Ilan Bameh Avarechecha

 
אילן במה אברכך


Ilan bameh avrechecha?
Sheyihiyu peirotecha metukin?
Harei peirotecha metukin.
Sheyehe tzilcha naeh?
Harei tzilcha naeh.
Eleh yehi ratzon shekol netiotecha yihiyu kemotecha.
אילן במה אברכך, שיהיו פירותיך מתוקין, הרי פירתיך מתוקין, שיהא צילך נאה, הרי צלך נאה. אלא יהי רצון שכל נטיעותיך יהיו כמותך.

Translation:

Tree, tree, wherewith can I bless thee? That thy fruit may be sweet--it is already sweet; that thou shouldst afford plenty of shade--that also thou dost. The one thing left me which I can wish for thee is, that all trees planted from thy seed may be as fruitful as thou art.

Translation by Michael L. Rodkinson, from his 1918 translation of the Babylonian Talmud (in the public domain).

Information:

Lyrics: Gemara Ta'anis(5b-6a)
Abie Rottenberg composed a popular tune to this song.

The translation by Michael Rodkinson is in the public domain and is available at Sacred Texts.

Printed from the Zemirot Database