Throughout Jewish history, poets and composers have written songs of thanksgiving and gratitude to G-d for the gift of Torah. Some of these songs (from the genre of piyut) have been incorporated into the customs of certain communities. Many are sung and recited in the context of the holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
In this activity we invite you to explore two such songs, one from the Morrocan Jewish tradition and one from the Iraqi Jewish community, and we invite you to compose or write your own!
Yom Yom Odeh: Each and Every Day I Give Thanks
While the author of this piyut is unknown, this song has become a part of the Iraqi Jewish community’s ritual. It is a song of thanksgiving for the gift of the Torah and is traditionally sung both at the end of the all-night study of Torah on Shavuot, as the sun is rising, as well as on Shabbat morning when the portion of the Ten Commandments is read.
To read the song in Hebrew, transliteration, and English translation, click here.
Listen to Rabbi David Menachem’s rendition of this song, according to his Baghdadi tradition:
Nirdi Natan Reicho: The Air Carries My Fragrance
This piyut was written by Rabbi Abraham Ibn Musa and is sung in many Jewish communities around the world on the holiday of Shavuot. It is a poem of praise for the Torah and a creative retelling of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, concluding with a prayer for redemption.
To read the song in Hebrew, transliteration, and English translation, click here.
Listen to a Moroccan rendition of this song by Rabbi Hayim Locke and the Piyut ensemble:
