This remnant will be replaced soon. The FAQ is back, with a new design! What is Avenu Malkenu? Song - Title - Verse - Lyrics The Song: "Avenu Malkenu" is a Hebrew prayer sung during Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the 7 days in between. "Avenu Malkenu" means "Our Father, Our King" (and implies, but does not accurately translate as, "Our Father, I love you"). The chorus is "Avenu Malkenu, Malkenu Avenu. Avenu Malkenu, Malkenu Avenu, Avenu Malkenu." Phish usually performs the prayer (as a song) in followin "TMWSIY"; the latter is returned to, sandwhiching Avenu, 8/12/89, 8/19/89, 12/28/96, and 7/22/93. The Title: As Lee Silverman noted, "The correct pronunciation of the song's name is a-VEE-nu mal-Kay-nu. It's very hard to reflect this pronunctaion in an English spelling of the title, but the best spelling we can come up with is Avenu Malkenu." But as Yaron Marcus, an Israeli netter fluent in Hebrew, said (5/31/94), "any words transcribed from hebrew to English do not have a correct spelling. It's whatever sounds correct." Pat Buzby notes that on Barbara Streisand's (late 1997) CD, the song is labelled "Avina Malkeinu". From Mendelson Ali M (5/7/94) "The first word is Avenu (or Avinu, but definitely *not* aLvenu) and it means our father -- the first part of the word comes from the Hebrew root "av" or "ab" which means father, and the suffix "enu" means "our..." which gives us "our father." The second word malkeynu (or malkenu) comes from the Hebrew root "malech" which means "king" and the "enu" suffix makes it our king. The "Verse": According to Lee, "The mysterious line is 'Sh'ma Yisrael Adonoi Elohaynu Adonoi Echod' (last word gutteral 'ch')", which asks for God's forgiveness; Brian Markle said it means something to the effect of "the father loves all", and Adam Scheinberg said it translates as "Hear, O Isreal, the Lord our God, the Lord is one." Yaron Marcus, an Isreali netter fluent in Hebrew emailed (5/31/94), "The 'sh'ma' as it is called is a Jewish religous prayer loosely translated as 'Listen o Israel the lord is our God the Lord is one'. This prayer is said at every prayertime and is considered quite sacred." From Itay Chamiel (1/13/96), "It's the last line of a rather long prayer, but it's the only one sung at synagogues." The Lyrics: Jonathan Rackman (who himself credits Daydreaming) sent this translation from the Art Scroll prayer book: Avinu Malkeynu (Our Father, Our King) chaneinu vaneynu (be gracious with us and answer us) ki ain banu masim (though we have no worthy deeds;) Asay imanu sedaka vachesed (treat us with charity and kindness,) Vehoshiaynu (and save/redem us.) Thanks also to Arnold Schaftel, Rolan JRB, Roney Landa, and Neil Wolfe. "From across the great divide, in the distance I saw a light... I can't work the fields of Abraham, and turn my head away. I'm not a stranger in the hands of the maker." -- Daniel Lanois" "God and I are one. Now I am what I was and I neither add to nor subtract from anything, for I am the unmoved Mover, that moves all things." -- Meister Eckhart (father of german idealism) This page last updated January 26, 2007. All contents © 1992-2007 Ellis Godard. All rights reserved.