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'''Chad Gadya''' ([[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]: חַד גַדְיָה ''chad gadya'', "one little goat, or "one kid"; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: "''echad gedi''") is a playful [[cumulative song]], written in Aramaic with [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] words interspersed. In [[Ashkenazi]] [[Jewish]] custom, it concludes the [[Passover Seder]], which is a [[Jew]]ish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the [[Jewish holiday]] of [[Passover]]. It is believed to be derived from [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] [[German language|German]] [[folk music]]. |
'''Chad Gadya''' ([[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]: חַד גַדְיָה ''chad gadya'', "one little goat, or "one kid"; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]: "''echad gedi''") is a playful [[cumulative song]], written in Aramaic with [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] words interspersed. In [[Ashkenazi]] [[Jewish]] custom, it concludes the [[Passover Seder]], which is a [[Jew]]ish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the [[Jewish holiday]] of [[Passover]]. It is believed to be derived from [[Middle Ages|Medieval]] [[German language|German]] [[folk music]]. |
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At first glance, this song seems merely a playful, cumulative song, much akin to "[[There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly]]". However many claims have been written about its [[symbolism]]: |
At first glance, this song seems merely a playful, cumulative song, much akin to "[[There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly]]". However many claims have been written about its [[symbolism]]: |
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Some Jewish or [[Zionist]] thinkers believe Chad Gadya shows the different nations that have inhabited in [[Israel]]: the [[kid]] being the Jewish people, the [[cat]], [[Assyria]]; the [[dog]], [[Babylon]]; the [[stick]], [[Persia]]; the [[fire]], [[Macedonia]]; the [[water]], [[Rome]]; the [[ox]], the [[Saracens]]; the slaughterer, the [[Crusaders]]; the [[Angel of Death]], the [[Turks]]. At the end, [[God]] returns to send the Jews back to Israel.{{ |
Some Jewish or [[Zionist]] thinkers believe Chad Gadya shows the different nations that have inhabited in [[Israel]]: the [[kid]] being the Jewish people, the [[cat]], [[Assyria]]; the [[dog]], [[Babylon]]; the [[stick]], [[Persia]]; the [[fire]], [[Macedonia]]; the [[water]], [[Rome]]; the [[ox]], the [[Saracens]]; the slaughterer, the [[Crusaders]]; the [[Angel of Death]], the [[Turks]]. At the end, [[God]] returns to send the Jews back to Israel.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} |
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Or, of course and more prosaically, it may be just something for the children to look forward to so that they will stay awake. It is also often sung with animal noises to represent each of the characters.<ref name="JCC">{{cite web|url=http://www.jccathisnewmonth.org/5769/Nisan/nisanson2.asp|title=Chad Gadya|date=March-April 2009|work=JCC Association 'This New Month' Project |publisher=Jewish Community Center Association|accessdate=25 December 2009}}</ref>. |
Or, of course and more prosaically, it may be just something for the children to look forward to so that they will stay awake. It is also often sung with animal noises to represent each of the characters.<ref name="JCC">{{cite web|url=http://www.jccathisnewmonth.org/5769/Nisan/nisanson2.asp|title=Chad Gadya|date=March-April 2009|work=JCC Association 'This New Month' Project |publisher=Jewish Community Center Association|accessdate=25 December 2009}}</ref>. |
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* In the 2005 [[Natalie Portman]] film [[Free Zone (film)|Free Zone]], a song based on the traditional Chad Gadya is sung and composed by [[Israelis|Israeli]] singer [[Chava Alberstein]]. It relates to the contemporary themes in the movie.<ref>{{cite press release | title = ''Free Zone'' electronic press kit | publisher = BAC Films | date = 2005-05-09 | url = http://www.bacfilms.com/presse/freezone/dpus.pdf | accessdate = 2006-12-10 |format=PDF}}</ref> It was banned on Israeli radio stations during 1980s.<ref>[http://www.freemuse.org/sw11404.asp]</ref> |
* In the 2005 [[Natalie Portman]] film [[Free Zone (film)|Free Zone]], a song based on the traditional Chad Gadya is sung and composed by [[Israelis|Israeli]] singer [[Chava Alberstein]]. It relates to the contemporary themes in the movie.<ref>{{cite press release | title = ''Free Zone'' electronic press kit | publisher = BAC Films | date = 2005-05-09 | url = http://www.bacfilms.com/presse/freezone/dpus.pdf | accessdate = 2006-12-10 |format=PDF}}</ref> It was banned on Israeli radio stations during 1980s.<ref>[http://www.freemuse.org/sw11404.asp]</ref> |
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* It was featured in the American series [[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]] in the season 7 opener ''Truth or Consequences'' by Abby and McGee, and then was sung jokingly in a scene by Dinozzo in another season 7 episode titled Reunion."McGee explains that they accessed Mossad's encrypted files, "but they weren't in English, so we had to do a little bit of rudimentary linguistics. It's a Hebrew school nursery rhyme." Chad Gadya (One Little Goat). McGee and Abby start to enthusiastically sing along with the nursery rhyme." <ref>http://www.tv.com/ncis/truth-or-consequences/episode/1289697/recap.html</ref> |
* It was featured in the American series [[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]] in the season 7 opener ''Truth or Consequences'' by Abby and McGee, and then was sung jokingly in a scene by Dinozzo in another season 7 episode titled Reunion."McGee explains that they accessed Mossad's encrypted files, "but they weren't in English, so we had to do a little bit of rudimentary linguistics. It's a Hebrew school nursery rhyme." Chad Gadya (One Little Goat). McGee and Abby start to enthusiastically sing along with the nursery rhyme." <ref>http://www.tv.com/ncis/truth-or-consequences/episode/1289697/recap.html</ref> |
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* The recording "A Different Night" by the group [[Voice of the Turtle]] has 23 different versions of Chad Gadya in all different languages. |
* The recording "A Different Night" by the group [[Voice of the Turtle]] has 23 different versions of Chad Gadya in all different languages.<ref>http://www.jewishmusic.com/index.asp?FID=2101&ACT=4&ID_Prd={AF2323D5-4A77-4C4F-8037-48E6C180F63A}</ref> |
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<!-- * American comedian [[Gilbert Gottfried]] had made reference to Chad Gadya during his tellings of [[The Aristocrats (joke)|the Aristocrats joke]]. {{fact}} --> |
<!-- * American comedian [[Gilbert Gottfried]] had made reference to Chad Gadya during his tellings of [[The Aristocrats (joke)|the Aristocrats joke]]. {{fact|date={{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}}} --> |
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==Other usage== |
==Other usage== |
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* The words "dizabin abah" in the second line of the song literally mean "which father sold", rather than "which father bought". The Aramaic for "which father bought" is "dizvan abah", and some [[Haggadot]] have that as the text<ref>For example, the 1839 Rodelheim Haggadah.</ref>. |
* The words "dizabin abah" in the second line of the song literally mean "which father sold", rather than "which father bought". The Aramaic for "which father bought" is "dizvan abah", and some [[Haggadot]] have that as the text<ref>For example, the 1839 Rodelheim Haggadah.</ref>. |
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* In [[Yiddish]] slang, the term "chad gadya" is a [[euphemism]] for [[jail]]. A [[wikt:prisoner|prisoner]] is said to languish in a chad gadya — that is, all alone.<ref> [http://books.google.com/books?id=SFazbG_b6ysC&pg=PT113&lpg=PT113&dq=%22chad+gadya%22+jail&source=web&ots=OO-85m36Co&sig=dwKTEttWAiDVSqFPCEBmmQU4LEY&hl=en] Google Books view of Inside Judaism: The Concepts, Customs, and Celebrations of the Jewish People, by Alfred Kolatch.</ref> |
* In [[Yiddish]] slang, the term "chad gadya" is a [[euphemism]] for [[jail]]. A [[wikt:prisoner|prisoner]] is said to languish in a chad gadya — that is, all alone.<ref> [http://books.google.com/books?id=SFazbG_b6ysC&pg=PT113&lpg=PT113&dq=%22chad+gadya%22+jail&source=web&ots=OO-85m36Co&sig=dwKTEttWAiDVSqFPCEBmmQU4LEY&hl=en] Google Books view of Inside Judaism: The Concepts, Customs, and Celebrations of the Jewish People, by Alfred Kolatch.</ref> |
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* Chad Gadya was the pseudonym of Marousia (Miriam) Nissenholtz, the only female student at [[Bezalel school|Bezalel Art School]] in [[Eretz Yisrael|Palestine]] in 1912. |
* Chad Gadya was the pseudonym of Marousia (Miriam) Nissenholtz, the only female student at [[Bezalel school|Bezalel Art School]] in [[Eretz Yisrael|Palestine]] in 1912.<ref>[http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1127758.html I lived life to the fullest, [[Haaretz]]]</ref> |
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<!-- ==See also== |
<!-- ==See also== |
Revision as of 23:28, 29 December 2009
Jewish and Israeli music |
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Music for holidays |
Chad Gadya (Aramaic: חַד גַדְיָה chad gadya, "one little goat, or "one kid"; Hebrew: "echad gedi") is a playful cumulative song, written in Aramaic with Hebrew words interspersed. In Ashkenazi Jewish custom, it concludes the Passover Seder, which is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is believed to be derived from Medieval German folk music.
The song is popular with children and similar to other cumulative songs[1]: Echad Mi Yodea, ("Who Knows 'One'?) another cumulative song, is also in the Passover Haggadah.
Lyrics
English ONE LITTLE GOAT |
Transliteration Chad Gadya |
Aramaic חַד גַּדְיָא | |
---|---|---|---|
Verse 1: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abah bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 2: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The cat came, and ate the goat, | ve-ata shunra ve-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 3: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The dog came, and bit the cat, that ate the goat, | ve-ata kalba ve-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 4: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The stick came, and beat the dog, | ve-ata chutra, ve-hikkah le-khalba | Template:Hebrew | |
that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 5: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The fire came, and burned the stick, | ve-ata nura, ve-saraf le-chutra | Template:Hebrew | |
that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 6: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The water came, and extinguished the fire, | ve-ata maya, ve-khavah le-nura | Template:Hebrew | |
that burned the stick, that beat the dog, | de-saraf le-chutra, de-hikkah le-khalba | Template:Hebrew | |
that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 7: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The ox came, and drank the water, | ve-ata tora, ve-shatah le-maya | Template:Hebrew | |
that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick, | de-khavah le-nura, de-saraf le-chutra | Template:Hebrew | |
that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 8: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The slaughterer came, and killed the ox, | ve-ata ha-shochet, ve-shachat le-tora | Template:Hebrew | |
that drank the water, that extinguished the fire, | de-shatah le-maya, de-khavah le-nura | Template:Hebrew | |
that burned the stick, that beat the dog, | de-saraf le-chutra, de-hikkah le-khalba | Template:Hebrew | |
that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 9: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
The Angel of Death came, and slew the slaughterer, | ve-ata mal'akh ha-mavet, ve-shachat le-shochet | Template:Hebrew | |
who killed the ox, that drank the water, | de-shachat le-torah, de-shatah le-maya | Template:Hebrew | |
that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick, | de-khavah le-maya, de-saraf le-chutra | Template:Hebrew | |
that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 10: | |||
One little goat, one little goat: | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew | |
Then came the Holy One, Blessed be He, | ve-ata ha-Kadosh Baruch Hu | Template:Hebrew | |
and smote the Angel of Death, who slew the slaughterer, | ve-shachat le-mal'akh ha-mavet, de-shachat le-shochet | Template:Hebrew | |
who killed the ox, that drank the water, | de-shachat le-tora, de-shatah le-maya | Template:Hebrew | |
that extinguished the fire, that burned the stick, | de-khavah le-nura, de-saraf le-chutra | Template:Hebrew | |
that beat the dog, that bit the cat, that ate the goat, | de-hikkah le-khalba, de-nashakh le-shunra, de-akhlah le-gadya | Template:Hebrew | |
Which my father bought for two zuzim. | dizabin abba bitrei zuzei. | Template:Hebrew | |
Verse 11: | |||
One little goat, one little goat. | Chad gadya, chad gadya, | Template:Hebrew |
Symbolism of Chad Gadya
At first glance, this song seems merely a playful, cumulative song, much akin to "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly". However many claims have been written about its symbolism:
Some Jewish or Zionist thinkers believe Chad Gadya shows the different nations that have inhabited in Israel: the kid being the Jewish people, the cat, Assyria; the dog, Babylon; the stick, Persia; the fire, Macedonia; the water, Rome; the ox, the Saracens; the slaughterer, the Crusaders; the Angel of Death, the Turks. At the end, God returns to send the Jews back to Israel.[citation needed]
Or, of course and more prosaically, it may be just something for the children to look forward to so that they will stay awake. It is also often sung with animal noises to represent each of the characters.[2].
In popular culture
- In the 2005 Natalie Portman film Free Zone, a song based on the traditional Chad Gadya is sung and composed by Israeli singer Chava Alberstein. It relates to the contemporary themes in the movie.[3] It was banned on Israeli radio stations during 1980s.[4]
- It was featured in the American series NCIS in the season 7 opener Truth or Consequences by Abby and McGee, and then was sung jokingly in a scene by Dinozzo in another season 7 episode titled Reunion."McGee explains that they accessed Mossad's encrypted files, "but they weren't in English, so we had to do a little bit of rudimentary linguistics. It's a Hebrew school nursery rhyme." Chad Gadya (One Little Goat). McGee and Abby start to enthusiastically sing along with the nursery rhyme." [5]
- The recording "A Different Night" by the group Voice of the Turtle has 23 different versions of Chad Gadya in all different languages.[6]
Other usage
- The words "dizabin abah" in the second line of the song literally mean "which father sold", rather than "which father bought". The Aramaic for "which father bought" is "dizvan abah", and some Haggadot have that as the text[7].
- In Yiddish slang, the term "chad gadya" is a euphemism for jail. A prisoner is said to languish in a chad gadya — that is, all alone.[8]
- Chad Gadya was the pseudonym of Marousia (Miriam) Nissenholtz, the only female student at Bezalel Art School in Palestine in 1912.[9]
References
- ^ For example, "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly".
- ^ "Chad Gadya". JCC Association 'This New Month' Project. Jewish Community Center Association. March–April 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ "Free Zone electronic press kit" (PDF) (Press release). BAC Films. 2005-05-09. Retrieved 2006-12-10.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.tv.com/ncis/truth-or-consequences/episode/1289697/recap.html
- ^ http://www.jewishmusic.com/index.asp?FID=2101&ACT=4&ID_Prd={AF2323D5-4A77-4C4F-8037-48E6C180F63A}
- ^ For example, the 1839 Rodelheim Haggadah.
- ^ [2] Google Books view of Inside Judaism: The Concepts, Customs, and Celebrations of the Jewish People, by Alfred Kolatch.
- ^ I lived life to the fullest, Haaretz