Promoting The Study Of The Siddur As A Primary Text
The attached is found in a Siddur written in 1471. It is the first time that I have seen the Bracha שעשתני אשה ולא איש. The wording of the Siddur is otherwise very similar to Nusach Roma. Click here to view the entire Siddur:
In a handwritten manuscript that is titled סדר ברכות NY JTS 4657 whose place of publication is not identified and whose Nusach is not identified, I found an order of learning that is to be recited before ברכת המזון. It consists of excerpts from the תורה, from נביאים, from כתובים, from משנה and from גמרא. This order of learning reminded of the order of learning that we find in Nusach Roma after reciting the ברכות התורה except that in Nusach Roma, they include more types of learning. That said, the order of learning presented in סדר ברכות NY JTS 4657 is more interesting in that it seems to be following the rule of לעולם ישלש; we must divide our daily learning into three equal parts, in two ways; תורה, משנה, גמרא and תורה, נביאים ,בתובים. The manuscript also includes ברכת המזון. As far as I can determine, the Nusach of ברכת המזון found there follows the Sephardic custom. I am attaching extracts from the original which are slightly blurry so I am also attaching a printed version. The manuscript can be viewed here: סדר ברכות NY JTS 4657
During the week before Tisha B’Av, 5781, I came across the section of Kinot in מחזור מנהג אשכנז המערבי לכל השנה Parma 2885 (14th Century) and was surprised by how many lines within the Kinot were censored. The Kinah with the most lines crossed out was איכה אצת באפך, a sample of which I am attaching. I posted this image in my Nusach Hatefillah Facebook group and one of the members pointed out that the censor did not perform his job well because you can see through the censor’s attempted erasure. What this member failed to recognize is that the page he was looking at was written about seven hundred years ago. The scribe’s writing survived intact while the censor’s mark faded. That is a metaphor for the secret message of Tisha B’Av. Yes, we recall many of the tragedies that have overwhelmed the Jewish People since the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash but like the censor’s mark, those who inflicted those tragedies have faded away but the Jewish People, like the scribe’s print, have survived. The Jewish People will always outlive those who attempt to erase the Jewish People. I look forward to reading the lines of the Kinah that the censor attempted to erase from Jewish memory. You can view all the Kinot in the Machzor here: מחזור מנהג אשכנז המערבי לכל השנה Parma 2885
With the commencement of the Three Weeks, some of you may have begun reviewing the Kinot of Tisha B’Av or at least, I did. First, let me recommend Yaakov Weingarten’s סדר קינות המפורש. In my opinion his ספר is a Rashi-like commentary. In other words, before you read anyone else’s commentary on any Kinah, study what Weingarten presents. His strengths are in providing a Hebrew to Hebrew translation of the words of each Kinah and his footnotes provide the Rabbinic sources for many of the words in each Kinah. In addition, his הקדמה provides a comprehensive introduction to the Kinot.
I decided to begin with the Tisha B’Av Kinot that are said on Tisha B’Av night because I do not remember ever hearing any discussion about teh Kinot of Tisha B’Av night. What caught my attention was the Kinah that is said only when Tisha B’Av begins on Motzei Shabbat which has the following refrain; וִיהִי נֹֽעַם נִשְׁבָּת. בְּמוֹצָאֵי שַׁבָּת. It is quite unusual to recite a Piyut whose theme is the omission of a prayer. When Tisha B’Av begins on Motzei Shabbat we omit the פסוק of וִיהִי נֹֽעַם and Tehillim Chapter 91 after reciting Shemona Esrei. Why? I am attaching an excerpt from Weingarten, and the comments of the מטה משה and the לבוש which summarize the reasons given for omitting these Tephilot when Tisha B’av begins on Motzei Shabbat.
In the first image below, the word גוי was censored in the ברכה of שלא עשתני גוי. Someone replaced the word גוי with the words בלתי מדבר. In my opinion the one who inserted the words בלתי מדבר wanted to send the following message to the censor: you can erase the words but I am not mute and I will still recite the word that belongs in that ברכה; the word גוי. In the second image, the ברכה was changed to שעשתני ישראל ולא אלם; that You, G-d, made me a Jew and I am not mute; i.e. I can proudly declare that I am glad to have been born a Jew. Neither version survived until today. Today those who follow the Roman Nusach simply say: שעשני ישראל.
Here are some images that I collected from a Machzor that is marked Machzor Roman Rite With Romaniote influences.
What is unique within those images is that you see three Brachot that were recited each morning before people read excerpts of Torah learning; אשר בחר בנו before an excerpt from the Torah; אשר בחר בכתבי הקודש before an excerpt from תהילים and אשר בחר בדברי חכמים before an excerpt from משנה. A Bar Ilan Digital Library search revealed one source that discussed these Brachot; a comment by Rabbi Yissachar b. Zvi Tamar (1896-1992) in his ספר עלי תמר. He notes that it reflects an old Minhag Eretz Yisroel custom. He found a reference to that custom in a footnote that Professor Daniel Goldschmidt included in his edition of Shadal’s (Samuel David Luzzatto) מבוא למחזור רומא. Here is what Rabbi Tamar wrote:
Here is Professor Goldschmidt’s footnote:
To complete the discussion, I include the excerpt from מסכת סופרים referred to by Rabbi Tamar:
מסכתות קטנות מסכת סופרים פרק יד הלכה א
ברות, ובשיר השירים, בקהלת, באיכה, ובמגילת אסתר, צריך לברך, ולומר על מקרא מגילה, ואף על פי שכתובה בכתובים. והקורא בכתובים צריך לומר, ברוך אתה י”י אלהינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וציונו לקרוא בכתבי הקודש
Megillat Ruth
Review what I wrote about Tikkun Lail Shavuot that this custom is not found in early Yemenite Siddurim and entered Yemenite practice only in the 1700’s. Concerning Megillat Ruth, in Sephardic Siddurim it is referred to after the Azharot Piyut, between Shavharit and Mussaf. The Maharitz wrote in his Siddur at the end of Tephilat Musaf “and they depart to their homes in peace.” They would read Megillat Ruth on Shavuot “at Mincha before Ashrei.” This means that Megillat Ruth must be read before Tephilat Mincha. In his commentary, he wrote: “and they customarily read Megillat Ruth at Mincha.” The reasons to do as described by the Maharitz mention only that it should be read on Shavuot but he does not provide a time to do so.
Today the regular practice among Yemite Jews who follow the Baladi custom and even among moost Yemenite Jews who follow the Shammi practice is to read Megillat Ruth at home and just before they come to synagogue to recite Tephilat Mincha. It is similar to the practice Rshi described of reciting the upcoming Parsha just before Tephilat Mincha. The Yemenite practice follows a pattern. They also read the Megilot of Shir Ha’Shirim on Peasch and Kohelet on Succot just before Mincha.
Reading The Ketubah Piyut On Shavuot
The recital of a Piyut that described the Ketubah given by G-d to the Jewish People on Shavuot which is read by Sephardim on Shavuot is a custom not found in early Yemenite Machzorim nor in many later Machzorim. Because it was noyt a custom described in early Yemenite Siddurim, the Maharitz does not mention the custom and as a result is currently not found in Machzorim that follow the Baladi custom. It is found in Machzorim that follow the Shammi custom as a result of the influence of Sephardic practice.
Similarly, all the Ashkenazic customs of Shavuot like eating dairy foods, decorating the synagogue with branches, and others were never accepted as part of Yemenite practice. This is because the idea of eating dairy foods on any holiday was not accepted among Yemenite Jews. In addition, eating dairy foods on a holiday seemed to Jews in Yemen a violation of the Mitzvah to eat meat and to drink wine because you do not experience joy on a holiday unless you eat meant and wine. They did have a custom to eat a dough that had been dipped in oil as a symbol of the Torah that is compared to oil as Rabbi Tzibbori wrote.
Always write your name in your books to prevent a robber or thief coming off the street and claiming that the book belongs to him. Therefore I have written my name inside this book. Signed: Yaakov Terracini. I bought this Machzor from K. Latrin. I, Esther Terracini.
This list was borrowed from the סדור זכות יוסף, a Siddur representing the customs of the Jews of Rhodes. According to their list, 67 chapters of Tehillim play a role in Jewish Prayer; some every day; some every week; and some on holidays. These chapters are in addition to verses from Tehillim that are interspersed within Jewish Prayer. Given the substantial role that chapters and verses from Tehillim play in Jewish Prayer, it would be advisable for Jewish schools and pulpit Rabbis to devote teaching time towards teaching these chapters of Tehillim to their students and synagogue members.
I recently received my copy of סדור זכות יוסף, the Sephardic Siddur according to the Rhodes and Turkish Traditions as practiced in Seattle, Washington which I reviewed this past Shabbat. My initial reaction is that it mimics the Moroccan tradition. The few sections that stood out for me were also found in the סדור דרכי אבות, which follows the Moroccan Nusach. One unique section that does not appear in the Moroccan Nusach is the one I attached. It is the last paragraph of the middle Bracha of Shemona Esrei on Shabbat. As you can see, when the שליח ציבור repeats שמונה עשרה, the congregation responds with אמן after several of the phrases found in the last paragraph of the middle ברכה. Having the congregation respond brings to the congregant’s attention that we do put forward בקשות on שבת, some spiritual and some physical. Given that this paragraph concludes each of the middle ברכות of שמונה עשרה on שבת, it also serves to keep the words of the ברכה fresh.
You can purchase a copy of the Siddur here: Friend of the FASSAC: Hazzan Isaac Azose (sephardicstudies.org)