Adir Hu

Jewish and Israeli music
Religious
Contemporary Piyyut Zemirot Nigun Pizmonim Baqashot
Secular
Klezmer Sephardic Mizrahi Mainstream and jazz Classical Jewish art music
Israel
Hatikvah Jerusalem of Gold
Piyyutim
Adon Olam Geshem Lekhah Dodi Ma'oz Tzur Yedid Nefesh Yigdal
Dance
Israeli folk dancing Ballet Horah Yemenite dancing
Music for Holidays
Shabbat Hanukkah Blessings Oh Chanukah Dreidel song Al Hanisim Mi Y'malel Ner Li Passover (Haggadah) Ma Nishtana Dayenu Adir Hu Chad Gadya Echad Mi Yodea L'Shana Haba'ah Lag BaOmer Bar Yochai

Adir Ho, Passover song, Hasidic Tish, Benei Berak, Bohosh Beit Midrush, Passover, 2011

Adir Hu (English: Mighty is He, Hebrew אדיר הוּא) is a hymn sung by Jews worldwide at the Passover Seder. It switches rapidly between saying the virtues of God in an alphabet format (Aleph, Bet, Gimel,...), and expressing hope that God will "rebuild the Holy Temple speedily." Most of the virtues of God are adjectives (for instance, Holy (Kadosh) is he); however, a few are nouns. (Lord is he).

Adir Hu is sung towards the end of the Seder. The traditional melody is a bouncy, major one.^[1] Other melodies, however, have been composed for the alphabetical song.^[2]

History

The tune of Adir Hu has gone through several variations over the years, but its origin is from the German minnesinger period . The earliest existing music for Adir Hu is found in the 1644 "Rittangel Hagada". The second form is found in the 1677 "Hagada Zevach Pesach", and the third and closest form can be found in the 1769 "Selig Hagada". In the 1769 version of the haggadah, the song was also known in German as the "Baugesang" (the song of the rebuilding of the Temple). A traditional German greeting on the night of Passover after leaving the synagogue was "Bau Gut" ("build well"), a reference to Adir Hu.

Text

Variants

A feminist variant of Adir Hu was written by Rabbi Jill Hammer; it is as follows:

Orah hi, orah hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is light, she is light. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Binah hi, gilah hi, dimah hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is wisdom, She is joy, She is tears. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Hadar hi, vered hi, zerem hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is splendor, She is a rose, She is a flowing stream. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Chiddush hi, tibur hi, yichud hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is renewal, She is the center, She is oneness. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Keseh hi, leidah hi, ma’yan hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is the full moon, She is birth, She is the fountain-source. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Nechamah hi, selichah hi, otzmah hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is comfort, She is forgiveness, She is strength. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Pidyon hi, tzedek hi, kodesh hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov.

She is redemption, She is righteousness, She is holiness. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.

Ra’ya hi, shonah hi, tamah hi, tivnei veitah bekarov, bimheira, bimheira, beyameinu bekarov, elah b’ni, elah b’ni, b’ni veiteich bekarov

She is a beloved companion, She is always changing, She is complete and perfect. May She build her house speedily and in our days. God, build Your house soon— close to us in time and space.^[3]

See also

• Passover Seder
• Passover

External links

• ADIR HU yiddish passover songs rabbi yonatan shtencel
• Hebrew text, transliteration, translation from the Zemirot Database

References