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about

Hamavdil
Ben Zion Shenker, Music
(Lyrics, see Track 2)
Songwriter and legendary hazzan
Ben Zion Shenker (1925–2016) was
the leading Hasidic composer of the
20th century. Born on the Lower
East Side and raised in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn, he sang in a synagogue
choir at age 12 and had his own weekly
segment on a Yiddish-language radio
program as a teenager. He attended
yeshiva and was ordained a rabbi. In
the late 1940s he became acquainted
with Rabbi Shaul Taub of Modzitz
(1886-1947), who had survived Nazi
Europe and immigrated to America
after the end of the war. Rabbi Taub,
a prolific composer of niggunim,
hired Shenker as his music secretary.
Shenker devoted himself to preserving
the Modzitzer musical legacy and also
wrote over 500 compositions himself,
chiefly in the Modzitzer style. Many
of Shenker’s tunes are so familiar that
they are popularly thought to be much
older songs of unknown provenance.
His best-known songs are Mizmor
L’David and Eishet Hayil.

lyrics

הַמַּבְדִּיל בֵּין קֹדֶשׁ לְחֹל
חַטֹאתֵינוּ הוּא יִמְחוֹל
זַרְעֵנוּ וְכַסְפֵּנוּ יַרְבֶּה כַּחוֹל
וְכַכּוֹכָבִים בַּלָּיְלָה.

יוֹם פָּנָה כְּצֵל תֹּמֶר
אֶקְרָא לָאֵל עָלַי גּוֹמֵר
יוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר שׁוֹמֵר
אָתָא בֹּקֶר וְגַם לָיְלָה.

צִדְקָתְךָ כְּהַר תָּבוֹר
עֲל פְּשָׁעַי עָבוֹר תַּעֲבוֹר
כְּיוֹם אֶתְמוֹל כִּי יַעֲבֹר
וְאַשְׁמוּרָה בַּלָּיְלָה.

חָלְפָה עוֹנַת מִנְחָתִי
מִי יִתֵּן מְנוּחָתִי
יָגַעְתִּי בְּאַנְחָתִי
אַשְׂחֶה בְּכָל לָיְלָה.


Ha-mavdil bein kodesh l’hol,
hatoteinu hu yimhol,
Zareinu v’khaspeinu yarbe khahol
V’kha-kokhavim balaila.

Yom pana k’tzel tomer,
Ekra la-El alai gomer,
Amar shomer
Ata voker v’gam lailah.

Tzidkat’kha k’har Tavor,
Al p’sha•ai avor ta•avor,
K’yom etmol ki ya‧avor
Va‧ashmurah balailah.

Halfah Onat Min’hati,
Mi yiten m’nu’hati
Yagati b’an’hati
As’he b’khol lailah


May the one who separates the holy and the everyday,
forgive any sins and slights.
May our families and our fortunes be as many as the grains of sand,
or the stars in the sky at night.

This day has disappeared, like the palm tree’s shadow.
I call to God who has brought an end to the light that lit my way today.
Today, the watchman announced the coming of the morning,
and now the night.

Your righteousness is like Mount Tabor,
allowing my sins to quickly pass out of sight --
like a yesterday that is gone or a watch in the night.

The time of the afternoon prayer has past
Who will give me rest?
I have wearied with my sighing;
I shall pray every night

credits

from Havdalah - Live From Jerusalem, released September 19, 2019
Ben Zion Shenker

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Cantor Azi Schwartz of Park Avenue Synagogue image

Cantor Azi Schwartz of Park Avenue Synagogue New York, New York

Cantor Azi Schwartz is the Senior Cantor of Park Avenue Synagogue in New York, and is a world-renowned vocal performer and recording artist whose music reaches Jewish and interfaith audiences internationally.

Azi has performed at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden; on PBS and on Richard Gere’s movie 'Norman'; and for Pope Francis.

He has released nine albums of Jewish liturgical music. ... more

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