My heart is seeking out the Lord

Israel Najara

Early 17th Century

My heart is seeking out the Lord, and to Almighty God I pray
That He come back unto the altar, shelter me beneath His shade,
And that He settle Israel’s throngs in a tranquil dwelling place.
In wisdom may he build the House, in wisdom render it secure.
My dearest ones, my precious son, my health and my tranquility,
The light with which I see, my life, my body, soul—all come from You.
You put the power of speech in me to render thanks. I only wish
You would restore Levites and priests, again make sound the Temple’s songs.
Fortify my heart, dear Rock, my heart in thrall to agony.
Keep in mind my people’s flock, and send them heralds of their freedom.
I rose this morning from my sleep to knock upon Your door and gate—
Songs in my mouth, thorns in my heart, and inwardly, this burning pain.

Translated by
Raymond P.
Scheindlin
.

Credits

Israel (ben Moses) Najara, “My Heart Is Seeking out the Lord, (Hebrew)” in Pirke shirah mi-ginze ha-shirah ve-ha-piyut shel kehilot Yisra’el (Pirkei Shira: From the Hidden Treasures of Jewish Poetry), ed. Judith Dishon, vol. 3 (Ramat-Gan: Universitat Bar-Ilan, 2003), 111–112.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Creator Bio

Israel Najara

1555–1628

Israel ben Moses Najara was born in Safed. At the age of twenty-five, he moved with his father to Damascus. There, his father became a communal scribe, a position Israel assumed upon his father’s death. Najara spent the last part of his life serving as a rabbi in Gaza. Author of the well-known Sabbath hymn “Yah ribon ‘olam” (“O Lord of the World”), Najara was a prolific poet, influenced by contemporary Arabic poetry. He also composed biblical commentaries, legal works, and letters. His Mikveh Yisra’el (The Hope of Israel) is a collection of sermons, many written for special occasions, such as funerals or weddings.

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