Hanoten Teshua' The Origin of the Traditional Jewish Prayer for the Government
This article seeks to examine the origins of hanoten teshua', the traditional Jewish prayer for the government. The prayer, which has been recited in the Sabbath morning liturgy for some four centuries, is still found in many siddurim. We present four pieces of evidence that suggest that hanote...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
HUC
1987
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual
Year: 1986, Volume: 57, Pages: 113-120 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | This article seeks to examine the origins of hanoten teshua', the traditional Jewish prayer for the government. The prayer, which has been recited in the Sabbath morning liturgy for some four centuries, is still found in many siddurim. We present four pieces of evidence that suggest that hanoten teshua' is the product of 16th-century Sephardic Jewry. These include two previously unknown citations of the prayer in siddur manuscripts (from 1566 and 1622, respectively), and two references to the prayer in works by Leon de Modena and Menasseh ben Israel. A pre-expulsion origin for hanoten teshua' is not supported by the evidence available from extant manuscripts. On the other hand, citations from England and Smyrna attest to the widespread popularity of the prayer by the 1660s. We conclude by speculating on why and how this particular text gained such rapid acceptance in the Sephardic (and later, Askenazic) liturgy. Regarding the 'why', the answer may lie in the prayer's message of diaspora ambivalence, accepting political realities without forsaking messianic hope. Regarding the 'how', it is suggested that hanoten teshua' spread through the network of Sephardic trade routes. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual
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