Who Knows One: Passover Song in Hebrew, Ladino, Bukharian, Judeo-Arabic, and Judeo-Georgian

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Hebrew

Shloshah asar mi yode‘a [Who knows thirteen]?

Shloshah asar ani yode‘a [I know thirteen]:

Shloshah asar midaya [Thirteen are the attributes of God].

Shnem asar shivtaya [Twelve are the tribes].

Echad asar kochvaya [Eleven are the stars].

Asarah dibraya [Ten are the Words (Commandments)].

Tish‘ah yarche leda [Nine are the months of childbirth].

Shmonah yeme mila [Eight are the days for circumcision].

Shiv‘ah yeme shabata [Seven are the days of the week].

Shishah sidre Mishnah [Six are the orders of the Mishnah].

Ḥamishah ḥumshei Torah [Five are the books of the Torah].

‘Arba imahot [Four are the matriarchs].

Shloshah avot [Three are the patriarchs].

Shnei luḥot habrit [Two are the tablets of the covenant].

Eḥad Elohenu shebashamayim uva’arets [One is our God in heaven and earth].

Ladino

Ken supiense i entendiense, alavar al Dyo cre-ense [Who would know and understand, praise the God that one believes in].

Kualo son los treje [What are the thirteen]?

Treje son los Ikarim [Thirteen are the attributes].

Doje ermanos kon Yoseph [Twelve brothers with Joseph].

Onze ermanos sin Yoseph [Eleven brothers without Joseph].

Diez mandamientos de la Ley [Ten commandments of the Law].

Mueve mezes de la prenyada [Nine months of pregnancy].

Ocho dias de la Mila [Eight days of circumcision].

Siete dias de la semana [Seven days of the week].

Sesh livros de Mishna [Six books of Mishnah].

Cinco livros de la Ley [Five books of the Law].

Kuatro madres de Yisrael [Four mothers of Israel].

Tres muestros padres son [Three our fathers are].

Dos Moshe i A-aron [Two Moses and Aaron].

Uno es el Kriador, Baruch u uvaruch shemo [One is the creator, blessed and blessed is his name].

English translation by Sarah Bunin Benor.

Bukharian

Sezdahum kī medonad [Who knows the thirteenth]?

Sezdahum man medonam [I know the thirteenth]!

Sezdahum sezdah xislat’ho [Thirteenth are the thirteen attributes (of God)].

Duvozdahum duvozdah shivtoho [Twelfth are the twelve tribes].

Yozdahum yozdah sitoraho [Eleventh are the eleven stars (in Joseph's dream)].

Dahumin dah suxanon [Tenth are the ten utterances (commandments)].

Nūhumin nūh mohi zanon [Ninth are the nine months of pregnancy].

Hashtumin hasht rūzi milo [Eighth are the eight days of circumcision].

Haftumin haft rūzi hafta [Seventh are the seven days of the week].

Shashumin shash Sidrei Mishno [Sixth are the six orders of the Mishnah].

Panjumin panj Sifrei Tūro [Fifth are the five books of Torah].

Chorumin chor modaron [Fourth are the four matriarchs].

Duyumin du Lavhi Gavhar [Second are the two tablets of the covenant].

Yakumin Xudoi rab-ul 'olamin [First is God, lord of heaven and earth].

English translation by Robert Nudel Iskhakov and Ruben Shimonov.

Halabi Syrian Judeo-Arabic

Min ya‪'elam wumin yidri‪ [Who knows, and who understands]?

Allah rab el mijalli‪ [God is the master of the revealed universe].

Heda hinen il tleta'ash [Who knows thirteen]?

Tleta'ash il bar-misvah [Thirteen is bar mitzvah (some say‪: tefillin)].

Tna'ash shibte Yisrael [Twelve tribes of Israel].

Hda'ash kokab bisama [Eleven stars in the sky].

‪'Asher qilmat itorah‪ [Ten commandments].

Tisa'at ishhor il hible [Nine months of pregnancy].

Tmint-iyyam il mila [Eight days for circumcision].

Sab'at-iyyam il hupa [Seven days for huppa].

Site sdadir il Mishna‪ [Six orders of the Mishnah].

Khamse msahaf itorah‪ [Five books of the Torah].

Arba'a imatna [Four mothers].

Wutlate abatna [Three fathers].

Wutnen Musa waAharon [Two are Moses and Aaron].

Wahid yali khalana‪ [God is the one and the only Creator].

Allahu Allahu la ilahh illa hu (some say‪: barukh hu ubarukh shemo‪) (some say‪: Allah hu wahid‪) [God, God, there is no God but God (some say‪: Blessed be He and Blessed be his name‪) (some say‪: God is one‪)].

Transcription and English translation by Asher Shasho Levy.

Judeo-Georgian

Tsamet’i vin itsis [Who knows the thirteen]?

Tsamet’i me vitsi [I know the thirteen].

Tsamet’i rigebi [There are thirteen principles].

Tormet’i shebat’imebi [Twelve tribes].

Tertmet’i varsk’vlavebi Iosebisa [Eleven stars of Joseph].

Ati brdzaneba Sinaize [Ten commandments on the Mount Sinai].

Tskhra tveebi mshobiarobisa [Nine months of pregnancy].

Rva dgheebi milisa [Eight days of milah].

Shvidi dgheebi shabatisa [Seven days of Shabbat].

Ekvsi ts’q’oba mishnisa [Six books of the Mishnah].

Khuti khumashi torisa [Five chumash (i.e., fifths, divisions—Ed.) Torah].

Otkhi dedebi [Four mothers].

Sami mamebi [Three fathers].

Ori lukhot aberiti [Two luchot habrit (tablets of the law—Ed.)].

Erti brdzandeba ghmerti chveni maghla mtsebshi da shina dedamits’azeda [Only our Lord up in heaven and over the earth is the One].

English translation by Tamari Lomtadze.

Credits

“Who Knows One” (Ladino), trans. in Passover Agada in Hebrew with Ladino and English Translation according to the Custom of the Seattle Sephardic Community, ed. Isaac Maimon and Isaac Azose (Seattle, Wash., The Sephardic Community, 1995), p. 81 (Turkish Custom). Used with permission of Albert Maimon.

Shimshon bar Pesach m'Osteropoli, “Who Knows One in Bukharian,” from Ḥukat HaPesaḥ, trans. to Bukharian by Shimon Ben Eliyahu (Jerusalem, 1904).

“Who Knows One” (Judeo-Arabic), trans. Asher Shasho Levy. Used with permission of the translator.

“Who Knows One” (Judeo-Georgian), trans. Tamari Lomtadze, in Yaakov Gagolashvili, Haggadah shel Pesach im Pnini ‘Siach Yaakov’ (Bnei Brak: Malchut Waxberger, 2012), pp. 115–19. Used with permission of the translator.

“Who Knows One” [Eḥad mi yode‘a] is a song often sung as part of the Passover seder. Originally composed in Hebrew with some Aramaic, it has been translated by Jews into their many languages, often with small variations to adjust for cultural resonances, as well as rhythm and meter. Some Jews in America and Israel today continue to sing these songs in their ancestral languages, even several generations removed from their predecessors who spoke those languages. They might not even understand the words they are singing.

The Hebrew original is presented here in transliteration and translation, followed by transliterations and translations of the song into several other Jewish languages. The original texts were written in various alphabets, but here they are presented only in Latin letters. Hebrew words within the versions in other languages are underlined. Videos of these versions and variations in several other languages can be found at the Jewish Language Project.

Discussion Questions

What similarities and differences do you notice in the texts?
What references are there to biblical and rabbinic texts? Which Hebrew words are found in more than one text? How are they different in pronunciation and suffixes?
When a Jewish family migrates and picks up a new language, why would they continue to sing this and other Passover songs in their ancestral language for several generations?

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