Ein Keloheinu - אֵין כְּאלֹהֵינוּ
There is none like our God;
There is none like our Lord;
There is none like our King;
There is none like our Redeemer.
Who is like our God?
Who is like our Lord?
Who is like our King?
Who is like our Redeemer?
We will give thanks to our God;
We will give thanks to our Lord;
We will give thanks to our King;
We will give thanks to our Redeemer.
Blessed is our God;
Blessed is our Lord;
Blessed is our King;
Blessed is our Redeemer.
It is You Who are our God;
It is You Who are our Lord;
It is You Who are our King;
It is You Who are our Redeemer.
It is You before Whom our ancestors burned incense made of spices.
Ein keiloheinu is a ditty chanted immediately after the Shabbat morning musaf tefila. Because it is so easy and repetitive in nature, it is usually chanted by the children of the congregation, who come forward and “show off” their knowledge of Hebrew before their elders.
During the Middle Ages, the Jewish community divided into at least three subsets:
1. Ashkenazim—the Jews of central (and later, Eastern) Europe. The term “Ashkenaz” usually denoted “Germany.” The primary everyday language of this group was Yiddish (Judeo-German)—an admixture of German, Hebrew and Aramaic elements with a “seasoning” of French or Slavic or Hungarian (depending upon where it was spoken).
2. Sefardim—the Jews of Spain and Portugal, and later North Africa, the Netherlands, Italy, Greece, Turkey and European colonial outposts in America. The term “Sefarad” usually denoted “Spain.” The primary everyday language of this group was Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), an admixture of Spanish, Hebrew and Aramaic elements with a “seasoning” of Portuguese, Arabic, Dutch, Italian, Greek or Turkish (depending upon where it was spoken).
3. Edot ha-mizrach—the Jews of Syria, Palestine, Iraq and Yemen. Their primary everyday language was Judeo-Arabic.
Ein keiloheinu—again because of its simplicity, gives many contemporary Ashkenazic congregations an opportunity to practice multi-culturalism by singing it in Ladino as well as Hebrew:
Non como muestro Dio,
Non como muestro Señor,
Non como muestro Rei,
Non como muestro Salvador.
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