Shirei David - שירי דוד

I traditionally open up Havdala with this piyut. I love it and my kids sing it along with me. Some have the custom of switching up each paragraph with a different mix of songs, but in this recording, I have sung the same tune throughout. Enjoy!

Here are the first set of Pesuke DeZimra on Shabbat which begins with למנצח מזמור לדוד after Hashem Melech until Hallel HaGadol - הודו לה׳ כי טוב. Yigdal which follows Hodu, can be sung in many tunes, but the Spanish Moroccans sing the same tune each week. I did not include it in this recording as I will record it at a later time.

After much demand, here is the hazara of Musaf Amida for Shabbat. This completes all the Tefilot we have for Shabbat that a hazan can learn when repeating the Amida. To see/hear the rest, see the index.

After lots of demand, here is the Hazara of the Amida for Shaharit of Shabbat. Moroccan Jewry have the nicest Hazara Amida in the world. I'm confident in that statement. When learned properly it can be really beautiful.

In this video, I sing two stanzas of Shalom Alechem (tune found HERE ), the entire piyut of Eshet Hayil, three stanzas of Bar Yohai, four stanzas of Azamer Bishvahin and the official Kiddush. 

I present you with four  different tunes of how to sing Mizmor LeDavid. To set the record straight, there are more than 4 tunes. It can be adapted to many melodies, however these are the tunes that I use most frequently. They consist of a Spanish Moroccan tune, two French Moroccan tunes and a Tunisian melody as well.  Hope you enjoy! SPANISH MOROCCAN FRENCH MOROCCAN 1 FRENCH MOROCCAN 2 TUNISIAN

Immediately following Shir Hashirim ( HERE ), the custom of many Jews around the world is to sing Tehilim chapters 95-100, collectively known as Lechu Neranena. Each psalm corresponds to one day of the week and then we directly proceed to sing "Mizmor LeDavid" corresponding to Shabbat. Ashkenazim recite the psalms to themselves, while Moroccans sing it to this traditional melody of Tehilim.

During times of persecution, Jews were often prohibited from performing commandments or praying to the One above. Such a scenario took place during the years prior to the Spanish Inquisition, when countless Jews were forced to practice Judaism while hidden. It is said that the gentiles prohibited all types of prayer to God, if it wasn't to the Christian deity. Jews were not allowed, hence, to recite Birkat Hamazon. In its place, Jews of Spain composed this poem to thank God for providing them with their sustenance. Thankfully, we are no longer under the whips of the gentiles and therefore we are able to freely recite Birkat HaMazon whenever we wish. However, until today, some Jews in Spanish cities in North Africa, along with the entire Sephardic community of Gibraltar, have kept the practice to recite this hymn. In order that it should not take the rightful place of Birkat Hamazon, Jews of Gibraltar sing "Bendigamos" after the recital of Birkat HaMazon. It...

Moroccan Tefilot have so many beautiful segments to it. One of them has to be the recital of Nishmat Kol Hai. In French Moroccan cities, the opening two paragraphs are sung at a slower paced, to a heart-warming melody. Then it traditionally continues at "Ve'ilu Finu." In the northern Spanish cities, this slower introduction was only recited on the holidays. It's for this reason that I recorded both versions. Nonetheless, in both recordings from the words "Ve'ilu Finu," the tune remains the same. In the recordings, I chose not to recite the stanza of Shavat Aniyim because in most synagogues this paragraph is sung by the Hazan or various paytanim. Instead, I just continue from BeMikhalot. The text of Nishmat on display in the video may differ from your Moroccan sidurim. I assure you that the way I pronounce the words is the way written according to the Moroccan tradition. French Tune Spanish Tune

French Tune Spanish Tune

This Kedusha will give you goosebumps. I usually save it for special occasions since it's a favorite among the Kahal. Can be used whenever or wherever, but like I said, it's so beautiful, you're going to want to save it for unique moments, especially a Shabbat Hatan or wedding. The tune is in Raml Maya - the main maqam for Parashat Lech Lecha.

French Tune Spanish Tune

In honour of Parashat Noah, to which the songs of Bakashot associated with it are in the Maqam (mode of) Isbihane, I present to you a simple-to-learn tune of Lecha Dodi to be sung during Kabalat Shabbat. The first tune is a classical Isbihane melody that can be applied to any quatrain (4-sentence stanza) song. It also goes well with: El Adon Rau Banim At "Lo Tevoshi," I switch the melody to a faster tune that is commonly sang to the words of "Shahar Avakeshcha" found below: שַׁחַר אֲבַקֶשְׁךָ, צוּרִי וּמִשְׂגַּבִּי / אֶעְרֹך לְפָנֶיךְ שַׁחְרִי וְגַם עַרְבִּי. לִפְנֵי גְדֻלָּתְךָ אֶעְמֹד וְאֶבָּהֵל / כִּי עֵינְךָ תִרְאֶה כָּל מַחְשְׁבוֹת לִבִּי. מַה זֶה אֲשֶׁר יוּכַל הַלֵּב וְהַלָּשׁוֹן / לַעְשׂוֹת וּמַה כֹּחַ רוּחִי בְּתוֹךְ קִרְבִּי? הִנֵּה לְךָ תִיטַב זִמְרַת אֱנוֹשׁ עַל כֵּן / אוֹדְךָ בְּעוֹד תִּהְיֶה נִשְׁמַת אֱלוֹהַּ בִּי! (For the purpose of shortening the recording, only a few of the stanzas of Lecha Dodi are sung.) ~ השמיעיני את ק...