הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ שֶׁאָנוּ מַדְלִיקִין

 Yesterday, we had planned to be in brooklyn for a big family candle lighting and celebration. Unfortunately, the fact that my husband and I were both under the weather meant that we couldn't go.

However with the magic of the internet we did candle lighting together via Zoom.

Despite being family, some of the customs of candle lighting differ slightly.

The actual candle lighting is traditionally followed by this text which is a little historical and legal round up about the act of lighting Chanukah candles.

הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ שֶׁאָנוּ מַדְלִיקִין, עַל הַנִּסִּים וְעַל הַנִּפְלָאוֹת וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת וְעַל הַמִּלְחָמוֹת, שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה, עַל יְדֵי כֹּהֲנֶיךָ הַקְּדוֹשִׁים. וְכָל שְׁמוֹנַת יְמֵי הַחֲנֻכָּה הַנֵּרוֹת הַלָּלוּ קֹדֶשׁ הֵם וְאֵין לָנוּ רְשׁוּת לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶם, אֶלָּא לִרְאוֹתָם בִּלְבָד, כְּדֵי לְהוֹדוֹת וּלְהַלֵּל לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל עַל נִסֶּיךָ וְעַל נִפְלְאוֹתֶיךָ וְעַל יְשׁוּעָתֶךָ.

We kindle these lights on account of the miracles, the deliverances and the wonders which you did for our fathers, by means of thy holy Kohanim. During all the eight days of Chanukah these lights are sacred, neither is it permitted us to make any profane use of them; but we are only to look at them, in order that we may give thanks unto thy name for your miracles, your deliverances and your wonders.

 

My cousin and her children and grandchildren usually sing this in the German jewish melody of her late husband. this year we sang this paragraph in the melody that I learned in my household. I just spent too much time listening to all of the  various melodies ( If you can't read Hebrew click on the  bulleted list where you will hear some beautiful renditions but none of them is the one I actually want you to hear.)

Anyway the singing of Hanerot Halalu( these candles is followed by the far more famous to the general universe Maoz Tzur.

Most Americans know the first  stanza.

מָעוֹז צוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי לְךָ נָאֶה לְשַׁבֵּחַ.

O Fortress, Rock of my salvation, to you it is lovely to give praise:

תִּכּוֹן בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי וְשָׁם תּוֹדָה נְזַבֵּחַ.

let my house of prayer be restored, and I will there offere thanksgivings

לְעֵת תָּכִין מַטְבֵּחַ מִצָּר הַמְנַבֵּחַ.

when thou shalt have prepared a slaughter of the blaspheming foe,

אָז אֶגְמוֹר בְּשִׁיר מִזְמוֹר חֲנֻכַּת הַמִּזְבֵּחַ.

I will complete with song and psalm the dedication of the altar.

The poem itself was composed in France around the year 1000. Most people are familiar with this melody written in Germany.

This melody probably isn't as old as you think it is but it is what most people think of when they think of Maoz Tzur. It's fun to sing and easy, even for folks like me, to harmonize and feel all fancy.

Most folks aren't aware that this is only the first stanza of a much longer poem that goes through Jewish history recounting all of the times that god has saved us.

Like lots of liturgical poetry the references aren't exactly straightforward. Often liturgical poems are a chance for both the author and the reader to show off their knowledge of references throughout the poem.

My family tradition is to sing the first stanza and the stanza that refers to Chanukah. Last night i had the pleasure of singing all of the stanzas with my family.

The second stanza is:

רָעוֹת שָׂבְעָה נַפְשִׁי בְּיָגוֹן כֹּחִי כִּלָה.

Full sated was my soul with ills, my strength was spent with sorrow;

חַיַּי מָרְרוּ בְּקוֹשִׁי בְּשִׁעְבּוּד מַלְכוּת עֶגְלָה.

they embittered my life by hardship during my subjection to the dominion of Egypt,

וּבְיָדוֹ הַגְּדוֹלָה הוֹצִיא אֶת הַסְּגֻלָּה.

but God with his great power brought forth the chosen ,

חֵיל פַּרְעֹה וְכָל זַרְעוֹ יָרְדוּ כְאֶבֶן בִּמְצוּלָה.

while the host of Pharaoh and all his seed sank like a stone into the deep.

The translation here is much more clear about the fact that this stanza is speaking about liberation from slavery in Egypt than the Hebrew is. A quirk of the melody is that the last line about the drowning of Pharaoh's soldiers sounds really happy.

Stanza three is about returning from Babylonian exile.

דְּבִיר קָדְשׁוֹ הֱבִיאַנִי וְגַם שָׁם לֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי.

To his holy oracle he brought me, yet there also I found no peace,

וּבָא נוֹגֵשׂ וְהִגְלַנִי. כִּי זָרִים עָבַדְתִּי.

for the oppressor came and led me captive, because I had served strange gods:

וְיֵין רַעַל מָסַכְתִּי כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי.

I had to quaff the wine of bewilderment; well nigh had I perished,

קֵץ בָּבֶל, זְרֻבָּבֶל, לְקֵץ שִׁבְעִים נוֹשָׁעְתִּי.

when Babylon's end drew near; through Zerubbabel I was saved after seventy years.

Stanza four is about Purim.

כְּרוֹת קוֹמַת בְּרוֹשׁ, בִּקֵּשׁ אֲגָגִי בֶּן הַמְּדָתָא.

The Agagite (Haman), the son of Hammedatha, sought to cut down the lofty fir tree (Mordecai);

וְנִהְיָתָה לוֹ לְפַח וּלְמוֹקֵשׁ וְגַאֲוָתוֹ נִשְׁבָּתָה.

but his design became a snare to himself, and his pride was brought to an end.

רֹאשׁ יְמִינִי נִשֵּׂאתָ וְאוֹיֵב שְׁמוֹ מָחִיתָ.

The head of the Benjamite thou didst exalt, but the enemy's name you did blot out:

רֹב בָּנָיו וְקִנְיָנָיו עַל הָעֵץ תָּלִיתָ.

the many sons he had gotten thou didst hang upon the gallows. 

Finally, stanza five is about Chanukah. My family tradition was to always sing this Chanukah stanza.

יְוָנִים נִקְבְּצוּ עָלַי אֲזַי בִּימֵי חַשְׁמַנִּים.

The Grecians were gathered against me in the days of the Hasmoneans;

וּפָרְצוּ חוֹמוֹת מִגְדָּלַי וְטִמְּאוּ כָּל הַשְּׁמָנִים.

they broke down the walls of my towers, and defiled all the oils;

וּמִנּוֹתַר קַנְקַנִּים נַעֲשָׂה נֵס לַשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

but from one of the last remaining flasks a miracle was wrought for thy beloved,

בְּנֵי בִינָה יְמֵי שְׁמוֹנָה קָבְעוּ שִׁיר וּרְנָנִים.

and their men of understanding appointed these eight days for song and praises.

These are teeny wicks that I made from one large wick. Smaller wicks burn longer than fat ones

A common form of Jewish liturgical poetry is a recitation of various points in Jewish history when God has saved us.  Most of those poems end with a hope of future salvation. I use the word differently here than it is used in Christianity where it is about spiritual salvation.  In Judaism salvation is less about individual belief than  it is about freedom from persecution and a return to our homeland

חֲשׂוֹף זְרוֹעַ קָדְשֶׁךָ וְקָרֵב קֵץ הַיְשׁוּעָה.

Bare Your holy arm and hasten the End of salvation –

נְקֹם נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ מֵאֻמָּה הָרְשָׁעָה.

Avenge the vengeance of Your servants’ blood from the wicked nation.

כִּי אָרְכָה לָנוּ הַשָּׁעָה וְאֵין קֵץ לִימֵי הָרָעָה.

For the time has delayed and there is no end to the days of evil,

דְּחֵה אַדְמוֹן בְּצֵל צַלְמוֹן, הָקֵם לָנוּ רוֹעֶה שִׁבְעָה.

Push away the Red One in the lowest shadow and establish for us the seven shepherds.

Last night, singing the full version of the Maoz Tzur with my family remotely I began weeping at this line.

כִּי אָרְכָה לָנוּ הַשָּׁעָה וְאֵין קֵץ לִימֵי הָרָעָה.

For the time of salvation has delayed and there is no end to the days of evil,

My dear cousin who is a trauma therapist was there with the rest of my family singing these very words. While we were in my son's safe room on those first days of the war she wrote to me with wise advise about trauma and letting me know that I was going through trauma. 

At that moment, the way to get through that moment, was to play Cleopatra, Queen of Denial. As I have gotten some distance from that time I have been able to think back to my cousin's wise words of advice. We are for the moment living through through the days of evil and that salvation ( not the Christian take on it but the Jewish) feels like it a long time away.