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Yigdal
Some History and Basic Ideas.
Yigdal (Hebrew: יִגְדַל) is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It is based on the 13 Articles of Faith (sometimes referred to as "the 13 Creeds") formulated by Moses ben Maimon,(AKA: Maimonides or The Rambam) and was written by Daniel ben Judah Dayyan, who spent eight years in improving it, completing it in 1404. This was not the only poem of the Creeds; but it has outlived all others. A translation can be found in any bilingual siddur.
Ashkenazim usually sing only thirteen lines, one for each creed; and the last, dealing with the resurrection of the dead, is repeated. The Sephardim, who sing the hymn in congregational unison throughout, use the following line as the 14th: "These are the 13 bases of the Rule of Moses and the tenets of his Law".
It consists of 13 lines which summarize the 13 principles of faith as formulated by Moses Maimonides in his Mishnah commentary (on Sanhedrin 10:1).
**The Jewish philosophy of Moses Maimonides (1135 - 1204), summed up in Yigdal, as it is in Ani Maamin, consists of the following fundamental principles: 1) There is a Creator 2) God’s Oneness is absolute 3) God is without material form 4) God is eternal 5) God alone may be worshiped 6) The prophets are true 7) Moshe was the greatest of all prophets 8) The entire Torah was divinely given to Moshe 9) The Torah is immutable 10) God knows all the acts and thoughts of man 11) God rewards and punishes 12) The Messiah will come 13) There will be resurrection.
There are many connections to the number 13 in our tradition. The number 13 is reminiscent of the numerical value of the word “echad” (One). There are 13 attributes of G-d. The Torah is interpreted by means of 13 principles of talmudic logic. The Bar Mitzvah age is 13. The poem Echad mi yode (Who knows one? - sung at Pesach) has 13 stanzas, ending with the 13 divine attributes.
1) How many themes do we see in the Prayer?
2) Why does it mention Prophets?
3) What is the deal with the last line?
4) Would you add to or subtract from this list?
יִגְדַּל אֱלהִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח, נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתו. אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדו, נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוף לְאַחְדוּתו. אֵין לו דְמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינו גוּף, לא נַעֲרךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּׁתו. קַדְמון לְכָל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא, רִאשׁון וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתו. הִנּו אֲדון עולָם לְכָל נוצָר, יורֶה גְדֻלָּתו וּמַלְכוּתו. שֶׁפַע נְבוּאָתו נְתָנו, אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתו וְתִפְאַרְתּו. לא קָם בְּיִשרָאֵל כְּמשֶׁה עוד, נָבִיא וּמַבִּיט אֶת תְּמוּנָתו. תּורַת אֱמֶת נָתַן לְעַמּו אֵל, עַל יַד נְבִיאו נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתו. לא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל וְלא יָמִיר דָּתו, לְעולָמִים לְזוּלָתו. צופֶה וְיודֵעַ סְתָרֵינוּ, מַבִּיט לְסוף דָּבָר בְְַּקַדְמָתו. גּומֵל לְאִישׁ חֶסֶד כְּמִפְעָלו, נותֵן לְרָשָׁע רַע כְּרִשְׁעָתו. יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ הַיָּמִין מְשִׁיחֵנוּ, לִפְדּות מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתו. מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל בְּרב חַסְדּו, בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתו:
Transliteration
Yigdal Elokim chai v'yishtabach nimtza v'ein et el m'tziuto. Echad v'ein yachid k'yichudo ne'lam v'gam ein sof l'achduto. Ein lo d'mut haguf v'eino guf lo na'aroch elav k'dushato. Kadmon l'chal davar asher nivra rishon v'ein reishit l'reishito. Hino adon olam l'chal notzar yoreh g'dulato umalchuto. Shefa n'vuato n'tano el anshei s'gulato v'tifarto. Lo kam b'Yisrael k'Moshe od navi umabit et t'munato. Torat emet natan l'amo el al yad n'vio ne'eman beito. Lo yachalif haEl v'lo yamir dato l'olamim l'zulato. Tzofeh v'yode'a s'tareinu mabit l'sof davar b'kadmato. Gomeil l'ish chesed k'mifalo noten l'rasha ra k'rishato. Yishlach l'ketz hayamim m'shichenu lifdot m'chakei ketz y'shuato. Meytim y'chaiyeh el b'rov chasdo Baruch adei ad shem t'hilato.
Translation
See the paragaph above with the double asterisk.
Rabbi Michael S. Jay
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