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Dayenu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dayenu (Hebrew:דַּיֵּנוּ) is a song that is part of the Jewish holiday of Passover. The word "Dayenu" means approximately, "it would have been enough for us" or "it would have sufficed." This traditional up-beat Passover song is over one thousand years old. The song is about being grateful to God for all of the gifts he gave the Jewish people, such as taking them out of slavery, giving them the Torah and Shabbat, and had God only given one of the gifts, it would have still been enough. This is to show much greater appreciation for all of them as a whole. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus and just before the explanation of Passover, matzah and the maror. The word "day" in Hebrew means "enough" and "enu" means "our."
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Dayenu has 15 stanzas representing the 15 gifts God bestowed. The first five involve freeing the Jews from slavery, the next describe the mircales he did for them, and the last five for the closeness to God he gave them. After each of the stanza, it is followed by singing the word "Dayenu" (it would have been enough) repeatedly in between stanzas. The 15 stanzas are as follows:
1) If He had brought us out of Egypt.
2) If He had executed justice upon the Egyptians.
3) If He had executed justice upon their gods.
4) If He had slain their first born.
5) If He had given to us their wealth.
6) If He had split the sea for us.
7) If He had led us through on dry land.
8) If He had drowned our oppressors.
9) If He had provided for our needs in the wilderness for 40 years.
10) If He had fed us manna.
11) If He had given us Shabbat.
12) If He had led us to Mount Sinai.
13) If He had given us the Torah.
14) If He had brought us into the Land of Israel.
15) He built the Temple for us.
| Hebrew | English Translation |
|---|---|
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אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמְּצָרִים |
If He had brought us out from Egypt, and had not carried out judgments against them — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had carried out judgments against them, and not against their idols— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had destroyed their idols, and had not smitten their first-born— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had smitten their first-born, and had not given us their wealth— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had given us their wealth, and had not split the sea for us — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had split the sea for us, and had not taken us through it on dry land — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had taken us through the sea on dry land, and had not drowned our oppressors in it — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had drowned our oppressors in it, and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years, and had not fed us the manna — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had fed us the manna, and had not given us the Shabbat— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had given us the Shabbat, and had not brought us before Mount Sinai— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had brought us before Mount Sinai, and had not given us the Torah — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had given us the Torah, and had not brought us into the land of Israel — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had brought us into the land of Israel, and not built for us the Holy Temple — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! |