- Zemirot
Zemirot ( _he. זמירות) (singular: zemer) are
Jew ish hymns, usually sung in the Hebrew orAramaic languages, but sometimes also inYiddish orLadino . The best known "zemirot" are those sung around the table during onShabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) andJewish holiday s. Some of the Sabbath "zemirot" are specific to certain times of the day, such those sung for the Friday evening meal, the Saturday noon meal, and the third Sabbath meal just before sundown on Saturday afternoon. In some editions of the Jewish prayerbook (siddur ), the words to these hymns are printed after the opening prayer (kiddush ) for each meal. Other "zemirot" are more generic and can be sung at any meal or other sacred occasion.The words to many "zemirot" are taken from poems written by various rabbis and sages during the
Middle Ages . Others are anonymousfolk songs that have been passed down from generation to generation. The words generally focus on the themes of the Sabbath or the specific holiday being celebrated. The melodies vary greatly from one Jewish community to another, as local tunes and styles of music are adapted to the same liturgical poems. One famous hymn, "Adon Olam ," (Ruler of the Universe) has been set to literally hundreds of different tunes. Jews of different backgrounds enjoy sharing the various versions when they meet around the Sabbath table.ee also
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Shabbat External links
* [http://www.zemirotdatabase.org The Zemirot Database]
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