Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra • the Open Siddur Project ✍ פְּרוֺיֶקְט הַסִּדּוּר הַפָּתוּחַ

נִלְאָה לְהֵילִיל | Nilah l’Heilil — reshut №6 from the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon, by Moshe ibn-Ezra

Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 04:46:38 +0000

“Nilah l’Heilil” is the fourth reshut offered before Nishmat at the outset of the Zemirot (preceding Shaḥarit). It is the sixth reshut among the reshuyot in the Old Sefaradi Tiqun for Shabbat Ḥazon — the final shabbat before 9 Av.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
נִלְאָה לְהֵילִיל עַל־שִׁבְרֵֽנוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	We tire of howling over our ailing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
אִֽלּוּ לִדְיוֹ יִהְיוּ יַמִּים וְנִמְתְּחוּ גְוִילִים כִּשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמִים וּקְנֵי סוֹפֵר כׇּל־עֲצֵי רְתָמִים אֵין דַּי לִכְתֹּב קְצָת צָרוֹתֵינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	If ink the oceans all became Quills stretched as heaven’s highest frame, The broom-trees reeds for scribal aim, It wouldn’t be enough to write a bit of our travailing! Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
נֶחֱרַב דְּבִירִי וְסָף מִקְדָּשִׁי וְאָבְדוּ חֲכָמַי וּבֵית מִדְרָשִׁי וְאָנָה רִכְבִּי וְעֹז פָּרָשִׁי עַל־אֵ֖לֶּה חָשְׁכ֥וּ עֵינֵֽינוּ׃ (איכה ה:יז) וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	My sanctum ruined, with my temple and all, My sages lost, and my study hall, And where is my Rider, my Knight standing tall? For these things our eyes are failing. (Lamentations 5:17) Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
יוֹקֵד לְבָבִי עַל יְקֹד בֵּית־אֵל וְאֵין מִזְבֵּֽחַ וְאֵין הַהַרְאֵל וְאֵין כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל בַּעֲבוֹדַת אֵל לְכַפֵּר עַל־כׇּל־חַטֹּאתֵֽינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	My heart burns at the burning of the Deity’s Abode, There is no altar, the hearth did erode, No high priest to do the Deity’s work owned As atonement for our sins availing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
מְנוֹרָה וְשֻלְחָן וְלֶֽחֶם הַפָּנִים כְּרוּבִים וְאָרוֹן לְוִיִּם וְכֹהֲנִים וְשִׁירָה אָזְלָה וּבָֽאוּ יְגוֹנִים וְנֶהְפַּ֥ךְ לְאֵ֖בֶל שִׁיר מְחֹלֵֽנוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	Offering-table and showbread and lamp, Cherubim and ark, levites and priests on their ramp, And song have all gone, sorrows came in the camp, And the song of our dances have turned to bewailing.^[1] Find Lamentations 5:15 Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
שָׁבַת קְטֹֽרֶת וְקוֹל מַגְרֵפָה וּפָרָה אֲדֻמָּה וְעֶגְלָה עֲרוּפָה וְנִסְכֵּי מְנָחוֹת לֹג הִין וְאֵיפָה וְשָׂעִיר מַלְבִּין אַשְׁמוֹתֵֽינוּ וְאִֽלּוּ יְלָלָה מָלֵא פִֽינוּ׃	Shovel-sounds have ceased, as has the incense smoked, And the red heifer and the broken-neck cow unyoked^[2] The word “unyoked” is included here for the rhyme, although it is accurate — the cow of the ‘egla arufa ritual w as prohibited from having ever been yoked. And log, hin, and ephah of offerings libation-soaked, And the goat of our guilt countervailing. Would that our mouths be full of wailing!
הָשֵׁב עֲבוֹדַת מִקְדָּשֵֽׁנוּ וְקַבֵּץ נְפוּצוֹת גָּלוּתֵֽנוּ וְהָקֵם נְפִילַת חָרְבוֹתֵֽינוּ וַהֲשִׁיבֵֽנוּ לְקַדְמוּתֵֽנוּ יָהּ וְאָ֤ז יִמָּלֵ֪א שְׂח֡וֹק פִּ֮ינוּ֮׃ (תהלים קכו:ב) (×2)	Enable again our temple rites, And gather our exiles from their flights, And reestablish our fallen ruined sights, And return us to our original heights, Yah, that our mouths be full of laughter^[3] Find Psalms 126:2. The word “unfailing” is included here for the rhyme. unfailing! (Psalms 126:2)

Notes

Notes
1	Find Lamentations 5:15
2	The word “unyoked” is included here for the rhyme, although it is accurate — the cow of the ‘egla arufa ritual w as prohibited from having ever been yoked.
3	Find Psalms 126:2. The word “unfailing” is included here for the rhyme.

נַפְשִׁי אִוִּיתִיךָ בַּלַּיְלָה | Nafshi Ivitikha Balailah (I yearn for you with all my being in the night) — a piyut by Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra (rhymed translation by Emma Lazarus)

Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra — Sat, 05 Jul 2025 19:12:38 +0000

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
נַפְשִׁי אִוִּיתִיךָ בַּלַּיְלָה (ישעיה כו:ט)	[I yearn for you with all my being] in the night.^[1] The title of Emma Lazarus’s translation here is abridged to simply, “In the Night.” (Isaiah 26:9)
אִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי אֶל מְקוֹם נַפְשָׁהּ וְכָלְתָה אֶל מְקוֹר שָׁרְשָׁהּ וְנִכְסְפָה לִנְוֵה קָדְשָׁהּ, לָלֶכֶת יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה!	Unto the house of prayer my spirit yearns, Unto the sources of her being turns, To where the sacred light of heaven burns, She struggles thitherward by day and night.
נֹעַם הַכָּבוֹד בְּעֵין הַדַּעַת תִּרְאֶה וּמִבְּלִי אֵבֶר אֵלָיו תִּדְאֶה וְתִשְׁאַף עָדָיו וְתִשְׁתָּאֶה – בְּנֶשֶׁף, בְּעֶרֶב יוֹם, בְּאִישׁוֹן לָיְלָה.	The splendor of God‘s glory blinds her eyes, Up without wings she soareth to the skies, With silent aspiration seeks to rise, In dusky evening and in darksome night.
יְקָרוֹ תָשׁוּר עַל יְדֵי פְעָלָיו וְתִתְאַו לָגֶשֶׁת אֵלָיו, יוֹם לְיוֹם תַּבִּיעַ אֹמֶר מַהֲלָלָיו וְלַיְלָה לְּלָיְלָה.	To her the wonders of God‘s works appear, She longs with fervor Him to draw anear, The tidings of His glory reach her ear, From morn to even, and from night to night.
מֵעוֹדִי עָלַי דֶּגֶל חַסְדְּךָ נוֹדַע וְאֹהֶל יִרְאָתְךָ מִלִּבִּי בַּל נִגְדַּע. אֲדֹנָי, חֲקַרְתַּנִי וַתֵּדַע, בָּחַנְתָּ לִבִּי פָּקַדְתָּ לָיְלָה!	The banner of thy grace did o’er me rest, Yet was thy worship banished from my breast, Almighty, thou didst seek me out and test To try and to instruct me in the night.
שָׂבַעְתִּי נְדוּדִים עַל עַרְשׂוֹת אֲנוּשִׁים, הֱרִיצוּנִי פְעָמַי לִמְעוֹנוֹת קְדוֹשִׁים, בִּנְפֹל תַּרְדֵּמָה עַל אֲנָשִׁים בִּשְׂעִפִּים מֵחֶזְיוֹנוֹת לָיְלָה.	I dare not idly on my pillow lie, With winged feet to the shrine I fain would fly, When chained by leaden slumbers heavily, Men rest in imaged shadows, dreams of night.
הִסְכַּלְתִּי וָאֶשְׁגֶּה כָּל יְמֵי שַׁחֲרוּתִי וְנִכְלַמְתִּי כִּי הָבַלְתִּי זְמַן יַלְדּוּתִי, לְזֹאת הָיְתָה לִּי דִמְעָתִי לֶחֶם יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה!	Infatuate I trifled youth away. In nothingness dreamed through my manhood’s day. Therefore my streaming tears I may, not stay, They are my meat and drink by day and night.
בָּרָה, בִּכְלוּא הַגּוּף נֶעֱצֶרֶת, הִתְבּוֹנְנִי כִּי הָעוֹלָם מַעְבֶּרֶת, עוּרִי עוּרִי לְרֹאשׁ אַשְׁמֹרֶת, קוּמִי רֹנִי בַלָּיְלָה!	In flesh imprisoned is the son of light, This life is but a bridge when seen aright. Rise in the silent hour and pray with might, Awake and call upon thy God by night!
רוּצִי, זַכָּה, יֵצֶר תַּאֲוָה לִשְׁבֹּר וְדֶרֶךְ יְשָׁרָה כָּל יְמוֹתַיִךְ לָבֹר, הֲכִי חֶלְדֵּךְ כְּיוֹם אֶתְמוֹל כִּי יַעֲבֹר וְאַשְׁמוּרָה בַלָּיְלָה!	Hasten to cleanse thyself of sin, arise! Follow Truth’s path that leads unto the skies, As swift as yesterday existence flies. Brief even as a watch within the night.
בְּעַל כָּרְחוֹ אֱנוֹשׁ יוּלַּד לְעָמָל, וְכָל יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו אָוֶן וְעָמָל, וְהוּא כְצִיץ יָצָא וַיִּמָּל, וְיֻדַּד כְּחֶזְיוֹן לַָיְלָה!	Man enters life for trouble; all he has, And all that he beholds, is pain, alas! Like to a flower does he bloom and pass, He fadeth like a vision of the night.
יָמִים עֲלֵיהֶם יִשְׂאוּ קוֹלָם, מָוֶת יִרְעֵם וְיָסוּר צִלָּם, וְעָזְבוּ לַאֲחֵרִים חֵילָם, רֶגַע יָמוּתוּ וַחֲצוֹת לָיְלָה!^[2] Job 34:20	The surging floods of life around him roar, Death feeds upon him, pity is no more. To others all his riches he gives o’er, And dieth in the middle hour of night.
יִכְבַּד עָלַי עֹל יְגוֹנִי בְּחַטָּאתִי, כִּי לֹא שַׁבְתִּי עַד כֹּה מִמְּשׁוּבָתִי, יָגַעְתִּי בְאַנְחָתִי, וּמִטָּתִי בְדִמְעָתִי אַשְׂחֶה בְכָל לָיְלָה.	Crushed by the burden of my sins I pray, Oh, wherefore shunned I not the evil way? Deep are my sighs, I weep the livelong day, And wet my couch with tears night after night.
עֵינִי בְּחֹם לִבִּי נִגְּרָה וְלֹא תִדְמֶה, לִקְאַת מִדְבָּר אֲנִי דוֹמֶה, יוֹמָם בְּמִסְתָּרִים נַפְשִׁי תֶהֱמֶה וַתָּקָם בְּעוֹד לָיְלָה.	My spirit stirs, my streaming tears still run, Like to the wild birds’ notes my sorrows’ tone, In the hushed silence loud resounds my groan, My soul arises moaning in the night.
קוֹדֶרֶת בְּגָלוּת יְמֵי שִׁבְיָהּ, הוֹרִידָה לָאָרֶץ עֶדְיָהּ, תָּנוּד וְדִמְעָתָהּ עַל לֶחֱיָהּ – בָּכוֹ תִבְכֶּה בַּלָּיְלָה!	Within her narrow cell oppressed with dread, Bare of adornment and with grief-bowed head Lamenting, many a tear her sad eyes shed. She weeps with anguish in the gloomy night.
בַּנֶּשֶׁף קִדַּמְתִּי דִמְעָתִי וְלֹא אָנוּחָה, אֶשְׁפְּכָה דַם לְבָבִי וְאָגִיחָה. נַפְשִׁי עָלַי תִּשְׁתּוֹחָח, וְעִם לְבָבִי אָשִׂיחָה׃ אֶזְכְּרָה נְגִינָתִי בַּלָּיְלָה!	For tears my burden seem to lighten best, Could I but weep my heart’s blood, I might rest. My spirit bows with mighty grief oppressed, I utter forth my prayer within the night.
חָלְפוּ כְצֵל יְמֵי עֲלוּמוֹתַי וְקַלּוּ מִנְּשָׁרִים שְׁנוֹתַי וְלֹא אֶזְכֹּר מִזְּמָן שִׂמְחוֹתַי לֹא יוֹם וְלֹא לָיְלָה!	Youth’s charm has like a fleeting shadow gone. With eagle wings the hours of life have flown. Alas! the time when pleasure I have known, I may not now recall by day or night.
זֵדִים הֱצִיקוּנִי וְהִגְדִּילוּ עָלַי בְּפִיהֶם, דּוֹבְרִים שָׁלוֹם וְנוֹשְׁכִים בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם – נָא יִזָּכֵר רֹעַ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם – יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה!	The haughty scorn pursues me of my foe, Evil his thought, yet soft his speech and low. Forget it not, but bear his purpose so Forever in thy mind by day and night.
קַדְּשׁוּ עֲצָרָה וְרַחֲצוּ וְהִתְקַדָּשׁוּ, הָבֵרוּ סִיג לְבָבוֹת וְהִתְאוֹשָׁשׁוּ. הַמַּזְכִּירִים אֶת אֲדֹנָי, אַל תֶּחֱשׁוּ כָּל הַיּוֹם וְכָל הַלָּיְלָה.	Observe a pious fast, be whole again, Hasten to purge thy heart of every stain. No more from prayer and penitence refrain, But turn unto thy God by day and night.
הִתְבַּשְּׂרִי, בִּתִּי, כִּי עוֹד אַנְחִילֵךְ חִנִּי וּלְאַט אַנְחֵךְ וְאַנִּיחֵךְ בִּמְעוֹנִי, כִּי אֵין גּוֹאֵל קָרוֹב מִמֶּנִּי – לִינִי הַלָּיְלָה!	He speaks: “My son, yea, I will send thee aid. Bend thou thy steps to me, be not afraid. No nearer friend than I am, hast thou made, Possess thy soul in patience one more night.”

Emma Lazarus’s translation, “In the Night” — derived from the piyyut נַפְשִׁי אִוִּיתִיךָ בַּלַּיְלָה by Moses ibn Ezra — was first published in her anthology, Songs of a Semite: The dance to death and other poems (1882), pages 78-80. Many thanks to Shoshana Michael Zucker for identifying the original piyyut from which Emma Lazarus made her translation. This is the first time we are aware of Emma Lazarus’s rhymed English translation being set side-by-side with ibn Ezra’s Hebrew.

Source(s)

Notes

Notes
1	The title of Emma Lazarus’s translation here is abridged to simply, “In the Night.”
2	Job 34:20

תְּפִלָּה לִסְגֻלַּת אִשִּׁים | Prayer for a practice of divine contemplation, attributed to a Rabbi Mosheh (as found in Leiden Or. 4779, et al)

Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra — Thu, 19 Jun 2025 01:06:19 +0000

Note: This translation uses the plural pronouns They/Their/Them to refer to God as a pluralis majestatis, and to avoid the implications of God being assigned a gender. (Find Abraham Ibn Ezra’s commentary on Genesis 1:1 for a discussion of the pluralis majestatis when referring to God.) All divine referents (pronouns, epithets, names) are rendered in unicase.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
תְּפִלַּת הָרַב רַבֵּנוּ מֹשֶׁה, זֵכֶר צַדִּיק לִבְרָכָה	The prayer of our teacher Rabbi Mosheh,^[1] Eliakim Carmoly and Moritz Steinschneider (followed by A.S. Muntner and Fred Rosner) considered this to be an attribution to Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon (RaMBaM), Maimonides (1138-1204). A more likely candidate in our opinion is Rabbi Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra (ca. 1055-after 1138), whose neo-Platonic mystical philosophy tracks closely with the thought evinced here. zekher tsaddiq livrakhah.^[2] Proverbs 10:7
תְּפִלָּה לִסְגֻלַּת אִשִּׁים, לְמִבְחַר אֲנָשִׁים, לְחַכְמֵי חֲרָשִׁים, לִנְבוֹנֵי לְחָשִׁים, לְחוֹפְשֵׂי טְמוּנִים, לִמְפַעְנְחֵי צְפוּנִים, לְדוֹרְשֵׁי יֵשׁ אֵין לְפָנָיו אַיִן, אֲשֶׁר לֹא תְּשׁוּרֶנּוּ עַיִן, וְהַבּוֹרֵא הַכֹּל יְסוֹד הַיְּסוֹדוֹת, וְסוֹד הַסּוֹדוֹת, שְׁמוֹ עַצְמוֹ וְעַצְמוֹ שְׁמוֹ, אֲשַׁבֵּחַ וְאַהַלֵּל לִשְׁמוֹ, אעפ״י כִּי הַשְּׁתִיקָה הִיא שִׁבְחוֹ וּתְהִלָּתוֹ דּוּמִיָּה, גְּדֹל הָעֵצָה וְרַב הָעֲלִילִיָּה, לְכָל יְצוּרָיו כֻּלָּם, הוּא יְיָ׳ אֱלֹהִים אֱמֶת הוּא אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וּמֶלֶךְ עוֹלָם. (ירמיהו י:י)	A prayer for distinguished individuals, for the choicest of people, for the sages of craft, for the wise in whispers, for seekers of the hidden, for decoders of the concealed, for seekers of [the] Being-before-whom-there-was-nothing, whom no eye can behold, and the Creator of all, the Foundation of foundations, the Secret of secrets— Their Name is Their essence, and Their essence is Their Name— I praise and extol Their Name, even though silence is Their praise, and quietude Their glory. great in counsel and mighty in deed, toward all Their creatures, every one, They are YHVH, the true deity (elohim emet), They are the living deity (elohim ḥayyim) and eternal king. (Jeremiah 10:10)
יִשְׁתַּבַּח אֱלוֹהַּ אֶחָד וְלֹא כְּאֶחָד מִן הָאֲחָדִים, יָחִיד וּמְיֻחָד לֹא כִּיחִידִים, אֶחָד מֵאֵין תְּחִלָּה וְתִכְלָה, אֶחָד מֵאֵין רֵאשִׁית וְאַחֲרִית, אֶחָד וְאֵין שֵׁנִי וְלֹא כְּאֶחָד הַמְּנוּיִין, אֶחָד מֵאֵין חִבּוּר וְאוֹסֵף, אֶחָד מֵאֵין פֵּרוּד וְחִלּוּק, מְקוֹר כָּל מָצאוּי לַעֲדֵי עַד, תְּהִלָּתוֹ בְּלֹא תַּכְלִית, הַמֻּבְדָּל מִגּוּף, וּמֵיִצְרֵי הַגּוּף מִצֶּלֶם וּמִדְּמוּת וּמִתְּמוּנָה, מִכַּמּוּת וּמֵאֵיכוּת וּמִסְּמִיכוּת וּמְאָנָה וּמִמָתַי וּמִקִּנְיָן וּמִן מַתְכֹּנֶת תַּבְנִית מִהְיוֹת יַעֲשֶׂה וּמִהְיוֹת יַעֲשֶׂה, וְהַכֹּל נִבְרְאוּ בּוֹ בְּלִי עֲשׂוֹת כִּי כָּל אֲשֶׁר נִבְרָא אֶחָד בִּלְתּוֹ לֹא בֶּאֱמֶת הוּא אֶחָד, וְלֹא בְּאֱמוּנָה הוּא מְיֻחָד, כִּי מְחֻבָּר מֵאֲחֵדִים וּבָנוּי הוּא מִנִּפִרָדִים, גַּם נִפְרָד לַאֲחָדִים, וְנֶחֱלָק לַנִּפְרָדִים, גַּם לוֹ יֵשׁ תְּחִלָּה וְסוֹף וְקֵץ וְתַכְלִית וְרֵאשִׁית וְאַחֲרִית אָחוֹר וְקָדַם עֵרֶךְ וְדִמְיוֹן, גַּם יֵשׁ לוֹ שֵׁנִי לְגָדְרוֹ וְדוֹמֶה לוֹ לְצִדּוֹ, וְכָמוֹהוּ יֵשׁ עוֹד, אֲבָל בּוֹרֵא הַכֹּל יִתְבָּרַךְ וְיִתְעַלֶּה אֵין עוֹד מִלְּבַדּוֹ.	Elo’ah be praised— One, but not like any other one among ones, singular and unique, not like other singularities, One without beginning or ending, One without genesis nor eschaton, One without a second, and not like a countable one, One without combination or addition, One without separation or division, the source of all that comes forth, forever and ever, Their praise is without end, They are separate from body, and from bodily passions from image, likeness, and form, from quantity, quality, and adjacency, from where and when^[3] space and time and acquisition, and from structural form, from being formed or forming action, yet all things were created through Them without [actual] action, for anything created that is “one” apart from Them is not truly one, and is not truly one in the way of Their oneness, for it is composed of individual parts, and it is built from separate components, it is also separable into units, and divisible into parts, it also has a beginning and an end, a limit and a purpose, a first and a last, a back and a front, proportion and resemblance, it even has a second to define its boundary, and something similar to it at its side, and still others like it exist. but the Creator of all, may They be blessed and exalted, there is none besides Them.^[4] Whoever wrote this prayer was certainly in the camp of promoting the idea championed by Rambam of divine incorporeality — a theological question that in our day seems fairly well settled on the side of Rambam. But I think it’s important to read this prayer as part of the contemplative, via negativa, movement of Jewish scholars that was utterly dismayed by corporeal speculations. We might as well also note here the absence of any ḳabbalistic language attempting to syncretize this theology with the symbolism present in the Zohar, and perhaps this might also help and date it, or at the very least, limit it in its circulation to certain schools of thought.
יָהּ הַכֹּל תָּלוּי בּוֹ, וּמִמֶּנּוּ וְאֵלָיו הַכֹּל, וּבוֹ וְעִמּוֹ הַכֹּל, וַאֲמִתָּתָם בַּאֲמִתָּתוֹ קַיֶּמֶת.	Yah! All depends on Them, from Them and to Them is all, in Them and with Them is all, and the reality (of Creation) endures only through Their reality.
אֱלוֹהַּ יָפֻצוּ מַעְיָנוֹת אוֹרוֹ לִבְרוּאָיו שֶׁאֵין כָּלוֹת תָּמִיד, בְּלִי לִיאוּת, וְנֶהֱנִים מִזִּיו זֹהַר מְקוֹרוֹ רוּחוֹת וּנְשָׁמוֹת וּשְׂכָלִים נִפְרָדִים, מַלְאָכִים וְגַלְגַּלִּים, וְאֲרִאֵל וסרוגל וְהַגַלְגַל הָרַב מֵרַב תַּאֲוָתוֹ, וְעֹצֶם אַהֲבָתוֹ לְחֵשֶׁק בּוֹרֵא הַכֹּל, נֶחְפָּז לָלֶכֶת סָבִיב לַעֲרָבוֹת בְּהִירוּת בְּרַק נָגְהוֹ, וּשְׁאָר הַגַּלְגַּלִּים יִסַּבּוּ בְּלֶכְתָּם אֲחוֹרַנִּית נֶחְפָּזִים לָלֶכֶת בְּלִי הֶפְסֵק כְּמִתְלַהְלֵהַּ, לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְהִתְמַהְמֵהַּ, וְהָאוֹר הוֹלֵךְ וְאוֹר עַד אֵין קֵץ	Elo’ah — may the fountains of Their light stream forth to Their creatures which, without weariness, never ceases, and who delight in the radiance of Their luminous source— spirits and souls and separate intelligences, angels and celestial spheres, and ARIEL^[5] the Heavenly Jerusalem; Cf. Isaiah 29:1. Also find, Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 2:7 and SRUGL^[6] Possibly a variant spelling of “סַרְגְּלָא” — the divine chariot (Midrash Tanchuma, Chayei Sara 3.5). Also find סרגול ≈ scribal ruler for scoring lines on a parchment. Alternately, a conceptualization of a divine stylus or straightedge (as used in Geometry). and the Primum Mobile^[7] the Outermost Sphere. “In classical, medieval, and Renaissance astronomy, the Primum Mobile (Latin: “first movable”) was the outermost moving sphere in the geocentric model of the universe. The concept was introduced by Ptolemy to account for the apparent daily motion of the heavens around the Earth, producing the east-to-west rising and setting of the sun and stars, and reached Western Europe via Avicenna.” (Wikipedia) — from the abundance of its craving, and the object of its love in desiring the Creator of all— hastens to encircle the Aravot^[8] The 7th heaven or realm of the uppermost sphere; find Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1:70 the brightness of Their shining radiance. And the other spheres revolve in their motion, hastening backward in their course without pause, like one endlessly circling. They cannot tarry, and the light goes on and shines endlessly.
לַמְּנַצֵּחַ שִׁיר מִזְמוֹר, (תהלים סו:א) לַחְשֹׁב בַּשֵּׂכֶל וְלֵאמֹר תְּהִלָּתוֹ בְּלִי אֹמֶר, וְלוֹ דּוּמִיָּה תְּהִלָּה, וּמִי יֹאמַר וּמַה יֹאמַר גּוּף וְגוּף, כָּל אוֹמֵר יִקְטַן לְהַגִּיד מִקְצָת פְּעֻלּוֹתָיו, וְאֵין קָצֶה לְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו, וְכָל עַיִן לֹא יַסְפִּיק לִרְאוֹת וְכָל פֶּה יִרְפֶּה, וְכָל שָׂפָה רָפָה, לְהַגִּיד וּלְדַבֵּר עֹצֶם טֶבַע מְצִיאוּתוֹ וְכָל עַפְעַף יִיעַף, וְכָל יְצוּר יִיגָע, וְלֹא יִגַּע אֶל יְדִיעַת אֲמִתַּת יְצִירוֹתָם, כִּי אֵין לַדָּבָר סוֹף וְלָעֹמֶק מַחְשְׁבוֹתָיו הַדֵּעוֹת נְבוֹכוֹת וְהָרוּחוֹת נִבְהָלוֹת, וְהַנְּפָשׁוֹת צוֹפִיּוֹת וְהַנְּפָשׁוֹת הֹמִיּוֹת, וְהַשְּׂכָלִים מִשְׁתַּלְשְׁלִים, וְהַמַּלְאָכִים וְהַפְּלָכִים, רָצִים וְאַצִּים, סוֹבְבִים נְבֻכִים, בְּאַהֲבַת בּוֹרֵא הַכֹּל, שֵׂכֶל הַכֹּל וְנֶפֶשׁ הַכֹּל וּמְרוֹמַם עַל כָּל בְּרָכָה וּתְהִלָּה יָת׳ וְיָת׳ לָעַד וּלְנֵצַח נְצָחִים אָמֵן נֶצַח סֶלָה.	“To the conductor, a song of praise!” (Psalms 66:1) To reflect with the intellect, and to declare Their praise without speech. And silence is praise to Them. And who can say and what can any body say? All who speak fall short even to tell a fraction of Their works, and there is no limit to Their wonders. Every eye cannot suffice to see, and every mouth fails, and every tongue falters to articulate and speak the core of Their essential nature. Every eyelid grows weary, and every creature grows tired, yet will not attain knowledge of the truth of their creation, for the matter has no end. And in the depth of Their thoughts, understandings become confused, and spirits are shaken, souls observe, and souls are overwhelmed, and intellects descend in succession. Angels and Pelakhim,^[9] An alternative name for galgalim — spheres. Rambam distinguishes angels from spheres, angels are abstract whereas spheres are physical; find Mishneh Torah, Yesode haTorah 2-3 run swiftly, turn in confusion, in love for the Creator of all. The intellect of all, and the soul of all, exalted above all blessing and praise— may He be blessed and exalted forever, and for the eternity of eternities— Amen Netsaḥ Selah.
אָנָּא עִלַּת הָעִלּוֹת וְסִבַּת הַסִּבּוֹת, הַקַּדְמוֹן לְכָל קַדְמוֹן, רִאשׁוֹן לְכָל רִאשׁוֹן, עֶזְרָה בְצָרוֹת נִמְצָא מְאֹד, הַמַּמְצִיא הַכֹּל בִּרְצוֹנוֹ, הַמְּקַיֵּם הַמְּצִיאוּת כֻּלּוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת מְצִיאוּתוֹ, הַנִּמְצָא הָאֲמִתִּי אֲפִי׳ אִם יֵעָדֵר הַמְּצִיאוּת הַמָּצוּי זוּלָתוֹ, אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (שמות ג:יד) לֹא סָר לִהְיוֹת נִשְׁאָל בְּלִי שׁוֹאֵל, בְּךָ תְּחַזֵּק הַתִּקְוָה וְהַמַּחֲשָׁבוֹת סוֹדְךָ יִכְלֶה הַקֵּץ שִׂימָה נָּא עָרְבֵנִי עִמָּךְ וְאֶהְיֶה לְפָנֶיךָ מְקֻבָּל כִּי הִשְׁתַּדַּלְתִּי בַּמֶּה שֶׁלֹּא הִשַּׂגְתִּי, אֶלָּא אִם תּוֹשִׁיעֵנִי וְסַעֲדֵנִי וְאִוָּשֵׁעָה וְאֶשְׁעָה בְחֻקֶּיךָ תָמִיד. (תהלים קיט:קיז) בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ שׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה אָמֵן סְלִיק׃	Please— Cause of causes, and Prime Source of all causes, the First of all that is first, the Beginning of all beginnings, a ready help in distress, abundantly present, who brings all into existence by Their will, who sustains all being by the truth of Their being, the truly existing One— even if the existence of all else were absent, They remain. Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh^[10] In the translation of Everett Fox: “I will be-there howsoever I will be-there” (Exodus 3:14)— never ceases to inquire with those who do not ask^[11] Cf. Isaiah 65:1 In you hope finds strength, and thoughts your counsel.^[12] Cf. Proverbs 15:22 May the end(lessness of metaphysical inquiry^[13] Cf. Psalms 119:96. – Nir ) arrive. Please, vouchsafe me to you,^[14] Cf. Psalms 119:122 and may I be accepted before you, for I strove, even if I could not achieve anything. Only if you save me and sustain me— then I shall be saved, and I shall contemplate your statutes continually. (Psalms 119:117) Blessed are you, Hashem, who hears prayer. Amen. Seliq

This prayer for divine contemplatives, beginning with the incipit “Tefilat Lisgulat Ishim” (prayer for distinguished individuals), is attested in several manuscripts prefaced by the title, תפלת הרב רבינו משה זצ״ל (prayer of our teacher, Rabbi Mosheh, may their righteousness be remembered for a blessing). The assumption of earlier scholars was that the Rabbi Mosheh here refers to Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon — Maimonides (1138-1204). While our reading of the prayer finds nothing outside the concepts articulated by Rambam in his Mishneh Torah (Yesodei haTorah) and Moreh Nevukhim, it seems more likely that the Rabbi Mosheh referred to here is the famous paytan Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra (ca. 1055-after 1138), who is quoted sharing similar ideas as found in this prayer by Rabbi Abraham ben Azriel in Arugat ha-Bosem (ca. 1230).

This transcription, vocalization, and transcription was made from fol. 150a in Warner 41 (Leiden Or. 4779). Moritz Steinschneider (1815-1907), in his Catalogus codicum hebraeorum Bibliothecae academiae Lugduno Batavae ([Leiden]: E. J. Brill. 1858). p. 188, describes the manuscript and folio as follows:

Source (Latin) Translation (English)

[Cod. chart. ingens 40 ff. primitus 525, adjectis serius ff. 324-5; charact. ad Hisp. accedente Karaitico orientali partim robustiore, partim minore (v. Specimen e f. 256 et 288, ubi scriba Isak Tishbi cet. v. sub op. 19). Possessores initio sese nominant Jehuda Gur b. Menachem רכיצי 1), (monogramma hic lucidius) a quo Codicem A. 1646 emit Abishai b. Josef Zaddik pretio 4½ argent. (כספים), denique A. 1660 a כרשולה, uxore, et Shemarja, filio Abishai Zaddik, pretio 4 argent. emit Moses Jerushalmi.]

A large paper codex (initially 525 folios, later supplemented with folios 324–325); written in a script tending toward the Spanish style, with additional Karaite Eastern script—partly bold, partly smaller (see the sample from fols. 256 and 288, where the scribe is Isaac Tishbi, etc., see under item 19). The early owners identify themselves as Jehuda Gur b. Menachem (רכיצי 1), (the monogram is clearer here), from whom in the year 1646 the codex was purchased by Abishai b. Josef Zaddik for 4½ silver pieces (כספים); and finally, in the year 1660, it was purchased for 4 silver pieces by Moses Jerushalmi from כרשולה, the wife, and Shemariah, the son of Abishai Zaddik.

11) (f. 150) תפלת הרב רבי׳ משה זצ״ל, Precatio R. Mosis [Maimonidis], incip.: תפלה לסגולת אישים, למבחר אנשים, לחכמי חרשים, לנבוני לחשים, לחופשי טמונים, למפענחי צפונים, לדורשי יש אין לפניו אין, אשר לא תשורנו עין, והבורא הכל יסור היסודות, וסוד הסודות, שמו עצמו, ועצמו שמו. Est potius contemplatio philosophica, in precationis formulâ desinens, (ib. ואשעה בחקיך תמיד. ברוך אתה יו׳ שומע תפלה אמן), hoc auctore digna, cui etiam inscribitur in Cod. Paris, 285 (Carmoly, עקטאן p. 4 n. 5), et qui alia hujus generis composuit (v. Catal. p. 1868, cf. p. 2442, 2462). Nostra alio loco edetur.

11) (f. 150) תפלת הרב רבי׳ משה זצ״ל, Prayer of R. Mosheh [Maimonides], incip.: תפלה לסגולת אישים, למבחר אנשים, לחכמי חרשים, לנבוני לחשים, לחופשי טמונים, למפענחי צפונים, לדורשי יש אין לפניו אין, אשר לא תשורנו עין, והבורא הכל יסור היסודות, וסוד הסודות, שמו עצמו, ועצמו שמו. It is rather a philosophical contemplation, ending in the form of a prayer, (ib. ואשעה בחקיך תמיד. ברוך אתה יו׳ שומע תפלה אמן), a work worthy of this author, to whom it is also attributed in the Paris manuscript no. 285^[15] Rosner notes this is likely a deprecated shelf mark for Bnf Ms. Hébreu 873 (Carmoly, עקטאן p. 4 no. 5), and who composed other works of this kind (see the Catalogue [Catalogus librorum hebraeorum in bibliotheca Bodleiana] column 1868, compare columns 2442, 2462). Ours will be published elsewhere.”

Source (Latin)	Translation (English)
[Cod. chart. ingens 40 ff. primitus 525, adjectis serius ff. 324-5; charact. ad Hisp. accedente Karaitico orientali partim robustiore, partim minore (v. Specimen e f. 256 et 288, ubi scriba Isak Tishbi cet. v. sub op. 19). Possessores initio sese nominant Jehuda Gur b. Menachem רכיצי 1), (monogramma hic lucidius) a quo Codicem A. 1646 emit Abishai b. Josef Zaddik pretio 4½ argent. (כספים), denique A. 1660 a כרשולה, uxore, et Shemarja, filio Abishai Zaddik, pretio 4 argent. emit Moses Jerushalmi.]	A large paper codex (initially 525 folios, later supplemented with folios 324–325); written in a script tending toward the Spanish style, with additional Karaite Eastern script—partly bold, partly smaller (see the sample from fols. 256 and 288, where the scribe is Isaac Tishbi, etc., see under item 19). The early owners identify themselves as Jehuda Gur b. Menachem (רכיצי 1), (the monogram is clearer here), from whom in the year 1646 the codex was purchased by Abishai b. Josef Zaddik for 4½ silver pieces (כספים); and finally, in the year 1660, it was purchased for 4 silver pieces by Moses Jerushalmi from כרשולה, the wife, and Shemariah, the son of Abishai Zaddik.
11) (f. 150) תפלת הרב רבי׳ משה זצ״ל, Precatio R. Mosis [Maimonidis], incip.: תפלה לסגולת אישים, למבחר אנשים, לחכמי חרשים, לנבוני לחשים, לחופשי טמונים, למפענחי צפונים, לדורשי יש אין לפניו אין, אשר לא תשורנו עין, והבורא הכל יסור היסודות, וסוד הסודות, שמו עצמו, ועצמו שמו. Est potius contemplatio philosophica, in precationis formulâ desinens, (ib. ואשעה בחקיך תמיד. ברוך אתה יו׳ שומע תפלה אמן), hoc auctore digna, cui etiam inscribitur in Cod. Paris, 285 (Carmoly, עקטאן p. 4 n. 5), et qui alia hujus generis composuit (v. Catal. p. 1868, cf. p. 2442, 2462). Nostra alio loco edetur.	11) (f. 150) תפלת הרב רבי׳ משה זצ״ל, Prayer of R. Mosheh [Maimonides], incip.: תפלה לסגולת אישים, למבחר אנשים, לחכמי חרשים, לנבוני לחשים, לחופשי טמונים, למפענחי צפונים, לדורשי יש אין לפניו אין, אשר לא תשורנו עין, והבורא הכל יסור היסודות, וסוד הסודות, שמו עצמו, ועצמו שמו. It is rather a philosophical contemplation, ending in the form of a prayer, (ib. ואשעה בחקיך תמיד. ברוך אתה יו׳ שומע תפלה אמן), a work worthy of this author, to whom it is also attributed in the Paris manuscript no. 285^[15] Rosner notes this is likely a deprecated shelf mark for Bnf Ms. Hébreu 873 (Carmoly, עקטאן p. 4 no. 5), and who composed other works of this kind (see the Catalogue [Catalogus librorum hebraeorum in bibliotheca Bodleiana] column 1868, compare columns 2442, 2462). Ours will be published elsewhere.”

The scholar Eliakim Carmoly (1802-1875) provided the reference to this or a related manuscript in his 1842 work עקטאן. Moritz Steinschneider follows Carmoly (in Aqtan [1842], p. 4) in identifying “Rabbi Mosheh” as Maimnonides. This attribution was repeated in Steinschneider’s transcription of the prayer published in the column, “Ha-Sharon: Devarim Atiqim” in Ha-Karmel (no. 44, 12 July 1867, cumulative page 350). There he introduces the text, “התפלה הזאת נעתקה לי מכ״י הנמצא באוקספורד, ושכחתי לציין ציונו ומספרו, ואין ספק שהיא היא התפלה המיוחסת לרמב״ם בכ״‬י פאריז מספר 837 (לפי הרשימה החדשה)‭ ‬המתחלת ג״כ תפלה לסגולת אישים.” (This prayer was transcribed for me from a manuscript located in Oxford, but I forgot to record its catalog mark and number. There is no doubt, however, that it is the same prayer attributed to the Rambam [=Rabbi Moses ben Maimon] found in the Paris manuscript no. 837 (according to the new catalog), which likewise begins: “A Prayer for Distinguished Individuals.”). While the location of this Oxford manuscript remains unknown, Steinschneider’s transcription is very close to our own with only a few missing words.

Alexander Suessman Muntner (1897-1973) located a similar manuscript explicitly attributed to Maimonides: “a Hebrew manuscript in the Bibliothèque Nationale de Paris which is entitled ‘The Prayer of Moses Maimonides’…Hebrew manuscript no. 873, pt. 7, fol. 98V°, described in the catalogue as follows: ‘Prayer of Rabbi Moses Maimonides, beginning with Tefila Lisegulas Eeshim and terminating by the piece of verse Galgal Soveiv‘” (Rosner, Medicine in the Bible and Talmud, p. 132, citing Bibliothèque nationale, Catalogues des manuscripts hébreux et samaritains de la Bibliothèque impériale (Paris, 1866), p. 142). Taking the attribution to Maimonides at face value, Fred Rosner (1935-2024) follows Muntner in dismissing the prayer as a forgery. Rosner considered the “astrological” imagery and style antithetical to Maimonides.^[16] Rosner’s opinion on this prayer appears in a digression made in his 1967 article “The Physicians Prayer attributed to Moses Maimonides“, that largely focuses on yet another prayer attributed to Maimonides that first appears in German in 1783, and is later attributed to the student of Immanuel Kant and doctor to Moses Mendelssohn, Dr. Markus Herz. What may have also given pause to scholars was the admission by Steinschneider that he had forgotten the shelf mark to the mansucript from which his transcription purportedly derived. The second manuscript Steinschneider mentioned in his published transcription, Paris Ms. Hébreu 873, had been handled by Eliakim Carmoly — a scholar whose reputation had been sullied by accusations of forgery. Meanwhile, it is unclear to me whether anyone concerned with the authenticity of the prayer text checked Warner 41, fol. 150.

It is almost too easy to forget the pleasant and beneficial conditions under which we operate today when so many page images are available online. Not only are we grateful to the archivists and librarians at the University of Leiden who made this resource accessible, but to the entire vision and funding apparatus in the Netherlands and the European Union seeking to preserve and make publicly accessible such treasures. Steinschneider’s transcription from that 1867 issue of Ha-Karmel was accessed via the National Library of Israel’s historical newspaper database and we are grateful to all those who work to maintain and grow that database. Translations of my Latin transcriptions from Steinschneider’s catalogues were aided by Google Translate and ChatGPT (OpenAI).

For this work published here at the Open Siddur, we are grateful to Simcha Daniel Burstyn and Nir Krakauer for correcting my transcription, and for proposing the current vocalization. My digital transcription used Steinschneider’s printed transcription in Ha-Karmel as a base text. Nir was able to correct this transcription after I located Warner 41 and fol. 150 in the collection of the University of Leiden. Nir also offered compelling annotation including relevant citations to Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah and Moreh Nevukhim. As far as I know, this is the first time this work has been translated in any language.

We hope to uncomplicate the history of this prayer. We welcome scholars with an expertise in 12th century Jewish neo-Aristotelian philosophy to comment on the content of the prayer and its parts and whether they may have been composed within the circle of his students dedicated to contemplative Jewish practice.

Source(s)

Prayer of our teacher, Rabbi Masheh in Ha-Sharon Devarim Atiqim (Moritz Steinschneider, Ha-Karmel issue 44, 12 July 1867) p. 350

Leiden Or. 4779 (Warner 41) fol. 150a

Notes

Notes
1	Eliakim Carmoly and Moritz Steinschneider (followed by A.S. Muntner and Fred Rosner) considered this to be an attribution to Rabbi Mosheh ben Maimon (RaMBaM), Maimonides (1138-1204). A more likely candidate in our opinion is Rabbi Mosheh ben Yaaqov ibn Ezra (ca. 1055-after 1138), whose neo-Platonic mystical philosophy tracks closely with the thought evinced here.
2	Proverbs 10:7
3	space and time
4	Whoever wrote this prayer was certainly in the camp of promoting the idea championed by Rambam of divine incorporeality — a theological question that in our day seems fairly well settled on the side of Rambam. But I think it’s important to read this prayer as part of the contemplative, via negativa, movement of Jewish scholars that was utterly dismayed by corporeal speculations. We might as well also note here the absence of any ḳabbalistic language attempting to syncretize this theology with the symbolism present in the Zohar, and perhaps this might also help and date it, or at the very least, limit it in its circulation to certain schools of thought.
5	the Heavenly Jerusalem; Cf. Isaiah 29:1. Also find, Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 2:7
6	Possibly a variant spelling of “סַרְגְּלָא” — the divine chariot (Midrash Tanchuma, Chayei Sara 3.5). Also find סרגול ≈ scribal ruler for scoring lines on a parchment. Alternately, a conceptualization of a divine stylus or straightedge (as used in Geometry).
7	the Outermost Sphere. “In classical, medieval, and Renaissance astronomy, the Primum Mobile (Latin: “first movable”) was the outermost moving sphere in the geocentric model of the universe. The concept was introduced by Ptolemy to account for the apparent daily motion of the heavens around the Earth, producing the east-to-west rising and setting of the sun and stars, and reached Western Europe via Avicenna.” (Wikipedia)
8	The 7th heaven or realm of the uppermost sphere; find Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1:70
9	An alternative name for galgalim — spheres. Rambam distinguishes angels from spheres, angels are abstract whereas spheres are physical; find Mishneh Torah, Yesode haTorah 2-3
10	In the translation of Everett Fox: “I will be-there howsoever I will be-there”
11	Cf. Isaiah 65:1
12	Cf. Proverbs 15:22
13	Cf. Psalms 119:96. – Nir
14	Cf. Psalms 119:122
15	Rosner notes this is likely a deprecated shelf mark for Bnf Ms. Hébreu 873
16	Rosner’s opinion on this prayer appears in a digression made in his 1967 article “The Physicians Prayer attributed to Moses Maimonides“, that largely focuses on yet another prayer attributed to Maimonides that first appears in German in 1783, and is later attributed to the student of Immanuel Kant and doctor to Moses Mendelssohn, Dr. Markus Herz.