❸➀❽➂➀❼❹❽➈
❸☛❻✪☛➀❸✘©❽✝✺˜❦–❸✯❦❊✆–
❸☛➂➸I✝❻➡➄❸©➄✝✺˜➯x✝✆✺➀✎€š❽✳✝❧
❸☛➀✴☛➆š❦˜✝❿✆❸☛❻✝–❽➢➄š❽✆❻➸✇✍➂š✏€
❸©➄✝❼✆✺❽✳✝❊š☛➀❽✆➂✝✺➀☛–❽➢➄❹❽©➄☛➆
❸☛➀➤❶➢➄✸➢❽✍➀☛➆➛❸❷❦✝❄❽✳✎✺✙˜❽➵✇❽✳❧➆❽✳❧➆
➁➯I✝❻➡➄➃❦➀☛➂✍✺✇✛❦—š❽✳✝✺š❦€
➁➭I©❹❹❽©➄☛➆š✍➀✎€➸✇✆➀➀✎€š✍❧✇➸I
➁☛➆—➡➄✏❻❽➠➄✝➈✆➀➠❽❦€❷©❽❸✏❊✴➢❽✍❸
➁✘✝✺š❽✆❻➸✇✍➂➀❧➂❸➭š➤➄☛➆➃✎❸➶❄š✍✺
❸☛➀➤❶➢➄✸➢❽✍➀☛➆➛❸❷❦✝❄❽✳✎✺✙˜❽➵✇❽✳❧➆❽✳❧➆
➀❽✎➀š✍❿➸✇✏❻✝✺➁➭I✝➅➢➄➀✯❦❶✍❸
➀✎€❸©➄☛✍❊❑❽➵I✝➀✍–✆❸➤❹❽➵š€✎–❦❸➤❹❑
➀✎–˜☛➅➤❹—☛❻✢➢➄➃❽✆➂©❽➉✧
➀✎€❽✳✍€➆✍❼❽➢➄➃❦➀☛➂✍✺✸✲✛✍✺
❸☛➀➤❶➢➄✸➢❽✍➀☛➆➛❸❷❦✝❄❽✳✎✺✙˜❽➵✇❽✳❧➆❽✳❧➆
❸☛➈©❽➤❹š✲❦❻✴✍❻➸✇➆✘❦➄➤❹˜#➶✺
❸➭I❽©❽✝❸➢➄❸✏➆❦˜✍➀š❦❻☛€✝➀❧➁✎€✝➀
❸☛✍❸✍€š✲✲❦➆✝➂❸☛–✯➤❹❸☛❿➸✇✝➂➢➄
❸©❽✢❽✜➤❽š❽✳✝✺❸☛➂❽✆➀➸✇✆❸❑❸➳x✍➆➟➄❑✝✺
❸☛➀➤❶➢➄✸➢❽✍➀☛➆➛❸❷❦✝❄❽✳✎✺✙˜❽➵✇❽✳❧➆❽✳❧➆
➃❸❿❸❽˜€
Piyyut for a Milah (circumcision)
Aryeh Cohen
Tzipporah took a flint in her hand
and sealed God’s covenant in her son’s flesh
the Destroyer was defeated with the cutting of the foreskin
the Humble one1 was saved by the circumcision of the fruit of her womb.
Awaken and sing, the glory of God is revealed upon you.
the sign of the holy covenant was sealed at the night-camp
God’s answer to the question of the Humble and Pure one:
“will the hand of the enemy loosen before the people are choked?”
the daughter of the Priest answered in the face of the Destroyer—with blood.
Awaken and sing, the glory of God is revealed upon you.
The fate was sealed in the darkness of the night
“And I will take you out and I will save you,” God said then
the end of days was hastened and the life force passed
on the way, in the night-camp the seeds of Ariel2 were planted.
Awaken and sing, the glory of God is revealed upon you.
In the morning it was known, the dark and comely one
had become as mother and sister to the shepherd
she was pulled, she ran, this awakener of love
with “we will do” she fulfilled the covenant of Yedidiah3.
translated by Shoshanna Gershenson, Maeera Schreiber and Aryeh Cohen
1
Moses
2
Jerusalem or the Temple
3
Abraham