(from the Hebrew root z-m-r "to sing"). Table hymns sung during and after the Sabbath meals. The commonly used texts are poems and piyyutim written through the ages by various Hebrew poets; some are by well-known poets, the authors of others remain anonymous. Most are in Hebrew, a few are in Aramaic. The subject matter includes Sabbath laws, observances, and customs, the rewards due the Sabbath observer, references to the prophet Elijah, and praise of God. The themes and the allusions to biblical phrases perhaps developed from the ancient custom of discussing Torah subjects at meals.
Sefer Ḥasidim (ed. Wistinetzki, 722) affirms that it is commendable to sit and sing praises on the Sabbath, citing Psalm 92:1-2. Siddur Rashi (534) states that the recital of zemirot at the conclusion of the Sabbath is a proper custom; in the same manner as citizens of a country accompany the excursions of the king with voices and lutes and harps, so Jews accompany the exit of the Sabbath Queen in joy and songs.
The kabbalists of the 16th and 17th centuries wrote several liturgical poems in honor of the Sabbath; they include some of the most popular zemirot, such as Yom Zeh le-Yisrael and Yah Ribbon Olam.
Some 25 zemirot became the core of the table hymns among Ashkenazim, and they were divided into three groupings, each associated with a specific Sabbath meal--- Friday evening (eight), Sabbath morning (eight), and end of the Sabbath (nine), particularly at a Melavveh Malkah. Some are already to be found in the Maḥzor Vitry (11th cent.). While collected by Ashkenazim, the authors include Spanish Hebrew poets, such as Dunash ben Labrat, Judah Halevi and Abraham Ibn Ezra. The Sephardim did not elaborate a fixed collection of zemirot, but rather poems and songs, zemer or pizmon, which are sung in both the synagogue and home.
There is no rigid rule requiring that any specific number be sung. A wide variety of tunes developed, some identified with particular Jewish communities, others more generally known as Ashkenazi or Sephardi. New tunes still continue to be introduced.
Ḥasidic communities found a venue of expression for their spiritual elevation and enthusiasm in the creation of new melodies for the zemirot, sometimes in the form of adaptations of tunes absorbed from their host countries.
A recurring theme in the zemirot sung at the end of the Sabbath is Elijah as herald of the Messiah and the final Redemption.
Today in many homes and particularly at communal meals, songs fitting the themes of the Sabbath day but not part of the traditional zemirot per se are also sung at the Sabbath table, all leading to the creation of a special Sabbath spirit at the meal.
The zemirot are to be found in most comprehensive prayer books as well as in special collections that include the Grace After Meals. The collections of table hymns generally open with Shalom Alékhem, which is part of the Friday evening ceremonies but not of the zemirot.
