אבלה נפשי | Avlah Nafshi (My soul mourns), a seliḥah for Tsom Gedalyah attributed to Rav Saadia Gaon (10th c.)

Shared on: 21 September 2020 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC 0) Universal license a Public Domain dedication

Categories: Tsom Gedalyah

Tags: 10th century C.E., 47th century A.M., acrostic, Alphabetic Acrostic, assassination, elegies, Prayers for leaders, קינות Ḳinōt, סליחות səliḥot

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Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ אָבְלָה נַפְשִׁי וְחָשַׁךְ תָּאֳרִי בֵּית־תִּפְאַרְתִּי כְּנָשַׁף־בּוֹ הָאֲרִי גַּם פּלֵיטָתִי אֲשֶׁר־עָזְבוּ וּשְׁאֵרִי דּוֹעֲכוּ כְּהַיּוֹם בִּשְׁלֹשָׁה בְתִשְׁרִי׃	Our elo’ah, and elo’ah of our ancestors. My soul mourns, and my visage is gloomy, because a lion assaulted my beautiful temple;^[1] Nebuchadnezzar, the destroyer of the first temple. (Jeremiah 4:7). even the small remnant which he left me was destroyed on the third day of the month of Tishri.
הָאֵשׁ וְהַמַּיִם הַזֵּידוֹנִים שְׁטָפוּנוּ בְּדָלְקָם וּבָסְסוּ מִקְדָּשׁ וּבָזְזוּ חֶלְקָם זִקְנֵי שְׁאֵרִית אֲשֶׁר־פָלְטוּ מִיּוֹם־נָקָם חֻבָּלוּ עַתָּה בְּיוֹם צוֹם־גְּדַלְיָה בֶּן־אֲחִיקָם׃	The raging flames and the floods overwhelmed us in the enemy’s pursuit of us; he trod down our sanctuary, and divided the spoil. The elders of the remnant who escaped the day of vengeance, were destroyed on the fast of Gedalyah, the son of Aḥiqam.
טוֹרָפוּ דַּלַּת עַם־הָאָרֶץ יֶתֶר־הַגָּזָם אָכַל הָאַרְבֶּה בְּמֶרֶץ כֹּרְמִים וְיוֹגְבִים פְּקוּדַת מַרְגִּיז הָאָרֶץ לוּהָטוּ וְלֹא־הָיָה־בָם גּוֹדֵר־גֶּדֶר וְעוֹמֵד בַּפֶּרֶץ׃	Then were the poorest class of the people of the land torn; that which the palmer-worm has left, the locust eat up completely.^[2] cf. Joel 1:4. The vine-dressers and husbandmen perished in the flames at the command of him who made the earth to tremble. Nor was there left among them one to make up a hedge, and stand in the gap.^[3] i.e., there was no pious man left to intercede for the people.
מָה אֲסַפֵּר וְאַנְחוֹתַי עֲצוּמוֹת נָקְטָה נַפְשִׁי וּמַקְהֵלוֹתַי עֲגוּמוֹת שְׂרִידֵנוּ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁאֲרוּ מִיקוֹד־אֵשׁ לְתַעֲצוּמוֹת עוֹד הֵם לֹא־נִתְקַיְּמוּ וְנִתְּשׁוּ בְּחֵמוֹת׃	Why shall I narrate it, seeing that my sufferings are so mighty; my soul is weary, my congregations are grieved; the remaining few of us who escaped the raging flames, even they were not spared, but were crushed by tyrants.
פָּנִיךָ עַד־מָתַי מִמֶּנּוּ תַּסְתִּיר צַעֲקָתֵנוּ שְׁמַע וַאֲסִירֵנוּ תַּתִּיר קָדוֹשׁ בִּיטָה כִּי אֵין־בַּעֲדֵינוּ מַעֲתִּיר רְאֵה בּדַלּוֹתֵינוּ וְשֶׁבַח־לְךָ נַכְתִּיר׃	How long will thou yet hide thy countenance? O hear our cry and loosen our fetters! O Holy One! behold, there is none to entreat thee on our behalf; look on our misery, and let us crown thee with praise.
שֻׁדַּדְנוּ מִדּוֹר לְדוֹר וּמִקֵּץ לְקֵץ שֹׁרֶשׁ־צֶפַע מְעוֹפֵף אוֹתָנוּ עוֹקֵץ תַּקִּיף לְמִשְׁפָּטֵנוּ־הָעֵר וְהָקֵץ תְּכַפֵּר עֲוֺנוֹתֵינוּ וְתֹאמַר קֵץ׃	We have been spoiled from generation to generation, and from period to period; the flying cockatrice’s root molests us: Decisive One, awaken to plead our cause, pardon our iniquities, and command our sufferings to end.

“Avlah Nafshi” is a seliḥah attributed to Rav Saadia Gaon (892-942). The translation here is one I lightly adapted from the one made by David Asher. –Aharon Varady

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	Nebuchadnezzar, the destroyer of the first temple. (Jeremiah 4:7).
2	cf. Joel 1:4.
3	i.e., there was no pious man left to intercede for the people.

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“אבלה נפשי | Avlah Nafshi (My soul mourns), a seliḥah for Tsom Gedalyah attributed to Rav Saadia Gaon (10th c.)” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication 1.0 Universal license.

David Asher (translation)

David Asher (born at Dresden Dec. 8, 1818; died in Leipsic Dec. 2, 1890) was a German-Jewish scholar and educator. He received his early education at the Jewish school of his native city, and subsequently entered the gymnasium there, being one of the first Jews admitted to the institution. As his mother was unable to support him, his stay there was short. Asher then learned the trade of carving and gilding, thereby supporting himself as a journeyman artisan during his travels to various cities of Germany and Austria. On the invitation of a wealthy relative he went to London, where he learned English at a private school—subsequently becoming assistant teacher there—and at the same time assiduously studied philosophy, philology, Hebrew, and modern languages. Later, Asher held various offices in the Jewish congregation and was tutor to the children of the chief rabbi of England. Upon his return to Germany he obtained the degree of doctor of philosophy at the Berlin University. Settling in Leipsic, he soon acquired reputation as an English instructor, having among his pupils many persons of high rank. For seven years he held the post of English master at the Commercial School; and for eight years that of examiner of candidates for higher schools at the university. He was also a member of the Academy for Modern Languages, in Berlin, and official interpreter to the Royal Law Courts of Leipsic. A linguist of the first order, he was engaged in literary work of varied character, and diligently contributed to most of the leading German journals, as well as to the English periodicals the "Times," "Athenæum," "Academy," and "Jewish Chronicle." For the last he translated Dr. Döllinger's "Address on the History of the Jews of Europe." Asher distinguished himself as an interpreter of the philosophy of Schopenhauer; and as an ardent champion of his own coreligionists, energetically combating antisemitic attacks. (lightly adapted from his entry in the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia)

Saadiah ben Yosef Gaon

Sa'adiah ben Yosef Gaon (רבי סעדיה בן יוסף אלפיומי גאון; Arabic: سعيد بن يوسف الفيومي‎ / Saʻīd bin Yūsuf al-Fayyūmi, Sa'id ibn Yusuf al-Dilasi, Saadia ben Yosef aluf, Sa'id ben Yusuf ra's al-Kull‎; alternative English Names: Rabbeinu Sa'adiah Gaon ("our Rabbi [the] Saadia Gaon"), often abbreviated RSG (RaSaG), Saadia b. Joseph, Saadia ben Joseph or Saadia ben Joseph of Faym or Saadia ben Joseph Al-Fayyumi; (882/892 – 942) was a prominent rabbi, Gaon, Jewish philosopher, and exegete of the Geonic period who was active in the Abbasid Caliphate.The first important rabbinic figure to write extensively in Arabic, he is considered the founder of Judeo-Arabic literature. Known for his works on Hebrew linguistics, Halakhah, and Jewish philosophy, he was one of the more sophisticated practitioners of the philosophical school known as the "Jewish Kalam" (Stroumsa 2003). In this capacity, his philosophical work The Book of Beliefs and Opinions represents the first systematic attempt to integrate Jewish theology with components of Greek philosophy. Saadia was also very active in opposition to Karaism, in defense of rabbinic Judaism.

Aharon N. Varady (transcription)

Aharon Varady (M.A.J.Ed./JTSA Davidson) is a volunteer transcriber for the Open Siddur Project. If you find any mistakes in his transcriptions, please let him know. Shgiyot mi yavin; Ministarot naqeni שְׁגִיאוֹת מִי־יָבִין; מִנִּסְתָּרוֹת נַקֵּנִי "Who can know all one's flaws? From hidden errors, correct me" (Psalms 19:13). If you'd like to directly support his work, please consider donating via his Patreon account. (Varady also translates prayers and contributes his own original work besides serving as the primary shammes of the Open Siddur Project and its website, opensiddur.org.)

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Death of Gedaliah from BL Royal 17 E VII, f. 202v

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו "May the pleasantness of אדֹני our elo’ah be upon us; may our handiwork be established for us — our handiwork, may it be established." –Psalms 90:17

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