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Bo: Zemer of The Week

דַּיֵּנוּ – “Dayeinu” / “It Would Have Been Enough”
 
BimBam classical children’s version (with Jason Mesches): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p1pabOX3fc
 
אִלּוּ הוֹצִיאָנוּ מִמִצְרָיִם וְלֹא עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בָהֶם שְׁפָטִים וְלֹא עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
אִלּוּ עָשָׂה בֵאלֹהֵיהֶם וְלֹא הָרַג אֶת-בְּכוֹרֵיהֶם, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
…
אִלּוּ קָרַע לָנוּ אֶת הַיָּם וְלֹא הֶעֱבִירָנוּ בְּתוֹכוֹ בֶחָרָבָה, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
…
אִלּוּ קֵרְבָנוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי וְלֹא נָתַן לָנוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
…
אִלּוּ הִכְנִיסָנוּ לְאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְלֹא בָנָה לָנוּ אֶת בֵּית הַבְּחִירָה, דַּיֵּנוּ׃
(There are 15 total stanzas; this is a representative selection of early and later ones.)
 
If He had taken us out of Egypt, and had not carried out judgments on them — Dayeinu! (It would have been enough!)
If He had carried out judgments on them, and had not executed judgment on their gods — Dayeinu!
If He had executed judgment on their gods, and had not slain their firstborn — Dayeinu!
…
If He had split the sea for us, and had not brought us through it on dry land — Dayeinu!
…
If He had brought us close to Mount Sinai, and had not given us the Torah — Dayeinu!
… If He had brought us into the Land of Israel, and had not built for us the Chosen House (Temple) — Dayeinu!
 
The refrain “Dayeinu” itself captures a core theological posture of gratitude: even if God had done only one of these redemptive acts, it would have been enough, emphasizing the immeasurable kindness God showed in fully redeeming Israel from slavery.
 
Continuing to use these parshiyot to preview the Pesach Seder, Parshat Bo recounts the final plagues in Egypt and the very beginning of the Israelites’ redemption, culminating in the first Passover and God’s liberation of His people from bondage (the plagues and the Exodus). The song’s structure enumerates key divine acts in the redemption: starting with being taken out of Egypt and continuing through miracles such as judgments on Egypt, the splitting of the sea, provision in the wilderness, the Torah, and future blessings.
 
Parshat Bo marks the turning point from oppression to liberation. “Dayeinu” deepens the appreciation of that turning point while connecting the ancient narrative to the ongoing Jewish experience of gratitude and remembrance.
 
 
 
 
If you want a more playful song:
 
Pharaoh in Pajamas
 
 
 
 
 
If you want a traditional zemer:
 
The zemer for this week: י-ה רבון
 
Ari Goldwag’s recent hit version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16bkB7BDYQ
 
This zemer was written in the 1500s by R’ Yisrael Najara of Tzfat. (“Yisrael” is the acrostic of its five stanzas.) He was the son of Jews who were exiled from Spain in the late 1400s. The zemer praises Hashem the Creator, asks Him to save Bnei Yisrael from enemies and return them from exile, and pleads for a return to Yerushalayim and the rebuilt Beit Hamikdash.
 
Major elements of this parsha include the final three plagues, the mitzvah of Korban Pesach, and the exodus of Bnei Yisrael from Mitzrayim.
 
Some of the connections to the parsha:
  • First stanza, second line: “מלכא מלך מלכיא” (“The King, King of Kings”): In this parsha, Hashem finished proving to the king of Mitzrayim that He is the King of kings.
    • Last line of third stanza: “לא יעול גבורתך בחשבניא” (“[Man] cannot fathom the full extent of Your powerful deeds”) – Artscroll Zemiros (citing Pirchei Shoshanim) points to Yoma 69b, which says that Hashem’s deeds are so powerful that even Yirmiyahu and Daniel were not able to fully understand them.
  • Second line of third stanza: “מכיך רמיא וזקיף כפיפין” (“Humbling the haughty and straightening those who are bent”) – Through the 10 plagues, Hashem humbled Par’oh and his nation, and straightened those who had been their slaves.
    • Second line of fourth stanza: “פרוק ית ענך מפום אריותא” (“Save Your sheep from the mouth of lions”) – As represented by the sheep that were brought as the Korban Pesach (Shemot 12:5), Hashem rescued Bnei Yisrael from the Egyptian “lions.”
  • Third line of fourth stanza: “ואפיק ית עמך מגו גלותא” (“And take out Your people from the midst of exile”) – The parsha ends on the day that Hashem took Bnei Yisrael out of our first major exile, in Mitzrayim (e.g., Shemot 12:41).