This post presents the lyrics and a musical rendition of Achot Ketanah (Little Sister), a liturgical poem sung in many Sephardic communities at the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah services. A love poem from the “Little Sister” (the People of Israel) to her beloved (God), the poem describes the suffering and darkness of exile, as well as a prayer for a good year and redemption. Achot Ketanah was written by Rabbi Avraham Hazan Girundi in 13th century Spain. The images below present the Hebrew and English lyrics, and the video features Asaph Ben Yair singing the first and last stanzas to a tune based on the traditional Moroccan melody.
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