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Traditional Iraqi Melody / Text by R. Abraham Ibn Ezra / Arrangement by Yoni Battat
Featuring Jamal Sinno (qanun) and Razi Battat (lead vocals)
This recording features my great uncle Razi, whose voice is truly one-of-a-kind. I’ve been lucky to hear him sing at the tiny Iraqi synagogue near his house in Ramat Denya, Jerusalem, where he’s been praying for decades. He chose this quintessential Iraqi piyut to sing together, which is traditionally sung at circumcision ceremonies and Havdalah, which marks the end of Shabbat.
God of Eliyahu, God of Eliyahu (1)
Through the merit of Eliyahu, bring The Prophet now! (2)
Who will stir him to saddle up his steed (3) and free himself
In exile his heart is restless and he can’t sleep a wink.
It hurts to see how gaunt I’ve become,
while those who hate me are hale and hearty, grazing leisurely. (Gen 41:2)
Emissary of the Liberation, I ask (4) before The Humble one,
Please God, Avraham's God (Gen 31:13), make it happen! (Gen 24:12, 27:20)
Translation by Jacob Chatinover
(1) Why pray to God as the “God of Elijah”? Elijah, an enigmatic figure in the history of Jewish folklore, plays a special role on Saturday nights, an auspicious time as Shabbat is departing, and probably the original intended setting of this song. As you’ll see throughout the song, Elijah assumes the role of herald and PR-man of the Messiah, the liberator who will come to initiate a new era of peace and purpose; a world in which evil and oppression cannot exist, and in which the Divine permeates all interactions. The messianic era, and what it entails, is a long topic in itself, and why in particular Elijah was chosen to ride in front of the Messiah’s motorcade, as it were, is not fully clear. Perhaps it is because his story does not end with his death, but with his whirlwind ascent, on a fiery chariot, to the heavens (2 Kings 2:11). The tradition goes as far back as the prophet Malachi (3:23), the last words of that book: “See, I myself am sending you Eliya [ed: a shortening of Eliyahu/Elijah] the Prophet, before the great and awe-filled Day of the Lord. He [Elijah] will turn the hearts of parents back toward their children, and the hearts of the children toward their parents, so that when I come I do not have to strike the entire world, [making it] utterly uninhabitable.”
(2) Throughout the song, the singer will conclude a line with a phrase that seems to be intended for the next line. This enjambment might indicate that the phrase is intended to work with both lines. Here, the meaning might be “in the merit of Elijah the Prophet, bring [the messiah] now!”, or, “In the merit of Elijah, bring the Prophet now!”
(3) The notion of the Liberator arriving on a steed is based in Zecharia 9:9, where the “king” is described as “Righteous and victorious, poor, and riding a donkey; a donkey foaled of she-asses”. This tradition is referenced again in the last stanza, where the singer asks both Elijah (the Emissary) and the liberator-in-waiting (the Humble one) to intercede with God. The line could also be referring to Elijah himself. In the scene of his ascent to heaven, his disciple Elisha cries out “My father, my father! The Chariot Israel rode on, and it’s finest general!”
(4) Throughout the song, the singer has concluded a line with a phrase that seems to be intended for the next line. This enjambment might indicate that the phrase is intended to work with both lines. Here, the meaning might be “I ask in front of the Poor/Humble one” or “Before this poor/lowly one who asks”.
credits
from Fragments,
released September 2, 2022
Yoni Avi Battat: lead vocal, violin, oud
Razi Battat: lead vocal
Jamal Sinno: qanun
Dr. Ann E. Lucas: nay
Fabio Pirozzolo: riq
Jesse Chevan: darbuka
James Heazlewood Dale: bass
Laura Elkeslassy: background vocal
Anthony Mordechai Tzvi Russell: background vocal
Leah Carnow: background vocal
Yosef Goldman: background vocal
Multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer specializing in contemporary and traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe
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supported by 8 fans who also own “El Eliyahu / אֵל אֵלִיָּהוּ”
It is rich in women's energy, deeply felt sounds of womb energy. A beautiful expression of the best of women in the Jewish hera-tage! Chana Raskin moves my soul, an Irish soul have I! Morgana Morgaine mollymaven
