March 29, 2025 ~ Sh PEQUDEI. NAWAH or SABA.
| Section | Pizmon | Page | Song | Commentary | Recordings | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayat | 387 | 311 | יה אל הבט למענה |  Ezekiel Dweck Written during the time of the Holocaust. Shrem Manuscript |
I. Cabasso- Qaddish M. Nadaf M. Nadaf 2 I Cabasso- SA Recording |
קדיש |
| Hoseni | 429 | 352 | שומרה מצר | Ezekiel Dweck Written during Holocaust. Shrem Manuscript Leaflet |
Arabic |
| Section | Pizmon | Page | Song | Commentary | Recordings | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nahwand | 299 | 236 | כל עוד בלבב פנימה |  Naftali Herz Imber This song (NAHWAND, page 236), also referred to as "HaTiqva" (The Hope), became the Zionist national anthem in 1897, and eventually, the Israeli national anthem in 1948. It's text was written in 1878 by Galician poet Naphtali Herz Imber (1856-1911), and it was published in a collection of his poems called Barkai (The Morning Star) in Jerusalem in 1886. There are seven stanzas to this poem, and they are all followed by the chorus ('Od Lo Abda Tiqvatenu- we still did not lose our hope). The melody of this song is derived from a number of European songs starting with "La Mantovana," a 16th century Italian song composed by Giuseppe Cenci, and it's melody was reused in a number of other folk songs throughout Central Europe. It was also used in "Moldau" by the Czech composer Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) in his set of six symphonic poems celebrating Bohemia. Like many other pizmonim in our tradition, the theme of this song is the gathering of the exiles and the return to the Land of Israel. A translation of the first stanza is as follows: "As long as within our hearts, the Jewish soul sings. As long as forward to the East, to Zion, looks the eye." The chorus then continues "Our hope is not yet lost, the hope is very old. To return to the land of our forefathers, the land of Zion and Jerusalem." Using this melody for various pieces of prayers is well documented by H Moshe Ashear in the late 1930's. Currently, it has been adapted to Syrian Hazzanut for the melody of Barukh She'amar each Shabbat, and it can also be applied to other pieces of prayers, such as Semehim or Naqdishakh for the Shabbat prior to Yom Ha'Assmaut (Israel Independence Day). |
G. Shrem G Shrem- HaTiqvah G. Shrem G. Shrem Moshe Dwek - Naqdishakh Moshe Dwek - Rau Banim |
נקדישך |
| Section | Pizmon | Page | Song | Commentary | Recordings | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baqashot | 53 | 61 | בר יוחאי נמשחת | Shimon Labi Maqam Sigah The pizmon "Bar Yohai" (SIGAH, page 61), is written by H Simeon Labi (b. Spain, 1486- d. Tripoli, Libya,1585), in honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, a 2nd century Tannaitic sage strongly associated with Jewish mysticism. Rabbi Simeon Labi, whose name forms the acrostic at the beginning of each stanza, was en-route to the Land of Israel, but on his way, he was stopped in Tripoli. Upon seeing the community's low spiritual situation, he decided to stay there his entire life, where he contributed to their revival of Jewish life. Excluding the first line, which is meant to be a repeating verse, there are ten stanzas to this song; all filled with rich allusions to Bar Yohai's life. In our tradition, there is a slow melody and a fast "Beirut" melody to this song. During the Baqashot of Shabbat, we use the slow melody for the first and last stanzas, and the fast melody for all the middle stanzas. On Lag La'Omer, which is the anniversary of his death, the slow melody of this pizmon is applied to Naqdishakh. A Z Idelsohn notes, 1923 Aharon Rahamim Hares Baqashot Manuscript, 1917 |
G. Shrem Archives G. Shrem Ohabe Zion 1960 Recording Beirut Version I Cabasso - Naqdishakh Y Bozo- Naqdishkah |
נקדישך |
| Bayat | 363 | 280 | שובי העדי | Moses Ashear Written May 26, 1940. Song in memory of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, for Lag LaOmer. Leaflet |
G. Shrem I. Cabasso G. Shrem G. Shrem |
כתר |
| Hoseni | 424 | 345 | אוחיל יום יום אשתאה | אני דוד בר אהרן בר חסין חזק This pizmon (HOSENI, page 345), whose title is translated as “I Will Pray Day By Day,” is song dedicated to Rabbi Haim Abulafia (1660-1744) and his efforts to re-establish the Jewish community in Tiberias. This lengthy song with 18 stanzas is composed by the well-known Sephardic Moroccan poet, Rabbi David Haseen (1727-1792), and the acrostic of the song spells "Ani David Ben Aharon Ben Haseen Hazaq" (אני דוד בן אהרן בן חסין חזק). Tiberias, located on the Western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kineret), was considered one of the four "holy cities" in the Land of Israel. According to the Talmud, in 145 CE, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, spent one decade hiding there; “cleansing the city of ritual impurities.” As a result, this city became the location of resettlement of the Sanhedrin after the Jewish exile from Jerusalem, and later, the seat of Jewish religious scholarship. It was in this early period when the Jewish sages Rabbi Meir Ba’al HaNes and Rabbi Akiva lived here and were buried. Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi compiled the Mishna here circa 200 CE, and Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai compiled the Jerusalem Talmud in between 230-270 CE. Throughout subsequent centuries, important rabbis lived in this city and it maintained its status as the center of Jewish learning in the Land of Israel. Tiberias is also the burial ground of some of the most respected rabbis in Judaism; even those who did not live here, such as the Maimonides in 1204, who was brought to the city after his death to be buried. In the mid 18th century, the Ottoman authorities encouraged further Jewish settlement in the city, and Rabbi Haim Abulafia of Smyrna (modern day Izmir, Turkey) was invited to help spearhead the rebuilding efforts, and build Jewish centers of learning. This is the background of why this song was written and dedicated to Rabbi Abulafia. This song is associated with the Jewish holiday Lag La’Omer due to its reference to Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai in the fifteenth stanza. H Moshe Ashear, as documented in his notes from 1937-1940, had a custom of using this as the PIZMON SEFER TORAH on the Shabbat prior to Lag La'Omer. Attiah Manuscript Abraham Sitehon Manuscript Yabess Manuscript |
G. Shrem I. Dayan (Alternate version) G. Shrem Recording Moshe Dwek Moshe Dwek - Haleluya Moshe Dwek - Haleluya |
כתר |
| Saba | 504 | 418 | איש אלהים קדוש הוא | Ben Ish Hai Lag LaOmer. For R' Shimon Bar Yochai. Written by the "Ben Ish Hai" of Babel in the 19th century. Song is an acrostic (Aleph Bet) and has many allusions to the life of R' Shimon. Abraham Sitehon Manuscript |
Fule Yanani G. Shrem Recording S Antebi- Pizmon |
כתר |
| Section | Pizmon | Page | Song | Commentary | Recordings | Application |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nahwand | 262.1 | 208a | ירושלים של זהב | Naomi Shemer The pizmon "Yerushalayim Shel Zahab" (NAHWAND, page 208A), translated as "Jerusalem of Gold," is an Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer (1930-2004). This song, written in May 1967, became an unofficial second national anthem after Israel won the Six Day War (June 1967) and liberated Jerusalem. It's melody is based on the Basque lullaby "Pello Joxepe." The song originally had 3 stanzas but a fourth one was added after the Six Day War. The theme of the song is about the Jewish people's longing for Jerusalem. There is a stark contrast between the second stanza, which mourns over the sad, dry, and empty streets, and the amended fourth stanza, which celebrates the return to Jerusalem with happy streets full of life. Some say that the timing of the composition of this song is nothing short of prophetic. The melody of this song made its way to synagogue services and is usually heard transposed to various pieces of prayer around Yom Yerushalayim (28 Iyar). |
Fule Yanani G Shrem Moshe Dwek |
שמחים |
The maqamat for the Shabbats of the Omer period according to Sassoon Manuscript #647, Aleppo, circa 1850.
