''Ani Ma'amin'' (אני מאמין) "I believe" is a prosaic rendition of

Maimonides Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...

' thirteen-point version of the

Jewish principles of faith There is no established formulation of principles of faith that are recognized by all branches of Judaism. Central authority in Judaism is not vested in any one person or group - although the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish religious court, would ...

. It is based on his

Mishnah The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Tor ...

commentary to tractate

Sanhedrin The Sanhedrin (Hebrew and Aramaic: סַנְהֶדְרִין; Greek: , ''synedrion'', 'sitting together,' hence ' assembly' or 'council') was an assembly of either 23 or 71 elders (known as "rabbis" after the destruction of the Second Temple), ...

. The popular version of ''Ani Ma'amin'' is of a later date and has some significant differences with Maimonides' original version. It is of unknown authorship. Both ''Ani Ma'amin'' and a poetic version, ''

Yigdal Yigdal ( he, יִגְדָּל; ''yighdāl'', or ;''yighdal''; means "Magnify Living God) is a Jewish hymn which in various rituals shares with Adon 'Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. It i ...

'', form part of the prayers of Jews and have inspired varied settings to music.

Form

The recitation consists of thirteen lines, each beginning with the phrase "''Ani ma'amin be-emunah shelemah''" ("I believe with full faith"). It follows the same order as Maimonides' enumeration.

In prayer

Many Jews recite Ani Ma'amin at the conclusion of their morning prayers. The poetic version ''Yigdal'' is more commonly recited at the beginning of the prayers. In some communities ''Yigdal'' is also recited on the Shabbat and holidays after the evening service.

Culture

The penultimate line refers to the essential Jewish belief in the coming of the

Mashiach The Messiah in Judaism () is a savior and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology, who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jewish people. The concept of messianism originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible a messiah is a king or Hig ...

. As such, this line has become a popular source of lyrics for Jewish songs. One version of the lyrics, set to a "haunting melody", is attributed to Azriel David Fastag, a Modzitzer Hasid whose compositions were regularly sung in the court of the Modzitzer Rebbe, Rabbi Shaul Yedidya Elazar. He reportedly composed the tune in a cattle car while being taken to

Treblinka Treblinka () was an extermination camp, built and operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. It was in a forest north-east of Warsaw, south of the village of Treblinka in what is now the Masovian Voivodeship. The cam ...

. Fastag announced that he would give half of his share of the

World to Come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or ...

to whoever would bring the tune to the Modzitzer Rebbe, who had escaped Europe in 1940. Two men took him up on his offer and leaped from the moving train. One died from the fall, but the other survived and eventually brought the tune to the Rebbe's son in Israel, who sent his father the musical score. The tune was sung by dozens of Jews as they marched to the gas chambers in the Nazi death camps. This tune is still frequently sung at Holocaust Remembrance Day services. Some also sing it at the Passover Seder, in memory of the

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising; pl, powstanie w getcie warszawskim; german: link=no, Aufstand im Warschauer Ghetto was the 1943 act of Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto in German-occupied Poland during World War II to oppose Nazi Germany' ...

, which began on the first night of Passover in 1943. Another tune to the words of ''Ani Ma'amin'' is used as a positive song included at happy events, mainly weddings. The words are the same, but a much happier tune is used. The popular Chabad-Lubavitch singer

Avraham Fried Avraham Shabsi Hakohen Friedman ( he, אברהם שבתי הכהן פרידמן, born March 22, 1959) better known by his stage name, Avraham Fried, is a popular musical entertainer in the Orthodox Jewish community. Career Fried was encourag ...

has recorded a version of this song that has gained popularity, reflecting the Chabad-Lubavitch's emphasis on the imminent coming of the Messiah. ''Ani Ma'amin'' was sung by the choir during

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

's historic visit to the Synagogue of Rome on April 13, 1986. Another popular version of ''Ani Ma'amin'' was composed by

Shlomo Carlebach Shlomo Carlebach ( he, שלמה קרליבך; 14 January 1925 – 20 October 1994), known as Reb Shlomo to his followers, was a rabbi, religious teacher, spiritual leader, composer, and singer dubbed "the singing rabbi" during his lifetime. ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Learn to sing Ani Maamin with midi file, lyrics, translation''
at www.greatjewishmusic.com.
"Moshe Steinerman sings a haunting "Ani Maamin" at the kever (grave) of Shmuel HaNavi"
on Facebook Hebrew-language songs Holocaust commemoration Jewish prayer and ritual texts Jewish theology Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings