Ein Keloheinu
Ein Keloheinu (in
Ein Keloheinu is sometimes chanted at the end of the morning service (
One explanation for the prayer is that its 20 sentences each count as a blessing. Jews are exhorted to make at least 100 blessings daily [Talmud, Menachot 43b]. On weekdays, the Shemoneh Esrei (or "Amidah") prayer contains 19 blessings and is said three times, totaling 57 blessings, and the remaining 43 are said during other parts of daily services as well as during other events throughout the day. On Shabbat and festivals, however, the Amidah consists of only seven blessings. Ein Keloheinu was designed to ensure that everybody would say at least 100 blessings a day, even on those days when the Amidah is shorter.[4]
Four different names are used to refer to God in this prayer:
- Elohim (אלהים) – God
- Adon (אדון) – Lord or Master
- Melekh (מלך) – King
- Moshia` (מושיע) – Savior
These names of God are in the same sequence in which they appear in the Torah.[5] The kabbalists saw, in the use of four names for God, references to four different Divine qualities.[6]
Text
The original version
Hebrew original | Transliteration | English translation |
---|---|---|
אין כאלהינו, אין כאדונינו |
Ein kelohenu, ein kadonenu, |
There is none like our God, There is none like our Lord, |
° אתה הוא שהקטירו אבותינו לפניך |
° Atah hu shehiqtiru abotenu, lefanecha, |
° You are the one before whom |
The Hebrew text is as it appears in all siddurim, both Ashkenazic and Sephardic.
° The last line of the piyut itself is "You are our Savior."[7]
The Ashkenazic liturgy follows this immediately (as part of the chanting) with "You are the one before whom ...." followed by a Talmudic description of the mixing of the incense spices for the Temple.[8]
°° The Sephard, and the Sephardic/Mizrahi liturgies follow the last line of the piyut with the words, "You will save us," followed by the quotation of Psalm 102:14, "You will arise ...."[9]
Among Ashkenazim, the additional line and the Talmudic lesson on the making of incense which follows it is considered optional and so that line and lesson might be omitted.[10]
This prayer appears in the liturgy as early as the
Ladino version
In many
Ladino lyrics
Ladino lyrics | Latin-script transcription[14] |
---|---|
נון קומו מואישטרו דיו, נון קומו מואישטרו שינייור, |
Non komo muestro Dyo, non komo muestro Senyor, |
Yiddish version
In some Germanic congregations, Ein Keiloheinu is sometimes sung, alternating Yiddish (also known as Judaeo-German) and Hebrew.
Yiddish lyrics
Yiddish lyrics | Latin-script transcription |
---|---|
עס גיבט קײַן גאָט וויא אונזער גאָט - אֵין כֵּאלֹהֵינוּ, עס גיבט קײַן הער וויא אונזער הער - אֵין כַּאדוֹנֵינוּ, |
Es gibt kayn Got vi unzer Got - ein Keiloheinu, es gibt kayn Her vi unzer Her - ein Kadoneinu, |
In popular culture
Philadelphia based post-hardcore band mewithoutYou incorporated words from the Ein Keloheinu hymn into the song "Four Fires," a B-side track from their fifth full-length studio album, Ten Stories.
See also
- Jewish services
- List of Jewish prayers and blessings
- Names of God in Judaism
References
- Specific
- ^ E.g., Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 317.
- ^ Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 317; Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 71.
- ^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 72; Elbogen, Ismar, Jewish Liturgy: A comprehensive history (orig. 1913, Engl. transl. 1993, Philadelphia, Jewish Publ'n Society) page 95 (in Persia, it concludes the Friday night service).
- ^ Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 319; Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, pages 71-72.
- ^ Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 320, citing the appearances in Gen. 1:1, Gen. 15:2, Ex 15:18, and Dt. 33:29.
- ^ Millgram, Abraham, Jewish Worship (1971, Philadelphia, Jewish Publ'n Society) page 494.
- ^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 72; Abrahams, Israel, Companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book (2nd ed. 1922, London, Eyre & Spottiswoode) page clxvii.
- ^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 72; Abrahams, Israel, Companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book (2nd ed. 1922, London, Eyre & Spottiswoode) page clxvii; Hertz. Joseph H., Authorized Daily Prayer Book with commentary, introductions and notes (American ed. 1948, NY, Bloch Publ'g) page 545; Scherman, Nosson, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Ashkenaz)(2nd ed, 1987, NY, Mesorah Publ'ns) pages 476-477.
- ^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 72; Abrahams, Israel, Companion to the Authorised Daily Prayer Book (2nd ed. 1922, London, Eyre & Spottiswoode) page clxvii; Koren Sefard Siddur (2008, Jerusalem, Koren Publ'g) page 67 (weekday morning) and page 206 (Sabbath mussaf); Koren Mizrahi Siddur (1988, Jerusalem, Koren Publ'g) page 78 (weekday morning) and page 223 (Sabbath mussaf); Scherman, Nosson, The Complete ArtScroll Siddur (Sefard)(1985, NY, Mesorah Publ'ns) pages 180-181 (weekday morning) and pages 516-517 (Sabbath mussaf); Orot Sephardic Weekday Siddur (1994, NJ, Orot) page 276; Orot Sephardic Shabbat Siddur (1995, NJ, Orot) pages 472-473.
- ^ Hertz. Joseph H., Authorized Daily Prayer Book with commentary, introductions and notes (American ed. 1948, NY, Bloch Publ'g) page 545. For example, the Conservative Sabbath and Festival Prayer Book (1948, NY, The Rabbinical Assembly of America) page 157 has the additional Ashkenaz line but omits the lesson on incense. The 1903 prayerbook of the Union of Liberal and Progressive Synagogues, in England, used the version with the Sephardic additional lines (but without the lesson on incense), Petuchowski, Jakob J., Prayerbook Reform in Europe (1968, NY, World Union for Progressive Judaism) page 72.
- ^ Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, page 71; Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 318-319; Idelsohn, A.Z., Jewish Liturgy and its Development (1932, NY, Henry Holt) page 117.
- ^ Hirsch, Samson Raphael, The Hirsch Siddur (orig. 1868, Engl.transl. 1978, NY, Feldheim Publ'rs) page 379.
- ^ Jacobson, B.S., The Sabbath Service (orig. 1968, Engl. transl. 1981, Tel-Aviv, Sinai Publ'g) page 318-319; Nulman, Macy, Encyclopedia of Jewish Prayer (1993, NJ, Jason Aronson) s.v. Ayn Kaylohaynu, pages 71-72.
- ^ The particular Latin-script spelling used here (e.g., "komo" instead of "como"), is based on the Aki Yerushalayim convention of the Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino. See Judaeo-Spanish (Orthography).
- ^ "Ein Keloheinu". bj.org. Congregation B'nai Jeshurun. Retrieved 30 November 2015. "Kien", rather than "Ken", is consistent with the Hebrew-script spelling.
- General
- Eisenberg, R. The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions, ISBN 0-8276-0760-1
- ISBN 0-688-08506-7
External links
- Audio file "Ein Keloheinu" (regular); MP3
- Audio file "Ein Keloheinu" (slow); MP3
- "Ein Keloheinu""Ein Keloheinu" text;
- [1] Archived 2020-11-04 at the Wayback Machine links to multiple audio files of different melodies for "Ein Keloheinu";