This video presents The Song of Bread, a Yiddish folk song written by poet and composer Mark Warshawsky about the goodness of the land of Israel, dedicated to the Eastern European pioneers who worked the land of Israel. While Shavuot is often known as the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah, especially in the Diaspora, it is primarily an agricultural festival celebrating the barley harvest. As part of an effort to reclaim the agricultural origins of the religious holidays, this song is sung by some on Shavuot. An English translation and transliteration of the lyrics can be seen below.
The Song of Bread
Great God! we sing hymns.
You alone are our help
Gather the sheaves of wheat, brothers,
Till the sun will set.
May the sun burn and roast us’
The sun’s rays brought us luck
How well the bread has turned out,
Children, we can not return to our past.
Let our children know
Of a good Life on this earth
That the bread and every bite
is from our own field.
Dos Lid Fun Broyt
Groyser Got! mir zingen lider.
Undzer hilf bistu aleyn.
Nemt tsunoyf di snopes, brider
Biz di zun vet unter geyn
Zol di zun undz brien, brotn,
zi hot undz geshaynt tsum glik
Zet dos broit iz undz gerotn,
Kinder, keyn mol nit tsurik.
Zoln undzere kinder visn
Fun a lebn oyf der velt.
Az dos broyt, un yeder bisn
Iz fun undzer eygn feld