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Resources using Hebrew (Ktav Ashuri) script

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Divine Love, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1848)

The poem, “Divine Love” by Rosa Emma Salaman, was first published in the Occident 6:7, Tishrei 5609, October 1849, p. 197-198. . . .

A Description of my Dreams, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1848)

The poem, “A Description of my Dreams” by Rosa Emma Salaman, was written in September 1849 and first published in the Occident and American Jewish Advocate Vol. 6:4, Tamuz 5608, July 1848, p.175-177. . . .

Gebet beim Abscheiden des Teiges (חלה) | Domestic Prayer on Dividing the Dough, a teḥinah by Meïr Letteris (1846)

“Gebet beim Abscheiden des Teiges” was written by Meïr haLevi Letteris and published in תָּחֲנוּנֵי בַּת יְהוּדָה (Taḥnunei bat Yehudah): Andachtsbuch für Israelitische Frauenzimmer (1846), p. 86. In 1852, this teḥinah was translated into English (with a short prayer added for children) by Miriam Wertheimer under the title “Domestic prayer on dividing the dough” in Devotional Exercises for the Use of Jewish Women on Public and Domestic Occasions (1852), pp. 51-52. . . .

רִבּוֹן כׇּל הָעוֹלָמִים | Ribon kol ha-Olamim, a prayer for the government of the United States of America by Rabbi Max Lilienthal (1846)

“Ribon kol ha-Olamim” was almost certainly written by Rabbi Max Lilienthal in 1846 soon after he arrived in New York City where he was elected chief rabbi of New York’s “united German-Jewish community.” It was first published in L. Henry Frank’s prayerbook, Tefilot Yisrael: Prayers of Israel with an English translation (1848) without attribution. In 1998, Dr. Jonathan Sarna elucidated its authorship in an article, “A Forgotten 19th Century Prayer for the U.S. Government: Its Meaning, Significance and Surprising Author.” In Hesed Ve-Emet: Studies in Honor of Ernest S. Frerichs, eds. J. Magness and S. Gitin, 431-440. Athens, Ga.: Scholars Press, 1998. . . .

Enoch, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1846)

“Enoch” by Rosa Emma Salaman was first published in the Occident and American Jewish Advocate 4:9, Kislev 5607/December 1846. . . .

God Our Light, a poem by Rosa Emma Salaman (1845)

The poem, “God Our Light” by Rosa Emma Salaman, was first published in the Occident and American Jewish Advocate 3:8, Marḥeshvan 5606, November 1845, p.379-380. . . .

תָּחֲנוּנֵי בַּת יְהוּדָה (Taḥnunei bat Yehudah): Andachtsbuch für Israelitische Frauenzimmer, an anthology of teḥinot in German by Meïr haLevi Letteris (1846)

This is the anthology of teḥinot in in German compiled by Meir haLevi Letteris, תחנוני בת יהודה (Taḥnunei bat Yehudah) Andachtsbuch für israelitische Frauenzimmer zur öffentlichen und häuslichen Erbauung in allen Berhältnissen des Lebens als Jungfrau, Brant, Gattin und Mutter, originally published in 1846. . . .

הַגָּדָה לְלֵיל שִׁכּוֹרִים | Haggadah l’Leil Shikkorim, a Purim parody of the haggadah for the Passover seder by Ẓvi Hirsch Sommerhausen (1842)

First written and published in Hamburg in 1842 by Tzvi Hirsch Sommerhausen (1781-1853), the Haggadah l’Leil Shikkorim is a parody of the familiar segments of the Haggadah, but for Purim instead of Pesaḥ. According to Israel Davidson’s “Parody in Jewish Literature,” (1907) Sommerhausen’s work was published in six editions, including one with a Judeo-Arabic sharḥ. (If anyone has a link to that, please send it to me!) Anyway, this edition is fully vocalized and translated into English, for your Purim enjoyment. . . .

תחנה אױף קינדער האבין (פאר א אִשָׁה װאָס האָט ניט קײַן קינדער)‏ | Tkhine for Having Children for a Woman who Has No Children (ca. 1840)

A prayer for a childless woman seeking to conception. . . .

תחינה פאר א אִשָּׁה פאר דעד חוּפָּה פון איר זון ארער איר טאָכטער | Tkhine for a mother to say before the wedding of her daughter (19th c.)

A tkhine (supplication) for a mother to say before her daughter’s wedding, transcribed and translated from the Siddur Qorban Minḥah (1897). . . .

תחנה פיר אין כלה פאר דער חופה | Prayer for a Bride before her Wedding (19th c.)

A tkhine (supplication) for a bride to say before their wedding, transcribed and translated from the Siddur Qorban Minḥah (1897). . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 6: Seder haTefilot laTaaniyot (1838)

The sixth volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1838. . . .

תפלת הים | Prayer for a Seaship Voyage, or During a Storm at Sea (1837)

A prayer for those traveling over water on a sea or ocean voyage. . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 3: Seder haTefilot l’Yom haKipurim (1838)

For Yom Kipur, the third volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1837. . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 5: Seder haTefilot l’Pesaḥ u’l’Shavuot (1837)

For Pesaḥ and Shavuot, the fifth volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1837. . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 4: Seder haTefilot l’Ḥag haSukkot (1837)

For Sukkot (and including Shemini Atseret and Simḥat Torah), the fourth volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1837. . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 2: Seder haTefilot l’Rosh haShanah (1837)

For Rosh haShanah, the second volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1837. . . .

סדור שפתי צדיקים (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim (The Form of Prayers) vol. 1: Seder haTefilot miKol haShanah (1837)

The first volume in a set of prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the United States, edited by Isaac Leeser, in 1837. . . .

תפילת נחם לשלם בירושלם | Tefilat Naḥem for the Peace of Jerusalem on Tishah b’Av, by Isaac Gantwerk Mayer

On Tisha be’Av, Jewish communities all over the world add a paragraph called Tefilat Naḥem (the prayer of comfort) to the standard daily Amidah (either for the afternoon service or for all services) praying for a return to Jerusalem. The traditional text discusses Jerusalem being defiled, in the hands of the idol worshipers, putting our people to the sword. But post-1967, Jerusalem has been under Israeli control, and this text has, to many people, felt no longer appropriate in the face of a Jerusalem being rebuilt. Many have written their own versions of a new Tefilat Naḥem for a Jerusalem under Israeli control, but I have felt dissatisfied with a lot of these. Some treat Jerusalem as already fully redeemed, which any glance at the news tells you isn’t the case. Others treat the major step in redeeming Jerusalem as building the Temple, but this seems to me to be only one eschatological part of a larger hope for Jerusalem. Jews have often considered the peace of Jerusalem to be a microcosm of the peace of all the earth. Thus for the Shabbat and Yom Tov Hashkivenu we pray for God to “spread the shelter of peace over us, all Israel, and Jerusalem.” The name Jerusalem, ירושלים, has been analyzed as “they will see peace” יראו שלום, since the peace of Jerusalem means all will see peace. But it’s clear that the peace of Jerusalem is not final or eternal, and it remains a city on the edge of a knife. So my version of Tefilat Naḥem prays not for a return, nor for a Temple, but for the peace of Jerusalem. It can be used at the same time as the standard Tefilat Naḥem (as an extension of the Birkat Yerushalayim in the Shmoneh Esreh for Tisha b’Av) or on its own. Thus I used four asterisks (a tetrapuncta) instead of God’s name, for those who would prefer to avoid a b’rakhah levatalah. Those who would prefer to use this blessing in the Amidah itself could replace the tetrapuncta with the name itself. . . .

תפילת נחם על תשעה באב | Tefilat Naḥem on Tishah b’Av, by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (free translation by Gabbai Seth Fishman)

During the time before there was a State of Israel, those ideals in our hearts which we tried to practice and which we wanted others to practice, seemed not achievable where we were because, we felt we had no influence over our world where we were. And so, the longing for our homeland was tied into the longing for our dreams and our vision. Now that the state of Israel is with us, our dreams and our visions still remain distant from our lives and therefore when we say the Tisha B’av prayers we need to remind ourselves of the distance between that which we would have in this world and that which we do have. . . .

סֵדֶר תַּשְׁלִיךְ | Seder Tashlikh, as translated by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1833)

“סֵדֶר תַּשְׁלִיךְ (Seder Tashlikh)” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion. It first appears in the 1833 edition on pp. 145-146. In the 1835 edition it is arranged as teḥinah №84 on p. 157. . . .

אמעריקע | America (My Country, ‘Tis of Thee), a patriotic hymn by Samuel Francis Smith (1832) with Yiddish translation by Berl Lapin (1950)

The well-known patriotic hymn with a Yiddish translation. . . .

תפלה למשה | Prayer of Gratitude at the Consecration of the Montefiore Synagogue at Ramsgate, by Sir Moses Montefiore (1833)

This prayer by Sir Moses Montefiore appears in Order of Service at the Dedication of the Synagogue Founded by Moses Montefiore and Judith his Wife, in commemoration of the happy event of their visit to the holy city of Jerusalem, the inheritance of their forefathers and as an humble tribute to the Almighty for his great and manifold blessings (Ramsgate: 30th Sivan (16th June) 5593 [1833]. — Eve of Rosh Ḥodesh), pp 9-10. . . .

אֵל שְׁמֹר הַמֶּֽלֶךְ | God Save the King (Hebrew translation with an additional stanza by Hyman Hurwitz 1831)

“God Save the King” was originally written by an unknown author and circulated in three stanzas during the reign of Britain’s King George Ⅱ, circa 1745. This Hebrew translation, “El Shemor haMelekh,” as translated by Hyman Hurwitz with an added fourth stanza, was first published in his The Etymology and Syntax of the Hebrew Language (1831), pp. 276-279, during the reign of King William Ⅳ (1765-1837). . . .

📄 Sourcetexts on Jewish Prayer and Spirituality, compiled by Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman

A few select source texts on prayer and davvenen of importance to Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman. . . .

תהלים מ״ז | (Psalms 47) Dieser Psalm wird siebenmal vor dem Schofer blasen wiederholt (translation by Yehoshua Heshil Miro, 1829)

“Dieser Psalm wird siebenmal vor dem Schofer blasen wiederholt (Psalm 47)” was translated/adapted by Yehoshua Heshil Miro and published in his anthology of teḥinot, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaicher Religion. It first appears in the 1829 edition, תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaicher Religion as teḥinah №35 on p. 44. In the 1835 edition, it appears as teḥinah №31 on pp. 47-48. In the 1842 edition, it appears as teḥinah №33 on pp. 50-51. . . .

בֵּית יַעֲקֹב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion, an anthology of teḥinot in German by Yehoshua Heshil Miro (1829/1833, 1835/1842)

These are Yehoshua Heshil Miro’s anthologies of teḥinot, beginning with תחנות Teḥinot ein Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion (1829), one of the earliest anthologies of teḥinot published in German rather than Yiddish. A slightly revised edition with six pieces added and three removed followed in 1833. That work served as the basis for a much larger compilation, בית יעקב (Beit Yaaqov) Allgemeines Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauen mosaischer Religion (1835), which, for the first time, printed the tehinot in German in a Latin (rather than Hebrew) script using the then common Fraktur typeface. A slightly enlarged expanded edition of Beit Yaaqov published in 1842 contains an additional teḥinah (as well as approbations by Rabbi Abraham Geiger and Rabbi Solomon Tiktin). . . .

Brotherly Love, an adaptation of Psalms 133 by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1826)

A hymn provided for opening or concluding the morning Sabbath service of the Reformed Society of Israelites (Charleston, S.C.) ca. 1830. . . .

God our Shepherd and Guardian, an adaptation of Psalms 23 by David Nunes Carvalho (Reformed Society of Israelites, Charleston, South Carolina, 1826)

A hymn provided for opening or concluding the morning service of the Reformed Society of Israelites (Charleston, S.C.) ca. 1826. . . .

תַשְׁפִּיעַ עָלַי חָכְמָה בִּינָה וָדַעַת מֵאִתְּךָ | Pour upon me your wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:58 part 1) by Reb Noson Sternhartz of Nemyriv (ca. 1820s) and “A Student’s Prayer” as adapted by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)

“A Student’s Prayer,” was adapted by Rabbi Morrison David Bial from Reb Nosson Sternhartz of Nemyriv’s Liqutei Tefilot I:58.1, itself adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan I:58.1. The adaptation by Rabbi Bial was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 83, from where the English was transcribed. I have set his adaptation side-by-side with the Hebrew as well as I could determine, providing for a reference Yaacov David Shulman’s translation as originally published by the Breslove Research Insitute in 2009. –Aharon Varady . . .

ליקוטי תפילות א:קמה | Prayer for Sukkot (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:145), by Reb Nosson Sternhartz of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

A prayer for Sukkot linking the theme of home building and receiving Torah with a warning not to eat animals and to extend ones compassion to all creatures. . . .

הֲלֹא אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲנִי מָלֵא | Do not I fill heaven and earth? (Liqutei Tefilot I:7 part 1) by Reb Noson Sternhartz of Nemyriv (ca. 1820s), translated by Rabbi Morrison David Bial (1962)

“Do not I fill heaven and earth?” is a translation by Rabbi Morrison David Bial of a portion of Reb Nosson of Nemyriv’s Liqutei Tefilot I:7.1, as adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan I:7.1. The translation was first published in his anthology, An Offering of Prayer (1962), p. 76, from where the English was transcribed. I have set this translation side-by-side with the Hebrew noting some elisions in Rabbi Bial’s adaptation. –Aharon Varady . . .

ליקוטי תפילות א:לז | Prayer for a Gilgul Nefesh (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:37), by Reb Noson Sternhartz of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

Reb Noson’s Likutei Tefillot I:37 contains teḥinot derived from Rebbe Naḥman’s Likutei Moharan I:37. . . .

ליקוטי תפילות א:קטז | Prayer for Peace in Disagreement (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:116), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

Often, when people refer to “Rebbe Naḥman’s Prayer for Peace,” they are referring to a more recent prayer combining portions of a number of prayers of Reb Noson of Nemyriv, including from this one: Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:116. Reb Noson of Nemirov adapted his teḥinot from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan Ⅰ:137. . . .

ליקוטי תפילות ב:יא | Prayer for the ability to pray alone with the vegetation of the field (Liqutei Tefillot Ⅱ:11a), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

A prayer for entering hitbodedut (solitary meditation, preferably in a natural setting), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv, as adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav. . . .

ליקוטי תפילות א:קלט | Prayer for Truth in Light of Opposition (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:139), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

Often, when people refer to “Rebbe Naḥman’s Prayer for Peace,” they are referring to a more recent prayer combining portions of a number of prayers of Reb Noson of Nemyriv, sometimes also including from this one: Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:139, a prayer for the spiritual illumination of the Jewish people in the context of opposition to Ḥasidut. Reb Noson of Nemirov adapted his teḥinot from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan Ⅰ:228. . . .

ליקוטי תפילות א:קמא | Prayer for Peace from Disputation (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:141), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

Often, when people refer to “Rebbe Naḥman’s Prayer for Peace,” they are referring to a more recent prayer combining portions of a number of prayers of Reb Noson of Nemyriv, sometimes also including from this one: Liqutei Tefilot Ⅰ:141, a prayer for the spiritual illumination of the Jewish people in the context of opposition to Ḥasidut. Reb Noson of Nemirov adapted his teḥinot from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan Ⅰ:239. . . .

ליקוטי תפילות ב:נג | Prayer of Peace from War, for Rainfall, and for Excellence in Torah Study (Liqutei Tefilot Ⅱ:53), by Reb Noson of Nemyriv adapted from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman (ca. 1820s)

Often, when people refer to “Rebbe Naḥman’s Prayer for Peace,” they are referring to a more recent prayer combining portions of a number of prayers of Reb Noson of Nemyriv, including this one Liqutei Tefilot Ⅱ:53. In addition to a prayer for peace and the eradication of war, the prayer requests rain in its due time, excellence in Torah study, and protection from unworthy students of Torah. Reb Noson of Nemirov adapted his teḥinot from the teachings of Rebbe Naḥman of Bratslav in Liqutei Moharan Ⅱ:60. . . .

Gebetbuch für gebildete Frauenzimmer mosaischer Religion, an anthology of teḥinot in German by Pereẓ Beer (1815, 1839, 1843)

The first anthology of teḥinot published in Judeo-German rather than Yiddish. . . .

ברכה לקסר ומלך | Prière pour Sa Majesté Impériale et Royale | Prayer for the Emperor and King, Napoleon Ⅰ (ca. 1810)

A prayer composed for honoring Napoleon Ⅰ by the emancipated Jews of France. . . .

The Star-Spangled Banner (די שטערן־שטרײפיקע פאָן), the national anthem of the United States by Francis Scott Key (1814)

The National Anthem of the United States of America with a Yiddish translation by Berl Lapin. . . .

סדור התפלות (מנהג הספרדים)‏ | Seder haTefilot: The Order of the Daily Prayers in Hebrew and English According to the Custom of the Spanish & Portuguese Jews, compiled and translated by David Levi (2nd ed. 1810)

One of the earliest bilingual Hebrew-English prayerbooks compiled for Spanish & Portuguese Jews in the British Empire. . . .

הוד מלכות | Preghiera e Benedizione al Sovrano Napoleone Ⅰ | Prayer and Blessing for Napoleon Ⅰ on his birthday, in the Synagogue of the Jews of Livorno (15 August 1808)

A prayer service for the Festival of Napoleon celebrating the Emperor’s birthday in 1808, included a novel prayer by Rabbi Jacob Nunes-Vais (1782-1812) for introducing the traditional prayer for the king, “hanoten teshua,” published in הוד מלכות (Hod Malkhut) Preghiere Recitate, E Cantate Nel Tempio Degli Ebrei Di Livorno, Il di 15. Agosto 1808. Ricorrendo Il Faustissimo Giorno Natalizio Di S. M. I., E R. L’ Augustissimo Napoleone I Imperatore De’Francesi, Re D’Italia, E Protettore Della Confederazione Del Reno. . . .

תפלת ישירים קריאי העדה אנשי שם סנהדרין | Prière des Membres du Sanhédrin | Prayer for Convening the Grand Sanhedrin in Paris on 1 Adar 5567 (9 February 1807)

A prayer composed for convening the Grand Sanhedrin established under the court of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1807. . . .

Prayer for the Jewish Militiamen of Suriname, by David Hizkiahu Baruch Louzada (ca. 1806)

This is a prayer composed by David Hizkiahu Baruch Louzada (1750–1825) for Jewish Militiamen in Suriname mustered in the event of Maroon attacks. . . .

בִּרְכָּת הָבָּיִת | Birkat haBayit (Blessing for the Home)

The Birkat Habayit is perhaps the most popular blessing in the Jewish world, appearing as a hanging amulet inside the entrance of many houses of Jews of all streams. I have added niqud to the blessing and I am very grateful to Gabriel Wasserman for his corrections to my vocalization. . . .

💬 הפטרת תשעה באב | Aftarát Tishŋa b’Aḇ, with verse-by-verse translation in Early Modern Spanish

A common practice among Sephardim both eastern and western is to read the aftará for the morning of the fast of Aḇ with a verse-by-verse midrashic translation. Western Sephardim use an Early Modern Spanish text, while Eastern Sephardim use a Judezmo (or Judeo-Spanish proper) text. Attached is a transcript of a Western Sephardic verse-by-verse targum of the aftará for the Shabbat before 9 Aḇ, based on the text found in Isaac Leeser’s Siddur Siftei Tsadiqim, volume 6: Seder haTefilot laTaaniyot (1838), pp. 174-184. Each verse is included in Hebrew, as well as the original Spanish text, and a slightly modernized Spanish text underneath to clarify archaic forms or words that have fallen out of use. Also included are from-scratch English translations. . . .

כוונה בהדלקת נר חנוכּה | Kavvanah for the Mitsvah of Kindling the Ḥanukkah Lights by Rebbe Tsvi Elimelekh Spira of Dinov (trans. Moreh Yehudis Fishman)

For the purpose of the unification of the Holy One and His divine (feminine) Presence, with trepidation and love and love and trepidation, to unify the name Yud-Kay with Vav-Kay (the four letters of the Tetragrammaton) with a complete unity in the name of all Israel, behold I intend in the lighting of the Hanukkah candle to fulfill the command of my Creator as our wise men of blessed memory have commanded us to repair her root in a supernal abode. . . .

תחנה שערי דמעות | Tkhine of the Gate of Tears

The “Tkhine of the Gate of Tears” by an unknown author presented here derives from the Vilna, 1848 edition. I have transcribed it without any changes from The Merit of Our Mothers בזכות אמהות A Bilingual Anthology of Jewish Women’s Prayers, compiled by Rabbi Tracy Guren Klirs, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College Press, 1992. shgiyot mi yavin, ministarot nakeni. If you can scan an image of the page from the edition this was copied from, please share it with us. . . .

אַזְכִּיר מַעֲשֵׂה ה׳ | Azkir Ma’aseh Hashem — a Purim Sheni piyyut of Tripoli for the Shabbat preceding the 29 of Tevet, by Avraham Khalfon

In North Africa, a unique custom developed of reciting a Mi Khamokha v-Ein Kamokha piyyut, inspired by the famed Shabbat Zakhor work of Yehuda haLevi, on the Shabbat before a local Purim (a celebration of community’s deliverance from destruction). This piyyut, written by R. Avraham ben Rafael Khalfon, was recited on the Shabbat before 29 Tevet in the community of Tripoli, to celebrate the victory of the Karamanlid dynasty over the despotic usurper Ali Burghul (after events transpiring from 1793-1804). . . .