Shirei David - שירי דוד

A beautiful song from Bakashot Parashat Beshalah. I sing this for Kadish usually on Shabbat Shira. It's also a great song to sing Lichvod Shabbat. Maqam Hijaz Msirki.

This is the original song where we sing "Kedushat Shabbat" when Aliya Maftir goes up to the Torah on Shabbat. Easy to learn. It's from the Bakashot of Parashat Vayeshev. Maqam is El Maya.

This piyut is usually sung for the bride or a zeved habat/fadas (naming of baby girl) but its source is the Bakashot for Parashat Toledot. It's usually followed up with the piyut Shochant BaSade which I will record at a later time.

Below are more piyutim of the Bakashot Parashat Vayera. To see the full list of Bakashot songs available click HERE . 1) Yadecha Tanheni (with Rau Banim) 2) Eretz Varum BeHibaream 3) MiPi El

Who knew that the famous song of Yotzer Miyado has its origins in our Bakashot. I record it in two tunes. The first tune is the traditional bakashot tune. Half way down I switch the tune to the more popular version that is sung by many Sepharadim today. It can be used to sing Shavat Aniyim, Rau Banim, El Adon and other quatrain songs.

In honour of the first week of Bakashot, in which there is always a tune of Yedid Nefesh sung at its onset, here is the famous Yedid Nefesh for Parashat Bereshit. I sing this tune to either Rau Banim or Kedusha.

And so ends the Bakashot season... Shabbat Zachor marks the end of the unofficial winter months and so too the Bakashot. Nevertheless, the bakashot of this week are arguably the most well known and most attended to. Most of the bakashot speak about the story of Purim and its melody flows throughout all the piyutim. As you listen to them, you will probably notice that many of the tunes are familiar to you. For example, in Part One, the piyut "Ashir Bizmirot" is the same tune that many French Moroccan Jews sing for "Elohim Hai" for a bar mitzvah boy. Like this, there is many. I have recorded a shortened version of the Bakashot consisting of only the main songs (popular ones) in hopes that people will listen to them and learn them.  I have divided them into two separate videos. The maqam is Rasd .  PART ONE   PART TWO

Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi glorifies the beauty of Shabbat in this poem, in which its lyrics has transcended the entire Jewish world. Many Moroccan Jews have the custom to sing this song on any given Shabbat, but more specifically on Shabbat Parashat Mishpatim, since it is found in the Bakashot of that week. Nevertheless, you will find the lyrics printed in many books of piyutim. The maqam is Hijaz el Kbir. At the end of the recording I sing the tune to the words of Shavat Aniyim but it will also fit in any quatrain lyrics.

At the end of all bakashot are called "ksedot," plural for one "kseda." These are lengthy songs usually sung in a faster pace, relating the importance of a certain topic or praise of God. There will be ksedot on Mashiah, the End of Days the beauty of Torah etc. One of the ksedot of Parashat Beshalah is called "Yafa VeTama" which has recently taken the Sephardic Music world by storm. It's a beautiful song sung in the maqam Hijaz el Msirki. Open up the song with the Petiha found HERE , followed by the kseda, by yourself or with a group.

Parashat Vayehi marks the end of the Book of Bereshit. The poets of Morocco used this opportunity to create some of the nicest tunes our Bakashot has to offer. The hymns associated with Vayehi are well known even to the beginner. Their sweet melodies are used time and time again throughout the year because they are easy to learn and fit well with the Tefila. This tune of Ki Eshmera Shabbat was taken from the original song Tuvu Lilah Ya Nas which I've included in a picture below. In this recording I sing the piyut and adapt it to Shavat Aniyim. It fits well with: Lecha Dodi El Adon Adon Olam Yidgal La'el Baruch Rau Banim....or any other quatrain song. The maqam of this song as well as with most piyutim from Bakashot Parashat Vayehi is Rasd Dil.

Parashat Vayehi marks the end of the Book of Bereshit. The poets of Morocco used this opportunity to create some of the nicest tunes our Bakashot has to offer. The hymns associated with Vayehi are well known even to the beginner. Their sweet melodies are used time and time again throughout the year because they are easy to learn and fit well with the Tefila. The song En De Baer Hasde is a heart warming tune that is very easy to learn. In this recording I sing the piyut and adapt it to Lecha Dodi. It fits well with: Rau Banim Mizmor LeDavid Havu El Adon Yidgal La'el Baruch Shavat Aniyim....or any other quatrain song. The maqam of this song as well as with most piyutim from Bakashot Parashat Vayehi is Rasd Dil.

Parashat Vayehi marks the end of the Book of Bereshit. The poets of Morocco used this opportunity to create some of the nicest tunes our Bakashot has to offer. The hymns associated with Vayehi are well known even to the beginner. Their sweet melodies are used time and time again throughout the year because they are easy to learn and fit well with the Tefila. The song Lindodecha has become so popular, its tune has spread throughout the Middle East as many other types of Sepharadim incorporate this into the Tefila. In this recording I sing the piyut and adapt it to Rau Banim. It fits well with: Lecha Dodi El Adon Adon Olam Yidgal La'el Baruch Shavat Aniyim....or any other quatrain song. The maqam of this song as well as with most piyutim from Bakashot Parashat Vayehi is Rasd Dil.