This prayer for divine contemplatives, beginning with the incipit “Tefilat Lisgulat Ishim” (prayer for distinguished individuals), is attested in several manuscripts prefaced by the title, תפלת הרב רבינו משה זצ״ל (prayer of our teacher, Rabbi Mosheh, may their righteousness be remembered for a blessing). The assumption of earlier scholars was that the Rabbi Mosheh here refers to Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon — Maimonides (1138-1204). While our reading of the prayer finds nothing outside the concepts articulated by Rambam in his Mishneh Torah (Yesodei haTorah) and Moreh Nevukhim, it seems more likely that the Rabbi Mosheh referred to here is the famous paytan Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra (ca. 1055-after 1138), who is quoted sharing similar ideas as found in this prayer by Rabbi Abraham ben Azriel in Arugat ha-Bosem (ca. 1230). Transcribed from the manuscript Leiden Or. 4779, this is the first time this obscure and long overlooked prayer has been translated.

Categories:

Contemplation

Tags:

12th century C.E., 50th century A.M., anti-corporealist, neo-Aristotelian Judaism, via negativa

Contributor(s):

Aharon N. Varady (transcription), Aharon N. Varady (translation) and Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra

שְׁעֵה נֶאֱסַר | Sh’eh Ne’esar — a pizmon seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by Shlomo ibn Gabirol (ca. 1050)

A seliḥah for 17 Tammuz by the great payṭan and philosopher Shlomo ibn Gabirol. This seliḥa is referred to as pizmon, meaning that (in the Ashkenazi rite) each stanza is recited aloud by the congregation followed by the shaliaḥ tzibbur. This piyyuṭ, in Ashkenazi practice, serves as the final unique seliḥa of the 17 Tammuz seliḥot. (There are other piyyutim recited as part of fast day seliḥot but they aren’t unique to 17 Tammuz.)

Categories:

Shiv'ah Asar b'Tamuz

Tags:

11th century C.E., 49th century A.M., Acrostic signature, phonetic alphabetic acrostic translation, Nusaḥ Ashkenaz, פיוטים piyyuṭim, סליחות səliḥot

Contributor(s):

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation) and Shlomo ibn Gabirol