Echad Mi Yodea
Encyclopedia
Echad Mi Yodea (Ladino
:"ken supyese i entendyese") (Hebrew: אחד מי יודע echad mi yodea) (Bukhori: Yakumin ki medonad?) (Who Knows One?) is a traditional cumulative song
sung on Passover
and found in the haggadah. It enumerates common Jewish motifs and teachings. It is meant to be fun and humorous, while still imparting important lessons to the children present.
Recitation varies from family to family. The song, first has versions in Yiddish and Hebrew, and many other vernacular languages. Sometimes it is played as a memory game, recited without looking. Sometimes the goal is to recite the entire verse in one breath.
table. The main theme of Passover, and particularly of the Seder
, is not only the physical freedom of a nation of slaves. More importantly, it is the spiritual and mental freeing of this people, to become a nation unto God
, His "Chosen People
" . As His people, the Jewish Nation is expected be wholly at one with God, and to relate everything in their lives to Him.
It is well known that psychologists use word association
to reveal the subconscious
. Thus, it is at this point in the Seder that the Jews
sing this cumulative song
. After relating God's wonders and kindness, and the events of the Exodus
, the song demonstrates how everything can and should relate to God: "If I say 'One', you think 'God!', if I say 'Five', you think 'Books of Moses!'"
, this song is first found in Ashkenazi Haggadot of the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in Germany in the 15th century, possibly based on a German folk song "Guter freund ich frage dich", which means "Good friend which I ask".
, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are thirteen verses.
The first verse runs:
The second verse:
...and so forth. The last verse is:
There are variations of this song. This includes where the sixth verse pertains to either the six books of the Mishnah
or the six days of creation . Also, the eighth verse can either pertain to the eight days before a circumcision, or the eight candles of a Chanukah menorah. The ninth verse can either pertain to the nine months it takes to make a baby or the number of festivals in Judaism.
The following lyrics correspond to the Ladino / Judeoespanyol version of the song:
Ken supyese y entendyese alavar al Dio kreyense
kualo es el uno?
Uno es el Kriador, Baruch Hu Baruch shemo
Kualo es loz dos?
Dos Moshe y Aron
Kualo es loz tres
Trez pardes mustras son, Avram, Itzhak y Yaakov
Kualo es loz kuatro
Kuatro madrez muestraz son, Sara, Rivka, Leah, Rahel
Kualo es sinko
Sinko livros de la Ley
Kualo es seish
Seish diaz de la semana
Kualo es syete
Syete diaz con Shabbat
Kualo es ocho
Ocho diaz de la mila
Kualo es mueve
Mueve mezes de la prenyada
Kualo es diez
Diez mandamientoz de la Ley
Kualo es onsay
Onsay trivozin Yosef
Kualo es dosay
Dosay trivos kon Yosef
The following are the lyrics in the Judeo-Tajiki or Bukharian Jewish Language:
Yakumin kie medonad? Yakumin man’ medonam! Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Duyumin kie medonad? Duyumin man’ medonam! Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Seyumin kie medonad? Seyumin man’ medonam! Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Chorumin kie medonad? Chorumin man’ medonam! Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Panjumin kie medonad? Panjumin man’ medonam! Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Shashtumin kie medonad? Shashtumin man’ medonam! Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Khaftumin kie medonad? Khaftumin man’ medonam! Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Khashtumin kie medonad? Khashtumin man’ medonam! Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Nokhumin kie medonad? Nokhumin man’ medonam! Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Dakhumin kie medonad? Dakhumin man’ medonam! Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Yozdakhum kie medonad? Yozdakhum man’ medonam! Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Duvozdakhum kie medonad? Duvozdakhum man medonam! Duvozdakhum: duvozdah shivtocho. Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Sezdakhum kie medonad? Sezdakhum man’ medonam! Sezdakhum: sezdah khislatcho. Duvozdakhum: duvozdah shivtocho. Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Judaeo-Spanish
Judaeo-Spanish , in Israel commonly referred to as Ladino, and known locally as Judezmo, Djudeo-Espanyol, Djudezmo, Djudeo-Kasteyano, Spaniolit and other names, is a Romance language derived from Old Spanish...
:"ken supyese i entendyese") (Hebrew: אחד מי יודע echad mi yodea) (Bukhori: Yakumin ki medonad?) (Who Knows One?) is a traditional cumulative song
Cumulative song
A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as-Examples of cumulative songs:* "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...
sung on Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
and found in the haggadah. It enumerates common Jewish motifs and teachings. It is meant to be fun and humorous, while still imparting important lessons to the children present.
Recitation varies from family to family. The song, first has versions in Yiddish and Hebrew, and many other vernacular languages. Sometimes it is played as a memory game, recited without looking. Sometimes the goal is to recite the entire verse in one breath.
Meaning
Although it can appear to be simply a juvenile children's song, an important message is being imparted to those present at the PassoverPassover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
table. The main theme of Passover, and particularly of the Seder
Passover Seder
The Passover Seder is a Jewish ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover. It is conducted on the evenings of the 14th day of Nisan in the Hebrew calendar, and on the 15th by traditionally observant Jews living outside Israel. This corresponds to late March or April in...
, is not only the physical freedom of a nation of slaves. More importantly, it is the spiritual and mental freeing of this people, to become a nation unto God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, His "Chosen People
Chosen people
Throughout history and even today various groups of people have considered themselves as chosen by a deity for some purpose such as to act as the deity's agent on earth. In monotheistic faiths, like Abrahamic religions, references to God are used in constructs such as "God's Chosen People"...
" . As His people, the Jewish Nation is expected be wholly at one with God, and to relate everything in their lives to Him.
It is well known that psychologists use word association
Word Association
Word Association is a common word game involving an exchange of words that are associated together. The game is based on the noun phrase word association, meaning "stimulation of an associative pattern by a word" or "the connection and production of other words in response to a given word, done...
to reveal the subconscious
Subconscious
The term subconscious is used in many different contexts and has no single or precise definition. This greatly limits its significance as a definition-bearing concept, and in consequence the word tends to be avoided in academic and scientific settings....
. Thus, it is at this point in the Seder that the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
sing this cumulative song
Cumulative song
A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as-Examples of cumulative songs:* "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...
. After relating God's wonders and kindness, and the events of the Exodus
The Exodus
The Exodus is the story of the departure of the Israelites from ancient Egypt described in the Hebrew Bible.Narrowly defined, the term refers only to the departure from Egypt described in the Book of Exodus; more widely, it takes in the subsequent law-givings and wanderings in the wilderness...
, the song demonstrates how everything can and should relate to God: "If I say 'One', you think 'God!', if I say 'Five', you think 'Books of Moses!'"
History
According to the Encyclopaedia JudaicaEncyclopaedia Judaica
The Encyclopaedia Judaica is a 26-volume English-language encyclopedia of the Jewish people and their faith, Judaism. It covers diverse areas of the Jewish world and civilization, including Jewish history of all eras, culture, holidays, language, scripture, and religious teachings...
, this song is first found in Ashkenazi Haggadot of the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in Germany in the 15th century, possibly based on a German folk song "Guter freund ich frage dich", which means "Good friend which I ask".
Structure and text
"Echad Mi Yodea" is a cumulative songCumulative song
A cumulative song is a song whose verses are built from earlier verses, usually by adding a new stanza to the previous verse. A simple cumulative song having n verses is structured as-Examples of cumulative songs:* "The Twelve Days of Christmas"...
, meaning that each verse is built on top of the previous verses. There are thirteen verses.
The first verse runs:
- Who knows one?
- I know one.
- One is our God, in heaven and on earth.
The second verse:
- Who knows two?
- I know two.
- Two are the tablets of the covenant;
- One is our God, in heaven and on earth.
...and so forth. The last verse is:
- Who knows thirteen?
- I know thirteen.
- Thirteen are the temperaments of GodThirteen Attributes of MercyThe Thirteen Attributes of Mercy or Shelosh-'Esreh Middot enumerated in Exodus 34:6-7 are the attributes with which, according to Jewish tradition, God governs the world...
; - Twelve are the tribes of Israel;
- Eleven are the stars of Joseph's dream;
- Ten are the [Ten] CommandmentsTen CommandmentsThe Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue , are a set of biblical principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep the Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry,...
; - Nine are the months of pregnancy;
- Eight are the days of circumcisionBrit milahThe brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:...
; - Seven are the days of the week;
- Six are the books of the MishnahMishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
; - Five are the books of the TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
; - Four are the Matriarchs;
- Three are the PatriarchsPatriarchs (Bible)The Patriarchs of the Bible, when narrowly defined, are Abraham, the ancestor of all the Abrahamic nations; his son Isaac, the ancestor of the nations surrounding Israel/Judah; and Isaac's son Jacob, also named Israel, the ancestor of the Israelites...
; - Two are the tablets of the covenantTablets of stoneThe Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, Tablets of Law, or Tablets of Testimony in the Bible, were the two pieces of special stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount Sinai as recorded in the Book of Exodus...
; - One is our God, in heaven and on earth.
There are variations of this song. This includes where the sixth verse pertains to either the six books of the Mishnah
Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
or the six days of creation . Also, the eighth verse can either pertain to the eight days before a circumcision, or the eight candles of a Chanukah menorah. The ninth verse can either pertain to the nine months it takes to make a baby or the number of festivals in Judaism.
| | Popular version | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | English | | Hebrew | ||||
| 1. | One is our God, in heaven and on earth | אחד אלוהינו שבשמיים ובארץ | .א | ||
| 2. | Two are the tablets of the covenant; | שני לוחות הברית | .ב | ||
| 3. | Three are the Patriarchs | שלושה אבות | .ג | ||
| 4. | Four are the Matriarchs | ארבע אימהות | .ד | ||
| 5. | Five are the books of the Torah | חמישה חומשי תורה | .ה | ||
| 6. | Six are the books of the Mishnah | שישה סידרי משנה | .ו | ||
| 7. | Seven are the days of the week | שיבעה ימי שבתא | .ז | ||
| 8. | Eight are the days of the circumcision | שמונה ימי מילה | .ח | ||
| 9. | Nine are the months of the pregnant | תישעה ירחי לידה | .ט | ||
| 10. | Ten are the Commandments | עשרה דיבריא | .י | ||
| 11. | Eleven are the stars of the Joseph's dream | אחד עשר כוכביא | .יא | ||
| 12. | Twelve are the tribes of Israel | שנים עשר שיבטיא | .יב | ||
| 13. | Thirteen are the temperaments of God | שלושה עשר מידיא | .יג | ||
| | Rhyming version | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | English | | Hebrew | ||||
| 1. | One is Hashem, one is Hashem, one is Hashem! In the Heaven and the Earth | אחד אלוהינו שבשמיים ובארץ | .א | ||
| 2. | Two are the tablets that Moshe Moses Moses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed... brought; |
שני לוחות הברית | .ב | ||
| 3. | Three are the Fathers | שלושה אבות | .ג | ||
| 4. | Four are the Mothers | ארבע אימהות | .ד | ||
| 5. | Five are the books of the Torah | חמישה חומשי תורה | .ה | ||
| 6. | Six are the books of the Mishnah Mishnah The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah". It is also the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c... |
שישה סידרי משנה | .ו | ||
| 7. | Seven are the days of the week ooh-ah | שיבעה ימי שבתא | .ז | ||
| 8. | Eight are the days til the Brit Milah Brit milah The brit milah is a Jewish religious circumcision ceremony performed on 8-day old male infants by a mohel. The brit milah is followed by a celebratory meal .-Biblical references:... |
שמונה ימי מילה | .ח | ||
| 9. | Nine are the months til the baby's born | תישעה ירחי לידה | .ט | ||
| 10. | Ten are the ten Commandments | עשרה דיבריא | .י | ||
| 11. | Eleven are the stars in Joseph's dream | אחד עשר כוכביא | .יא | ||
| 12. | Twelve are the tribes of Israel | שנים עשר שיבטיא | .יב | ||
| 13. | Thirteen are the attributes of Hashem | שלושה עשר מידיא | .יג | ||
The following lyrics correspond to the Ladino / Judeoespanyol version of the song:
Ken supyese y entendyese alavar al Dio kreyense
kualo es el uno?
Uno es el Kriador, Baruch Hu Baruch shemo
Kualo es loz dos?
Dos Moshe y Aron
Kualo es loz tres
Trez pardes mustras son, Avram, Itzhak y Yaakov
Kualo es loz kuatro
Kuatro madrez muestraz son, Sara, Rivka, Leah, Rahel
Kualo es sinko
Sinko livros de la Ley
Kualo es seish
Seish diaz de la semana
Kualo es syete
Syete diaz con Shabbat
Kualo es ocho
Ocho diaz de la mila
Kualo es mueve
Mueve mezes de la prenyada
Kualo es diez
Diez mandamientoz de la Ley
Kualo es onsay
Onsay trivozin Yosef
Kualo es dosay
Dosay trivos kon Yosef
The following are the lyrics in the Judeo-Tajiki or Bukharian Jewish Language:
Yakumin kie medonad? Yakumin man’ medonam! Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Duyumin kie medonad? Duyumin man’ medonam! Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Seyumin kie medonad? Seyumin man’ medonam! Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Chorumin kie medonad? Chorumin man’ medonam! Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Panjumin kie medonad? Panjumin man’ medonam! Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Shashtumin kie medonad? Shashtumin man’ medonam! Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Khaftumin kie medonad? Khaftumin man’ medonam! Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Khashtumin kie medonad? Khashtumin man’ medonam! Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Nokhumin kie medonad? Nokhumin man’ medonam! Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Dakhumin kie medonad? Dakhumin man’ medonam! Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Yozdakhum kie medonad? Yozdakhum man’ medonam! Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Duvozdakhum kie medonad? Duvozdakhum man medonam! Duvozdakhum: duvozdah shivtocho. Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.
Sezdakhum kie medonad? Sezdakhum man’ medonam! Sezdakhum: sezdah khislatcho. Duvozdakhum: duvozdah shivtocho. Yozdakhum: yozdah sitoracho. Dakhumin: dakh sukhanon. Nokhumin: noch mochie zanon. Khashtumin: khasht rouzi millo. Khaftumin: khaft rouzi khafta. Shishtumin: shash sidrey mishno. Panjumin: panj sifrey Toro. Chorumin: chor’ modaron. Seyumin: se’e padaron. Duyumin: du’u lavchie gavkhar. Yakumin: Khudoyi pabun olamin.