Remember the covenant of Abraham

Gershom ben Judah (Rabbenu Gershom)

Early 11th Century

Remember the covenant of Abraham, and the binding of Isaac,
and restore the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
and rescue us, for Your own sake!
We perished from the good Land, hastily.
The days have extended long, so too all words of prophecy.
Safety is gone from Israel.
Emaciation has been inficted on their fat ones.
 Turn back, with mercy, to the remnant of Israel, and
 rescue us, for Your own sake!
Exile after exile,
all Judah has been exiled,
sick and wasting all day long,
with none to seek her, to take account of her.
Restore the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
The holy city and [surrounding] regions
have become objects of shame and derision.
All its beloved things have sunk and been hidden away,
and nothing remains, other than this Torah.
 Turn back, with mercy, to the remnant of Israel,
and rescue us, for Your own sake! [ . . . ]
He who pursued their lives few like an eagle,
to slaughter their young men in their Temple.
You punished and chastised them further,
crushing the children, and the mother with her sons.
 Turn back, with mercy, to the remnant of Israel,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
We were dominated into slavery and exhausted.
When we ran from the lion, the bear encountered us.
The leopard oppressed us, until we were exhausted.1
He fought against us, and we had no rest.
 Restore the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
Out of all the subjugators of the three-fold nation,2
he fourth3 extended and lasted the longest.
It placed a yoke upon the poor one,
and mourning and moaning prevailed.
 Turn back, with mercy, to the remnant of Israel,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
Mighty redeemer, ransom us for Your sake!
See that our hand falters.
Look! Our pious people are gone.
There is none to pray on our behalf.
 Restore the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
The covenant of the patriarchs, the matriarchs, and the tribes,
and your mercy and kindness over the many years—
Yah, remember this for the beaten, beard-plucked people,4
who are slaughtered for You every day.
 Turn back, with mercy, to the remnant of Israel,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
You who demand vengeance for blood—perform judgment for us!
Pay back our oppressors sevenfold, to their bosoms.
We have been sold for nothing, so redeem us for no silver.
Erect your desolate Temple before our eyes.
 Restore the captivity of Jacob’s tents,
 and rescue us, for Your own sake!
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Notes

[The lion, bear, and leopard represent the Babylonian, Persian, and Greek empires respectively.—Trans.]

[The Jewish people, consisting of priests, Levites, and ordinary Israelites.—Trans.]

[The Roman Empire, including all its Christian successor states.—Trans.]

[Plucking the hair of the beard is a humiliating form of torture; see Isaiah 50:6.—Trans.]

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

This poem is one of Rabbenu Gershom’s most enduring contributions to Jewish liturgy, as many Ashkenazic communities recite it during the High Holiday season. This piyyut describes the woeful state of the Jews and asks God to redeem them because of the merit of the biblical patriarchs. The poem closes with a call for vengeance against Israel’s oppressors, a theme often repeated in medieval European piyyut.

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Creator Bio

Gershom ben Judah (Rabbenu Gershom)

ca. 960–ca. 1028

Gershom ben Judah (Rabbenu Gershom), often called Me’or ha-golah (Light of the Exile), was an early German talmudist and communal leader, apparently born in Metz. He was a student of Judah ben Meir ha-Kohen Leontin, of whom very little is known. Gershom’s academy was located in Mainz, where a tombstone bears a name that may be his. The Talmud commentary ascribed to Gershom was actually compiled by his students and members of his academy. Members of his academy taught important students, at least two of whom were Rashi’s teachers, and teachings from Gershom’s academy frequently appear in Rashi’s writings. Gershom wrote many responsa and piyyutim (liturgical poems), but the communal ordinances ascribed to him may be apocryphal. Gershom’s son converted to Christianity, perhaps under duress; nonetheless, when his son died, Gershom famously observed the traditional Jewish mourning rituals for him.

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