Ya Notein Binah

YAH NOTEIN BINAH

WORDS Israel Najara (ca. 1555 – 1625 | Spain)
MUSIC
Traditional Uzbek
Melody Adapted by
Margo Hughes-Robinson (’21 RS, KGS)
Siddur Lev Shalem (p. 123)

“HUMAN BEINGS . . . CAN PLANT SEEDS WITH SONGS . . . TAKE INSTRUCTION, SING TO GOD.”
Born in Damascus, the Kabbalist and prolific paytan Israel Najara adapted the themes and
rhythms of popular Arabic music for use in his religious poetry. This particular poem is
marked by its directness and supplicatory tone. Riffing on the daily morning blessings in which
God is said to grant to the “sekhvi” (often translated “rooster” or “bird”) the gift of first
sensing the arrival of dawn, the poet yearns for the bird-like gift of praising God through song.
The melody is adapted from an Uzbek setting of Lekhah Dodi, the well-known Shabbat
evening poem, which similarly expresses the soul’s yearning and energy for greeting
the holy.

(Liner notes Seeds of Song: Music from the Jewish Theological Seminary)