friday night | kol-ami

Rav Shmuel Brazil: Original Eishet Chayil Melody

This is a recording of Rabbi Shmuel Brazil’s original rendition of Eishet Chayil, from the “Regesh Volume 7 – Shabbos” album. Rav Shmuel Brazil is an American singer and composer of original

Moishe House: Friday Night Shabbat Rituals

This less than 5 minute long animated video introduces the basic Shabbat rituals performed on Friday night, including the candle lighting ceremony, the Kiddush over wine, the ritual hand washing, and the

The IDF Rabbinical Choir Sings Eishet Chayil at Dinner

In this home video, the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) Rabbinical Choir, led by Chief Cantor Shai Abramson, sings a harmonic accapella arrangement of a portion of Eishet Chayil. They sang this song

Shalom Aleichem in ASL

This video, presented by interpreter David Bar Tzur, demonstrates how to sign Shalom Aleichem in American Sign Language, which is especially helpful for those who are deaf or hard of hearing

Yaakov Shwekey: An Original Song Inspired by Eishet Chayil

This video presents an emotive rendition of the first two and last two verses of Eishet Chayil performed by the well-known Jewish musical entertainer, Yaakov Shwekey, including on screen Hebrew, English and

Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach: Shalom Aleichem

This recording of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach‘s melody for Shalom Aleichem repeats each of the four stanza’s three times, a common custom in many Jewish traditions. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach (1925-1994), also known

Sephardic/Mizrahi Custom: Shalom Aleichem

This video demonstrates the Sephardic/Mizrahi tradition for Shalom Aleichem, which has five stanzas, instead of four, as is the common Ashkenazi custom. The additional verse, “B’shiv-t’chem L’shalom,” translated as “May your rest

Introduction to Eishet Chayil: Video & Text (Hebrew, English, Transliteration)

This video presents a simple, clear version of the most popular melody for Eishet Chayil, composed by Ben Zion Shenker in 1953. With on screen Hebrew, English and transliterated lyrics of the text

Nusach Sefard: Shalom Aleichem

This post includes the Hebrew, English and transliterated texts for Shalom Aleichem according to Nusach Sefard. Nusaf Sefard refers to the various forms of the Jewish prayers designed to reconcile Ashkenazi

How To Read Eshet Chayil: Reflections from a Feminist Scholar

This reflection by feminist scholar, Dr. Wendy Zierler, traces her evolving relationship with the words of Eshet Chayil over the course of her life. She suggests several ways of reading the text,