Adon Olam Prayer to a Tune from the Musical Hamilton

2016

About This Entry

At the end of a 2016 bat mitzvah at Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, Cantor Azi Schwartz sings the Hebrew prayer Adon Olam to the tune of “You’ll Be Back,” from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash hit Hamilton, which opened in 2015. Adon Olam is sung at the end of most Shabbat services, and because of its simple meter (iambic tetrameter), it can be set to many melodies. American congregations often use popular American tunes, such as “Rock Around the Clock,” “Sloop John B.,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” In this video, Cantor Schwartz begins with the Oseh Shalom prayer before transitioning to Adon Olam.

Oseh Shalom

Oseh shalom bimromav,
hu ya‘aseh shalom alenu
ve-al kol Yisra’el
ve-imru amen.

He Who makes peace in His high heavens,
may He make peace upon us
and upon all Israel
and say, Amen.

Adon Olam

Transliteration

Adon olam, asher malakh,
be-terem kol yetsir nivra
Le-‘et na‘asa ve-ḥeftso kol,
Azai melekh shemo nikra
Ve-aḥare kikhlot ha-kol
Levado yimlokh nora
Ve-hu hayah ve-hu hoveh
Ve-hu yihyeh be-tif’arah
Ve-hu eḥad ve-en sheni
Le-hamshil lo le-haḥbirah
Beli reshit beli taḥlit
Ve-lo ha-‘oz ve-hamisrah
Ve-hu Eli ve-ḥay go’ali
ve-tsur ḥevli be-‘et tsarah
Ve-hu nisi u-manos li
menat kosi be-yom ekra
Be-yado afkid ruḥi
be-‘et iyshan ve-a‘ira
ve-im ruḥi geviyati
Adonai li ve-lo ira

Translation

Master of the Universe Who reigned
before any creature was created.
At the time when all was made by His will,
then was His Name proclaimed King.
And after all things shall cease to be,
the Awesome One will reign alone.
He was, He is,
and He shall be in glory.
He is One, and there is no second
to compare to Him, to associate [with Him].
Without beginning, without end,
power and dominion are His.
He is my God and my ever-living Redeemer,
the Rock of my destiny in times of distress.
He is my flag and my refuge;
He is the portion of my cup on the day I call.
Into His hand I entrust my spirit
[both] when I sleep and when I awaken.
And with my spirit my body [too],
God is with me, I shall not fear.

Adapted from the translation of Avrohom Davis.

Credits

Video: Azi Schwartz, Adon Olam to the tune of Hamilton's "You'll be Back", October 22, 2016, YouTube.com.
Translation from Sefaria.org, based on the Metsudah linear siddur, by Avrohom Davis, used under a CC BY 3.0 license.

Discussion Questions

Why do you think a cantor would choose to sing a Hebrew prayer to a popular melody like a song from Hamilton?
How do the bat mitzvah girl and the congregation respond?
What does this clip suggest about how Jewish prayer interacts with popular music of a given time and place?