘𝑒𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑣𝑡𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑚

𝐴𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑦𝑎𝑡𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑎 𝑣𝑒𝑖𝑛 ℎ𝑎ℎ𝑜ℎ𝑖𝑚

𝐻𝑖𝑘ℎ-𝑖𝑣𝑢𝑘ℎ ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑣𝑢𝑘ℎ 𝑙𝑎’𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑖𝑘𝑜𝑙 ‘𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑢𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ

𝑅𝑎-𝑜ℎ 𝑟𝑎-𝑖𝑡𝑖 𝑑𝑖𝑚’𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ ‘𝑎𝑙 𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑘ℎ𝑎ℎ

𝐴’𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑜𝑟 𝑒𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑔𝑎𝑚 𝑙𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑣𝑟𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑎𝑟𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑎ℎ

𝑌𝑒𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑖𝑘𝑣𝑎ℎ 𝑙𝑒-𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑣𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑢 𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚 𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑙𝑢𝑘ℎ𝑎ℎ

𝑉𝑒𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑟𝑖𝑚 𝑟𝑎’𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑦𝑖ℎ𝑖𝑦𝑢 𝑚𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑙 𝑢𝑠ℎ𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑎ℎ

Honeycomb upon your tongue

Resplendent as the glowing moon

Sing for me your sweet musings

Burst forth in joyful song

Now, I declare, is your time,

After your long endurance, an era of respite;

you will again know pleasure.

Dear lily, I will magnify your joy.

My lily, refreshed and invigorated.

You have had your fill of wandering among the nations,

sleeping in wayfarers’ lodging

Far from easeful resting places and secure dwellings.

My beloved among the maidens, like a lily amidst thorns.

They pained you! They ensnared you,

To afflict you, from every angle and corner.

Yes, I have seen your tears; they have streamed down your face.

I will bind your wounds and heal your broken parts.

There is hope for your future; your children will return to lead in their land.

Your oppressors, who eagerly await your downfall,

will themselves become a byword and a taunt.

***

Attributed to Rabbi Yisrael Najara, a renowned poet and kabbalist of the 16th-17th centuries who lived in Safed, Damascus, and Gaza, Ya’arat Devash holds a significant place within the Jewish liturgical tradition of Babylon and North Africa. The melody we recorded had all but been forgotten until the renowned Iraqi payytan Moshe Habusha learned it from elders who had preserved its transmission. In the past couple of decades, the poem, along with this melody, has become one of the most beloved and well-known piyyutim of the past decades in Israel.

Inspired by the poetic richness of the Song of Songs, Najara's composition beautifully depicts the enduring love between the people of Israel and the Divine. Throughout the verses, God expresses deep love and reassures the beloved people solace and redemption, end to their trials, and a lasting reunion, promising, “I will never abandon you.”

Lyrics: R. Yisrael Najara / ר׳ ישראל נג'ארה (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Ezra Aharon / עזרא אהרון (Jerusalem, 20th C.)

Maqam: Bayati

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat, Yosef Goldman, and Joey Weisenberg

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artists: Yosef Goldman and Yahala Lachmish

𝑌𝑎’𝑎𝑙𝑎ℎ 𝑦𝑎’𝑎𝑙𝑎ℎ 𝑏𝑜-𝑖 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖 ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑠 𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑜𝑛 𝑔𝑎𝑚 𝑝𝑎𝑟ℎ𝑎ℎ 𝑔𝑎𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑖

𝑌𝑎𝑣𝑜 𝑑𝑜𝑑𝑖 𝑦𝑎ℎ𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑠𝑒’𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑣 𝑣𝑒𝑦𝑜𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑙 𝑒𝑡 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖 𝑚𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑣

𝐼𝑚 𝑦𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑑𝑖 𝑎𝑟𝑘ℎ𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑑𝑎𝑣 𝑒𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑦𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑑𝑎ℎ 𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑣 ‘𝑎𝑙 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑖

𝑆ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑖 𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑖 𝑎𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑡 𝑎ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑎ℎ 𝑠ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑖 𝑎𝑡 𝑣𝑎-𝑎𝑛𝑖 𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑢𝑣𝑎ℎ

𝐻𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑖 𝑧𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑡 𝑘𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑣𝑎 𝑘𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑜𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑚𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑖

𝑅𝑒’𝑖 𝑑𝑜𝑑𝑖 𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑝𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ 𝑢𝑙𝑣𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑒-𝑎𝑧 𝑜𝑡𝑖 𝑘𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ

‘𝐴𝑡𝑎 𝑙𝑖 𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑚 𝑧𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑎ℎ 𝑣𝑒-𝑒𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑑 𝑘𝑖 𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑖

𝐻𝑖𝑧𝑘𝑖 𝑟𝑎’𝑦𝑎 ℎ𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑘𝑒𝑦𝑒𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑣 𝑘𝑖 𝑠𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑖𝑠ℎ’𝑖 𝑟𝑎’𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑛 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑜𝑣

𝑈𝑙𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑡 𝑣𝑒-𝑒ℎ𝑡𝑜𝑣 𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑙𝑎ℎ 𝑙𝑎𝑘ℎ 𝑒𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖

Come, my doe, come to my garden

The pomegranates bloom, and my vines are flowering

Come, my beloved, hasten your steps

and taste the choicest fruits

If my lover’s wanderings are prolonged?

I cannot bear to sit alone in my place any longer.

Return to me, beloved one

Return to me, and I too will return

Behold, I hold this writ as proof

That I will make my home with you

My friend, my lover,

you have redeemed my soul

Long ago, you took me as your bride

But now? You have scattered me

among the nations!

How can you claim to love me?

Be strengthened, my beloved, the words of your mouth are like the finest wine

For the bud of my salvation is fresh and moist

Your enemies I will cut down and destroy

And swiftly I will send you my deputy

***

Ya'alah Ya'alah (Bo'i LeGanni) is a piyyut by poet and kabbalist Rabbi Israel Najara (16th C.). It is a love song between a lover and beloved (called here a ya’alah - an ibex or doe) inspired by the metaphor of the love between God and the people of Israel in the Song of Songs. The poem contains many allusions to the verses from Song of Songs and preserves the sense of both playfulness and longing felt in that book.

In our rendition, Yosef and Yahala trade verses to reflect how the song’s stanzas alternate between the voices of the gendered lovers, masculine and feminine. It opens with each calling on the other to return to them before focusing on the rupture, dislocation, and suffering of exile; the song concludes with the groom promising to send his “deputy,” the Messiah.

This piyyut is popular and beloved among all Mizrahi Jewish communities. It is regularly sung on Friday nights at the Shabbat table and on other joyous occasions, including celebrating the birth of a daughter or a Bat Mitzvah. The Jewish community of Morocco customarily recites this piyyut during the baqashot of Shabbat Parashat Bo.

Ya’alah Ya’alah is sung to countless different melodies from the Maghreb (Western Arab world) and Mashriq (Eastern Arab world), both old and new. We chose to use a melody by Iraqi-born composer, Ezra Aharon. Aharon was celebrated as one of the greatest musicians and composers of Iraq in the 20th Century, representing Iraq and winning an award for his oud playing at the first International Congress of Oriental Music in Cairo in 1932. After emigrating to Israel, he went on to found the renowned orchestra of the Israel Broadcast Authority’s Arabic Language radio station Kol Yisra-el B’Aravit (The Voice of Israel in Arabic). His contributions to the development of Arab music and culture as well as Mizrahi prayer music are immeasurable.

Lyrics: Elazar Azikri / אלעזר אזכרי (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Improvisation by Yahala Lachmish

Nuba: Al-Istihlal (Nuba is the system of musical modes in Morocco. A loose equivalent of maqam in other parts of the Arab world.)

Featured Artist: Yahala Lachmish

𝑁𝑎𝑓𝑠ℎ𝑖 ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡 𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑘ℎ

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝐸𝑙 𝑛𝑎 𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑎 𝑛𝑎 𝑙𝑎

My God, my God

My soul is love sick for you

Pleas​​​e My God, please heal her

***

In her musical introduction to the next song, Yahala Lachmish begins יה אלי יה אלי “Ya Eli, ya Eli” (My God, my God) a Jewish variation on the iconic Arabic يا ليلي يا ليلي “Ya laili, ya laili” (My night, my night) which is used pervasively in Arab music as the words sung during a mawwal (vocal improvisation). After this, she continues with a short excerpt from the upcoming song, Yedid Nefesh, lines that we didn’t use in our recording.

נַפְשִׁי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָתָךְ.

אָנָּא אֵל, נָא, רְפָא נָא לָהּ

My soul is love sick for you.

Pleas​​​e My God, please heal her,

In choosing these words, Yahala is emphasizing the need for healing in our world, and the importance of love as a first step toward true healing.

Lyrics: Elazar Azikri / אלעזר אזכרי (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Traditional Moroccan

Nuba: Al-Istihlal

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat and Yahala Lachmish

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artist: Yahala Lachmish

Beloved of my soul, merciful Parent

Draw Your servant close to fulfill Your will

Your servant would run swift as a gazelle

to kneel before Your splendor

For Your companion​ship is sweeter

than honey nectar and any delicacy

Lover please, reveal Yourself

Spread over me the shelter of Your peace

Illuminate the world with Your glorious Presence

We will be celebrate and rejoice in you

Be quick, my lover, for the time has come

For Your everlasting grace

***

Yedid Nefesh is a love song to the divine attributed to the 16th-century kabbalist Rabbi Elazar Azikri in Safed. It quickly became a staple in Jewish prayer across various communities. In Ashkenazi tradition, it's sung as the opening of Shabbat prayers, before Kabbalat Shabbat. In many communities it is sung in the waning hours of Shabbat at the Third Meal, while Sephardic communities include it in baqashot, before Shabbat morning prayers.

In his work Sefer Charedim, Rabbi Azikri describes the desired depth of love for God as akin to a lover calling his beloved “nafshi,” my soul. The mystics, consumed with their love for God, speak in the language of desire and eternal longing, as reflected in Yedid Nefesh. The first letters of each stanza in Yedid Nefesh spell the ineffable four-letter name of God. The author is lovesick, “nafshi cholat ahavatach,” (my soul is sick with love for You) and can only be healed in the light of the Beloved. Yet, the desire is never quenched. Rabbi Ruth Gan Kagan writes, “The coveted closeness to God is always touch and let go, ratzo vashov, running and returning. The mystic cannot live without the yearning. There is no settling down. There may be a happy union on Shabbat but then, on Saturday night, the closeness weakens – again, the Divine grace dims and the yearning returns. There are still two more verses to this poem and they are full of longing for Divine revelation and ge-ulah – redemption.”

Due to its widespread dissemination, several variants and copy mistakes have appeared. The version we sing is the original, as preserved in the author’s handwritten manuscript found in the archives of the Jewish Theological Seminary in America.

This winding melody comes from the Moroccan baqashot tradition, which in contrast to the fixed Syrian baqashot repertoire, has different texts and melodies for each week of the winter months. The melodies are grouped by nuba, the musical modal system of Morocco, with each Torah portion corresponding to a musical mode that is, in turn, used for that week’s singing of baqashot. This particular melody is used only for the Shabbatot when we read the Torah portions of Vayehi and Shemot. It features call and response, with instrumental answers and a shifting rhythmic feel. In our rendition, we added an additional rhythmic shift that isn’t found in the source recordings we heard of this melody. This traditional Moroccan chaabi groove ends the song with celebration.

With the singular call and group response, you’ll hear Yahala and the whole group sing different existing versions of the closing line: Yalaha sings “ve-honeni” (“have mercy on me”), while the group sings “ve-honenu” (“have mercy on us”).

Lyrics: R. Zekharia Alchahari / זכריה אלצ'אהרי (Yemen, 16th C.)

Music: Traditional Yemenite

Maqamat: Hijaz, Bayati

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat and Yosef Goldman

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artists: Anat Halevy Hochberg, Yosef Goldman, Yahala Lachmish

𝐾𝑖𝑟𝑖𝑦𝑎ℎ 𝑦𝑒𝑓𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑦𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑜𝑠 𝑙𝑒’𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

‘𝐼𝑟 𝑛𝑒-𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎ℎ 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝑌𝑜𝑚 𝑒𝑧𝑘𝑒𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑦𝑖𝑓’𝑎𝑡 𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑎𝑡 𝑠𝑒𝑣𝑎-𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝐿𝑎𝑘ℎ 𝑘𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑎ℎ 𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑘𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝑀𝑖 𝑦𝑖𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑛𝑖 𝑛𝑎 𝑎’𝑢𝑓 𝑘𝑒𝑚𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑚

𝐸𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑘 𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑎ℎ𝑜𝑛 ‘𝑎𝑓𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝐿𝑜 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑘𝑒𝑡𝑎 𝑛𝑎𝑓𝑠ℎ𝑖 𝑚𝑖𝑦𝑜𝑚 𝑛𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑑 𝑟𝑎’𝑦𝑎ℎ

𝑀𝑖𝑦𝑜𝑚 𝑔𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑡 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑚 𝑚𝑖𝑏𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝐴𝑝𝑖𝑙 𝑡𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑖 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑖 𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑛 ‘𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑚

𝑌𝑎𝑘𝑖𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑒’𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑦𝑖𝑣𝑛𝑒ℎ 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

𝐴𝑧 𝑡𝑖𝑠𝑚𝑒ℎ𝑖 𝑙𝑎’𝑎𝑑 𝑢𝑣𝑒𝑡𝑎ℎ 𝑡𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑣𝑖

𝑌𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑣 𝑠ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑜𝑚 𝑏𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ 𝑚𝑖𝑘𝑜𝑙 ‘𝑎𝑣𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑘ℎ

Beautiful city, delight of all cities,

You are steadfast, a city loyal to your sovereign and nobles.

As I recall you in your glory, the humming of assembled throngs,

my soul aches, it longs for you, to dwell within your courtyards.

Oh, that I could fly like a dove!

I would kiss your stones, cherish your dust.

My soul has not known peace since the day the lover was sent wandering,

Since the exile of children from your midst.

I will pour out my pleas before the Eternal Lord,

to raise your gates, rebuild your sanctuaries.

Then you will rejoice forever, abide securely,

And your children will know a lasting peace, beyond what you have ever known.

***

A poem of deep yearning for Jerusalem, Kiryah Yefefiah was written by Rabbi Zekhariah al-Chahari, a prominent 16th-century Yemeni traveler who ventured to the Land of Israel. It is uncertain whether this poem was composed before his visit there, but perhaps there's solace in knowing that he, at least, did live to see the object of his dreams. The poem is inspired in its substance and structure by another great poem of longing for Zion, “Tzion, Ha-lo Tish’ali,” by Rabbi Yehudah Ha-Levi, the renowned poet who sought so dearly to reach the Land of Israel and may have actually arrived there before his death.

In our recording, we showcase two of the most famous melodies for this text, both from the community of Sana’a, Yemen. The first, though meandering and arhythmic in feel, is a codified melody that would traditionally be chanted in unison with large groups of singers. The second employs a typical Yemenite dance rhythm that has a characteristic swing and stumble. The use of a large metal oil can is in line with the way folkloric Yemenite music is often performed in modern day, offering a sound color that distinguishes this track amongst the others in the album.

Lyrics: R. Yisrael Najara / ר׳ ישראל נג'ארה (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Mordechai Khalfon / מרדכי כלפון (Israel, 20th C.)

Maqam: Rast

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat

Translation: Yosef Goldman

Featured Artists: Yosef Goldman, Yahala Lachmish, Yoni Avi Battat

Yah, Eternal Sovereign of all realms,

Supreme Ruler, above all rulers.

Of Your mighty works and wonders,

It is lovely to sing before You.

Morning and evening, I will praise

You, Holy God Who created all life:

Heavenly spirits and humankind,

Beasts of the field, birds of the sky.

Great are Your deeds and mighty,

Humbling the haughty, lifting the meek;

Were mortals to live even a thousand years,

It would still not suffice to recount Your strength.

Return to Your sanctuary, Your most holy abode

To that place where all souls will rejoice;

They will sing to You sweet melodies

and whisper words of praise

In Jerusalem, the City of Beauty.

***

Written in Aramaic by R’ Yisrael Najara (Kabbalast and poet, 16th century Safed), Yah Ribon ‘Alam marvels at the wonders of the Eternal One and creation. Filled with love and poignant longing, it has become one of the most central and beloved songs for Shabbat across the Jewish world. The piyyut is typically sung by Ashekazi Jews at the first meal of Shabbat, on Friday nights, while Sephardi Jews typically sing it as part of the baqashot. Though it contains no overt references to the celebration of Sabbath, the poem befits the focus of the day, praising the wonders of creation and imploring God for redemption and the rebuilding of “the city of beauty,” Jerusalem.

Yah Ribon was written in the Arab mawashah poetic form and was originally sung to a now-forgotten Arab melody. Since then, the piyyut has been adapted to countless melodies, ranging from ancient melodies to modern compositions.

The melody we recorded was composed by Mordekhai Khalfon, an Israeli musician of Moroccan descent. Khalfon was a preeminent composer, oud player, and cantor in the Sephardi-Yerushalmi musical tradition. Khalfon belonged to a small group of composers from this tradition who shaped 20th century Israeli liturgical music, alongside notable figures such as Rahamim Amar, Ezra Aharon, Moshe Nissan, and Yitzhak Levy. His works continue to be integral to Israeli sacred music.

His settings of prayers, Psalms, the Song of Songs, and piyyutim by Sephardic Jewish poets, were widely performed by choirs, cantors, and singers. Khalfon’s cantorial work was distinguished by his mastery of the maqam tradition. Students and admirers would gather weekly to hear his prayers, renowned for their intricate improvisations and masterful modulations between maqamat.

Khalfon’s ornate melody for Yah Ribon ‘Alam utilizes maqam Rast, with a Suznak modulation in the verse. Like the Saba melody for Odeh La-El, this melody also offers opportunities in each verse for a soloist to improvise within a set structure. Over the years, these conventions have been expanded by creative paytanim, like Moshe Habusha, whose improvisational ideas were so inventive and appealing that they have become a part of the collective tradition of the song. In our arrangement, we planned out the maqam modulations for each solo, introducing them first with an instrumental line under a held vocal note, then making space for the soloist to explore that modulation further.

Lyrics: R. Yisrael Najara / ר׳ ישראל נג'ארה (Safed, 16th C.)

Music: Traditional Iraqi

Maqam: Bayati

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat

Translation: Piyut North America, adapted by Yosef Goldman

Featured Artist: Yosef Goldman

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐸𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑖𝑚𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑈𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝑌𝑎ℎ 𝑘𝑒𝑣𝑜𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎 ‘𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑚 𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒ℎ

𝐴𝑡𝑎 ℎ𝑎-𝐸𝑙 ‘𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑓𝑒𝑙𝑒

𝐼𝑚 𝑙𝑎𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑚 𝑒’𝑒𝑙𝑒

𝑆ℎ𝑎𝑚 𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑎 𝑜𝑟𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑦𝑖𝑧𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝑆ℎ𝑎ℎ𝑎𝑘 𝑙𝑜 𝑦𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎𝑙𝑘𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑉𝑒-𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑙𝑜 𝑡𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑀𝑖 𝑦𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑙 𝑟𝑎𝑣 𝑔𝑎𝑑𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐿𝑢 𝑓𝑖𝑣 𝑘𝑎𝑦𝑎𝑚 𝑏𝑒𝑘𝑜𝑙 𝑦𝑖𝑠𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐸𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑖𝑚𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑈𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐸𝑠𝑎𝑘 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑚 𝑜𝑟𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴𝑠𝑖’𝑎ℎ 𝑠ℎ𝑒-𝑜𝑙 ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑡 𝑦𝑎𝑚 𝑔𝑎𝑚 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑚 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑇𝑖𝑘𝑎ℎ𝑒𝑛𝑖 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑖 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐿𝑎𝑘ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑒𝑖𝑛 𝑙𝑖 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑠 𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑘ℎ

𝑈𝑣𝑒ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑘ℎ 𝑎𝑣𝑜 𝑏𝑒𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑘ℎ

𝑉𝑒-𝑒𝑘𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑎𝑘ℎ

𝑇𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑖 𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑣𝑎-𝑜𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐸𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑖𝑚𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑈𝑣𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ 𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑢ℎ𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝐴𝑛𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑛𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ

𝐸𝑣𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝑚𝑖𝑚𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑒𝑙𝑒𝑘ℎ𝑎

𝑈𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑒𝑙 𝑦𝑎𝑑𝑘ℎ𝑎 𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑙 𝑒𝑓𝑟𝑎ℎ

Where can I run from Your spirit?

Where can I flee from Your presence?

I would only flee from You to You

And again thrive in the shade You cast.

Yah, your presence fills the world.

You are the God of wonders.

If I could scale the heavens' heights,

I would find Your brightest splendor.

And yet the sky is too small for You.

The earth too cramped a space.

No tongue can tell your greatness,

Though Its voice boomed like the waves.

When I soar, it's to Your light,

And in the depths, You're there.

Across the sea, Your long arm's reach

Can pluck me from afar.

***

Ana Elekh is a complex and profound love poem to God in the Iraqi tradition written by the 16th century mystic and poet, Rabbi Yisrael Najara. The piyyut expands on Psalm 139 which asserts that God is present everywhere, from the depths of the earth to the highest heavens, and knows even our innermost thoughts. The piyyut utilizes imagery from the psalm to describe a journey akin to that of the Prophet Jonah who, overwhelmed by God’s omniscience and omnipresence, flees, only to find that even in the farthest reaches, God is there with him.

There are times when we seek to escape God’s presence out of a sense of shame, when we want to avoid self-revelation at any costs, when the last thing we want is to be seen and known, even if our wellbeing and salvation depend on it. In these moments, it can be a source of profound comfort that, even in our darkest places, while we still hide from God’s presence, that even in those places, we are not alone.

This simple Bayati melody has a repeating structure and ethos that suggests that it may be hundreds of years old, with origins in what is now known as Iraq. Within the confines of a melody that spans only five notes lies so much possibility for expression, ornamentation and adaptation. As the piece goes on, we indulge the temptation to bring the music into a modern setting, allowing this ecstatic and devotional song to cry out with full power.

Lyrics: R. Avraham Ibn Ezra / ר׳ אברהם אבן עזרא (Spain, 12th C.)

Music: Traditional Turkish Folk Songs “Kadifeden Kesesi” and “Ben Bu Dağın Ağacıyam”

Maqam: Husseini

Arrangement: Yoni Avi Battat and Yosef Goldman

Translation: Yosef Goldman

I will extol your Great Name,

God of all souls,

And I will thank You with great reverence and awe.

As I stand amidst Your assembly,

my Rock, in exaltation,

To You, I will kneel,

humbling head and body.

The lofty heavens – did God not stretch them forth with a word?

And the earth, established upon nothingness!

Can any mortal unravel the mystery of our Creator, the One Who spans the farthest reaches of East and West?

God is praised by every tongue and mouth,

For God’s miraculous deeds and boundless wisdom.

May God be exalted among the holy and lofty nation,

And may the Great Name be sanctified throughout the world!

***

Agadelkha, a piyyut written by Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra, is an expression of faith, humility, and reverence. Originally composed as a “reshut,” an introduction to the recitation of the Kaddish preceding the morning Shema blessings, over time, it has transcended its original purpose and is now used in various contexts.

The piyyut describes the awe and reverence felt in standing before God, struggling to comprehend the vastness and greatness of the divine. Knowing that human language will always fall short in describing the Infinite, the poet still exults in offering praise to the Creator. The poem concludes by paraphrasing the Kaddish, praying that God's name be magnified and sanctified.

Agadelkha is sung in various melodies across Jewish communities. We recorded a setting of two melodies from the Urfalim community — Jews from Urfa in south-eastern Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. The first melody is Kadifeden Kesesi, a popular traditional Turkish folk song of unknown origin that also exists in Greek and Ladino versions. The slow section at the end is derived from a different folk melody, Ben Bu Dağın Ağacıyam. Roni Ishran, who taught us this melody, sings the chorus with the original Turkish lyrics. In our adaptation, we chose to sing אֲגַדֶּלְךָ וְאוֹדֶךָ “I will extol You and thank You” joyously emphasizing the expression of gratitude in this piyyut.