Elekha Adonay Nasati 'Einay - She'areikh Be-Dofqi Yah Fetahah

Two piyutim comprising a trek ("path"), a short suite put together by the ensemble members in a manner characteristic of the Andalusian Hebrew tradition in Morocco. The poems do not belong to Yagel Yaacov but rather to the religious repertoire shared by most Moroccan Jews. The first poem, in the form of the classical Arabic qasida, is a medieval selihah of Iberian origin with an alphabetical acrostic. It is a supplication of the faithful, pledging God for a compassionate judgment. This recording does not include all the verses, but the opening verse is repeated in the middle and at the end. The second ecstatic poem in 6/8 is well-known short poem by Rabbi Shlomo Ibn Gabirol (1021-1050), reminiscent of the dialogue between the lovers in the Song of the Songs. The poem expresses a yearning for the opening of the heavenly gates of redemption and the acceptance of prayer. For Moroccan Jews, addressing God directly in thos poem entails a natural linguistic shift from Hebrew to Judeo-Arabic. We find the unique spiritual mood of this Andalusian piece akin to the general emotional atmosphere of this CD.