El Nora Alila (also transliterated as Ayl Nora Alilah ) is a piyyut

Piyyut

A piyyut or piyut is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times...

 (liturgical poem) for the Ne'ilah service at the conclusion of Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur , also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest and most solemn day of the year for the Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue...

. The piyyut is recited as part of the Sephardic

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...

 and Mizrahi liturgy, but has found its way into some Ashkenazic Yom Kippur services as well.

The English translation offered below is a lyric rendering, reproducing a rhyme similar to the Hebrew . A more literal translation makes the title and recurring line, "God of awesome deeds". Each line (in Hebrew) has three words and the fourth line is always two words "As the gates are shut" - the gates being shut are presumably those the Temple (and synagogue) because the day's service is ending or those of Heaven's gates for prayers of repentance, and the hymn is one last impassioned plea for Divine pardon in the very last minutes of the Day of Atonement. The initial letters of the first six stanzas of the piyyut spell out משה חזק, "Moses, may he be strong", in reference to the piyyut's author Moses ibn Ezra

Moses ibn Ezra

Rabbi Moses ben Jacob ibn Ezra, known as ha-Sallah was a Jewish, Spanish philosopher, linguist, and poet. He was born at Granada about 1055 – 1060, and died after 1138. Ezra is Jewish by religion but is also considered a great influence in the Arabic world in regards to his works...

 (12th century Spain).

Text

Hebrew text	Transliteration	English
Refrain: אֵל נוֹרָא עֲלִילָה, אֵל נוֹרָא עֲלִילָה, הַמְצִיא לָנוּ מְחִילָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. מְתֵי מִסְפָּר קְרוּאִים, לְךָ עַיִן נוֹשְׂאִים, וּמְסַלְּדִים בְּחִילָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. שׁוֹפְכִים לְךָ נַפְשָׁם, מְחֵה פִּשְׁעָם וְכַחְשַׁם, וְהַמְצִיאֵם מְחִילָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. הֱיֵה לָהֶם לְסִתְרָה, וְהַצִילֵם מִמְּאֵרָה, וְחָתְמֵם לְהוֹד וּלְגִילָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. חוֹן אוֹתָם וְרַחֵם, וְכָל לוֹחֵץ וְלוֹחֵם, עֲשֵׂה בָּהֶם פְּלִילָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. זְכֹר צִדְקַת אֲבִיהֶם, וְחַדֵּשׁ אֶת יְמֵיהֶם, כְּקֶדֶם וּתְחִלָּה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. קְרָא נָּא שְׁנַת רָצוֹן, וְהָשֵׁב שְׁאָר הַצֹּאן, לְאָהֳלִיבָה וְאָהֳלָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. תִּזְכּוּ לְשָׁנִים רַבּוֹת, הַבָּנִים וְהָאָבוֹת, בְּדִיצָה וּבְצָהֳלָה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה. מִיכָאֵל שַׂר יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵלִיָּהוּ וְגַבְרִיאֵל, בַּשְּׂרוּ נָא הַגְּאֻלָּה, בִּשְׁעַת הַנְּעִילָה.	Refrain: El nora alila, El nora alila, Ha-m'tzi lanu m'chilah, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. M'tei mis'par k'ru'im, l'cha ayin nos'im, u-m'sal'dim b'chila, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Shof'chim l'cha naf'sham, m'cheh pish'am ve-chach'sham, ve-ham'tzi'em m'chila, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Heyeh lahem l'sit'ra, ve-hatzilem mi-m'era, ve-chot'mem l'hod u-l'gila, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Chon otam ve-rachem, ve-chol lochetz ve-lochem, Oseh ba-hem p'lila, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Z'chor tzid'kat avihem, ve-chadesh et y'meihem, k'kedem u-t'chila, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. K'ra na sh'nat ratzon, ve-hashev sh'ar ha-tzon, l'oholiva v'ohola, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Tiz'ku l'shanim rabot, ha-banim ve-ha-avot, b'ditza u-v'tzohola, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah. Micha'el sar yis'rael, eliyahu ve-gav'ri'el, Bas'ru na ha-g'ulah, bi-sh'at ha-ne'ilah.	Lyric English: God of awe, God of might Grant us pardon in this hour, as Your gates are closed this night. We, who are few, raise our eyes to heaven's height trembling, fearful in our prayer, as Your gates are closed this night. Pouring out our soul we pray that the sentence You will write shall be one of pardoned sin, as Your gates are closed this night. Our refuge strong and sure rescue us from dreadful plight seal our destiny for joy, as Your gates are closed this night. Grant us favor, show us grace; but those who deny our right and oppress, be You be the judge, as Your gates are closed this night. Generations of our sires strong in faith walked in Your light As of old, renew our days, as Your gates are closed this night. Gather Judah's scattered flock unto Zion's rebuilt site Bless this year with grace divine, as Your gates are closed this night. May we all, both old and young, look for gladness and delight in the many years to come, as Your gates are closed this night. Michael, prince of Israel, Gabriel, Your angels bright with Elijah, come, redeem, as Your gates are closed this night.

External links

El Nora Alila at the Jewish Encyclopedia

Jewish Encyclopedia

The Jewish Encyclopedia is an encyclopedia originally published in New York between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. It contained over 15,000 articles in 12 volumes on the history and then-current state of Judaism and the Jews as of 1901...

video of three melodies - Turkish, Moroccan, and Spanish-Portuguese - to El Nora Alila