Libi baMizrah

Libi BaMizrah (Hebrew: לִבִּי בְמִזְרָח, lit. 'My heart is in the east') is a Hebrew poem by the Spanish-Jewish philosopher, physician, and poet Judah Halevi. It is one of the most prominent works of medieval Hebrew poetry in Spain. The poem expresses yearning for the Land of Israel and belongs to the group of "Songs of Zion," one of the most original categories in secular Hebrew poetry in Spain. The poem is among Halevi's most frequently read and translated works.^[1]

Poem

לִבִּי בְמִזְרָח וְאָנֹכִי בְּסוֹף מַעֲרָב / אֵיךְ אֶטְעֲמָה אֵת אֲשֶׁר אֹכַל וְאֵיךְ יֶעֱרָב אֵיכָה אֲשַׁלֵּם נְדָרַי וֶאֱסָרַי, בְּעוֹד / צִיּוֹן בְּחֶבֶל אֱדוֹם וַאֲנִי בְּכֶבֶל עֲרָב יֵקַל בְּעֵינַי עֲזֹב כָּל טוּב סְפָרַד, כְּמוֹ / יֵקַר בְּעֵינַי רְאוֹת עַפְרוֹת דְּבִיר נֶחֱרָב.

My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west— How can I find savour in food? How shall it be sweet to me? How shall I render my vows and my bonds, while yet Zion lieth beneath the fetter of Edom, and I in Arab chains? A light thing would it seem to me to leave all the good things of Spain—Seeing how precious in mine eyes to behold the dust of the desolate sanctuary.[2]

Commentary

The words "נדרי ואסרי" ("my vows and my bonds") refer to the poet's vow to make aliyah to the Land of Israel.^[3] The phrase "בחבל אדום" ("fetter of Edom"), with Edom, a medieval Hebrew term for Christians,^[4] referring to the Crusader conquest and rule of the Holy Land, which came under Christian control in 1099.^[3] In contrast, "בכבל ערב" ("in Arab chains") reflects the poet's life under Muslim rule—he spent most of his life in Muslim-ruled Spain.^[3] The word "דביר", translated above as "sanctuary," specifically refers to the Holy of Holies in the former Jerusalem Temple.^[3]

Analysis

Libi BaMizrah ("My Heart is in the East") is one of his most well-known works and is cited as among his finest.^[5] It belongs to his group of "Zion poems" and expresses a deep personal longing for Zion, alongside poems such as "Zion, do you not inquire" (Siyyon ha-lo’ tishalī).^[6] It uses 'East' and 'West' to contrast the Land of Israel with Spain, a thematic device also employed by Samuel Ibn Naghrillah (Shumel HaNagid), another prominent Jewish poet of the Golden Age.^[6]

A central theme in the poem—one that is also key to Halevi's broader body of work—revolves around the tension between spiritual aspirations and worldly attachments. The speaker expresses a profound yearning to fulfill his religious duties, particularly a desire to return to the Land of Israel. However, this spiritual longing stands in contrast to the allure of the material comforts and pleasures he experiences in Spain.^[7] The paradox emerges in the speaker's struggle to reconcile these conflicting impulses. He questions how he can enjoy the pleasures of life while being physically distant from Zion.^[7] The contrast is established through a series of escalation oppositions between spiritual aspirations and the geographical, political, and personal challenges.^[1]

The poem incorporates references to prophetic texts and the Psalms.^[8] The motifs and images found in "Libi Bamizrach" are also present in other works by Halevi, such as "Tziyyon ha-lo tishali" ("O Zion, Will You Not Ask?").^[8]

See also

• Jewish poetry from al-Andalus – Hebrew poems composed in Muslim Spain
• Tziyyon ha-lo tishali – another prominent Zion poem by Judah Halevi
• Zion and Jerusalem in Jewish prayer and ritual – overview of their role in Jewish religious practice
• Zionides – Jewish poetry expressing yearning for the Land of Israel