🆕 תְּפִלָּה מְעֻלָּה בְּיוֹתֵר כּוֹלֶלֶת כ״ד דְּבָרִים | A Very Good Prayer with Twenty-Four Things in It, from an Italian-rite maḥzor (1446)

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1 September 2026 under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 International copyleft license

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15th century C.E., 53rd century A.M., Italian Jewry, Nusaḥ Italḳi, rhymed prose, Roman minhag, תחינות teḥinot

A personal petition in rhymed prose from the introduction to Vat. Ross. 499 (fol. 3r-3v), an Italian-rite maḥzor from the year 1446 with a lot of very cool liturgical content in it. Frankly, the title drew me in.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
זאת התפלה כוללת כ״ד דברים והיא תפלה מעולה ביותר	This prayer contains twenty-four things and it is a really good prayer.
יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶֽיךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהַי וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתָי	May it be willed before You, Cause my God and God of my ancestors…
שֶׁיִּהְיוּ חוֹלֵי עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִרְפָּאִים וְאַל־יְחַלּוּ הַבְּרִיאִים	that the sick of Your people Israel are healed, and the healthy are not sickened,
וְהַצִּילֵם מִיַּד אֻמָּה הָרְשָׁעָה וְדִקְדּוּקֵי עֲנִיּוּת וּמִכׇּל־מִקְרֶה וּפֶֽגַע רַע	and save them from the hand of the wicked nation and from pedantry and from all all accident and injury,
וְלַחֲשׂוּכֵי בָּנִים תֵּן זֶֽרַע עוֹסְקֵי תּוֹרָתֶֽךָ וְשִׁמְךָ יְרֵאִים וְתוֹצִיא מִמַּסְגֵּר כׇּל־הַכְּלוּאִים	and to the childless, grant seed studying Your Teaching and revering Your name, and bring out from confinement all the imprisoned,
וְתִפְקֹד כׇּל־עֲקָרוֹת וְתַתִּיר לְטוֹב כׇּל־הֶהָרוֹת	and bring to mind all the barren, and dilate all the pregnant for good,
וְתִתֶּן טֶֽרֶף לַעֲנִיִּים וְדַכִּים וּתְרַחֵם עַל־עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹבְרֵי דְּרָכִים	and grant food to the poor and thin, and have compassion on Your people Israel passing on the roads,
וְאֶת־הָאֲנוּסִים שֶׁיָּשֽׁוּבוּ וּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם יֵיטִֽיבוּ	and that the forced-converts return, and their deeds be made better,
וְקָרֵב לָֽנוּ שְׁנַת גְּאֻלָּה וְלֹא־נָבוֹא עוֹד לִידֵי תַּקָּלָה	and bring to us the year of redemption, that we no longer come to fault,
וְתָסִיר כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִים הַמְּעַכְּבִים תְּשׁוּבָה מֵעַל־הַשָּׁבִים	and remove all things that hold back repentance from those repenting.
וְעִם־עֲבָדֶֽיךָ תִּזְכֹּר עַבְדֶּֽךָ אֲשֶׁר נַפְשׁוֹ וְטַרְפּוֹ בְּיָדֶֽךָ	And with Your servants remember Your servant whose soul and flesh is in Your hand.
בְּיִרְאָתְךָ וּבְתוֹרָתְךָ לְהַחֲזִיקוֹ וְלָתֵת לוֹ אֶת־חֻקּוֹ	And in Your awe and in Your teaching strengthen him, and grant him his portion:
לֶ֛חֶם לֶאֱכֹ֖ל וּבֶ֥גֶד לִלְבֹּֽשׁ קְרָאתִֽיךָ אֱלֹהַי אַל־אֵבוֹשׁ׃	bread to eat and clothes to wear,^[1] Genesis 28:20 I call to You, my God; let me not be ashamed!
יִ֥הְיֽוּ־לְרָצ֨וֹן ׀ אִמְרֵי־פִ֡י וְהֶגְי֣וֹן לִבִּ֣י לְפָנֶ֑יךָ יְ֝הֹוָ֗ה צוּרִ֥י וְגֹאֲלִֽי׃ (תהלים יט:טו)	May the words of my mouth be acceptable, and my heart’s ponderances before You, Cause, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:15)

Source(s)

MS Vat. Ross. 499 fol. 3r

MS Vat. Ross. 499 fol. 3v

Notes

Notes
1	Genesis 28:20

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (transcription & naqdanut)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also translates and authors his own original works.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Isaac Gantwerk Mayer (translation)

From a family of musicians, Isaac Gantwerk Mayer believes that creative art is one of the most powerful ways to get in touch with the divine. He composes music and poetry in Hebrew and English. (He also authors his own original works and transcribes Hebrew and Aramaic text, adding niqqud and t'amim as needed.) Isaac runs a Jewish music transcription service, which will transcribe and set any Jewish music in any language, recorded or written. Contact his service on Facebook or via his music blog.

Unknown

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ויהי נעם אדני אלהינו עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננה עלינו ומעשה ידינו כוננהו׃ (תהלים צ:יז) · "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)