Sheh naaleh be-shem tov u-gedulah ke-birkat ha-milah. Omen. Zemer li-verit milah.

Sheh naaleh be-shem tov u-gedulah ke-birkat ha-milah. Omen. Zemer li-verit milah.

Iran (Shiraz)


 

<…> Sheh naaleh be-shem tov u-gedulah ke-birkat ha-milah.  Omen. Zemer li-verit milah.  <…> will arise with the good and great name to the blessing of alliance.  Omen. Song for the circumcision ceremony. Performed by Shlomo ben Aga from Shiraz on July 16, 1913. Cylinder # 627. 1:55

Two songs are included in this recording. The first one is Yerushat nahalah, an ancient pizmon for circumcision that is widespread in different textual variants among Romaniote, Sephardi and Oriental communities. It is documented in printed sources since the first half of the sixteenth century (see examples 3-4 below). Following it is Berukhim atem qahal emunai, another ancient pizmon for circumcision that is extremely common among Sephardic and Oriental communities. Its first line only is heard on the recotrdings.

Yerushat Nachala

Example 3: Yerushat nahalah in Persian Hebrew manuscript, Cod. Sim. Heb. 89, p. 83-4.

 

Example 4: Yerushat Nahalah in Imrei no’am (Amsterdam 1628)

 

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