🆕 תְּפִילָּה לְאַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ | Təfilah l-Avraham Avinu — a Hekhalot magical text from the Cairo Geniza (T-S K 1.144)

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

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Avraham Avinu, Cairo Geniza, mid-first millennium CE, pseudepigrapha

The three Cairo Geniza fragments T.-S. K 1.144, T.-S. K21.95.T, and T.-S. K21.95. are generally thought to have been pages from the same work, the rest of which is lost. They are the same hand, the same size, and similar content — largely Hekhalot-era pseudepigraphal and magical texts. While these fragments first caught my eye due to their record of one of the earliest known Hebrew texts of the apocryphal Prayer of Manasseh (to be uploaded in the future), they also include several fascinating magical texts and apocryphal prayers which are worth studying in their own rite. This text, a short prayer attributed to Abraham, features much language in common with the Ḳaddish and the Yishtabaḥ. Red text is reconstructed.

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
פָּתַח אַבְרָהָם אָבִֽינוּ אֶת־פִּיו וְאָמַר	Abraham our forefather opened his mouth and said:
יִתְגַּדֵּל וְיִתְקַדֵּשׁ וְיִתְבָּרֵךְ וְיִשְׁתַּבֵּֽחַ וְיִתְפָּאֵר וְיִתְרוֹמֵם וְיִתְנַשֵּׂא וְיִתְהַדֵּר וְיִתְעַלֶּה וְיִתְקַלֵּס שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא הָאַדִּיר וְהֶחָזָק וְהַנִּשְׂגָּב וְהַנִּכְבָּד וְהַטָּהוֹר וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ וְהַמֻּופְלָא	Magnified and sanctified and blessed and lauded and praised and exulted and exalted and resplended and glorified and panegyricized be Your Name, great and mighty and awesome, noble and powerful and lofty and honored and pure and holy and wondrous.
כִּי לְךָ נָאֶה שִׁיר וָשֶֽׁבַח הַלֵּל וְזִמְרָה בְּרָכוֹת וְהוֹדָעוֹת גְּבוּרָה גְּדֻלָּה וְתִפְאֶֽרֶת עוֹז וּמֶמְשָׁלָה נֶֽצַח לְךָ סֶֽלָה.	For to You is befitting song and laudation, praise and hymn, blessings and thanksgivings, might, greatness and wonder, strength and governance forever to You, selah.
יַכִּֽירוּ כׇּל־בָּאֵי עוֹלָם שֶׁאַתָּה יָצַרְתָּה הַכֹּל וְהַכֹּל לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים רֵאשִׁית וְאַחֲרִית לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים מִזְרָח וּמַעֲרָב לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים צָפוֹן וְדָרוֹם לְךָ מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים׃	All that go about the earth will recognize that You created all, and everything bows down to You, first and last bows down to You, east and west bows down to You, north and south bows down to You.

Source(s)

teflah l’avraham avinu (T-S K 1.144)

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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teflah l’avraham avinu (T-S K 1.144)

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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)