ON THE DEATH OF A CHILD

Talmud Suite – mvt #4

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Cypress Choral Music · On the Death of a Child – Talmud Suite – mvt 4 – by Sid Robinovitch

LYRICS

A speech of condolence, improvised by the Palestine scholar Judah ben Nachamani (third century) when he visited Hiyya bar Abba, whose child had died.

Acheinu, hamyuga-im,
hamduka-im ba-eivel hazazeh.
T’nu l’vavchem lachkor et-zot:
zot hi omedet la-ad –
nativ hu
misheishet y’mei v’reishit.
Rabim shatu; rabim yishtu;
k’mishtei rishonim
kach mishtei acharonim.
Acheinu,
ba-al hanechamot
y’nachem etchem.

My brothers true, so full of pain,
weighed down by heavy woe and mournful despair,
let your hearts remember life’s Great Plan:
Thus it must be forever more –
the Eternal Way since first He gave light to man’s world.
Many have been; many will be;
as the first drank their cup,
so the last will drink theirs too.
My brothers true,
may the Master of All Things
aid and comfort you.

Notes on Pronunciation
In the transliteration of the Hebrew text, most of the sounds are pronounced as in English while taking note of the following:

– ch is pronounced as in Scottish loch, e.g. n’fachtah
– The apostrophe(‘) is used to indicate a reduced vowel similar to the e in courtesy, e.g. n’shamah
– Both a and ah are pronounced as in Italian, mano, e.g., atah
– ai as in sky, e.g. Elohai
– ei as in they, e.g. seifer
– e and eh as in tent, e.g., mimeni
– i as in feet, e.g., b’kirbi
– o as in for, e.g., t’horah