"Kol Meqadesh Shevi'i" is an ancient hymn, possibly composed by Moses b. Qalonymus. The hymn is first found in Add MS 27200, a 13th-century copy of the 11th-century

Machzor Vitry Simhah ben Samuel of Vitry ( he, שמחה בן שמואל מויטרי; died 1105) was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries, pupil of Rashi, and the compiler of ''Machzor Vitry''. He lived in Vitry-le-François. ''Machzor Vitry'' ' ...

, as the first hymn for the Sabbath; because the section with hymns does not appear in superior copies of Machzor Vitry, it is likely a later addition. Over the generations it has been set to many tunes.

Ashkenazi Jews Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

customarily sing it on

Sabbath Eve In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holida ...

. Each stanza has four lines; the first three continue the acrostic and the fourth is a Biblical verse or verset.

Words

Content of the hymn

The hymn praises those who keep the Sabbath, and stresses the reward waiting anyone who keeps the Sabbath. The hymn stresses the Sabbath experiences, the hope of the redemption of Jerusalem and the imminent rebuilding of the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. Most prayerbooks omit the final stanza which completes the acrostic and instead insert the line "O LORD, god of Israel, eternal savior." Abraham Abba of Pittsburgh, who did not realize that the acrostic was complete in manuscript, wrote an alternative final stanza:

Notes

References

{{Notelist Sabbath Hebrew-language songs Zemirot