Ein Keloheinu
Encyclopedia
Ein Keloheinu is a well known Jewish
hymn
. Orthodox Jews
pronounce it as Ein Kelokeinu when referring to it outside of prayer
, in order to avoid taking the name of God in vain or otherwise violating the sanctity of reverence to the Almighty
.
Ein Keloheinu is sometimes chanted at the end of the morning service (shacharit
). In the Ashkenazi
tradition outside of Israel
, it is only said at the end of Shabbat
and festival services
, towards the end of the Mussaf
service, immediately before a Talmudic lesson on the making of the Temple incense. However, in the Land of Israel
, as well as in all Sephardi
weekday morning prayer services it is said daily. In some other regional traditions it is used elsewhere in the liturgy, but it seems to be known worldwide. In many synagogues it is sung; in some Orthodox synagogues it is only said quietly by every person for themselves and is not regarded as a critical part of the prayer service.
The background for the prayer is that its 20 sentences each count as a blessing. Jews are exhorted to make at least 100 blessings daily. On weekdays, the Shemoneh Esrei
(or "Amidah
") prayer contains 19 blessings and is said three times, totaling 57 blessings, and the remaining 43 are said during other parts of daily services as well as during other events throughout the day. On Shabbat
and festivals, however, the Amidah consists of only seven blessings. Ein Keloheinu was designed to ensure that everybody would say at least 100 blessings a day, even on those days when the Amidah is shorter.
Four different names are used to refer to God in this prayer:
These names of God are in the same sequence in which they appear in the Torah. The kabbalists saw, in the use of four names for God, references to four different Divine qualities.
The Hebrew text is as it appears in all siddurim, both Askenazic and Sephardic.
° The last line of the piyut itself is "You are our Savior."
The Ashkenazic liturgy follows this immediately (as part of the chanting) with "You are the one before whom ...." followed by a Talmudic description of the mixing of the incense spices for the Temple.
°° The Sephard, and the Sephardic/Mizrahi liturgies follow the last line of the piyut with the words, "You will save us," followed by the quotation of Psalm 102:14, "You will arise ...."
Among Ashenazim, the additional line and the Talmudic lesson on the making of incense which follows it is considered optional and so that line and lesson might be omitted.
congregations, Ein Keiloheinu is often sung in Ladino, or alternating Hebrew
and Ladino, although it retains its Hebrew name.
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
. Orthodox Jews
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
pronounce it as Ein Kelokeinu when referring to it outside of prayer
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
, in order to avoid taking the name of God in vain or otherwise violating the sanctity of reverence to the Almighty
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
Ein Keloheinu is sometimes chanted at the end of the morning service (shacharit
Shacharit
Shacharit is the the daily morning Tefillah of the Jewish people, one of the three times there is prayer each day.Shacharit is said to have been established by the patriarch Abraham when he prayed in the morning...
). In the Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
tradition outside of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, it is only said at the end of Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and festival services
Jewish services
Jewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
, towards the end of the Mussaf
Mussaf
Mussaf is an additional service that is recited on Shabbat, Yom Tov, Chol Hamoed, and Rosh Chodesh. The service, which is traditionally combined with the Shacharit in synagogues, is considered to be additional to the regular services of Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv.During the days of the Holy...
service, immediately before a Talmudic lesson on the making of the Temple incense. However, in the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...
, as well as in all Sephardi
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
weekday morning prayer services it is said daily. In some other regional traditions it is used elsewhere in the liturgy, but it seems to be known worldwide. In many synagogues it is sung; in some Orthodox synagogues it is only said quietly by every person for themselves and is not regarded as a critical part of the prayer service.
The background for the prayer is that its 20 sentences each count as a blessing. Jews are exhorted to make at least 100 blessings daily. On weekdays, the Shemoneh Esrei
Amidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
(or "Amidah
Amidah
The Amidah , also called the Shmoneh Esreh , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. This prayer, among others, is found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book...
") prayer contains 19 blessings and is said three times, totaling 57 blessings, and the remaining 43 are said during other parts of daily services as well as during other events throughout the day. On Shabbat
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
and festivals, however, the Amidah consists of only seven blessings. Ein Keloheinu was designed to ensure that everybody would say at least 100 blessings a day, even on those days when the Amidah is shorter.
Four different names are used to refer to God in this prayer:
- Elohim (אלהים) - God
- Adon (אדון) - Lord or Master
- Melekh (מלך) - King
- Moshia` (מושיע) - Savior or Messiah.
These names of God are in the same sequence in which they appear in the Torah. The kabbalists saw, in the use of four names for God, references to four different Divine qualities.
The original version
| Hebrew original | Transliteration | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| אין כאלהינו אין כאדונינו אין כמלכנו אין כמושיענו מי כאלהינו מי כאדונינו מי כמלכנו מי כמושיענו נודה לאלהינו נודה לאדונינו נודה למלכנו נודה למושיענו ברוך אלהינו ברוך אדונינו ברוך מלכנו ברוך מושיענו אתה הוא אלהינו אתה הוא אדונינו אתה הוא מלכנו אתה הוא מושיענו ° אתה הוא שהקטירו אבותינו לפניך את קטרת הסמים °° אתה תושיענו. אתה תקום תרחם ציון, כי עת לחננה כי בא מועד. |
En kelohenu, en kadonenu, en kemalkenu, en kemoshi`enu, mi kelohenu, mi kadonenu, mi kemalkenu, mi kemoshi`enu, nodeh lelohenu, nodeh ladonenu, nodeh lemalkenu, nodeh lemoshi`enu, barukh Elohenu, barukh Adonenu, barukh Malkenu, barukh Moshi`enu. Atah hu Elohenu, atah hu Adonenu, atah hu Malkenu, atah hu Moshi`enu. Atah hu shehiqtiru abotenu, lefanekha eth qetoreth hasamim. Atah tooshiaynu. Atah tokoom t'rakhaym ztiyon, ki ayt l'khennawh, ki vaw mo'ayd. |
There is none like our God, There is none like our Lord, There is none like our King, There is none like our Savior. Who is like our God?, Who is like our Lord?, Who is like our King?, Who is like our Savior? Let us thank our God, Let us thank our Lord, Let us thank our King, Let us thank our Savior. Blessed be our God, Blessed be our Lord, Blessed be our King, Blessed be our Savior. You are our God, You are our Lord, You are our King, You are our Savior. You are the one before whom our fathers burned the incense of spice. You will save us. You will arise and show mercy to Zion, for it will be the time to favor her, for the proper time will have arrived. |
The Hebrew text is as it appears in all siddurim, both Askenazic and Sephardic.
° The last line of the piyut itself is "You are our Savior."
The Ashkenazic liturgy follows this immediately (as part of the chanting) with "You are the one before whom ...." followed by a Talmudic description of the mixing of the incense spices for the Temple.
°° The Sephard, and the Sephardic/Mizrahi liturgies follow the last line of the piyut with the words, "You will save us," followed by the quotation of Psalm 102:14, "You will arise ...."
Among Ashenazim, the additional line and the Talmudic lesson on the making of incense which follows it is considered optional and so that line and lesson might be omitted.
This prayer appears in the liturgy as early as the Siddur Rav AmramAmram GaonAmram Gaon was a famous Gaon or head of the Jewish Talmud Academy of Sura in the 9th century. He was the author of many Responsa, but his chief work was liturgical.He was the first to arrange a complete liturgy for the synagogue...
(ca 875) - where the first verse is "Who is like ..." and the second verse is "There is none like ...", but the present sequence appears in the Mahzor VitrySimhah ben Samuel of VitrySimhah ben Samuel of Vitry, , was a French Talmudist of the 11th and 12th centuries, pupil of Rashi, and the compiler of the Vitry Machzor.- The Vitry Machzor:...
and in RashiRashiShlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
(both late 11th century) and a century later in MaimonidesMaimonidesMoses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...
. The present sequence is viewed as, first, a declaration against all other religions, then a challenge to all other religions, and thereafter as worship. Additionally, Abudraham (ca. 1340) pointed that that the initial "א" from the first verse, the "מ" from the second, and the "נ" from the third formed Amen, and taking the Barukh from the fourth verse and the Atah from the final verse, together produce "Amen. Blessed are Thou" - as if the end of one prayer and the beginning of another, and this serves as a suitable mnemonic to keep the verses in proper sequence.
Ladino version
In many SephardicSephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
congregations, Ein Keiloheinu is often sung in Ladino, or alternating Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
and Ladino, although it retains its Hebrew name.
Ladino lyrics
| Ladino lyrics | Transliteration |
|---|---|
נון כומו מואישטרו דיו, נון כומו מואישטרו שינייור, נון כומו מואישטרו ריאי, נון כומו מואישטרו שלבדור. קיין כומו מואישטרו דיו, קיין כומו מואישטרו שינייור, קיין כומו מואישטרו ריאי, קיין כומו מואישטרו שלבדור. לוארימוס אה מואישטרו דיו, לוארימוס אה מואישטרו שינייור, לוארימוס אה מואישטרו ריאי, לוארימוס אה מואישטרו שלבדור. בנדיגֿו מואישטרו דיו, בנדיגֿו מואישטרו שינייור, בנדיגֿו מואישטרו ריאי, בנדיגֿו מואישטרו שלבדור. טו סוס מואישטרו דיו, טו סוס מואישטרו שינייור, טו סוס מואישטרו ריאי, טו סוס מואישטרו שלבדור. |
Non komo muestro Dyo, non komo muestro Senyor, Non komo muestro Rey, non komo muestro Salvador. Ken komo muestro Dyo, ken komo muestro Senyor, Ken komo muestro Rey, ken komo muestro Salvador. Loaremos a muestro Dyo, Loaremos a muestro Senyor, Loaremos a muestro Rey, Loaremos a muestro Salvador. Bendicho muestro Dyo, Bendicho muestro Senyor, Bendicho muestro Rey, Bendicho muestro Salvador. Tu sos muestro Dyo, Tu sos muestro Senyor. Tu sos muestro Rey, Tu sos muestro Salvador. |
See also
- Jewish servicesJewish servicesJewish prayer are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the siddur, the traditional Jewish prayer book....
- List of Jewish prayers and blessings
- Names of God in JudaismNames of God in JudaismIn Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title; it represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relationship of God to the Jewish people and to the world. To demonstrate the sacredness of the names of God, and as a means of showing respect and reverence for...
External links
- Audio file "Ein Keloheinu" (regular); MP3
- Audio file "Ein Keloheinu" (slow); MP3
- "Ein Keloheinu""Ein Keloheinu" text;
- https://sites.google.com/site/londonsephardicongregational/en-kelohenu links to multiple audio files of different melodies for "Ein Keloheinu";