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In older Sephardic practice, there are cycles of reshuyot (permission-poems) recited on the three sabbaths of rebuke. These reshuyot, inserted before important prayers, date back to medieval Andalusian poets. They are largely mournful in tone, and accordingly the Ḥida opposed their recitation as unbefitting the joy of sabbaths, but due to their antiquity and cherishedness some communities (for instance those of Morocco) preserved them, reciting them all prior to Maariv on the ninth of Av instead. In any case, they are very clearly designed for the Shabbatot to which they are assigned, and to serve as reshuyot for the prayers to which they are assigned.
This reshut by Shmuel (possibly Shmuel haNagid, although it is not found in his diwan) is the third of six reshuyot for the first sabbath of rebuke, Shabbat Divrei, the first Sabbath of Rebuke after 17 Tammuz. It is the third and final reshut recited before Nishmat at the outset of the Shaḥarit service.
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.”
| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
נִשְׁמַת שְׁׄדוּדִים נְדוּדִים בְּאַרְצוֹת מוֹנִים תְּשַׁׄבְּחָךְ מִדֵּי שָׁׄנָה בְשָׁנָה יֶהְגּוּ בְּקִינִים דִּבְרֵ֥י יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּ֑הוּ מִן־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙׃ (ירמיה א:א) |
The soul of shaken, taken ones in tyrant lands convening laud You year after year, pronouncing keening. The words of Jeremiah, son of Hilkiah, of the priests. (Jeremiah 1:1) |
נִשְׁמַת מׄוֹרֶה פִּי עֲנָתוֹת וּמַקְשֶׁה רוּחוֹ תְּהַלְלָךְ מִׄדֵּי שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה בְּזׇכְרוֹ דְּבַר מוֹכִיחוֹ דִּבְרֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר שְׁלָח֑וֹ׃ |
The soul of mutineers at Anathoth’s mouth[1] Israel, who rebelled against the word of Jeremiah, from Anathoth unheard praise You year after year, recalling their rebuker’s word, The words of[2] Note that most printings read דְּבַר “the word of” in the singular here. This is not the form found in Exodus, nor is it parallel to the other concluding verses, all of which start with דִּבְרֵי, so it has been emended here. the Cause who sent him.[3] Find Exodus 4:28 |
נִשְׁמַת אֲׄמֵלִים עֲמֵלִים לִבָּם יִפְחַד תְּאַדְּרָךְ אׇׄזְנָם אָטְמוּ וְלֹא־שָׁמְעוּ יַֽחַד דִּבְרֵ֧י הַנְּבִיאִ֛ים פֶּה־אֶחָ֥ד׃ (מלכים א׳ כב:יב) |
The soul of upset ones who set their hearts toiling in fear exalt You, not hearing together, sealed is their ear. The words of the prophets, with one mouth. (I Kings 22:12) |
נִשְׁמַת לְׄכוּדִים בְּפַח חֶטְאָם וּבְמִכְמוֹר תְּלַׄהֲגָךְ לָׄהֶם תְּבַשֵּׂר דִּבְרֵי נִחוּמִים הָחֵל וְגָמוֹר דִּבְרֵ֥י שָׁל֖וֹם לֵאמֹֽר׃ (דברים ב:כו) |
The soul of entrapped ones in their sin’s trap and net hymn You who will herald complete comfort-words yet! The words of peace, saying. (Deuteronomy 2:26) |
נִשְׁמַת שְׁׄפָלִים מְׄרוּדִים בְּמֶרְיָם תְּשׁוֹרְרָךְ אׄוֹמְרִים לְׄפָֽנֶיךָ בְּעֵת נִהְיָם וְאִֽלּוּ פִֽינוּ מָלֵא שִׁירָה כַּיָּם׃ |
The soul of low-down rogues in rebellion failing sing of You, speaking to You at the time of their wailing: And were our mouths as full of song as the sea…[4] The introductory line to the second part of Nishmat, and the standard conclusion for a Nishmat reshut. |
Notes
| 1 | Israel, who rebelled against the word of Jeremiah, from Anathoth |
|---|---|
| 2 | Note that most printings read דְּבַר “the word of” in the singular here. This is not the form found in Exodus, nor is it parallel to the other concluding verses, all of which start with דִּבְרֵי, so it has been emended here. |
| 3 | Find Exodus 4:28 |
| 4 | The introductory line to the second part of Nishmat, and the standard conclusion for a Nishmat reshut. |
“נִשְׁמַת שְׁדוּדִים | Nishmat Shedudim — reshut №3 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Divrei” is shared through the Open Siddur Project under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license.
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