Shimon LabiMaqam Sigah The pizmon "Bar Yohai" (SIGAH, page 61), is written by H Simeon Labi (b. Spain, 1486- d. Tripoli, Libya,1585), in honor of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, a 2nd century Tannaitic sage strongly associated with Jewish mysticism. Rabbi Simeon Labi, whose name forms the acrostic at the beginning of each stanza, was en-route to the Land of Israel, but on his way, he was stopped in Tripoli. Upon seeing the community's low spiritual situation, he decided to stay there his entire life, where he contributed to their revival of Jewish life. Excluding the first line, which is meant to be a repeating verse, there are ten stanzas to this song; all filled with rich allusions to Bar Yohai's life. In our tradition, there is a slow melody and a fast "Beirut" melody to this song. During the Baqashot of Shabbat, we use the slow melody for the first and last stanzas, and the fast melody for all the middle stanzas. On Lag La'Omer, which is the anniversary of his death, the slow melody of this pizmon is applied to Naqdishakh. A Z Idelsohn notes, 1923Aharon Rahamim Hares Baqashot Manuscript, 1917
Ben Ish Hai Lag LaOmer. For R' Shimon Bar Yochai. Written by the "Ben Ish Hai" of Babel in the 19th century. Song is an acrostic (Aleph Bet) and has many allusions to the life of R' Shimon. Abraham Sitehon Manuscript
Naomi Shemer The pizmon "Yerushalayim Shel Zahab" (NAHWAND, page 208A), translated as "Jerusalem of Gold," is an Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer (1930-2004). This song, written in May 1967, became an unofficial second national anthem after Israel won the Six Day War (June 1967) and liberated Jerusalem. It's melody is based on the Basque lullaby "Pello Joxepe." The song originally had 3 stanzas but a fourth one was added after the Six Day War. The theme of the song is about the Jewish people's longing for Jerusalem. There is a stark contrast between the second stanza, which mourns over the sad, dry, and empty streets, and the amended fourth stanza, which celebrates the return to Jerusalem with happy streets full of life. Some say that the timing of the composition of this song is nothing short of prophetic. The melody of this song made its way to synagogue services and is usually heard transposed to various pieces of prayer around Yom Yerushalayim (28 Iyar).