I will speak my mind regarding [matters] long ago,
I will declare the righteous deeds of my God and my rescuer:
In six days He finished everything – my King and my shepherd,
Cong.And God blessed the seventh day. (Genesis 2:3)
He wondrously wrought everything, and His splendor covered heaven.
May the high and lofty One be elevated and uplifted,
He who sanctified this day from everything that had been made,
Cong.From all His labor that He had done. (Genesis 2:2)
The beginning of His worth is truth, in a concealed secret.
[To] the nation He chose as an estate, from long ago,
He commanded to prepare themselves a double portion of bread –
Cong.To do the Sabbath, for [all] their generations, an eternal covenant. (Exodus 31:16)
He bequeathed an inheritance to the children of Jacob, as a testimony, for their glory:
The day of enjoyment, the day of holiness, the honored day, for their honor.
Indeed, they tell of His righteous deeds when they assemble together,
Cong.They thank Adonai for His kindness, and for His wondrous deeds for people. (Psalms 107:8)
This translation of “Essa Lameraḥoq” by Aaron ben Joseph of Constantinople was made by Dr. Gabriel Wasserman and shared by the Karaite Jews of America.
The following is a rendition of “Essa Lameraḥoq,” performed by Hazzan Rotem Cohen:
Contributor: Aharon ben Yosef of Constantinople
Co-authors:
Name: Aharon ben Yosef of Constantinople Bio: Aharon ben Yosef of Constantinople (c. 1260 – c. 1320) was an eminent teacher, philosopher, physician, and liturgical poet in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Born in Sulchat, Crimea, he took a prominent part in the regeneration of Karaite Judaism by the help of philosophical elements borrowed from Rabbanite literature. When only nineteen years of age he had mastered the theological knowledge of his time to such a degree that he was elected the spiritual head of the Karaite community of his native town, and in that capacity he engaged the Rabbanite teachers in a public dispute to determine the correct time for the new moon. He then journeyed through many lands and diligently studied the works of Abraham ibn Ezra, Maimonides, Naḥmanides and Rashi. Being, as he said, eager to arrive at "the truth without bias and prejudice, and free from partisan spirit," he determined to accept the results of his investigation, even if they conflicted with Karaite teachings and traditions. In this spirit of fairness he wrote, in 1294, while following the profession of a physician in Constantinople, the work which established his fame and influence despite his Rabbanite proclivities. This work was the "Mibhar" (The Choice), a commentary on the Pentateuch, written in the terse, concise, and often obscure style and after the critical method of Ibn Ezra, and this became to the later generation of Karaite teachers a source of instruction in religious philosophy, in exegesis, and in practical theology, that is, the observance of the Torah. (adapted from his wikipedia article) Website:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_ben_Joseph_of_Constantinople Profile Link:https://opensiddur.org/profile/aharon-ben-yosef
