‘Im Nin’alu’ – All The World Is A Stage Project

‘Im Ninalu’ is part of the ‘All the World is a Stage’ project. Wysinfo initiated this project in order to encourage international cooperation through culture.

To watch other performances that are part of this project, follow this link
Wysinfo – ‘All the World is a Stage Project’ Front Page.

Im Nin’alu – By Rabbi Shalom Shabazi
Original Musical Arrangement and Performance by Amitai Aricha

Excerpt from the poem (Hebrew and English Translation)

Im Ninalu

Even If the doors of man’s mercy are locked,
The doors of heaven will never be barred...


Even If the doors of man’s mercy are locked

The doors of heaven will never be barred.

The Almighty reigns high above the angels

All, in His Spirit, will rise.

For, by His nearness, His life-giving breath flows through them.

And they sanctify and praise His Name

And from the moment of genesis,

The circle of creation proliferates

And praises and sanctifies His Name

Clothed in the glory of His radiance,

The six-winged cherubs surround Him,

Whirling in His honor

And echoing sweet songs in unison

אִם נִנְעֲלוּ דַּלְתֵי נְדִיבִים דַּלְתֵּי מָרוֹם לֹא נִנְעֲלוּ

אֵל חַי מְרוֹמָם עַל כְּרוּבִים כֻּלָם בְּרוּחוֹ יַעֲלוּ

כִּי הֵם אֱלֵי כִּסְאוֹ קְרוֹבִים יוֹדוּ שְׁמוֹ וִיהַלְלוּ

חַיּוֹת שְׁהֶם רָצוֹא וְשָׁבִים מִיּוֹם בְּרִיאָה נִכְלְלוּ

גַּלְגַּל וְאוֹפָן רוֹעֲשִׁים

מוֹדִים שְׁמוֹ וּמְקַדְּשִׁים

מִזִּיו כְּבוֹדוֹ לוֹבְשִׁים

וּבְשֵׁשׁ כְּנָפַיִם סְבִיבִים עָפִים בְּעֵת יִתְגַלְגְּלוּ

יַעְנוּ בְּקוֹל שִׁירִים עֲרֵבִים יַחַד בְּאוֹתוֹת נִדְגְּלוּ

About the poem

Rabbi Shalom Shabazi, of Yemen, wrote ‘Im Nin’alu’ in the 17th century.

In the poem, Rabbi Shabazi pays tribute to the All Mighty. He sees God as the ultimate pillar of support that one can rely on during the worst of times. He begins the poem by reminding us that, even if there is no mercy left among mankind, God will always be merciful and “the doors of heaven will not be barred“.  This poem was particularly significant to the Jews of Yemen who suffered as a result of their determination to maintain their faith. It offered hope and comfort in a time of great difficulty.

The poet praises God for the life-giving power expressed within His creation of the universe. It reminds us to sanctify God and to look to Him and be “Clothed in the glory of His radiance”

About the author

Rabbi Shalom Shabazi (1619 – approx. 1720) was a poet and scholar from the vicinity of Te’ez, Yemen. He is considered one of the greatest Jewish poets of all time. Both Jews and Muslims revered him in his lifetime.

Scholars believe that Rabbi Shabazi wrote nearly 15,000 poems on all topics in Judaism, of which only about 850 have survived. He wrote in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic. In addition to his poetry, Shabazi also wrote a treatise on astrology and a kabbalistic commentary on the Torah.

He witnessed the tragic expulsion of the Jews of Yemen to Mawza (Exile of Mawza, 1679). This expulsion resulted in death and the destruction of a significant percentage of the Jewish communities of Yemen. Following this, Rabbi Shabazi wrote a lamentation that likened the event to the destruction of the temple. But he also wrote several poems that tried to give the remaining members of the community faith and hope. He died in Te’ez and his grave has become a pilgrimage site as a result of his reputation. For more information about the Mawza expulsion, see our page on ‘The Jews of Yemen – History – Relations with their local Neighbors’

About the performer

Amitai Aricha is a singer, musician who is dedicated to researching folklore and music of the Jews of Yemen. He writes and performs his own original arrangements of the music.

About the location

A view of one area within the Bell Cave

The Bell-cave, where we recorded the video, is located in Beit Guvrin-Maresha in a region of low hills south of Jerusalem. UNESCO has defined the caves of Maresha and Beit Guvrin as World Heritage Sites. They, based on UNESCO requirements, “exhibit an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, which is representative of a culture or human interaction with the environment.”

Maresha was an important biblical city that was established along the road from Lydda (Lod) and Ashkelon – along the Mediterranean – to Hebron and Jerusalem. The inhabitants abandoned Maresha during the Roman period and the settlement moved to nearby Beit Govrin. The location includes many caves used for different purposes – such as quarries, cisterns, columbarium (dovecots), tombs, storage chambers for produce, and shelters for farm animals.

Quarried caves are common in these lowlands because the rocks in the region are soft chalk and easy to cut through. The Bell Cave is an unusually impressive example of a quarried cave. Archaeologists believe that it was hewed during the Byzantine and Early Muslim periods.

Within the region of Maresha one finds a Roman amphitheater, a Crusader fortress, remains of a Byzantine church, and a Jewish cemetery. The area is also rich with many underground oil press caves, Sidonian caves with wall paintings and gables, and more.

External Links

Shrine of Shalom Shabazi

Rabbi Shalom Shabazi