Kol Meqadesh Shevi'i
"Kol Meqadesh Shevi'i"[lower-alpha 1] is an ancient hymn, possibly composed by Moses b. Qalonymus. The hymn is first found in Add MS 27200, a 13th-century copy of the 11th-century Machzor Vitry, as the first hymn for the Sabbath; because the section with hymns does not appear in superior copies of Machzor Vitry, it is likely a later addition.[1] Over the generations it has been set to many tunes. Ashkenazi Jews customarily sing it on Sabbath Eve.[2]
Each stanza has four lines; the first three continue the acrostic and the fourth is a Biblical verse or verset.
Words
Hebrew text | Transliteration | Literal Translation | Poetic Translation of Herbert Loewe[3] |
---|---|---|---|
כָּל מְקַדֵּשׁ שְׁבִיעִי כָּרָאוּי לוֹ
כָּל שׁוֹמֵר שַׁבָּת (כַּדָּת) מֵחַלְּלוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד עַל פִּי פָעֳלוֹ אִישׁ עַל מַחֲנֵהוּ וְאִישׁ עַל דִּגְלוֹ |
kāl mǝqaddēš šǝbîʿî kārāʾûy lô
kāl šômēr šabbāt kaddāt mēḥallǝlô śǝkārô harbê mǝʾōd ʿal pî pāʿŏlô ʾîš ʿal maḥănēhû wǝʾîš ʿal diglô |
All who sanctify the Sabbath as it deserves
All who protect the Sabbath from its breakers[lower-alpha 2] His reward is very great, correspondant to his act, "Each according to his camp, and each according to his flag."[lower-alpha 3] |
Who duly keeps Sabbath, who welcomes the Bride,
Who truly protects her, God's Law for his guide, A guerdon as Abram's his faith shall provide: So inch, in your tents, 'neath your banners abide. |
אוֹהֲבֵי ה' הַמְחַכִּים בְּבִנְיַן אֲרִיאֵל
בְּיוֹם הַשַׁבָּת שִׂישׂוּ (וְשִׂמְחוּ) כִּמְקַבְּלֵי מַתַּן דָת נַחֲלִיאֵל גַּם שְׂאוּ יְדֵיכֶם קוֹדֶשׁ וְאִמְרוּ לָאֵל בָּרוּךְ ה' אֲשֶׁר נָתַן מְנוּחָה לְעַמּוֹ יִשְׂרָאֵל |
ʾôhăbê h' hamḥakkîm bǝbinyan ʾărîʾēl
bǝyôm hašabbāt śîśû wǝśimḥû kimqabbǝlê mattan naḥălîʾēl gam śǝʾû yǝdêkem qôdeš wǝʾimrû lāʾēl bārûk h' ʾăšer nātan mǝnûḥâ lǝʿammô yiśrāʾēl |
Lovers of God, who hope for the rebuilding of Ariel[lower-alpha 4]
On the Sabbath, celebrate[lower-alpha 5] like they who received the gift of Nahaliel's law[lower-alpha 6] Also lift up your hands toward the Holy[lower-alpha 7] and say to God, "Blessed is the LORD who gave[lower-alpha 8] rest to his people Israel."[lower-alpha 9] |
Who yearn for Ariel rebuilded once more,
Take Sabbath in joy from the Torah's rich store, Come, lovers of God, let us praise and adore Our God Who gave rest to His people of yore. |
דוֹרְשֵׁי ה' זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם אוֹהֲבוֹ
הַמְאַחֲרִים לָצֵאת מִן הַשַּׁבָּת וּמְמַהֲרִים לָבֹא וּשְׂמֵחִים לְשָׁמְרוֹ וְלַעַרוֹב מַעֲרָבוֹ זֶה הַיּוֹם עָשָׂה ה' נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בוֹ |
dôrǝšê h' zeraʿ ʾabrāhām ʾôhăbô
hamʾaḥărîm lāṣēʾt min haššabbāt ûmǝmahărîm lābōʾ ûśǝmēḥîm lǝšāmǝrô wǝlaʿarôb maʿărābô zê hayyôm ʿāśâ h' nāgîlâ wǝniśmǝḥâ bô |
Seekers of God, seed of Abraham his beloved,
Who delay ending the Sabbath, and hurry to begin it.[lower-alpha 10] And who are happy to keep it, and to prepare its meals.[lower-alpha 11] "This is the day which God made -- celebrate and rejoice on it!"[lower-alpha 12] |
O seek Him, ye children of Abram His friend,
Be glad Sabbath's frontiers and bounds to defend, Too late is her coming, too soon is her end, This day of God's making: let gladness ascend! |
זִכְרוּ תּוֹרַת משֶׁה בְּמִצְוַת שַׁבָּת גְּרוּסָה
חֲרוּתָה לְיוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי כְּכַלָּה בֵּין רֵעוֹתֶיהָ מְשֻׁבָּצָה טְהוֹרִים יִירָשׁוּהָ וִיקַדְּשׁוּהָ בְּמַאֲמַר כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיְכַל אֱלֹהִים בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי מְלַאכְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה |
zikrû tôrat mšê bǝmiṣwat šabbāt gǝrûsâ
ḥărûtâ lǝyôm haššǝbîʿî kǝkallâ bên rēʿôtêhā mǝšubbāṣâ ṭǝhôrîm yîrāšûhā wîqaddǝšûhā bǝmaʾămar kāl ʾăšer ʿāśâ wayǝkal ʾĕlōhîm bayyôm haššǝbîʿî mǝlaʾkǝtô ʾăšer ʿāśâ |
Recall the Law of Moses,[lower-alpha 13] which records the Sabbath commandment![lower-alpha 14]
Set for[lower-alpha 15] the seventh day, like a bride arrayed between her maids.[lower-alpha 16] The pure will inherit her, and sanctify her by recalling His deeds, "And God completed on the seventh day all the work which he had done."[lower-alpha 17] |
God's Law gave us Sabbath His Law be obeyed
A bride 'mid her maids in fair samite arrayed; The pure are her heirs, they proclaim as 'tis said "God rested and blessed all His works He had made." |
יוֹם קָדוֹשׁ הוּא מִבּוֹאוֹ וְעַד צֵאתוֹ
כָּל זֶרַע יַעֲקֹב יְכַבְּדוּהוּ כִּדְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ לָנוּחַ בּוֹ וְלִשְׂמוֹחַ בְּתַעֲנוּג אָכוֹל וְשָׁתוֹ כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יַעֲשׂוּ אוֹתוֹ |
yôm qādôš hûʾ mibbôʾô wǝʿad ṣēʾtô
kāl zeraʿ yaʿăqōb yǝkabbǝdûhû kidbar hammelek wǝdātô lānûaḥ bô wǝliśmôaḥ bǝtaʿănûg ʾākôl wǝšātô kāl ʿădat yiśrāʾēl yaʿăśû ʾôtô |
A holy day is it,[lower-alpha 18] from its arrival to its departure
All the seed of Jacob[lower-alpha 19] glorify it according to royal decree To rest on it and to celebrate in luxury -- eat and drink![lower-alpha 20] "All the community of Israel will do this."[lower-alpha 21] |
All holy her night and all holy her day:
Then come, sons of Jacob, your King's word obey Rejoice o'er your flagons, with feasting be gay, All Israel united to rest and to pray. |
מְשֹׁךְ חַסְדְּךָ לְיֹדְעֶיךָ אֵל קַנֹּא וְנוֹקֵם
נוֹטְרֵי (לַ)יּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי זָכוֹר וְשָׁמוֹר לְהָקֵם שַׂמְּחֵם בְּבִנְיַן שָׁלֵם בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ תַּבְהִיקֵם יִרְוְיֻן מִדֶּשֶׁן בֵּיתֶךָ וְנַחַל עֲדָנֶיךָ תַשְׁקֵם |
mǝšōk ḥasdǝkā lǝyōdǝʿêkā ʾēl qannōʾ wǝnôqēm
nôṭǝrê layyôm haššǝbîʿî zākôr wǝšāmôr lǝhāqēm śammǝḥēm bǝbinyan šālēm bǝʾôr pānêkā tabhîqēm yirwǝyun middešen bêtekā wǝnaḥal ʿădānêkā tašqēm |
Disburse charity to those who recognize you,[lower-alpha 22] O jealous and vengeful God,
Those watching for the seventh day, to establish "recall" and "keep". [lower-alpha 23]Gladden them with the complete building,[lower-alpha 24] by the light of your face illuminate them "They will overflow with the abundance of your houses, and with your delicious spring you will water them."[lower-alpha 25] |
Who know Thee, who guard Sabbath's twofold behest,
O grant them Thy mercy, O shorten their quest For Salem rebuilt; in Thy light be they blest, By Thy streams of delight bring them safely to rest. |
עֲזוֹר (לַ)שּׁוֹבְתִים בַּשְּׁבִיעִי בֶּחָרִישׁ וּבַקָּצִיר עוֹלָמִים
פּוֹסְעִים בּוֹ פְּסִיעָה קְטַנָּה, סוֹעֲדִים בּוֹ לְבָרֵךְ שָׁלשׁ פְּעָמִים צִדְקָתָם תַּצְהִיר כְּאוֹר שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָבָה תָמִים (ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל תְּשׁוּעַת עוֹלָמִים) |
ʿăzôr laššôbǝtîm baššǝbîʿî beḥārîš ûbaqqāṣîr ʿôlāmîm
pôsǝʿîm bô pǝsîʿâ qǝṭannāh, sôʿădîm bô lǝbārēk šālš pǝʿāmîm ṣidqātām taṣhîr kǝʾôr šibʿat hayyāmîm h' ʾĕlōhê yiśrāʾēl ʾahăbat tāmîm (h' ʾĕlōhê yiśrāʾēl tǝšûʿat ʿôlāmîm) |
Help those who keep the Sabbath on the seventh, in plowing and in harvest forever[lower-alpha 26]
They take on it a small step,[lower-alpha 27] they feast on it to bless three times Their righteousness shines like the light of the seven days "LORD god of Israel, give a sign!"[lower-alpha 28] (LORD god of Israel, eternal savior.)[lower-alpha 29] |
Nor sowing nor reaping their Sabbath profanes;
They rest and they feast thrice with grateful refrains: Their goodness a sevenfold radiance remains, Their stronghold the Lord Who eternally reigns. |
קַדְּשֵׁם בְּמִצְוֹתֶיךָ וְטַהַרֵם כְּעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָטֹהַר,
רוּחֲךָ תְּנִיחֶנּוּ כַּבְּהֵמָה בַּבִּקְעָה תֵרֵד מִן הָהָר, שִׁבְטֵיהֶם תְּשַׁכְנֵם בְּנַחֲלַת הַסַהַר כִּנְחָלִים נִטָּיוּ כְּגַנֹּת עֲלֵי נָהָר |
qaddǝšēm bǝmiṣwōtêkā wǝṭaharēm kǝʿeṣem haššāmayim lāṭōhar,
rûḥak tǝnîḥennû kabbǝhēmâ babbiqʿâ tērēd min hāhār, šibṭêhem tǝšaknēm bǝnaḥălat hasahar kinḥālîm niṭṭāyû kǝgannōt ʿălê nāhārwǝlaʿarôb maʿărābô |
Sanctify them, and make them as pure as the very sky.[lower-alpha 30]
Let your spirit give them rest, like a beast coming off a mountain into a valley.[lower-alpha 31] Settle their tribes[lower-alpha 32] in the territory of the moon,[lower-alpha 33] "Like groves they will spread out, like gardens by the river."[lower-alpha 34] |
Thy word make us pure as the sky, Thy pure veil!
O let Thy grace guide us as herds in the dale, Reposing at ease, while the moonbeams grow pale, On meads by still streams whose cool waters ne'er fail |
Content of the hymn
The hymn praises those who keep the Sabbath, and stresses the reward waiting anyone who keeps the Sabbath. The hymn stresses the Sabbath experiences, the hope of the redemption of Jerusalem and the imminent rebuilding of the Temple.
Most prayerbooks omit the final stanza which completes the acrostic, and instead insert the line "O LORD, god of Israel, eternal savior." According to legend, the final stanza is omitted because the original author of the poem died with the poem incomplete and it was written by an entirely different author.
Rabbi Abraham Abba of Pittsburgh, who did not realize that the acrostic was complete in manuscript, wrote an alternative final stanza:[6]
קְדוֹשִׁים יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאָז וּלְעוֹלָמִים,
רָצִים לְמִגְדָּלְךָ וּבְשִׁמְךָ נִשְׂגָּבִים, שַׁבָּתוֹת קָדְשֶךָ מְיַיחַדִים וּמְעַנְּגִים וּבְךָ נִדְבָּקִים, תִּיקוּן הַשָּׁלֵם יַשִׂיגוּ בְחַיֵינוּ בְּחֶסֶד וּבְרַחַַמִים וּבְקָרֵב הַיָּמִים |
qǝdôšîm yišrāʾēl mēʾāz ûlǝʿôlāmîm,
rāṣîm lǝmigdālǝkā ûbǝšimkā niśgābîm, šabbātôt qādǝšekā mǝyayḥadîm ûmǝʿannǝgîm ûbǝkā nidbāqîm, tîqûn hašālēm yašîgû bǝḥayênû bǝḥesed ûbǝraḥaamîm ûbǝqārēb hayyāmîm |
Holy are Israel, from yore and for all time.
they rush to your tower and exalt your name.[lower-alpha 35] Your holy Sabbaths are unique and enjoyable; they are attached to them. The full repair will occur in our days, in kindness and in mercy and quickly. |
Notes
- Also: Kol Mekadesh, Kol Mekadeish
- Prayerbooks insert "according to the law."
- Numbers 1:52
- This phrase comes from Yannai's Sanctifications for the sabbaths of tragedy and comfort.
- Prayerbooks insert "and rejoice."
- viz. the Torah. Thus b. Eruvin 54a's homiletical interpretation of Numbers 21:19. So MSS; prayerbooks read only "gift of Nahaliel," having apparently moved "law" into the first stanza (see note [a]).
- Psalms 134:2
- A scribal error in Add MS 27200 leaves out "gave."
- 1 Kings 8:56
- A scribal error in Add MS 27200 has "Who delay ending the Sabbath, and delay beginning it."
- So Add MS 27200; the prayerbooks, having missed the reference to Ez. 27:9, emend "to make its eruv". The phrase in Ezekiel is to be literally translated "to sell wares;" see however the commentary of Joseph Kara, "To sell wares (ערב) . . . this means to repair and support. All the necessities of life are pleasurable, so one's support is called pleasure (ערב). And all man's pleasure is in food and drink".[4]
- Psalms 118:24
- In Add MS 27200, "of Moses my servant".
- In Add MS 27200, "records like the Sabbath commandment", meaning obscure.
- In Add MS 27200, "Set on the seventh day."
- In Add MS 27200, "her two maids". This image already appears in Kalir's Kinot.
- Genesis 2:2
- In Add MS 27200, "A holy day is this".
- In Add MS 27200, "all Israel."
- Add MS 27200 adds, "on the Sabbath."
- Exodus 12:47
- cf. Psalms 36:11
- Add MS 27200 reads, "They celebrate . . ."
- Some inaccurately translate "building of [Jeru]salem." The phrase comes from Yannai's Sanctifications for the sabbaths of tragedy and comfort.
"You caused grief/
You will make joy/
You destroyed/
You will build/
A complete building/
A full building/
A surpassing building/
A settled building/
A set building/
A solid building/
An established building/
A finished building."
This line is also quoted by Moses b. Asher in the colophon to Codex Cairensis. - Psalms 36:9
- cf. Exodus 34:21
- b. Shabbat 113b rules that one should not take large steps on the Sabbath, as these are characteristic of weekday travel.
- 1 Samuel 14:41. Some prayerbooks contain a later version, "LORD god of Israel, love of the pure," which does not fit the scheme of the hymn.
- This line appears only in printings. Rabbi Jacob Emden, unaware that the acrostic is complete in manuscript, suggests that it is the fourth line of the final stanza and its addition to the penultimate stanza represents a shortening of the hymn.[5]
- Exodus 24:10
- cf. Isaiah 63:14
- Thus Add MS 27200. Early printings erroneously read "their Sabbaths".
- Song of Songs 7:3, "Your navel is like the basin of the moon." Numbers Rabbah 1:4 interprets, "This refers to the Sanhedrin . . . as the navel is at the center of the body, so the Sanhedrin is at the center of the Temple."
- Numbers 24:6
- cf. Proverbs 18:10
References
- מויטרי., שמחה בן שמואל (2003). מחזור ויטרי. מכון אוצר הפוסקים. OCLC 233465548.
- Kohn, Albert E. (2018-01-01). "SONGS WERE FOR ME YOUR STATUTES WHEREVER I MAY DWELL (PSALMS 119:54): A History of the Jewish Custom to Sing around the Table on the Sabbath (Shabbat Zemirot), 1200-1600". Jewish Theological Seminary of America.
- Loewe, Herbert (1926). Mediæval Hebrew minstrelsy : songs for the bride queen's feast ; sixteen zemiroth. James Clarke. OCLC 82503829.
- https://mg.alhatorah.org/Full/Yechezkel/27.9#e0n6
- סידור בית יעקב להיעב"ץ pg. 314.
- Aba, Abraham (1995). Emunas Abraham (in Hebrew). Kiryat Pittsburgh, Ashdod: Yad Itamar. pp. 154ff.