Dayenu Explained

Dayenu (Hebrew:) is a song that is part of the Jewish holiday of Passover. The word "dayenu" means approximately "it would have been enough", "it would have been sufficient", or "it would have sufficed" (day in Hebrew is "enough", and -enu the first person plural suffix, "to us"). This traditional up-beat Passover song is over one thousand years old. The earliest full text of the song occurs in the first medieval haggadah, which is part of the ninth-century Seder Rav Amram.[1] The song is about being grateful to God for all of the gifts given to 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.

Stanzas

Dayenu has 15 stanzas representing the 15 gifts God bestowed. The first five involve freeing the Jews from slavery, the next describe the miracles He did for them, and the last five for the closeness to God He gave them. Each of the stanzas is followed by the word "Dayenu" (it would have been enough) sung repeatedly. The 15 stanzas are as follows:

Five stanzas of being with God

Text

English translation Hebrew
Verse 1:
valign=topIf He had brought us out from Egypt,valign=topIlu hotzianu mimitzrayim,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not carried out judgments against themvalign=topv'lo asah bahem sh'fatim,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 2:
valign=topIf He had carried out judgments against them,valign=topIlu asah bahem sh'fatimvalign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand not against their idolsvalign=topv'lo asah beloheihem,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 3:
valign=topIf He had destroyed their idols, valign=topIlu asah beloheihem,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not smitten their first-bornvalign=topv'lo harag et b'choreihem,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 4:
valign=topIf He had smitten their first-born, valign=topIlu harag et b'choreihem,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not given us their wealthvalign=topv'lo natan lanu et mamonam,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 5:
valign=topIf He had given us their wealth, valign=topIlu natan lanu et mamonam,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not split the sea for us valign=topv'lo kara lanu et hayam,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 6:
valign=topIf He had split the sea for us, valign=topIlu kara lanu et hayam,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not taken us through it on dry landvalign=topv'lo he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 7:
valign=topIf He had taken us through the sea on dry land, valign=topIlu he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not drowned our oppressors in itvalign=topv'lo shika tzareinu b'tocho,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 8:
valign=topIf He had drowned our oppressors in it, valign=topIlu shika tzareinu b'tocho,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years valign=topv'lo sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 9:
valign=topIf He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years,valign=topIlu sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not fed us the mannavalign=topv'lo he'echilanu et haman,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 10:
valign=topIf He had fed us the manna, valign=topIlu he'echilanu et haman,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not given us the Shabbatvalign=topv'lo natan lanu et hashabbat,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 11:
valign=topIf He had given us the Shabbat, valign=topIlu natan lanu et hashabbat,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not brought us before Mount Sinaivalign=topv'lo keirvanu lifnei har sinai,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 12:
valign=topIf He had brought us before Mount Sinai, valign=topIlu keirvanu lifnei har sinai,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not given us the Torahvalign=topv'lo natan lanu et hatorah,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 13:
valign=topIf He had given us the Torah, valign=topIlu natan lanu et hatorah,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topand had not brought us into the land of Israelvalign=topv'lo hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl
Verse 14:
valign=topIf He had brought us into the land of Israel, valign=topIlu hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=topvalign=topv'lo vanah lanu et beit hamikdash,valign=top dir=rtl
valign=top— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!valign=topdayeinu!valign=top dir=rtl

Associated customs

Jews in Afghanistan and Iran hit each other over the head with green onions during the refrain beginning with the ninth stanza (Even if you had supplied our needs in the desert for 40 years but not provided us with manna). This may be due to a passage in Numbers 11:5–6, where the Israelites see manna and recall Egypt. "We remember the fish that we used to eat in Egypt, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions and the garlic. Now our gullets are shriveled. There is nothing at all. Nothing but this manna to look at." It is thought that by beating each other with the onions they taught themselves not to yearn for Egypt or to forget Egyptian slavery.[2]

In popular culture

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Folktales of the Jews: Tales from Eastern Europe . II . Jewish Publication Society of America . 2006 . 383 . 9780827608306 . Dan . Ben-Amos . Dov . Noy.
  2. Web site: Dayeinu — Is It Ever Enough? . Haggadahs-R-Us . April 24, 2019 . September 23, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200923024044/https://www.haggadahsrus.com/PC14.dayeinu.htm . dead .
  3. Web site: Back to you . Amazon.com . April 24, 2019.
  4. Web site: Music Information: A Perfectly Good Wilderness . April 11, 2015 . April 24, 2019.
  5. Web site: Supernatural s05e03 Episode Script . April 24, 2019.
  6. Bioshock Infinite: Preacher's Sermon and Terrifying Baptism. Retrieved May 15, 2020 - via Youtube
  7. Web site: Passover songs to please the soul – and get a chuckle . Jonah L. . Rosenblum . April 20, 2016 . April 24, 2019 . Cleveland Jewish News.
  8. Watch an A Cappella Group Perform 'Dayenu' in 8 Totally Different Musical Styles . Olivia B. . Waxman . March 30, 2015 . April 24, 2019 . Time.
  9. Web site: Maccabeats don lederhosen for Passover . Julie . Wiener . March 30, 2015 . April 24, 2019 . JTA.
  10. Web site: Absurd Cubs-Indians World Series Game 7 was everything we love about baseball . Jonah . Keri . November 3, 2016 . April 24, 2019 . CBS Sports.
  11. Dayenú - Kiko Argüello . https://web.archive.org/web/20200509035651/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2nOo8BeBNg&gl=US&hl=en . dead . May 9, 2020 . Apr 23, 2017 . April 24, 2019 . YouTube.

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