armadilThis video presents an ancient melody for Akdamut, the lengthy Aramaic poem recited during the Torah reading in synagogue on the morning of Shavuot. The liturgical poem is recited responsively in almost all Ashkenazi synagogues prior to the reading of the Ten Commandments. The words, written in the 11th century by Rabbi Meir bar Yitzchak (Nehorai), a cantor in Worms, Germany, are displayed onscreen. The poem consists of praise for God, the Torah and the Jewish people. This rendition is sung by Chaim Burshtein while accompanied by Israel Idelson on the piano.