Tefillah 029

What follows seems to come from a different source, since there is no logical connection to what precedes it immediately apparent. It describes God as being utterly incomparable.

81:
It has become the custom for the cantor who will lead the main part of the morning service to begin officiating before the end of Nishmat. The reason for this is not at all clear. Logic would suggest that the person who led the prayers thoughout P^esuké d^ezimra should be permitted to complete the task down to the benediction which concludes this section. Indeed, there is not even uniformity as to where the cantor begins his or her task. On most sabbaths the cantor begins with the Hebrew words Shokhen ad; however, on the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles) – even when they fall on Shabbat – the cantor begins one sentence before that, with the Hebrew word Ha-El. (On New Year and the Day of Atonement the cantor begins one sentence later, with the Hebrew word Ha-Melekh.) These passages are clearly marked in the prayer books [Siddur Sim Shalom page 105; Siddur Va'ani Tefillati page 328].

82:
The passage which begins with the Hebrew words Be-fi yesharim may possibly be accrostical, and the accrostic may be the name of the author of this section. In any case, the initial letter of the second Hebrew word of each stanza of this little poem (which only consists of four stanzas, twelve Hebrew words in all) spells out the name Isaac. In recent centuries in some congregations the order of the last word of each stanza was reorganized. This change was introduced because someone (who is thankfully anonymous) noticed that the third Hebrew letter of each last word, if the words are rearranged, would spell out the name Rebecca! This rearrangement is not seen in any of the texts that have come down to us from the middle ages. Siddur Sim Shalom ignores it; Siddur Va'ani Tefillati follows it.

83:
The text of Nishmat as we now have it concludes with a passage whose format is very reminiscent of the format of the benediction Barukh she-Amar which began P^esuké d^ezimra:

The above rendition, too, is from Siddur Sim Shalom. The agglomeration of verbs piled up one after the other which is so natural in Hebrew must have left the translator bewildered! See Tefillah 014.

To be continued.

Elro'i Sadeh writes with this very interesting information:

In the Halakha study no.027 you mention the piyut which I recognized as "Shachar avaqeshkha". In the Sephradi custom one used to sing this piyut and many others before the actual morning service, mostly on Sabbath, but some even on week days. However, this custom of singing "baqashot" has almost totally disappeared, besides in some Oriental communities where it's the custom until today. From Sabbath Bereshit until Shabbat Hagadol many wake up early before sunrise to sing these beautiful poems until tefilat shacharit of Shabbath. In the Syrian Ades synagogue in Nachlaot, or in the great Oriental synagogue complex Mussayof in the Bukharian Quarter, both in Jerusalem , you still can experience this warm tradition.