Tefillah 040

52:
Our attention is still focused on the last part of the first benediction before the Shema, the passage that begins with the Hebrew words Titbarakh tzurenu [Siddur Sim Shalom page 110; Siddur Va'ani Tefillati page 337]. We have already mentioned that in our sources this section is called Kedushat Yotzer, the Kedushah that is part of the Yotzer benediction – i.e. the one that concludes with the Hebrew words Yotzer ha-me'orot.

53:
The section begins with an introduction in which God is praised as the Creator of the holy beings (i.e. the angels) that wait upon Him "in the highest place in the universe" and who give voice to His words. The composition now describes the activities of these beings. It seems that part of this description has been 'edited out' or otherwise lost; for it begins with what looks as if it is going to develop into an alphabetic acrostic, but is cut off after the first three words. Such alphabetic acrostics were very favoured by the liturgical poets: one such even survives to this day in the weekday (!) morning service. Whatever the reason, after having proclaimed that

the alphabetic series is discontinued and the composition continues:

It can be easily seen that this Kedushah has a much longer and more involved introductory section than any of the others that have survived in our liturgy.

54:
The 'sacred song' to which reference is made is the chant of the angels heard by the prophet Isaiah [6:3]:

(This traditional translation is not accurate, but I let it stand here. We shall correect it, God willing, when we reach the Kedushah of the Amidah.)

The composition envisages the angels giving to each other and receiving from each other permission to sing their sacred melody. This is because the author has understood the beginning of the angelic chant in a manner different from the understanding of the usual translations. For him each 'holy' is in the vocative case. That is to say that each angel addresses another angel as "holy one" or less accurately but more clearly in English "holy angel":

55:
There now follows a bridging passage. This passage serves to create a link between the chant of the angels as envisaged by Isaiah with the different chant heard by Ezekiel [3:12]. The passage refers to the angelic forms seen by Ezekiel in his vision of the merkavah, the heavenly chariot: wheels and creatures:

Having thus accomplished his description of the heavenly chorus, the author of this Kedushah adds a concluding passage which – finally – links back to the original text of the Yotzer benediction. On weekdays the reacpitualed phrase originally occurs almost immediately after the first words of the benediction and on Shabbat it features early on in the additional poem Ha-kol Yodukha:

56:
Having thus successfuly resturned the benediction to its original course (after an interruption of four pages in Siddur Sim Shalom!) the first benediction before the Shema now draws to its conclusion. First a "proof text" is offered to create a link with what was the original subject of the benediction: the coming of the light of day. The proof text is from Psalm 136:7 –

57:
Originally, at this point the benediction concluded with the b^erakhah: Blessed are You, God, Creator of the Luminaries. However, in Eretz-Israel it seems that a different proof-text was more frequently used: Isaiah 60:1 reads: "Arise, shine, for your light has come and God's glory shines upon you". This text had both a reference to light but also a nationalistic connotation, for it is Zion which is addresssed by the prophet. Therefore to this verse was often appended the pious prayer that God "illuminate Zion with a new light and may we all soon bask in its light". This is obviously a prayer for the messianic age to come. In the Babylonian text which has come down to us the proof-text from Psalms was retained but the messianic prayer was appended as well.

58:
Siddur Va'ani Tefillati, because of the problematica of the additional passages mentioned, points out in a note on page 333 that

The top of page 388, of course, brings the worshipper back to the recapitulated phrase indicated in paragraph 55 above. This concludes our study of the first benediction before the Shema.

To be continued.

Because of the incidence of Passover the next shiur in this series will be, God willing, on Tuesday 17th April. I take this opportunity of wishing everybody a happy and kasher Passover.