for Your just rules.
as I meditate on Your promise.
neither slumbers nor sleeps!
מַעֲשֶׂה בְרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְרַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָה וְרַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְרַבִּי טַרְפוֹן שֶׁהָיוּ מְסֻבִּין בִּבְנֵי־בְרַק וְהָיוּ מְסַפְּרִים בִּיצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם כָּל־אוֹתוֹ הַלַּיְלָה, עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ תַלְמִידֵיהֶם וְאָמְרוּ לָהֶם רַבּוֹתֵינוּ הִגִּיעַ זְמַן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע שֶׁל שַׁחֲרִית.
מַעֲשֶׁה ONCE,
Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria
and Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Tarfon
reclined [for the seder] in Benei Brak.
And they told of the Exodus from Egypt all that night;
until their students came in and said,
“Teachers –
the time for saying the Shema of the morning has come.”
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן־עֲזַרְיָה הֲרֵי אֲנִי כְּבֶן שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְלֹא זָכִיתִי שֶׁתֵּאָמֵר יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם בַּלֵּילוֹת עַד שֶׁדְּרָשָׁהּ בֶּן זוֹמָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר, לְמַעַן תִּזְכֹּר אֶת יוֹם צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ הַיָּמִים. כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ הַלֵּילוֹת. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה. כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ לְהָבִיא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ:
Rabbi Elazar ben Azaria said:
I am almost seventy years old,
and never have I merited to find the command
to speak of the Exodus from Egypt at night –
until Ben Zoma interpreted:
It is written,
“SO THAT YOU REMEMBER
THE DAY OF YOUR EXODUS FROM EGYPT
ALL THE DAYS OF YOUR LIFE.”
“The days of your life” would mean in the days;
“all the days of your life” includes the nights.
But the sages say,
“The days of your life” would mean only in this world;
“all the days of your life” brings in the time of the Messiah.
בליל רִאשון אומרים:
וּבְכֵן וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
אָז רוֹב נִסִּים הִפְלֵאתָ בַּלַּיְלָה, בְּרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמוֹרֶת זֶה הַלַּיְלָה.
גֵר צֶדֶק נִצַּחְתּוֹ כְּנֶחֶלַק לוֹ לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
דַּנְתָּ מֶלֶךְ גְּרָר בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה, הִפְחַדְתָּ אֲרַמִּי בְּאֶמֶשׁ לַיְלָה.
וַיָּשַׂר יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמַלְאָךְ וַיּוּכַל לוֹ לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
זֶרַע בְּכוֹרֵי פַתְרוֹס מָחַצְתָּ בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה, חֵילָם לֹא מָצְאוּ בְּקוּמָם בַּלַּיְלָה, טִיסַת נְגִיד חֲרֹשֶׁת סִלִּיתָ בְּכוֹכְבֵי לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
יָעַץ מְחָרֵף לְנוֹפֵף אִוּוּי, הוֹבַשְׁתָּ פְגָרָיו בַּלַּיְלָה, כָּרַע בֵּל וּמַצָּבוֹ בְּאִישׁוֹן לַיְלָה, לְאִישׁ חֲמוּדוֹת נִגְלָה רָז חֲזוֹת לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
מִשְׁתַּכֵּר בִּכְלֵי קֹדֶשׁ נֶהֱרַג בּוֹ בַלַּיְלָה, נוֹשַׁע מִבּוֹר אֲרָיוֹת פּוֹתֵר בִּעֲתוּתֵי לַיְלָה, שִׂנְאָה נָטַר אֲגָגִי וְכָתַב סְפָרִים בַּלַּיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
עוֹרַרְתָּ נִצְחֲךָ עָלָיו בְּנֶדֶד שְׁנַת לַיְלָה. פּוּרָה תִדְרוֹךְ לְשׁוֹמֵר מַה מִּלַיְלָה, צָרַח כַּשּׁוֹמֵר וְשָׂח אָתָא בֹקֶר וְגַם לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
קָרֵב יוֹם אֲשֶׁר הוּא לֹא יוֹם וְלֹא לַיְלָה, רָם הוֹדַע כִּי לְךָ הַיּוֹם אַף לְךָ הַלַּיְלָה, שׁוֹמְרִים הַפְקֵד לְעִירְךָ כָּל הַיּוֹם וְכָל הַלַּיְלָה, תָּאִיר כְּאוֹר יוֹם חֶשְׁכַּת לַיְלָה, וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה.
Outside Israel, this poem is recited on the first night of the festival only.
וּבְכֵן וַיְהִי בַּחֲצִי הַלַּיְלָה AND so – IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
Many were the miracles You performed long ago, at night.
At the beginning of the watch, on this night,
You won [Abraham]’s battle, when [his men were] split, and the night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
You judged the king of Gerar in his dream at night.
You put dread into [Laban] the Aramean’s heart that night.
And Israel struggled with an angel and overcame him at night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
You crushed the firstborns of Patros [Egypt] in the middle of the night.
They could not find their strength, when they rose up
[against Israel] at night.
You flung [Sisera] the commander of Haroshet
off course with the stars of night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
[Sennacherib] the blasphemer thought to raise his hand
against the beloved [city]; but You dried up the bodies
of his fallen in the night.
You overthrew Bel, idol and pedestal together, in the dead of night.
To [Daniel] the beloved man were revealed
the secrets of that vision of the night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
[Belshazzar], who drank himself merry
from the holy vessels, was killed on that same night.
[Daniel] was brought out unharmed from the
lions’ den; he who had explained those terrors of the night.
[Haman] the Agagite bore his hatred and wrote his orders at night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
You awakened Your might against him, disturbing
[King Ahashverosh’s] sleep at night.
You shall tread the winepress of [Se’ir],
who asks anxiously, “What of the night?”
You will cry out like the watchman, calling,
“Morning is come, and also night”
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.
Draw near the day that will be neither day nor night.
Highest One, make known that day is Yours and also night.
Appoint watchmen [to guard] Your city all day long and all night,
Light up like daylight the darkness of night
IT HAPPENED AT MIDNIGHT.