''Anim Zemirot'' ( he, אנעים זמירות, lit. "I shall sing sweet songs") is a Jewish liturgical poem recited in most
Ashkenazic
Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...
synagogues
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wors ...
during ''
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stori ...
'' and holiday morning services; in most communities, it is said at the end of services, and in a small number of communities it is recited at the beginning of services or before the Torah reading. Formally, it is known as ''Shir Hakavod'' (, lit. "Song of Glory") , but it is often referred to as ''anim zemirot'', after the first two words of the poem.
''Anim Zemirot'' is recited responsively, with the first verse read aloud by the '' shaliach tzibbur'' (, lit. messenger of the congregation), the second verse recited by the congregation in unison, and so on. The poem is believed to have been written by Rav Yehudah HeHassid, the 12th-century
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
scholar and
pietist
Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...
.
Structure
The main body of ''Anim Zemirot'' consists of 31 original verses, followed by two verses from
Chronicles
Chronicles may refer to:
* ''Books of Chronicles'', in the Bible
* Chronicle, chronological histories
* ''The Chronicles of Narnia'', a novel series by C. S. Lewis
* ''Holinshed's Chronicles'', the collected works of Raphael Holinshed
* '' The Idh ...
29:11 and the second from
Psalms
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...
106:2. From the fifth to the twenty-eighth verse, the verses each begin with the successive letter in the
Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet ( he, אָלֶף־בֵּית עִבְרִי, ), known variously by scholars as the Ktav Ashuri, Jewish script, square script and block script, is an abjad script used in the writing of the Hebrew language and other Jewi ...
, except for the letter ''reish'' () and ''tav'' (), both of which appear twice. As there are an odd number of verses within the main body, the congregation traditionally recites the last verse of the main body along with the ''shaliach tzibbur''. In later editions, there are an additional three verses; usually, the first two are then recited alone by the members of the congregation and the ''shaliach tzibbur'' recites the verse from Psalms aloud to indicate the completion of ''Anim Zemirot'' and in many communities this is followed by a '' kaddish yatom'' (, Mourners' kaddish).
The
Holy Ark
A Torah ark (also known as the ''Heikhal'', or the ''Aron Kodesh'') refers to an ornamental chamber in the synagogue that houses the Torah scrolls.
History
The ark, also known as the ''ark of law'', or in Hebrew the ''Aron Kodesh'' or ''aron ha- ...
is opened for the recital of ''Anim Zemirot'', befitting its formal title of "The Song of Glory." There is an account that this name originated because of an old tradition to recite the last four verses of
Psalm 24
Psalm 24 is the 24th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The earth is the 's, and the fulness thereof". In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint version of the Bible and the ...
prior to reciting ''Anim Zemirot''. According to the Levush, the recital of ''Anim Zemirot'' has been restricted so that it not become overly familiar and mundane. While most congregations recite it on Shabbat and Jewish holidays, the
Vilna Gaon
Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, ( he , ר' אליהו בן שלמה זלמן ''Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman'') known as the Vilna Gaon (Yiddish: דער װילנער גאון ''Der Vilner Gaon'', pl, Gaon z Wilna, lt, Vilniaus Gaonas) or Elijah of ...
was of the opinion that it should be recited only on holidays. A small minority of congregations recite it only on
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , ...
and
Yom Kippur
Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day' ...
.
In many synagogues, it has become the custom for ''Anim Zemirot'' to be recited by a child.