בס"ד
Probably the most popular Jewish liturgical is song is “Adon Olam” (אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם). It literally means Lord of the Universe. In the 15th century prayer books began to include it in the morning service. However today it appears many times in the liturgy. It is part of the prayers said daily both shortly after getting up as well as just before retiring for the day. It also frequently concludes the evening and morning services on Shabbat and holidays. Musically it is very flexible and there are countless melodies for it. Some are very traditional, secular ones may be applied to it, and other times it is simply recited. It is common to invite children to lead in its singing.
Adon Olam is a relatively short poem. The Ashkenazi version has five four line stanzas and the Sephardi version six. It has a number of themes. The first is that G-d transcends time, existing in the present, before the past, and after the future. He is described as unique and in essence indescribable, particularly when based on human intelligence and experience. Another theme is the dominion and power of Hashem and hints that a reason for the creation is so that there will be subjects to declare him as the king. This segues into the idea of G-d’s providence as a personal savior especially in times of trouble. It concludes with a declaration that one with faith, both spiritual and physical, will not suffer the pangs of fear.
Three distinguished people are mentioned as the possible author of Adon Olom. The most recent is the great Hebrew philosopher and poet Solomon ibn Gabirol, who lived in Spain from 1021 to 1058. Another is Hai ben Sherira better known as Hai Gaon, a rabbi and scholar, who lived from 939 to 1038 and served as Gaon of the Talmudic academy of Pumbedita. The earliest attribution is to the Talmudic sage Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, who in the aftermath of the destruction of the second temple, established the yeshiva in Yavneh. However there is no clear documentation of its origin and nobody knows for sure who really wrote it.
Yoseph sings Adon Olam יוסף שר אדון עולם
לע"נ האמא מלכה בת חיים ז"ל נלב"ע טז ניסן תשנ"ח
העלון ניתן לקבל גם באתר http://dyschreiber.blogspot.com
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