Piyyut in Honor of R. Faradji Chaouat

Makhlouf Nadjar

1913

O our God! O our God!
May Rabbi Frājī be with us.
Come, people, and hear what happened
   to Rabbi Frājī, how he passed on.
He sent after the gozbar1
   and said to him “Come before us.”
When the gozbar came before him,
   and began to inquire about his well-being,
who visited him and held his place dear,
   his sins were pardoned before our Master.
He said…
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This poem was well known among the Jews of Tunisia. This edition was printed at the press of Makhlouf Nadjar. It is unclear who the original author was. The opening two-line strophe was repeated between every verse. Rabbi Faradji Chaouat was one of the most celebrated Tunisian paytanim (liturgical poets). His melodies and poems, many of which focused on the themes of exile and redemption, remain popular in North African Jewish communities.

Creator Bio

Makhlouf Nadjar

1888–1963

Born in Moknine in eastern Tunisia, Nadjar (alt. Makhlūf Najjār) moved to Sousse at the age of thirteen and began his career as a theatrical director and actor, performing in Hebrew, Arabic, and French. In 1917, Nadjar purchased the press and printing equipment of Tsemaḥ ha-Levi, a pioneer of Tunisian Judeo-Arabic literature, and began printing and distributing Judeo-Arabic books. In addition to publishing works of his own composition or translation and the works of his contemporaries, Nadjar republished many works of North African Judeo-Arabic literature from the late nineteenth century. Starting in 1920 he served as the editor for the Judeo-Arabic and French weekly al-Nijma (L’Étoile, or “The Star”), which he published until 1961.

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