Mah Yedidut

Mah Yedidut

This Shabbat table song (zemer), usually included in the Friday night set of songs (zemirot), is a paean to the pleasures of Shabbat (“Before evening, all sorts of treats are prepared…, mulled wines for drinking…”) and a reminder of some of its prohibitions (“Business is forbidden, making calculations too…”). Its author may be the 11th century poet Menahem ben Meir of Ratisbon. This musical setting works well even without the rich instrumental accompaniment in this recording. The Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew text here is just one choice among many. The text, with English translation and transliteration, can be seen here.