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An announcement of ḥerem stam (a general threat of excommunication) on the occurrence of stolen or waylaid goods, found in this form in a 1730 Seder Hazkarot Neshamot copied by Shabetai Sheftel ben Zalman Auerbach (HUC Ms. 453, 21r). If a community member was stolen from, they could go to the sexton (shammash), who would declare the theft and proclaim a general threat of excommunication on all who knew anything about the occurrence and failed to speak on the matter.
Many thanks to David Sellis and Dr. Richard Sarason for bringing this manuscript to our attention.
Note: “The CAUSE” is used to translate the Divine Name YHVH, based on the philosophical idea of God as the Prime Mover and on the interpretation of the Name as a causative form of the copula – “causes to be.” “The Place” is a direct translation of the divine referent, ha-Maqom.
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
בְּבֵית־דִּין שֶׁל־מַעֲלָה וּבְבֵית־דִּין שֶׁל־מַטָּה עַל־דַּֽעַת הַמָּקוֹם בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְעַל־דַּֽעַת הַקָּהָל אָֽנוּ גּוֹזְרִין בְּחֵֽרֶם חָמוּר עַל כׇּל־אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה אוֹ בָּחוּר אוֹ בְּתוּלָה אֲשֶׁר יָדְעוּ רֶֽמֶז אוֹ רְמִיזָה מִגְּנֵיבַת אוֹ מַאֲבִידַת מִכׇּל־מָה שֶׁהִכְרִיז הַשַּׁמָּשׁ יָבוֹא וְיַגִּיד לְרפב״פ וְאִם־ל֥וֹא יַגִּ֖יד וְנָשָׂ֥א עֲוֺנֽוֹ׃ |
In the court on High and the court below, by opinion of the blessed Place and by opinion of the community, we decree a severe excommunication on any man or woman or boy or girl who knew a hint or a inkling of the theft or loss of that which the sexton announced. Let him come and tell R. So-and-so, and if he does not tell he will bear his sin.[1] Leviticus 5:1, with an added “and” |
לֹא־יֹאבֶ֣ה יְהֹוָה֮ סְלֹ֣חַֽ לוֹ֒ כִּ֣י אָ֠ז יֶעְשַׁ֨ן אַף־יְהֹוָ֤ה וְקִנְאָתוֹ֙ בָּאִ֣ישׁ הַה֔וּא אוֹ בְּאִשָּׁה הַהִיא וְרָ֤בְצָה בּוֹ֙ כׇּל־הָ֣אָלָ֔ה הַכְּתוּבָ֖ה בַּסֵּ֣פֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּ֑ה וּמָחָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ וְהִבְדִּיל֤וֹ יְהֹוָה֙ לְרָעָ֔ה מִכֹּ֖ל שִׁבְטֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כְּכֹל֙ אָל֣וֹת הַבְּרִ֔ית הַכְּתוּבָ֕ה בְּסֵ֥פֶר הַתּוֹרָ֖ה הַזֶּֽה׃ (דברים כט:כ) |
The Cause will not consent to forgive him, but rather the rage and zealotry of the Cause will smoke against that man or that woman, and all the curse that is written in this book of Teaching will crouch upon him, and the Cause will wipe his name from under heaven.[2] Deuteronomy 29:19, with the added phrases “or that woman” and “of the Teaching” And the Cause will separate him for evil from all the tribes of Israel, by all the curses of the covenant that are written in this book of the Teaching. (Deuteronomy 29:20) |
וּשְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל יִהְיוּ נְקִיִּים וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן׃ |
And the remnant of Israel will be clean, and we say amen. |
מִי שֶׁבֵּירַךְ אֲבוֹתֵֽינוּ אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן דָּוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה הוּא יְבָרֵךְ אֶת כׇּל־מִי־וָמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵֽעַ מֵעִנְיְנֵי גְּנֵיבוֹת וַאֲבֵידוֹת מִכׇּל־מָה שֶׁהִכְרִיז הַשַּׁמָּשׁ אוֹ מִי שֶׁיּוֹדֵֽעַ וְיָבוֹא וְיַגִּיד וְלֹא־יַעֲלִים׃ |
May the One who blessed our ancestors Avraham, Yitsḥaq, and Ya’aqov, Moshe and Aharon, David and Shlomo, bless all whosoever does not know of the matters of theft or loss or of all that the sexton announced, or who does know and comes and tells and does not hide. |
יַהֲפֹךְ יְהֹוָה עָלָיו אֶת־כׇּל־הַקְּלָלוֹת לִבְרָכוֹת וְיִשְׁמְרֵֽהוּ וְיַצִּילֵֽהוּ מִכׇּל־צָרָה וְצוּקָה וּמִכׇּל־נֶֽגַע וּמַחֲלָה וְיִשְׁלַח בְּרָכָה וְהַצְלָחָה בְּכׇל־מַעֲשֵׂה יָדָיו עִם כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶחָיו וְנֹאמַר אָמֵן׃ |
May the Cause turn all these curses for him to blessings, and guard him and save him from all stress and strife, and from all plague and disease, and send blessing and success upon all his handiwork, with all Israel his siblings, and we say amen. |
Source(s)
Notes
“חֵרֶם סְתָם | Ḥerem Stam (General Excommunication Threat) for Waylaid Goods, from HUC Ms. 453 (1730)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
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Herem Stam (General Excommunication Threat) for Waylaid Goods (HUC Ms. 453, 21r)
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