Face to face
Face to face, the Lord spoke with your whole community, who fear his name.
Indeed, you saw his greatness at Sinai; indeed, you heard the voice of his speech.
He revealed to me the secret of the law from heaven; oh, how sweet are its paths!
The fear of the Lord is a cure for pain, a tree of life for those that cling to it.
God’s word is completely pure; how good it is to dwell in its shade!
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.
Credits
Faradji Chouat, “Face to Face (Hebrew)” (Prayer, Béja, Eyalet of Tunis, Early 17th Century). Published in: Ephraim Hazan, Ha-shirah ha-ʻIvrit bi-tsefon Afrikah(Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2003, online), 227.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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