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DAYENU

from ORAH HI by Eliana Light

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I honestly cannot remember when I wrote this melody, or, more to the point, why. There’s already a melody for dayenu, and if you’ve started humming one to yourself, that’s the one I am referring to. But this prayer-poem has more verses than the three I grew up singing, and it has an intro line that stops me in my tracks every time: kama ma’alot tovot laMakom aleinu. How many levels of goodness has the Place bestowed upon us! Five words that are so hard to translate into English. There’s the invitation into awareness with “how many,” not a question, but a wonder. There’s ma’alot, ascending levels, higher and higher. Makom, “place” as a name for the Divine, in a story that takes us from a constricted place to an expansive wilderness. So simple, so profound, so hard to sing in the “regular” melody! So let’s start with this invitation, and ascend up fifteen levels of goodness, of poetry, of family story, together.

Note: We only sang three verses on this recording but it works with all of them. This melody also makes a lovely lecha dodi!

lyrics

אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִצְרַיִם וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, דַּיֵּנוּ.
אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ.

אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַשַׁבָּת, וְלֹא קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, דַּיֵּנוּ.
אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, וְלא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָה. דַּיֵּנוּ.


ilu hotziyanu mi-mitzrayim, v’lo asah vahem shefatim, dayenu
ilu asah vahem sh’fatim, v’lo asah ve’eloheihem, dayenu
dayenu, dayenu…
ilu natan lanu et hashabbat, v’lo kervanu lifnei har sinai, dayenu
ilu kervanu lifneir har sinai, v’lo natan lanu et hatorah, dayenu
dayenu, dayenu…

How many levels of goodness did The Place bestow upon us!
If g?d had taken us out of Egypt, but not given them judgment,
Dayenu- it would have been enough.
If g?d had given them judgment, but not their gods, Dayenu.

If we had been given Shabbat, but not brought near to Mt. Sinai, Dayenu.
If we had been brought near to Mt. Sinai, but not been given the Torah, Dayenu.

Text from the Haggadah

credits

from ORAH HI, released August 31, 2023
Sponsored by Congregation Shearith Israel in Atlanta, GA. Thank you!

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Eliana Light Durham, North Carolina

Working towards a world of One-ness, guided and inspired by Jewish heritage.

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