אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא יֵין עָסִיס | Asher Bara Yayin ‘Asis — a Poetic Extension of the Blessing over Wine for the Passover Seder (ca. 9th c.) • the Open Siddur Project

Tags: 47th century A.M., 9th century C.E., Geonic prayers, haggadah supplements, Wine, קידוש ḳiddush, Needing Source Images

Excerpt: The following piyyut seems to have been customarily used in some Babylonian communities as an extensive replacement for the “creator of the vine-fruit” opening of the kiddush. Rav Saadia Gaon forbade it for being an alteration of the talmudic formula, but his successor Rav Hai Gaon permitted it for its cherished status. No communities today have preserved a custom of reciting it, but in 1947 Naphtali Wieder (zçl) published a text he found in the Cairo Geniza, which is replicated and translated below. Daniel Goldschmidt (zçl) suggests that it may be in it of itself a compilation of two different rites. The conjunction point is marked below with a black line. . . .

Content:

The following piyyut seems to have been customarily used in some Babylonian communities as an extensive replacement for the “creator of the vine-fruit” opening of the kiddush. Rav Saadia Gaon forbade it for being an alteration of the talmudic formula, but his successor Rav Hai Gaon permitted it for its cherished status. No communities today have preserved a custom of reciting it, but in 1947 Naphtali Wieder (zçl) published a text he found in the Cairo Geniza, which is replicated and translated below. Daniel Goldschmidt (zçl) suggests that it may be in it of itself a compilation of two different rites. The conjunction point is marked below with a black line.

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.”

Source (Hebrew)	Translation (English)
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא יֵין עָסִיס וְתִירוֹשׁ טוֹב מֵעֲצֵי גְּפָנִים וְהוּא עָרֵב לַנֶּפֶשׁ וְטוֹב לָאָדָם וּמְשַׂמֵּחַ לֵב וּמַצְהִיל פָּנִים וְהוּא תַּנְחוּמִין לַאֲבֵלִים וּמָרֵי נֶפֶשׁ יִשְׁכְּחוּ רִישָׁן וְהוּא רְפוּאָה לְכׇל שׁוֹתָיו לְמִי שֶׁיִּשְׁתֶנּוּ בְּטַעַם וּבְדַעַת הוּא שִׂמְחַת לֵבָב שָׂשׂוֹן וְרֹב גִּלָּה לַשּׁוֹתִין אוֹתוֹ׃	Blessed are You, CAUSE our God, Sovereign of eternity, who created sweet wine and good aged wine from the grape plants, for it is pleasant for the soul and good for the human, makes the heart rejoice and the face shine, and is comforting to the mourners, and lets the embittered of soul forget their poverty and heals all who drink it (at least, who drink it within reason and sound mind), and is happiness to the heart, joy, and much mirth to those who drink it.
הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְצָרוֹ מֵאָז לְהִתְעַנֵּג בְּמַעֲשִׂים כּוֹנְנוּ מֵרֹאשׁ שֶׁכׇּל שׁוֹתָיו יְבָרְכוּ לָאֵל וִישַׁבְּחוּ לְיוֹצֵר בִּינָה הַמֵּכִין מַעֲדַנֵּי תֵּבֵל וְיָצַר לִמְתוּקֵי אָרֶץ׃	Our God created it of old, to please the works primally established, that all who drink it bless the Deity, and praise the Creator of Understanding, Who established the land’s delicacies, and made the earth’s sweets.
הוּא אֱלֹהֵינוּ אֲשֶׁר בָּרָא תִּירוֹשׁ מִן הַגֶּפֶן וְהִתְקִין עָסִיס מִן הָעֲנָבִים לְהַשְׂבִּיעַ נֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה וּלְמַלֵּא נֶפֶשׁ שׁוֹקֵקָה שׁוֹתָיו יִשְׂמַח לִבּוֹ עַל פְּרִי מַעֲשָׂיו יְבָרְכוּ לְבוֹרְאֵהוּ בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְיָ הַמֶּלֶךְ הַמְּרוֹמָם לְבַדּוֹ הָאֵל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגָּפֶן:	This is our God, Who created aged wine from the vine, and established sweet wine from the grapes, to satiate the hungry soul, and to fill the parched soul. Drinker’s heart will rejoice, over the fruits of God’s works they will bless their Creator. Blessed are You, CAUSE, Sovereign alone exalted, the holy Deity, creator of the vine-fruit.