Jewish Sabbath hymns

Introduction: Hebrew hymns and the problem of English nomenclature In discussions of Hebrew liturgy, the designation hymn poses a linguistic challenge. Neither the English term—especially in its modern Western connotations—nor its classical root has a precise or exclusive equivalent in Hebrew. Struggling to provide translations, modern Hebrew dictionaries give a series of generically loose Hebrew counterparts, none of which adequately captures the nature of the specific Hebrew liturgical forms that properly may be considered hymns. Among such common dictionary definitions, as well as informal references scattered throughout other descriptive literature, are: shir This is an all-inclusive...