As You rescued Adam

Menaḥem ben Makhir

12th Century

As you rescued Adam, the creation of your hands, to protect him—
on the holy Sabbath you brought atonement and indulgence to him—so rescue now!
As you rescued the distinct nation, who were hoping for freedom—
their minds were in agreement to choose the seventh day as the time for rest—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people you led like a fock—
and you gave them rules at Marah, alongside the waters of rest—so rescue now!
As you rescued the ones you gave to in the wilderness of Syn, in the camp—
they wisely noticed when they gathered a double portion of bread on Friday—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people who taught the rules of preparing, from their own understanding—
they were absolutely right, and their shepherd acknowledged this—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people who were sustained by manna that had been left overnight—
its appearance did not go bad, nor did its smell go putrid—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people that learned the laws of carrying on the Sabbath—
they rested and ceased activity and observed the domains and boundaries—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people who were informed at Sinai, in the fourth commandment—
the matter of “Remember” and “Keep,” to sanctify the seventh day—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people who were instructed to march around Jericho seven times—
they besieged it until it fell on the Sabbath, overpowering it—so rescue now!
As you rescued Kohelet [Solomon] and his people in the eternal Temple—
they brought you satisfaction, by celebrating seven and seven days—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people returned from the Babylonian exile to redemption—
when they read your Torah on the Sukkot festival, each day—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people making joy for you in the Second Edifice, once it was restored—
they would take the lulav all seven days [including the Sabbath] in the Temple—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people overriding the Sabbath with their beating of the willow—
resting the enormous willow branches from Motza at the base of the altar—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people joyous with the thin, long, tall willow branches—
as they left, they would praise, “Beauty to you, O altar!”—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people expressing thanks and hope, and not deviating—
they would repeat, “We are to God, and our eyes are to God!”—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people marching around your vat [= the altar] with fresh plants—
singing: “Ani vaho hoshi‘a na”—so rescue now!
As you rescued the hosts of diligent priests, serving on the day of rest—
ofering the double sacrifice of the Sabbath, the burnt-ofering along with its grain-ofering—so rescue now!
As you rescued your Levites, making them many on their platform—
when they recited, “A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day”—so rescue now!
As you rescued the people taking constant delight in your commandments, your consolations—
be pleased with them, and strengthen them, and let them be rescued in quiet and peace—so rescue now!
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

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

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In the synagogue, the Hoshana liturgy for Sukkot is accompanied each day of the festival by a procession around the Torah scroll, in which the congregants carry the lulav bundle of palm branch, willow, myrtle, and citron fruit. Only on the Sabbath that falls during the festival is this ritual not performed. In the Temple in Jerusalem, not only was the ritual much grander and more elaborate, it would override the Sabbath restrictions. Even on the Sabbath, the lu-lav would be held on the first day, and on the seventh day, the special willow branch would be held. This poem for the Hoshana liturgy of the Sabbath is devoted to two main themes. The first is the Sabbath, as it relates to various points in history. The second is the Hoshana ritual as practiced in its full grandeur in the Temple (as described in the Mishnah, Tractate Sukkah, Chapter 4). Throughout, the poet pleads, “Rescue now!” In other words, bring us back to the Temple so that we can fully perform these rituals even on the Sabbath!

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Liturgical Poetry (Piyyut)

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Menaḥem ben Makhir

11th Century–12th Century

Menaḥem ben Makhir lived in Regensburg, Germany. A legal scholar and a liturgical poet, he produced piyyutim for many holidays and Sabbaths. After he witnessed the Crusader massacres of Jews in 1096, he wrote several commemorative seliḥot (penitential poems).

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