Mi Shebeirach in Alex Berko’s Sacred Place

Mi Shebeirach in Alex Berko’s Sacred Place

I am grateful that Alex Berko’s Sacred Place has recently come to my attention due to a recent performance in Denver. I was unable to attend the performance, however, and this comment is not meant to reflect at all on the piece as a whole or on the musical aspect—just on the text and credit for Part IV and the background of the text used in this section. The text set by Berko as well as background information is found here: https://www.alexberko.com/sacred-place

Alex Berko credits the text of Part IV of his Sacred Place “Mi Shebeirach” (“May the One who blessed”) as coming from the Old Testament. However, the words of this movement are not Biblical at all, but rather adapted from a song by the late Debbie Friedman (1951-2011), with words by Debbie Friedman and Drora Setel.

Mi Shebeirach is the name of a prayer for health and healing found in most traditional prayerbooks as part of the Torah Reading section of the Jewish Sabbath morning services, that begnes with these two words. In less traditional congregations, this may be the only use of this formula; in the traditional Jewish prayer book, the words Mi Shebeirach begin a number prayers for other contexts as well: to seek blessings for the congregation as a whole (possibly the original usage of this formula), for someone called to the Torah and more. In practice, some versions of the Mi Shebeirach liturgy embody the expectation that the beneficiary or those praying on her or his behalf make gifts of charity.

In the American Reform movement, however, the prayerbook introduced in the 1970s and used in the 1980s and beyond (Gates of Prayer) had no Mi Shebeirach for healing, or any other version of this liturgy.

Friedman and Setel wrote the lyrics for Mi Shebeirach in 1987. Rabbi Setel recounted the story behind the lyrics in the Forward in 2011. The idea was to create a song that would resonate with the traditional Mi Shebeirach but reflect on what might be an appropriate prayer for someone who was not going to survive their illness, and to create gender balance. An important impetus for crafting this prayer was the AIDS crisis; at that time the first treatments were only beginning to emerge and the disease was almost always a death sentence. Rabbi Setel’s essay is worth reading: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/58727?lang=bi. and here: https://forward.com/opinion/134774/debbie-friedman-s-healing-prayer/

Friedman’s Mi Shebeirach quickly became popular in many Jewish circles, often replacing or supplementing the traditional Mi Shebeirach text in synagogues which recited it, and leading to its introduction in synagogues that had not had the practice for decades, if ever.

As noted, the text is not from the Hebrew Bible, indeed, no part of the text is a reworking of a Biblical text. Some of the language is found in the Talmud, the Prayer Book, or other post-biblical sources. The phrase Refu’ah Sheleimah “complete healing,” found in the Friedman song, is preserved in the wording of Sacred Place, indeed, repeated several times. This phrase occurs in one of the paragraphs of the traditional weekday Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish worship service (Amidah means “standing”), which is recited three times a day in traditional Judaism. The prayer for health in the Amida precedes the Mi Shebeirach by centuries. Moreover, Refu’ah shelemah is often said to a person suffering from an illness even outside the liturgical context.

The Friedman/Setel text begins with Mi Shebeirach Avoteinu “May the One who blessed our ancestors;” as in the traditional text. Avoteinu is often used as inclusive-gendered “ancestors” but the literal meaning of avoteinu is “fathers” so they added Mekor ha-beracha le’imoteinu “The Source of blessing for our Mothers.” They switched the Divine referents in the second half of the prayer (Translation: “May the One who blessed our Mothers, Source of Blessings for our Fathers”). This original Hebrew wording is not included in Sacred Place; the English wording “Source of Strength,” which begins this Part in Sacred Place is a rough translation. Rabbi Setel relates that the wording Mekor ha-beracha “Source of Blessing” was specifically taken from the Sabbath hymn Lecha Dodi (16th century), where the source of blessing refers to the Sabbath itself, not to the Deity. Lecha Dodi was written in a Kabbalistic environment; clearly the Sabbath is a source of blessing to the other days of the week, but I am not sure I fully understand the Kabbalistic notions involved.

Kudos to Berko for using the Jewish prayer service as the inspiration and ordering principle for his composition. Berko, who grew up in a Jewish setting, has also adapted a verse from Exodus well known in Jewish prayer services in his composition Exodus. The other sections of Sacred Place do not use materials from the Jewish tradition although two of them are named for sections of the Jewish morning and evening services. Interestingly, in Sacred Place the “Amida” section precedes the “Shema” section. In Jewish morning and evening services in synagogues, even the most Reform or non-traditional, the Amidah (“Standing”) almost always comes after the Shema (Hear!), as it does, for example in the Bloch Sacred Service. I am not sure that any analogy makes sense, but it strikes me as akin to having the Sanctus or Credo precede the Gloria, which certainly might be acceptable in a work not meant for a divine service, or even based on the traditional text of the Mass, but would nevertheless appear to be strange to those familiar with the traditional Mass even if it might not be recognized as such by those with only a passing knowledge of it–of course a consideration irrelevant to the current context.

I wonder whether Berko’s Mi Shebeirach may be used in synagogues (or in worship for other faith communities) as a prayer for health and healing, or as a stand alone concert piece. I wonder whether Mr. Berko could adapt the piece to add the Hebrew!

My musings should be understood within the context of congratulations to Berko for his piece, and enthusiasm for ecological framework. I also believe that some who perform or hear the piece may find the additional background about the text set in Part IV to be of critical interest.

Seth Ward

An Outline of the Traditional Haggadah

OUTLINE OF THE HAGGADAH

The traditional Passover Seder is organized according to a mnemonic poem usually known by its first two words “Kadesh ur’chatz” often ascribed to the “School of Rashi (d. 1105). These words are given in capital letters in this Outline. Most of the words of this poem refer to individual mitzvot or berachot. However, the Four Cups are not mentioned, since they would have been obvious to many when the poem was written, even if that might be less true today. The Four Cups come after KIDDUSH, MAGGID, BAREKH and HALLEL. I’ve added some notesto help guide you to the traditional observances.

Seth Ward

1.KADESH

Recite the Kiddush

2-3-4. URCHATZ, KARPAS, YACHATZ

Wash, without a blessing, distribute a vegetable, (often parsley or celery, sometimes potatoes) dipped in salt water. Split off a piece of matzah. This creates the “bread of affliction” – and also symbolically prepares the Matzah that now takes the place of the ancient Passover offering.

5. MAGGID

This section is “telling the story” although the Haggadah ritual has a number of ways of doing this. Formally speaking, it has an introduction; two versions of “Shame to Praise” with various other stories and passages; the retelling of the story in Midrashic form, based on Deut. 26; Rabban Gamaliel’s requirement to pronounce the names of the traditional items that used to be part of the ceremony when the Temple was standing; and a conclusion.

I. Introduction

1. 1. Ha Lachma Anya “Behold the Bread of Affliction”
   2. Mah Nishtana

Three Biblical verses refer to children asking questions relating to the Passover ritual, with words such as “your child shall ask you on that day, saying…” A fourth verse refers to telling children about Passover. This motif is taken up by the “Four sons” section, mentioned below. The recitation of the Haggadah and all its rituals is preceded by questions, traditionally asked by the youngest child in the room. Technically, the Maggid section is a response to the questions asked by children, or telling them about Passover even if they do not ask.

II. “Begin with Shame and end with Praise”

The Rabbis said the way to tell the story is to start with shame and end with praise and gave two alternates for what the “shame to praise” was. This is a reminder that, built in to our very fiber, the Jewish people is aware of multiple ways of telling the same story.

2. 1. “Our ancestors were slaves, now we are free.”

This is followed by a few paragraphs, the most famous of which is the passage about the Four Sons. Three of them ask questions—based on the verses in Scripture that talk of asking questions.

Other passages in this section include discussions about when and exactly where to hold this ceremony. Do we talk about Passover days before the Passover meal, in the afternoon before dinner, or at some other time? Answer: when the meal is already before us: symbolically, this is represented by the Matzahs and the Seder Plate.

2. 2. “In the beginning our ancestors served idols…”

The second answer to “Begin with shame” is ancestral idolatry, with a broader historical framing mentioning Abraham, going down to Egypt, and the Promise of Return. This section ends with praising God for keeping this promise, over and over, as in every generation there are those who seek our demise and destruction.

III. The Midrash on Deuteronomy

3. 1. The main vehicle for telling the story is a set of verses from Deuteronomy, that were very familiar in Temple Times, recited on the Festival of First Fruit Offerings.

Here is the full text, as it appears in Deuteronomy 26.

You shall then recite as follows before the LORD your God: “My father was a fugitive Aramean. He went down to Egypt with meager numbers and sojourned there; but there he became a great and very populous nation. The Egyptians dealt harshly with us and oppressed us; they imposed heavy labor upon us. We cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our plea and saw our plight, our misery, and our oppression. The LORD freed us from Egypt by a mighty hand, by an outstretched arm and awesome power, and by signs and portents.

In Deuteronomy, the text goes on as follows: He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, wherefore I now bring the first fruits of the soil which You, O LORD, have given me.”

This passage (in my opinion) presents two slightly different responses to the “shame to praise” motif. The Biblical text itself, within its original context, suggests the first of these: “Our ancestors were wandering, landless nomads, but now we are able to offer the first fruits of our land.” The Passover ritual emphasizes freedom, though, not agricultural success, so it includes these verses only up to the “freedom” verse. The second response reflects the reinterpretation of the opening verse to mean that an Aramean (Laban) sought to destroy our ancestors–the entire people. This suggests what I think is the real message of this passage in the Haggadah context: “Our ancestors were oppressed spiritually and physically, almost to the point of destruction, and miraculously saved.”

The Midrash interprets nearly every phrase, often adding another verse from Exodus or elsewhere in the Bible.

3. 2. The final verse quoted from Deuteronomy, about the mighty hand, outstretched arm and awesome power, is elaborated in much greater detail. The Ten Plagues and Dayyenu constitute two of the highlights of the Seder narration.

1. Redemption by God alone
2. How many miracles? —3? 10?
3. Ten Plagues and the “Mnemonic”
4. How many miracles at the sea? (50? 200? 250?)
5. Even one miracle would have been enough! Dayyenu!

Dayyenu gives a review of sacred history, including the Sabbath, Torah, and Land of Israel, and is summarized in a non-poetic form after the “song.”

IV. Rabban Gamaliel: Pesah, Matzah, Umaror

After the Temple was destroyed, Rabban Gamliel is said to have decreed that no one fulfills his Passover obligations without mentioning the Passover Offering, the Unleavened Bread, and the Bitter Herbs. The Seder participants will eat Matzah and Bitter Herbs in a moment, and a piece of Matzah will remind them of the Passover Offering as well.

V. Conclusion

The direction to “begin with shame and end with praise” is completed by reciting two psalms, the beginning of the traditional Hallel service, and the concluding berachah “blessing” of this section, the “Blessing of Redemption,” with the second cup of wine.

6.,7. ,8.,9. RACHTZAH, MOTZI MATZAH, MAROR, KOREKH

Everything so far leads up to this moment, when the specific requirements of the Passover meal are performed: Participants: a. ritually wash, as is normal practice, b. recite the normal blessing over bread and c. a special blessing over Matzah, and d. Recite a special blessing over the maror “Bitter Herb.” There is some discussion as to how this last was to be consumed, so the Seder includes two methods. The first is to dip the Maror in Haroset. The second recalls practice of Hillel (d. around 10 CE), who is said to have observed the Biblical verse Ex. 12:8 literally. “They shall eat the flesh that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs.” He would bind Matzah, Maror and the Passover offering together. Today there is no Passover offering and the matzah is probably flatter than it was in Temple times. This is often called a Hillel Sandwich.

10., 11. 12. SHULCHAN OREKH, TZAFUN, BAREKH

Some families begin the Seder meal with a hard-boiled egg (often served in salt water). One of the many reasons given for this is to recall the hagiga offering at the Temple—the egg on the Seder Plate also recalls this! This would be eaten as the beginning of the meal.

The end of the meal, by tradition, is a piece of matzah, separated at the beginning of the ceremony (and hidden by children!). This is said to represent the Passover Offering, which was eaten “in satiety.” In many families, the menu for the Seder meal is well designed to ensure that this is the case. The meal is followed by the Birkat HaMazon the “blessing after meals” and the third cup.

13., 14. HALLEL, NIRTZAH, plus SONGS

The last few sections of the Haggadah invite Elijah, complete Hallel (both the Festival Hallel and the so-called “great Hallel,” Ps. 136), have a final blessing over the words of praise, the fourth cup, and some traditional and much-beloved songs—Who Knows One and Chad Gadya.

Sermon Weekend: Coalition Against Global Genocide

From the newsletter I circulate; although it is primarily for services I run at Kavod Senior Living I also circulate it to others.

From my remarks on this occasion, tomorrow.

The Coalition against Global Genocide has assembled a local coalition in Colorado to declare an annual Sermon Weekend on the topic of Genocide. The timing is because April is Genocide Awareness Month; in the Jewish calendar, April is the month in which Yom HaZikkaron LaGevurah vela-Shoah (Heroism and Holocaust Remembrance Day; usually just called Yom HaShoah) occurs. The Sermon Weekend has often occurred on the Shabbat we read Tazria, as it does this year: particularly appropriate since this parasha discusses a disease that is often translated as leprosyhowever, the Rabbis assumed that this particular disease was caused by lashon ha-ra speaking bad about others.

Genocide often cascades from disparaging others: calling Jews vermin or dogs; Tutsis insects. Lashon Ha-Ra can all too easily lead from words to violence.

In speaking about a Genocide, the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks said that Of the 6000 languages spoken today, only one is truly universal: the language of tears. Rabbi Sacks said this is why we shed tears as we remember Genocide.

Indeed, this is ingrained in our sensibility as Jewsin a few days we will symbolic-ally shed tears for the Egyptians who oppressed us by removing drops of wine from our cups during the Passover Seder. And we shed tears for victims of genocide, by definition, at Holocaust Memorials and Yizkor and other occasions. At Kavod Senior Living, the ecumenical Tisha BeAv services we have held give space to reflect on Genocides as well.

We may not be able to stop Genocide ourselves. But we can actwe can remember. We can be sensitized. We can, in our everyday lives, recommit to avoiding Lashon Ha-Ra derogatory speech and other dehumanizations. Many of us have experienced racist and dehumanizing remarks. We can start by making sure we nevertheless do our best to avoid this ourselves, refraining from dehumanizing any who are different from ourselves, and any of the billions of people on this planet, with its unending diversity.

Our ancient prophets Isaiah (2:1-4) and Micah (4:1-3) prophesied about eternal peace. Their famous words envision the nation shall not lift up sword against nation. Lo yisa Goy el Goy Herev. The choice of swordherevis instructive. One of the several Christian peoples victimized by the Ottoman genocide (alongside Armenians and Pontic Greeks) called the slaughter of their people Sayfo sword in their native Aramaic language. Lets do our part to advance the Prophetic goal, understood in this light: One nation shall not put another to the sword.לא ישא גוי אל גוי חרב

Shabbat Shalom

Eid Mubarak

Secret Jews of the Americas: An Interview with Becky Neiman on the Dr. David Neiman channel.

https://youtu.be/Vo6XncvbJKY?si=yRz1Gly9IWkKJRz2

A wide-ranging interview about crypto-Judaism in the Americas and more. Thanks to Becky Neiman for editing supporting images. It was also a pleasure to learn about the career and lectures of her late father, Dr. David Neiman, to whose memory the YouTube channel is dedicated.  

Here is what Becky Neiman has to say about this interview:

Dr. Seth Ward on the board of the Society for Crypto Judaic studies and joins me to discuss the subject of Crypto Jews. What are Crypto Jews? Crypto Jews are Jews who had to hide their Judaism. This occurred in Spain during the inquisition, but it didn’t end there. The Jews of Spain and Portugal moved to the new world following the conquistadors and with the conquistadors came the “blood purity” laws of Spain. And so the Jews in the Americas continued to hide any Jewish practices that they might have retained. In recent decades the people have started to come forward to say that they believe they are the descendants 0f these secret Jews and many are looking to return to the faith. #sephardicheritage #jewishhistory #secrethistory For more information visit https://cryptojews.com To support this work please visit: patreon.com/user?u=69136009 http://www.drdavidneiman.com   / drdavidneiman  

“I believe in the Sun even when it is dark”

“I believe in the Sun even when it is dark”
Some comments by Dr. Seth Ward

„Ich glaube an die Sonne, sei es auch dunkel, ich glaube an Gott, mag er auch schweigen, ich glaube an Nächstenliebe, obwohl sie sich nirgends zeigen darf“.

Neue Zürcher Nachrichten, Nummer 146, 26. Juni 1945 Ausgabe 02

Translation: “I believe in the sun, though it be dark; I believe in God, though He be silent; I believe in neighborly love, though it be unable to reveal itself.”

A setting of an English version of this text is to be performed by Temple Sinai Choir and the Colorado Hebrew Chorale in a memorial program to our friend, the late Estelle Nadel (1934-2023). The concert is 2:30 PM March 17 2024, at Temple Sinai in Denver; please come.

The setting is by Mark A. Miller, a Yale graduate (B.A. in Music) with a MM in Organ from Julliard, who is Lecturer in Sacred Music at the Yale School of Sacred Music, has been organist at the Riverside Church and is composer in residence at Drew University and Minister of Music at Christ Church in Summit, NJ.

This short statement is often given as written by Jews in a Concentration Camp or in the Warsaw Ghetto or elsewhere, or as an “anonymous” Jewish poem. But it apparently was found in an underground passageway in Cologne, at least that is what was reported by an unnamed “Special Correspondent” in the Neue Zürcher Nachrichten newspaper on June 26, 1945, and thus we know something about its history.

Everett Howe, writing in the blog “The Humanist Seminarian” has been searching for the origin of the poem. He reports that he found the source on April 4, 2021. I’ve copied some of what he says below. Before reproducing it, however, I’d like to note that “I believe in the sun” has been set to music in English several times, and in Hebrew translations and probably in other languages. Here is a Hebrew setting, by Hannah Eigner Braun: Words: https://shironet.mako.co.il/artist?type=lyrics&lang=1&prfid=19545&wrkid=44391

YouTube of performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBcLUJa6T9k

There are also expanded versions of this poem found on the Internet, with words not found in the original of course, although presented as if the entire text is part of the original:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/19179618.Unknown_written_during_WW2_on_the_wall_of_a_cellar_by_a_Jew_in_the_Cologne_concentration_camp_

https://sairyd.wordpress.com/2011/11/13/a-poem-of-belief-by-a-jewish-prisoner-in-a-nazi-concentration-camp/

Debi Simons wrote about the words when the Cherry Creek Chorale sang a setting – not the one by Mark Miller.

https://www.debisimons.com/the-true-story-behind-the-text-of-even-when-he-is-silent/

In my humble opinion, Everett Howe is right: the actual text as reported in the New Zurich News makes more sense, and is deeper, and more in tune with the reality of the underground hiding place than the text as it is usually given today. Howe stopped short of decrying the change of wording as cultural misappropriation, but in our society that today is so quick to worry about this issue, perhaps that is what can be said to have occurred to this text: a reference to neighborly love and compassion is changed to “love” (I personally always think about my neighbors in grad school days who were fond of referencing the New Testament “God is Love” of I John 4), and the inscription ends not with belief in God—so appropriate to a religious setting, perhaps—but with the belief in charity. The world is dark, God is silent, charity is hidden: the unknown inscription’s author celebrates all three.

Debi Simons correctly emphasizes that it is important to read all of Howe’s blogs on this text, not just this excerpt.

Simons also points out that this is not just some arcane background, echoing and underscoring Howe’s conclusion even before he discovered the report in the Swiss newspaper. The Truth is always a matter of great significance when dealing with the Holocaust. Howe did not mention cultural misappropriation, but he did mention far greater evils, disrespect to people who died; Holocaust denial, and passing off false stories as true.

Howe:

The Holocaust is serious business. This is not an area where it is good to blur the boundaries between what is true and what is false. There are still groups of people who would like us to believe that the entire Holocaust is fiction; and there are other people who would like to try to pass off false stories as true. Out of respect for the millions who died, we should be scrupulous about the truth. (“I Believe in the Sun, Part IV: Conclusion”)

Here is the link for Part V of his series:

https://humanistseminarian.com/2021/04/04/i-believe-in-the-sun-part-v-the-source/

The blog post gives the original text of the Zurich news article, with a translation. “Catholic Scouts had discovered underground passageways which had been unused for many years under old buildings, and these could now serve as refuges from the Gestapo. At one point, nine Jewish fugitives hid here for four months without ever being caught.” The reporter reports “I visited the shelter [and] had the opportunity to see the emergency housing, fully equipped with a kitchen, bedroom, living room, radio, a small library, and oil lamps…. Food had to be supplied by friends who willingly gave up a portion of their rations to help those unfortunate people living for weeks in utter darkness. The following inscription is written on the wall of one of these underground rooms, which in some ways resemble the Roman catacombs: “I believe in the sun, though it be dark; I believe in God, though He be silent; I believe in neighborly love, though it be unable to reveal itself.”

Among the points Howe makes (with light editing)

• “Though it be dark” has a different meaning than “even when it is not shining.” If you are underground at noon, the sun is shining, but you are in the dark.

• The sentence about God is the second line, and not the third. I had been pretty confident that this would be the case.

• The most unexpected revelation for me is the appearance of Nächstenliebe in the third sentence. Nächstenliebe can be translated into English as charity, altruism, benevolence, brotherly love, neighborly love, compassion, and so on, but I do not believe that love without a further qualification is a particularly good translation. In English, love and charity are concepts that are linked to one another, but they are definitely distinct from one another, unless you modify love with an adjective.

• The article speaks of nine Jewish refugees hiding for four months. The quotation at the top of this page speaks of “the entire duration of the war.”

Perhaps most important, Howe describes that the discovery of the actual wording changed the meaning of the quote for him:

• The Jews hiding underground could not see the sun; it was not there for them. And it sounds like God was silent for them at that time, too. But charity, or benevolence, or neighborly love, or compassion… well, those things were present with them at that very moment, because people were risking their lives to keep them safe, and people were sharing rations with them. Nächstenliebe was right there with them — although it (like them) had to be hidden.

Howe’s last word in the post: “Thank a librarian the next time you see one — and remember, always cite your sources.”

I am sure Howe would agree that “always cite your sources” goes along with always trying to find the sources as well. All too often, musical is described as “folk” or “traditional,” and lyrics given as “anonymous.” Yet all too often there are fascinating stories behind the musical compositions or their texts—and the composer or author can be identified. Don’t take “Trad.” or “Anon.” at face value.

Seth Ward

Where we Connect: Kuzari

This study sheet was prepared for a program at Kavod Senior Living in February 2024. 

KUZARI – AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAIMONIDES

11. The Rabbi replied: I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt with signs and miracles; who fed them in the desert and gave them the land, after having made them traverse the sea and the Jordan in a miraculous way; who sent Moses with His law, and subsequently thousands of prophets, who confirmed His law by promises to the observant, and threats to the disobedient. Our belief is comprised in the Torah–a very large domain.

12. Al Khazari: … Now shouldst thou, O Jew, not have said that thou believest in the Creator of the world, its Governor and Guide, and in Him who created and keeps thee, and such attributes which serve as evidence for every believer, and for the sake of which He pursues justice in order to resemble the Creator in His wisdom and justice?

25. The Rabbi: In this way I answered thy first question. In the same strain spoke Moses to Pharaoh, when he told him: ‘The God of the Hebrews sent me to thee,’ viz. the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For Abraham was well known to the nations, who also knew that the divine spirit was in contact with the patriarchs, cared for them, and performed miracles for them. He did not say: ‘The God of heaven and earth,’ nor ‘my Creator and thine sent me.’ In the same way God commenced His speech to the assembled people of Israel: ‘I am the God whom you worship, who has led you out of the land of Egypt,’ but He did not say: ‘I am the Creator of the world and your Creator.’

83… Up to this time they had only a few laws which they had inherited from Adam and Noah.

95. The Rabbi: … Adam was perfection itself, because no flaw could be found in a work of a wise and Almighty Creator, wrought from a substance chosen by Him, and fashioned according to His own design. . The soul with which he was endowed was perfect; his intellect was the loftiest which it is possible for a human being to possess, and beyond this he was gifted with the divine power of such high rank, that it brought him into connexion with beings divine and spiritual, and enabled him, with slight reflection, to comprehend the great truths without instruction. .. it passed to his brother Seth, who also was like Adam, being [as it were] his essence and heart, whilst the other (children) were like husks and rotten fruit. The essence of Seth, then, passed to Enosh, and in this way the divine influence was inherited by isolated individuals down to Noah…Their lives fix the chronology from Adam to Noah, as well as from Noah to Abraham. There were some, however, among them who did not come under divine influence, as Terah, but his son Abraham was the disciple of his grandfather Eber, and was born in the lifetime of Noah. Thus the divine spirit descended from the grandfather to the grandchildren. Abraham represented the essence of Eber, being his disciple, and for this reason he was called Ibri. The essence of Abraham passed over to Isaac, to the exclusion of the other sons who were all removed from the land, the special inheritance of Isaac. The prerogative of Isaac descended on Jacob.. The sons of the latter were all worthy of the divine influence, as well as of the country distinguished by the divine spirit. This is the first instance of the divine influence descending on a number of people, whereas it had previously only been vouchsafed to isolated individuals…

Terach

9:114

And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to him [i.e., Abraham] that he [i.e., the father] was an enemy to Allāh, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.

– Saheeh International

מִתְּחִלָּה עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הָיוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו קֵרְבָנוּ הַמָּקוֹם לַעֲבדָתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹאמֶר יְהוֹשֻעַ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָם, כֹּה אָמַר ה’ אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: בְּעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר יָשְׁבוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם מֵעוֹלָם, תֶּרַח אֲבִי אַבְרָהָם וַאֲבִי נָחוֹר, וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים.

From the beginning, our ancestors were idol worshipers. And now, the Place [of all] has brought us close to His worship, as it is stated (Joshua 24:2-4), “Joshua said to the whole people, so said the Lord, God of Israel, ‘Over the river did your ancestors dwell from always, Terach the father of Abraham and the father of Nachor, and they worshiped other gods.

Abraham and Moses in Luke

Luke 16:23ff.

22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

25 “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

27 “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, 28 for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

30 “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

31 “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

Where We Connect –Qur’an Passages

Where We COnnect-Qur’an.docx

Where We COnnect-Qur’an.pdf

This study sheet was part of a packet prepared for a class at Kavod Senior Living in Denver in February 2024.

Where We Connect

Where We Connect

Abraham and Moses in Jewish, Christian and Islamic Traditions

Seth Ward

(This is adapted from a handout prepared for a series of three sessions at Kavod Senior Living on three Fridays in February 2024. It was posted here in order to project the handout on a screen, which was beneficial for some of the participants. Several additional pages were posted during the course of this series. –SW)

Much of our world today has been shaped by religious traditions ascribed to Abraham and Moses. Moses is seen by Christians and Jews as the great Lawgiver and is the most-referenced Prophet in the Quran. All three of these traditions consider Abraham a founding figure. Judaism, Christianity and Islam repeat narratives about them. Much of the sacred year is organized around events in their lives as recorded in Scripture.

What can we say about the history of these individuals? There is a tension between the religious narratives and the findings of scholars. In order to assess this material, it is necessary to discuss how Scripture is read and understood, and the role of Abraham and Moses in the respective traditions.

This presentation is based on a course taught by Dr. Seth Ward at the University of Wyoming, examining parallels from the lives of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad; Previous lectures on related topics at Kavod and elsewhere in Colorado; over three decades of Services and Torah Study at Shabbat Morning Services at Kavod, and a half-century or more of research and teaching in the field. Ideally, Abraham and Moses can be presented and discussed to illustrate aspects of contemporary research, religious piety, and the development of religious ideas over time. For example, looking at the birth and infancy narratives about Abraham and Moses can be a key to understanding the values and goals in the stories, how they intersect and, sometimes much more important how they differ.

The goal of this series is to promote greater awareness of the breath of interpretation, to balance critical inquiry with empathy, and to underscore the diversity of understandings. Not only are there similarities to celebrate, but there are profound differences to respect.

A three-week series is enough to begin to delve deeply into this subject, and of course it is not enough to do more than begin to scratch the surface of these issues.

Well, What about Abraham?

Maimonides (3) From the time he was little, (Abraham) used to think day and night about how this sphere could move without a Mover, without someone to turn it. He had neither teacher nor informer, rather, he was implanted in Ur of the Chaldees, among the foolish idolaters. His mother and father and all the people were idolaters, and he among them. His heart continued its analysis until it perceived the way of truth and the line of righteousness from his correct understanding. He reached this understanding at 40 years of age(Abraham began to proclaim this in public. The king sought to kill him but he miraculously escaped to Harran, where he taught and attracted followers, and) went around from city to city and kingdom to kingdom until he came to Canaan. (He wrote books and passed along his teaching to Isaac; Isaac passed it on to Jacob and Jacob to his sons and followers,)so that this matter became more and more strengthened among the children and followers of Jacob, so that there was a community that knew God. This continued until they spent many years in Egypt and they returned to learning their practices [i.e. those of the idolatrous Egyptians] and to worship stars like them, except for the tribe of Levi.The principle which Abraham had planted was almost uprooted And God in his love for us, and in keeping with his oath to Abraham, made Moses the Master of all Prophets and sent him and crowned [Israel] with His commandments and informed them about the manner of worshipping him and about the judgment in store for idolaters and all who follow them in error.

From Nabatean Agriculture: After discussing the causes of wind, as agreed to by most of the Kasdean scholars, it says: Abraham was raised in Kuth, when he disagreed with the majority and made all acts on earth (proceed) from the action of an Agent greater, more powerful and higher than the Sun. They argued with him about what they saw regarding the Sun warming the earth in its never-ceasing movement. Abraham rejected their proofs by arguing that the Suns heating is a cause, but the cause is the action of an Agent on the sun; the sun is just like an axe in the hands of a carpenter. He argued back and denied that the heating of the atmosphere is caused by the Sun. He asked why, if the sun causes the heating of the air, do we find it hot when we move into the shade? (The answer is that the air in both parts is connected). Then they argued about the red, fiery color that often appears in the air which they believed was the result of moisture that predominates over the earth, burning up due to the action of the sun. Abrahams answers had to do with vapors and wetness and drynessin the manner of medieval physics. Then, after separating him from all of his possessions, the king exiled him from the region of Babylon, to Syria, so that he would not ruin the people of his polity. This was after arguing with them for a long time, while he was imprisoned. (264-265.)

Quran [6.74] And when Ibrahim said to his sire, Azar: Do you take idols for gods? Surely I see you and your people in manifest error. [6.75] And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth and that he might be of those who are sure. [6.76] So when the night over-shadowed him, he saw a star; said he: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: I do not love the setting ones. [6.77] Then when he saw the moon rising, he said: Is this my Lord? So when it set, he said: If my Lord had not guided me I should certainly be of the erring people. [6.78] Then when he saw the sun rising, he said: Is this my Lord? Is this the greatest? So when it set, he said: O my people! surely I am clear of what you set up (with Allah). [6.79] Surely I have turned myself, being upright, wholly to Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, and I am not of the polytheists. [6.80] And his people disputed with him. He said: Do you dispute with me respecting Allah? And He has guided me indeed; and I do not fear in any way those that you set up with Him, unless my Lord pleases; my Lord comprehends all things in His knowledge; will you not then mind? . . . [6.83] And this was Our argument which we gave to Ibrahim against his people; We exalt in dignity whom We please; surely your Lord is Wise, Knowing. [6.84] And We gave to him Ishaq and Yaqoub; each did We guide, and Nuh did We guide before, and of his descendants, Dawood and Sulaiman and Ayub and Yusuf and Haroun; and thus do We reward those who do good (to others).

THE BIRTH and INFANCY NARRATIVE: Remaking Moses

The biblical text: Exodus 2: 1-9

A man of the house of Levi went and married the daughter of Levi. The woman conceived and bore a son. She saw that he was [exceptionally] good, and she kept him hidden for three months. When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus box and coated it with clay and tar. She placed the child in it, and placed it in the reeds near the bank of the river. [The child’s] sister stood herself at a distance to see what would happen to him. Pharaoh’s daughter went down to bathe by the river, while her maids walked along the river’s edge. She saw the box among the reeds and sent her maid and she fetched it. She opened it and saw the child, and behold a boy was crying. She took pity on it, and said, “This is one of the Hebrew boys.” [The infant’s] sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call to you a nursing [mother] from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” “Go,” said Pharaoh’s daughter to her. The young girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her [the child’s mother], “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your fee.” The woman took the child and nursed it.

Chapter 02 Rashi-Commentary

Verse 1: And married the daughter of Levi.

He (Amram) had separated from her due to Pharaoh’s decree and he [now] took her back and married her a second time. She, too, became youthful again. [Actually] she was 130 years old, for she was born upon their arrival in Egypt between the walls (the entrance of the city). They then spent 210 years there (in Egypt). When they left, Moshe was 80 years old. Thus, when she became pregnant with him she was 130 [years old]. [Yet,] she is referred to as “the daughter of Levi.”

Verse 2: She saw that he was good.

When he was born the entire house was filled with light.

Verse 3: When she could no longer hide him.

Because the Egyptians calculated [the time] from the day that he (Amram) took her back, but she gave birth to him after six months and one day. [This is possible] because one who gives birth in the seventh month can give birth [even if the 7th month is] incomplete. [But] they (the Egyptians) inquired after her [only] at the end of the ninth month.

With clay and tar.

Tar on the outside and clay on the inside, so that the righteous [child] should not have to smell the bad odor of tar.

Verse 5: To bathe by the river.

You must transpose [words in] the verse and [then] explain it [as follows]: “Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the river in order to bathe in it.”

Along the river’s edge.

[Meaning:] near the river, as in: “See Yoav’s property is next to mine ( {Hebrew Ref} ).” It has the meaning of the actual hand because a person’s hand is next to him. Our Sages explained that {Hebrew Ref} —walking refers to dying, as in: “Behold, I am going ( {Hebrew Ref} ) to die.” They were going to die because they opposed her (Pharaoh’s daughter).” The verse supports (the Sages’ explanation), because [otherwise] why do we need to write: “And her maidens were [going]?”

Her Maid.

[Meaning:] her handmaiden. But the Sages explained it as “hand.” However, according to Hebrew grammar, Hebrew ama should then have been vocalized with a dagesh in the mem. They explain the word as “her arm,” and her arm extended many cubits.

Verse 6: She opened it and saw.

Whom did she see? The child! That is the plain meaning. But, the Midrashic explanation is that she saw the Divine Presence with him.

And behold a boy was crying.

His voice was like that of a [grown] boy.

Verse 7: From the Hebrew women.

This teaches that she handed him around to many Egyptian women to be nursed, but he refused to nurse, for he was destined to speak with the Divine Presence.

NIGHT JOURNEY TO HEAVEN, AND PRAYER MADE OBLIGATORY

It is narrated on the authority of Anas b. Malik that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: I was brought al-Buraq Who is an animal white and long, larger than a donkey but smaller than a mule, who would place his hoof a distance equal to the range of version. I mounted it and came to the Temple (Bait Maqdis in Jerusalem), then tethered it to the ring used by the prophets. I entered the mosque and prayed two rak’ahs in it, and then came out and Gabriel brought me a vessel of wine and a vessel of milk. I chose the milk, and Gabriel said: You have chosen the natural thing. Then he took me to heaven.

Gabriel then asked the (gate of heaven) to be opened and he was asked who he was. He replied: Gabriel. He was again asked: Who is with you? He (Gabriel) said: Muhammad. It was said: Has he been sent for? Gabriel replied: He has indeed been sent for. And (the door of the heaven) was opened for us and lo! we saw Adam. He welcomed me and prayed for my good. Then we ascended to the second heaven

Then he ascended with us to the fifth heaven and Gabriel asked for the (gate) to be opened. It was said: Who is he? He replied Gabriel. It was (again) said: Who is with thee? He replied: Muhammad. It was said Has he been sent for? He replied: He has indeed been sent for. (The gate) was opened for us and then I was with Harun (Aaron)-peace of Allah be upon him. He welcomed me prayed for my well-being. Then I was taken to the sixth heaven. Gabriel (peace be upon him) asked for the door to be opened. It was said: Who is he? He replied: Gabriel. It was said: Who is with thee? He replied: Muhammad. It was said: Has he been sent for? He replied: He has indeed been sent for. (The gate) was opened for us and there I was with Musa (Moses) peace be upon him. He welcomed me and prayed for my well-being. Then I was taken up to the seventh heaven. Gabriel asked the (gate) to be opened. It was said: Who is he? He said: Gabriel It was said. Who is with thee? He replied: Muhammad (may peace be upon him.) It was said: Has he been sent for? He replied: He has indeed been sent for. (The gate) was opened for us and there I found Ibrahim (Abraham peace be upon him) reclining against the Bait-ul-Ma’mur and there enter into it seventy thousand angels every day, never to visit (this place) again. Then I was taken to Sidrat-ul-Muntaha whose leaves were like elephant ears and its fruit like big earthenware vessels. And when it was covered by the Command of Allah, it underwent such a change that none amongst the creation has the power to praise its beauty.

Then Allah revealed to me a revelation and He made obligatory for me fifty prayers every day and night. Then I went down to Moses (peace be upon him) and he said: What has your Lord enjoined upon your Ummah (nation)? I said: Fifty prayers. He said: Return to thy Lord and beg for reduction (in the number of prayers), for your community shall not be able to bear this burden. as I have put to test the children of Isra’il and tried them (and found them too weak to bear such a heavy burden). He (the Holy Prophet) said: I went back to my Lord and said: My Lord, make things lighter for my Ummah. (The Lord) reduced five prayers for me. I went down to Moses and said. (The Lord) reduced five (prayers) for me, He said: Verily thy Ummah shall not be able to bear this burden; return to thy Lord and ask Him to make things lighter. I then kept going back and forth between my Lord Blessed and Exalted and Moses, till He said: There are five prayers every day and night. O Muhammad, each being credited as ten, so that makes fifty prayers. He who intends to do a good deed and does not do it will have a good deed recorded for him; and if he does it, it will be recorded for him as ten; whereas he who intends to do an evil deed and does not do, it will not be recorded for him; and if he does it, only one evil deed will be recorded. I then came down and when I came to Moses and informed him, he said: Go back to thy Lord and ask Him to make things lighter. Upon this the Messenger of Allah remarked: I returned to my Lord until I felt ashamed before Him.

From Islamic Prayer:

O God, honor and bless Muhammad and Muhammads family as you honored Abraham and Abrahams family Surely, you are praiseworthy, the Great My God, bless Muhammad and Muhammads family as you blessed Abraham and Abrahams family Surely, you are praiseworthy, the Great.

From the New Testament

Abraham Justified by Faith

4 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? 2 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast aboutbut not before God. 3 What does Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.[

9 Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abrahams faith was credited to him as righteousness. 10 Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! 11 And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. 12 And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised.

13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. 14

Yah Ana Emtzaakha Sources–continued

1. Lev Shalem for Sabbath and Festivals, introductory Hymn for alternate Musaf.
2. Nina Davis Salaman—edition, literal translation and rhymed version. Click on these images to enlarge them.

image005

image006 1

image008 1

Yah Ana Emtza’akha

Yah Ana Emtza’akha
Yehudah Halevi (c. 1075-c. 1141)

Seth Ward

In June 2023, Carol Kozak Ward, Founder and Artistic Director of the Colorado Hebrew Chorale, commissioned a new choral work by Gerald Cohen in memory of her mother Joanne L. Kozak. Cohen chose for his text four lines of a Piyyut (religious poem), Yah Ana Emtza’akha, by Judah Halevi. These four lines are excerpted in the High Holy Day Mahzor Lev Shalem, published by the Rabbinical Assembly of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and the piece is an expansion of a melody Cohen has chanted in his synagogue.

This piyyut has been printed in various places in different prayer books. In Mahzor Lev Shalem, the four lines set by Cohen appear as a possible alternative or addition after the Piyyut (religious poem) Ki Hineh Ka-Homer, the Pizmon, or the fourth and final piyyut of the traditional Yom Kippur evening service. The Rabbinical Assembly’s Siddur Lev Shalem for Sabbath and Festivals includes the full piyyut as an introduction to individual piyuttim for the various festivals (p. 359), to be inserted in Musaf kedushat hayom (the middle berachah). This is an “alternate” Musaf, available for those who wish to replace the traditional recitation of the appropriate paragraph from Numbers 28 about Festival sacrifices. This poem is also included in HaAvoda ShebaLev, the prayer book of the Israeli Movement for Progressive Judaism.

There are also several setting of this piyyut performed by Israeli and non-Israeli singers posted to YouTube —usually just the same four lines excerpted in Mahzor Lev Shalem.

The full Yah Ana Emtza’akha was published with an English translation by Nina Davis Salaman about 100 years ago. (JPS 1924); Salaman’s Hebrew text was based on a critical edition by Chaim (Heinrich) Brody (1868-1942), one of the most prolific editors and publishers of medieval piyyutim of his era. In Salaman’s book, presumably taken from Brody’s original edition, the Hebrew text is titled Kevodkha malei olam. However, Salaman entitled its translation “God in All.” Salaman discussed the poem briefly in the introduction (p. xxv) and provided a fairly straight-forward translation together with the Hebrew text, and a second, rhymed, translation in English.

The English version of the piyyut in the Mahzor Lev Shalem and in the Lev Shalem for Sabbath and Festivals (and in the new commission, taken from Lev Shalem) replaces archaic “Thee” with You, and uses Adonai instead of “Lord” but otherwise is nearly identical to the more literal translation by Salaman and should be credited along the lines of “Rabbinical Assembly, adapted from Nina Davis Salaman.”

Salaman’s Hebrew version (again, based on Brody) labeled it as an Ofan for Simchat Torah. The Ofan is a piyyut to be recited between Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh and Barukh (“Holy” and “Blessed”) in the Yotzer section of the morning service—the first of two “benedictions” before the Shema. It’s also listed as an Ofan in other sources, although not as an Ofan for Simchat Torah; it is not included in Daniel Goldschmidt’s critical edition of the Ashkenazi Mahzor for Sukkot and Simchat Torah. I am not sure how (or whether) this piyyut has any specific reference to Simchat Torah, but its relation to the Morning Service is obvious.

Note that the end of the second line is a re-phrasing of the end of Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh…: (Isaiah 6:3) melo kol ha-aretz kevodo. “The whole world is full of His Glory.” The actual text is similar to the response to the Kadosh Kadosh Kadosh in the Musaf Amida, though, not the response in the Yotzer section. The second half of the first stanza includes the word mimkomkha, reminiscent of mimkomo from the Barukh kvod HaShem mimkomo “Blessed be the Glory of the Lord from His Place” (Ezek. 3:12) response to the Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh. Again, in this case the precise form is the same as the Shaharit Amida response, not the Yotzer. The verses from Isaiah (“Holy”) and Ezekiel (“Blessed”) both have to do with ecstatic visions of God enthroned on high, and these verses are a recurring theme in the Jewish prayerbook. (Those familiar with the Christian liturgy may recognize the “Holy/Blessed” refrain as well, although the “Blessed” verse is different—it is from Psalm 118.)

Those familiar with the Jewish liturgy will find other parallels with the Yotzer section in the full piyyut. Nevertheless, it’s found in a different context in Lev Shalem (both High Holy Days and Shabbat/Festivals).

The poet signed his name (יהודה) in the first letters of each stanza. In the original, the opening stanza is two rhyming lines, and each following stanza has three rhyming lines, followed by two rhyming lines. In the selection set to music, the first half of each stanza ends in -kha “you.” The meter is six syllables per hemistich, with no reference to the short sheva or hataf vowels:

_ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ .

In addition to the liturgical framework, the poem reflects a religiosity that is strongly reminiscent of Sufism, the Islamic mystic tradition. Peter Cole notes the “Sufi-like cast of HaLevi’s lyric poems.” (The Poetry of the Kabbalah: Mystical verse from the Jewish Tradition p. 53) and includes his translation of this poem pp. 71-72. (https://archive.org/details/poetryofkabbalah0000unse/page/70/mode/2up).

Hovot Ha-Levavot (Al-Hidaya ila Farid al-Qulub) “Duties of the Heart” of Bahya ibn Pakuda (1050-1120) is one of the most daringly Sufi-style books in medieval Jewish literature. The Open Siddur Project has a reference to the second line of Halevi’s poem, drawing attention to a similar motif in the Hovot HaLevavot, (“Book of Unity” 10:69 in Sefaria’s edition of the Hovot Ha-Levavot). The similarity of language is indeed striking. Of course, Judah HaLevi wrote this poem in Hebrew whereas Hovot HaLevavot was written originally in Judaeo-Arabic (Arabic in Hebrew characters). The classic Hebrew translation by Ibn Tibbon was composed after HaLevi’s death—perhaps Ibn Tibbon was influenced by HaLevi’s wording?

Diana Lobel wrote a book-length study of Sufi language in Judah HaLevi’s poetry (2000; I have not been able to check this work for a discussion of this poem). It is this spirituality—this searching for God—whose Place (as Jewish sources insist) is the whole world, not merely the Divine throne.

It is this spirituality, this mystic recognition that the world is filled with the Divine, and God comes to seek us as much as we seek to find God, that drew the modern Prayer Books to the poem, and in particular drew Cantor Gerald Cohen to it.

As I noted above, Brody labeled it an Ofan for Simchat Torah. This year, the meaning and symbolism of Simchat Torah was tragically altered by the brutal, deadly attacks and the taking of hostages in Israel on Simchat Torah, October 7, 2023. May the memory of those who were killed that day and killed since be a blessing.

Seth Ward

References, Texts and Notes

Below, I have copied or commented on some of the sources, including the pages from Nina Davis Salaman. These include:

1. From HaAvodah shebaLev and other sources

2. The Ben Yehuda Project;

3. The Open Siddur Project and notes,

4. Lev Shalem for Sabbath and Festivals (not High Holy Days, and

5. Nina Davis Salaman: edition, literal translation and rhymed version.

1. From HaAvodah shebaLev and other settings

The Siddur HaAvodah ShebaLev of themovement for Progressive Judaism in Israel (5741/ 1981) also has the stanzas included in the Conservative High Holy Day mahzor, as well as a few others, as a possible meditation following the Amida. https://www.beit-daniel.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/%D7%A1%D7%99%D7%93%D7%95%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%95%D7%93%D7%94-%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%9C%D7%91.pdf

See also a bilingual version of HaAvodah ShebaLev: https://opensiddur.org/compilations/liturgical/siddurim/shabbat-siddur/siddur-haavodah-shebalev-for-shabbat-and-yom-tov-of-kehillat-kol-haneshama-jerusalem-2007/

There are a few musical settings of lines from the piyyut accessible via the internet. Most of them only have the first stanza or, as in this setting, the first stanza and the Darashti stanza. Some samples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-La9I0yM5Os

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZBU0AUK5Kw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QctNVNsgCY

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=646905709202400

https://drsethward.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/1ab96-wheremightigotofindyou.pdf (notes)

https://atgtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/AYRE_LIVE_Digital_Booklet_Web.pdf (In this interesting transcription, the translator translated the Darashti verse but it was not included in the transliteration.)

2. Full text from the Ben Yehuda project

https://benyehuda.org/read/8669

יָהּ, אָנָה אֶמְצָאֲךָ? / מְקוֹמְךָ נַעֲלָה וְנֶעְלָם!

וְאָנָה לֹא אֶמְצָאֲךָ? / כְּבוֹדְךָ מָלֵא עוֹלָם!

הַנִּמְצָא בַקְּרָבִים / אַפְסֵי אֶרֶץ הֵקִים,

הַמִּשְׂגָּב לַקְּרוֹבִים, / הַמִּבְטָח לָרְחוֹקִים,

אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב כְּרוּבִים, / אַתָּה שׁוֹכֵן שְׁחָקִים.

תִּתְהַלֵּל בִּצְבָאֲךָ ‑ / וְאַתְּ עַל רֹאשׁ מַהֲלָלָם,

גַּלְגַּל לֹא‑ יִשָּׂאֲךָ / אַף כִּי חַדְרֵי אוּלָם!

וּבְהִנָּשְׂאֲךָ עֲלֵיהֶם / עַל כֵּס נִשָּׂא וָרָם,

אַתָּה קָרוֹב אֲלֵיהֶם / מִרוּחָם וּמִבְּשָׂרָם,

פִּיהֶם יָעִיד בָּהֶם, / כִּי אֵין בִּלְתְּךָ יוֹצְרָם.

מִי זֶה לֹא יִרָאֲךָ ‑ / וְעַל מַלְכוּתְךָ עֻלָּם?

אוֹ מִי לֹא יִקְרָאֲךָ ‑ / וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן אָכְלָם?

דָּרַשְׁתִּי קִרְבָתְךָ, / בְּכָל‑ לִבִּי קְרָאתִיךָ,

וּבְצֵאתִי לִקְרָאתְךָ ‑ / לִקְרָאתִי מצָאתִיךָ,

וּבְפִלאֵי גְבוּרָתְךָ / בַּקֹּדֶשׁ חֲזִיתִיךָ.

מִי יֹאמַר לֹא רָאֲךָ? / הֵן שָׁמַיִם וְחֵילָם

יַגִּידוּ מוֹרָאֲךָ / בְּלִי נִשְׁמַע קוֹלָם!

הַאֻמְנָם כִּי יֵשֵב / אֱלֹהִים אֶת‑ הָאָדָם?

וּמַה יַחְשֹׁב כָּל‑ חוֹשֵׁב, / אֲשֶׁר בָּעָפָר יְסוֹדָם –

וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ יוֹשֵׁב / תְּהִלּוֹתָם וּכְבוֹדָם!

חַיּוֹת יוֹדוּ פִלְאֲךָ / הָעוֹמְדוֹת בְּרוּם עוֹלָם,

עַל רָאשֵׁיהֶם כִּסְאֲךָ ­‑ / וְאַתָּה נוֹשֵׂא כֻלָּם!

3. The Open Siddur Project

The Open Siddur project has a few additional notes about sources and parallels for the poem.

The piyyut was said to be included in a Manuscript of Mahzor Vitry, but I could not find it in an edition downloaded from Hebrewbooks.og.

the Open Siddur Project ✍︎ פְּרוֹיֶּקט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

Aharon N. Varady (translation), Nina Davis Salaman (translation), the Ben Yehuda Project (transcription)

and Yehudah ben Shmuel haLevi

Shared on: 6 June 2020 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

Categories:

🤦 Taḥanun (Nefilat Apayim), Purim Qatan, Motsei Shabbat49th century A.M., dveykut, אנה אמצאךana emtsaeka, alienation, 12th century C.E.

Note that the Open Siddur presentation divides the text into blocks of 4 lines, and as a result one of the verses by which the Poet spells his name (the Vav verse) is not at the beginning of the block. I made minor edits to this structure. There are a few notes to the verses in the Open Siddur. 

יָהּ, אָנָה אֶמְצָאֶךָּ? מְקוֹמְךָ נַעֲלָה וְנֶעְלָם! וְאָנָה לֹא אֶמְצָאֶךָּ? כְּבוֹדְךָ מָלֵא עוֹלָם!	Yah, where shall I find you? High and hidden is your place; And where shall I not find you? The world is full of your kavod.
הַנִּמְצָא בַקְּרָבִים אַפְסֵי אֶרֶץ הֵקִים, הַמִּשְׂגָּב לַקְּרוֹבִים, הַמִּבְטָח לָרְחוֹקִים,	Found in the innermost being, He established the ends of the earth: Refuge for the near, Safe Haven for those far off.
אַתָּה יוֹשֵׁב כְּרוּבִים, אַתָּה שׁוֹכֵן שְׁחָקִים. תִּתְהַלֵּל בִּצְבָאֲךָ – וְאַתְּ עַל רֹאשׁ מַהֲלָלָם,	You dwell amid the Keruvim, You abide in the clouds; You are praised by your angelic legion Yet are raised above their praise.
גַּלְגַּל לֹא־יִשָּׂאֲךָ אַף כִּי חַדְרֵי אוּלָם! וּבְהִנָּשְׂאֲךָ עֲלֵיהֶם עַל כֵּס נִשָּׂא וָרָם,	The whirling worlds cannot contain you; How then the chambers of a temple? And though you be uplifted over them Upon a throne high and exalted,
אַתָּה קָרוֹב אֲלֵיהֶם מִרוּחָם וּמִבְּשָׂרָם, פִּיהֶם יָעִיד בָּהֶם, כִּי אֵין בִּלְתְּךָ יוֹצְרָם.	Yet are you near to them, Of their very spirit and their flesh. Their own mouth testifies for them That you alone are their Maker.
מִי זֶה לֹא יִרָאֲךָ – וְעַל מַלְכוּתְךָ עֻלָּם? אוֹ מִי לֹא יִקְרָאֲךָ – וְאַתָּה נוֹתֵן אָכְלָם?	Who shall not revere you, Since the yoke of your kingdom is their yoke? Or who shall not call to you, Since you give them their food?
דָּרַשְׁתִּי קִרְבָתְךָ, בְּכׇל־לִבִּי קְרָאתִיךָ, וּבְצֵאתִי לִקְרָאתְךָ – לִקְרָאתִי מצָאתִיךָ,	I have sought your nearness, With all my heart have I called you, And going out to meet you I found you coming toward me,
וּבְפִלאֵי גְבוּרָתְךָ בַּקֹּדֶשׁ חֲזִיתִיךָ. מִי יֹאמַר לֹא רָאֲךָ?	Even as, in the wonder of your might, In the sanctuary I have beheld you. Who shall say they have not seen you?—
הֵן שָׁמַיִם וְחֵילָם יַגִּידוּ מוֹרָאֲךָ בְּלִי נִשְׁמַע קוֹלָם!	Lo, the Heavens and their constellations Declare reverence of you, Though their voice is not heard.
הַאֻמְנָם כִּי יֵשֵׁב אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָדָם?	How then, in reality, can Elohim dwell with humanity!?
וּמַה יַחְשֹׁב כׇּל־חוֹשֵׁב, אֲשֶׁר בָּעָפָר יְסוֹדָם – וְאַתָּה קָדוֹשׁ יוֹשֵׁב תְּהִלּוֹתָם וּכְבוֹדָם!	What can they think—every thinking being, Whose foundation is in the dust— How you, Holy One, are dwelling Amid their praises and their kavod!?
חַיּוֹת יוֹדוּ פִלְאֲךָ הָעוֹמְדוֹת בְּרוּם עוֹלָם, עַל רָאשֵׁיהֶם כִּסְאֲךָ – וְאַתָּה נוֹשֵׂא כֻלָּם!	Angels adore your wonder, Standing in the everlasting height; Over their heads is your throne, Meanwhile, you uphold them all!

---

4 and 5:

Lev Shalem for Sabbath and Festivals, introductory Hymn for alternate Musaf and Nina Davis Salaman–see separate post. https://drsethward.wordpress.com/2024/02/03/yah-ana-emtzaakha-sources-continued/