Three fragments from Zemirot le-Shabat and Havdalah

Three fragments from Zemirot le-Shabat (Sabbath Songs) and Havdalah, a prayer marking the end of the Sabbath. Performed by Chaim ben Shlomo from Baghdad on July 19, 1913. Cylinder # 653.        1:58

The first song is Deror yikra, a well-known poem by the 10th century Sephardic poet Dunash ben Labrat sung after the Sabbath meal. The performance ends abruptly in the middle of the first stanza and moves to the second piece, Eshet hayil (“A Woman of Valor”; Proverbs 31:10-31), that is recited before the blessing (kiddush) of the Sabbath eve festive meal. The third and final item is the opening and first blessing of the Havdalah ceremony according to the rite of the Oriental Jewish communities.