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In many eastern communities, including the communities of Aleppo and Yemen as well as the haggadah of Ḥakham Ovadia Yosef, this text is added to the extrapolation of the First Fruits declaration found in the Pesaḥ Maggid [beginning with “My father was a wandering Aramaean” (Deuteronomy 26:5-8)]. Specifically, it is found after the citation of Exodus 12:12, specifically within or after the passage concluding “…who is Me and there is no other” and before the passage beginning “with a strong hand.”
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.”
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| Source (Hebrew) | Translation (English) |
|---|---|
אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵֽינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה — |
Said our Sages of blessed memory — |
כְּשֶׁיָּרַד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמִּצְרִים בְּמִצְרַֽיִם יָרְדוּ עִמּוֹ תִּשְׁעַת אֲלָפִים רְבָבוֹת׃ |
When the blessed Holy One came down upon Egypt, nine thousand myriads came with him. |
מֵהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי אֵשׁ, וּמֵהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי בָרָד, וּמֵהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי זִֽיעַ, וּמֵהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי רְתֵת, וּמֵהֶם מַלְאֲכֵי חַלְחָלָה׃ |
Some were angels of fire, and some were angels of hail, and some were angels of tumult, and some were angels of trembling, and some were angels of quaking. |
וּרְתֵת וְחַלְחָלָה אוֹחֶֽזֶת לְמִי־שֶׁהוּא רוֹאֶה אוֹתָם׃ |
And trembling and quaking would take hold of all who saw them. |
אָמְרוּ לְפָנָיו — רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל־עוֹלָם,[1] יש אומרים — אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲדוֹנֵי הָאַדוֹנִים וַהֲלֹא מֶֽלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם כְּשֶׁהוּא יוֹרֵד לַמִּלְחָמָה שָׂרָיו וַעֲבָדָיו מַקִּיפִין בִּכְבוֹדוֹ? וְאַתָּה מֶֽלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים![2] יש אומרים — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא דַּיָּן עָלֵֽינוּ שֶׁאֲנַֽחְנוּ עֲבָדֶֽיךָ וְהֵם בְּנֵי בְרִיתֶֽךָ! נֵרֵד וְנַעֲשֶׂה עִמָּם מִלְחָמָה׃ |
They said before THEM[3] This translation uses the pluralis majestatis to refer to the Divine. This is not meant to imply that God is more than one ḥas v-shalom but rather to reflect the vastness and majesty of God while also avoiding gendered language. See Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God. — “Master of the Universe,[4] Some add: God of Gods and Lord of Lords. is it not so that when sovereigns of flesh and blood goes down to battle, their nobles and servants surround them in their glory? And You are the Sovereign, Sovereign of Sovereigns![5] Some add: the blessed Holy One. Judge for us, for we are Your servants and they are Your covenant people! Let us go down and make war alongside them!” |
אָמַר לָהֶם — אֵין דַּעְתִּי מִתְקָרֶֽרֶת עַד שֶׁאֵרֵד אֲנִי בְּעַצְמִי, אֲנִי בִּכְבוֹדִי, אֲנִי בִּגְדֻלָּתִי, אֲנִי בִּקְדֻשָּׁתִי, אֲנִי יהוה, אֲנִי הוּא וְלֹא אַחֵר׃ |
THEY said to them — “My mind will be unsatisfied until I go down by Myself, I in My glory, I in My greatness, I in My sanctity, I am the CAUSE, who is Me, and there is no other.” |
Notes
| 1 | יש אומרים — אֱלֹהֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַאֲדוֹנֵי הָאַדוֹנִים |
|---|---|
| 2 | יש אומרים — הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא |
| 3 | This translation uses the pluralis majestatis to refer to the Divine. This is not meant to imply that God is more than one ḥas v-shalom but rather to reflect the vastness and majesty of God while also avoiding gendered language. See Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God. |
| 4 | Some add: God of Gods and Lord of Lords. |
| 5 | Some add: the blessed Holy One. |
“📄 אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵֽינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה | “Said our Sages of Blessed Memory” — a Midrashic Addition to the Extrapolation of the First Fruits” is shared through the Open Siddur Project with a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International copyleft license.
Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)
