Yigdal Elohim Chai Lesson - Jewish Music Toronto

• published: 14 Oct 2015
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You've requested more prayer and liturgical songs, and we're happy to oblige! This week's song is Yigdal, or Yigdal Elohim Chai (Exalted, or Exalted is the Living God) or, in Hebrew, יִגְדַּל or יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים חַי. And, as we learn in today's lesson, it's one that has a bit of a controversial history! Translated Lyrics: Exalted is the Living God, and praised, He exists and his existence is not bound by time. He is One and there is no One like his Oneness His Oneness is inscrutable and without end He has no semblance of a body, and he is not a physical being And His holiness has no comparison He came before every being that was created The first, and nothing is more first than His "firstness" Behold! He is Master of the universe Every creature demonstrates His greatness and His sovereignty He granted His flow of prophecy To His treasured, splendid people In Israel, none like Moses has arisen again A prophet who perceived His vision clearly God gave His people a Torah of truth By the hand of His prophet, the most trusted of His household God will never amend nor exchange His law For any other one, for all eternity He scrutinizes and knows our deepest secrets He perceives a matter's outcome at its inception He recompenses man with kindness according to his deed He places evil on the wicked according to his wickedness By the End of Days He will send our Messiah To redeem those longing for His final salvation God will revive the dead in His abundant kindness Blessed forever is His praised Name. Hebrew Lyrics: .יִגְדַּל אֱלֹהִים חַי וְיִשְׁתַּבַּח :נִמְצָא וְאֵין עֵת אֶל מְצִיאוּתוֹ .אֶחָד וְאֵין יָחִיד כְּיִחוּדוֹ :נֶעְלָם וְגַם אֵין סוֹף לְאַחְדּוּתוֹ .אֵין לוֹ דְּמוּת הַגּוּף וְאֵינוֹ גוּף :לֹא נַעֲרוֹךְ אֵלָיו קְדֻשָּתוֹ .קַדְמוֹן לְכָל דָּבָר אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא רִאשׁוֹן :וְאֵין רֵאשִׁית לְרֵאשִׁיתוֹ .הִנּוֹ אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם לְכָל(וְכָל) נוֹצָר :יוֹרֶה גְּדֻלָּתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ .שֶׁפַע נְבוּאָתוֹ נְתָנוֹ :אֶל אַנְשֵׁי סְגֻלָּתוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ .לֹא קָם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמשֶׁה עוֹד :נָבִיא וּמַבִּיט אֶת תְּמוּנָתוֹ .תּוֹרַת אֱמֶת נָתַן לְעַמּוֹ אֵל :עַל יַד נְבִיאוֹ נֶאֱמַן בֵּיתוֹ .לֹא יַחֲלִיף הָאֵל וְלֹא יָמִיר דָּתוֹ :לְעוֹלָמִים לְזוּלָתוֹ .צוֹפֶה וְיוֹדֵעַ סְתָרֵינוּ :מַבִּיט לְסוֹף דָּבָר בְּקַדְמָתוֹ .גּוֹמֵל לְאִישׁ חֶסֶד כְּמִפְעָלוֹ :יִתֵּן לְרָשָׁע רָע כְּרִשְׁעָתוֹ .יִשְׁלַח לְקֵץ יָמִין מְשִׁיחֵנוּ :לִפְדּוֹת מְחַכֵּי קֵץ יְשׁוּעָתוֹ .מֵתִים יְחַיֶּה אֵל בְּרֹב חַסְדּוֹ :בָּרוּךְ עֲדֵי עַד שֵׁם תְּהִלָּתוֹ Links: Wikipedia The Rambam/Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maimonides The 13 Principles of Jewish Faith - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_principles_of_faith Yigdal - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yigdal Leopold Zunz - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopold_Zunz Myer Lyon/Michael Leoni - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myer_Lyon Other Resources Why the 13 Principles don't appear in some siddurim - http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1842542/jewish/Why-No-Principles-of-Faith-in-Some-Prayer-Books.htm Controversy surrounding the 13 Principles - http://www.torah-study-for-women.org/index.php/articles/17-articles/esther-ehrman/44-yigdal-and-the-thirteen-principles-of-faith Zunz's "Literary History of Synagogue Poetry" (German) - Yigdal is on p. 507 of the book - https://archive.org/details/literaturgeschi02zunzgoog Rabbi Dr. Raymond Apple on Yigdal's authorship - http://www.oztorah.com/2007/06/who-wrote-yigdal-ask-the-rabbi/ Find us on: Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/jewishmusictoronto Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/jewishmusicto Tumblr - http://jewishmusicdatabse.tumblr.com Enjoy, share, and, if you haven't already, Subscribe! http://www.youtube.com/user/JewishMusicToronto?sub_confirmation=1 Jewish Music Toronto is produced by Eli Green, from Toronto, Ontario, and is working to build a database of Jewish music, and to showcase Judaism and Jewish Toronto.