ERETZ ISRAEL: The Maccabeats - Dayenu

SOME HAPPY MUSIC FOR A MONDAY...MAY ALL YOUR DAYS BE BLESSED!!! AND YOUR NIGHTS TOO!!!

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", "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 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 themaror.

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 Leaving Slavery

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 health and wealth.

Five Stanzas of Miracles

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.

Five Stanzas of Being With God

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) If He built the Temple for us.

English translationTransliterationHebrew

Verse 1:If He had brought us out from Egypt,Ilu hotzianu mimitzrayim,אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִּצְרָיִםand had not carried out judgments against themv'lo asah bahem sh'fatim,וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִים— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 2:If He had carried out judgments against them,Ilu asah bahem sh'fatimאִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָּהֶם שְׁפָטִיםand not against their idolsv'lo asah beloheihem,וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶם— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 3:If He had destroyed their idols,Ilu asah beloheihem,אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵּאלֹהֵיהֶםand had not smitten their first-bornv'lo harag et b'choreihem,וְלֹא הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 4:If He had smitten their first-born,Ilu harag et b'choreihem,אִלּוּ הָרַג אֶת בְּכוֹרֵיהֶםand had not given us their wealthv'lo natan lanu et mamonam,וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָם— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 5:If He had given us their wealth,Ilu natan lanu et mamonam,אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת מָמוֹנָםand had not split the sea for usv'lo kara lanu et hayam,ןלא קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 6:If He had split the sea for us,Ilu kara lanu et hayam,אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּםand had not taken us through it on dry landv'lo he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָה— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 7:If He had taken us through the sea on dry land,Ilu he'eviranu b'tocho becharavah,אִלּוּ הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶּחָרָבָהand had not drowned our oppressors in itv'lo shika tzareinu b'tocho,וְלֹא שִׁקַע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 8:If He had drowned our oppressors in it,Ilu shika tzareinu b'tocho,אִלּוּ שִׁקַע צָרֵינוּ בְּתוֹכוֹand had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty yearsv'lo sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana,וְלֹא סִפֵּק צָרַכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 9:If He had supplied our needs in the desert for forty years,Ilu sipeik tzorkeinu bamidbar arba'im shana,אִלּוּ סִפֵּק צָרַכֵּנוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָהand had not fed us the mannav'lo he'echilanu et haman,וְלֹא הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּן— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 10:If He had fed us the manna,Ilu he'echilanu et haman,אִלּוּ הֶאֱכִילָנוּ אֶת הַמָּןand had not given us the Shabbatv'lo natan lanu et hashabbat,וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּת— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

If He had given us the Shabbat,

Verse 11:Ilu natan lanu et hashabbat,אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַשַּׁבָּתand had not brought us before Mount Sinaiv'lo keirvanu lifnei har sinai,וְלֹא קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 12:If He had brought us before Mount Sinai,Ilu keirvanu lifnei har sinai,אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַיand had not given us the Torahv'lo natan lanu et hatorah,וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ

Verse 13:If He had given us the Torah,Ilu natan lanu et hatorah,אִלּוּ נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָהand had not brought us into the land of Israelv'lo hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,וְלֹא הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּVerse 14:If He had brought us into the land of Israel,Ilu hichnisanu l'eretz yisra'eil,אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל

and not built for us the Holy Temple

v'lo vanah lanu et beit hamikdash,וְלֹא בָּנָה לָנוּ אֶת בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ— Dayenu, it would have sufficed!dayeinu!דַּיֵּנוּ