B'nai Israel Reform Temple

67(*U*U-Bohcml*Road OaUale, LL, N.Y.11769 631-563-1660 Rabbi Steven A. Moss, D.D., D. Min.

Cantor Howard Nachl

President Ira Rosenfeld David Zinner, Executive Director Past President Joyce Amato Kavod vTSfichum 811 Watea 2Se r Path Vice-Presidents Columbia, MD 21045 Michael Lambert Brian Linehan Barry Zimmerman Dear David, Treasurer Norman Rosenbaum thesissendiny m a m requestedI s u a , gyo postinr fo , youn go r Internet

Financial Secretary website assuminm a I . g tha lawl al t s pertainin intellectuago t l property apply Alien Kaminsky to my thesis. Please let me know when it is posted. I look forward to receiving Recording Secretary Larry Snair othee th r information fro regardinu myo conferencee gth .

Sisterhood President Shalom, Arlene Ziegler

Brotherhood President Barry Saffren

Board Educationof Rabbi Dr. Steven Moss Debbie Hanlon

Trustees Stan Balkin Seth Bermun David Braverman Arthur Diamond Rita DiGiantomasso Ira Garvin Marnin Lack Richard Motlin Donna Paskin Stephanie Plewka Emilee Rosenbaum Barbie Saslau Steve Saslau Joel Silverman Roberta Snair Shaindy Ullman The Attitude Toward Sickness, Dying and Death Expresses A Liturgicae th n di l Works Maavor Yabo Sefed kan r Hahayiim

Steven A. Moss

Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Master of Arts in Hebrew Literature Degree and Ordination

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion New York, N.Y.

April 1, Advisor: Professor Eugen . BorcwitB e z I wish to acknowledge my eternal thanks to Judy, my wife and my love. Without her patience, compassion, thought, d timan e this thesis coul t havdno e been written leso n , s trua s ei typed rebettzine Sh . rabbi'a , s rabbi. I wish to thank in particular my advisor and friend Eugene Borowitz, and my professor Leonard Kravitz for the time they spent with me in discussing this thesis, as well s encouragina woro t thin ki e gm s fiel f sickneso d d deathsan . I wish to thank my parents and in-laws for helping proof-read this works It was surely an arduous task. I wish to acknowledge the influence of my great-great- grandfathe r TeacherOu Zee. rR b Wolf Turbowitz (manams hi ye be for a blessing), Gaon in Russia. While I never knew him personally believI , bees e ha thaguidn a e th e throughout y studenm t career. Finally, I wish to give thanks and praise to the Holy One Praised be He who has blessed me with the strength necessar o carr yt thit ou ye s m undertakingd le s ha e H . in straight paths, and for this I will extol His name forever d everan . Table of Contents

1 ...... Chapte rI Chapter II ...... 11 ? 1 ...... I ChapterII Chapter IV ...... 48 Chapter V ...... 56 Chapter VI ...... 85 Chapter VII ...... 101 Chapter VIII ...... 12? 5 14 . . . . Appendice . s Bibliography of Hebrew Texts . . . 163 Bibliograph . f Englisyo 16 . 4 h Text . s ChapterI

The purpose of this thesis is to compare and contrast liturgicao thetw l works Sefer Hahayii Maavod man r Yabok as to their attitudes toward the sick and dying, and toward sickness and death. y interesM sucn ti h liturgical worky m s f aroso t eou chaplaincy work with the sick and dying. I was curious to know how the Jewish tradition viewed sickness and death during different eras and in different places. I first studied the card catalogue of the Hebrew Union College- Jewish Institute of Religion, in both New York and Cin- cinnati, attempting to discover what liturgical texts and handbooks on customs were available in this area. I found that these two texts had more published editions than any other work thin si s are manualsice f d dyingo ath an k n r I .sfo the librar Cincinnatit ya , there were about twenty editions Sefef o r Hahayii d abouan mt fifteen printed editionf so Maavor Yabok. Such acceptance, as shown by their numerous editions, demonstrate importance sth d influencean thesf eo e works. This, then, was the first reason for a study of these texts, over others in this field. A second reason came from a quick othee surveth rf o yhandbook e sicd dyingth an k r .sfo A reading of the title pages and introductions to these works demonstrates that many of them borrowed freely from these works. They were seen, therefore, as basic and primary hand- books. (See bibliography for the titles of these other texts.)

The most complete and detailed study of these hand- books and the communal groups from which they arose, is the work Communal Sick-Care in the German Ghetto by Jacob P. Marcuso He determines that these and other liturgical collection e sicd dyinth kan r gs fo wer producte eth f so Holy Brotherhoods. These brotherhoods developed amie dth / historical and sociological turmoil of the middle ages, beginning primaril late th e n i l6ty h century. They moved from Spain, afte Inquisitione rth , firs Italo t Pald yan - estine, where cabbalistic influence increased d thean o ,nt Northern Europe. These brotherhoods did not become fully developed structures until their appearance in Italy. The early years in Spain and Palestine might therefore be con- sidered the formative years. As Marcus describes the early development thif so s movement: The Spanish expulsions brought about another trend which undoubtedly playe parda stimulatinn ti e gth creations of Brotherhoods in Italy. During the same century, the sixteenth, that Spanish Jews brought the confraternity idea to Italy, others were developing a cabbalistic school of thought in Palestine, a school of thought which laid great emphasis on the spiritual mean- protectioe th e n souo deathf th o ld f g no beforan , in e d aftean r departure frobodye th m . This concentration e spirituath deae n o th d f o ldyine th card gf an o e expressed itsel specian i f l liturgie death-bee th r sfo d which were develope classican i d l form durine gth period 1615-WO. (1) The earliest of these manuals was Maaneh Lashon which was printed in 1615. By 1800 it had gone through some forty o t includeno s editionsdiscussior wa d fo t I .thin ni s thesis as it concentrated primarily on the prayers for the dead, and less on the prayers for the sick and dying. Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim, however, discuss all of these areas. On the popularity of Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim Marcus writes: Onlo editiontw y thif so s work appeared before 1800, buleast ta t eighteen edition abbreviaten i s d for- m Kizzur Maabar Yabbo appeare- k d from 168 o 1800...2t . The Kizzur Maabar Yabbok was the standard liturgical s widel wa s type d it wory an ,f used ko t onl no n ,i y Italy, but throughout the German lands where it appeared unde varietra Hebref o y w names...s wa t I . untit 18te no th ture h l f th no centur y that there appeare Sefee dth r Hahayiim becom o whict e s eon hwa e mosth tf o popular work f thio s s type) (3 . texto tw se th unde f O r consideration, Maavor Yabok is the earlier. It was published in 1626 in Mantua, Italy. Its author was Aaron Berechiah b. Moses of Modena who died in 1639* Marcus mentions that its date and Italian origin sugges ts unde wa thaearle t rth i t y influenc Hole th y f eo Brotherhoods, and their cabbalistic rituals and liturgies for the sick and dying. From the prefetory remarks to the book and Berechiah1s own introduction, there seems to have been a group of Mantuans e sicd dyingth o carekan wh r .fo d This group appears under L name th f inc?o e n *T»SD. Berechiah first publishe booda k r thifo s group entitled npian jnao n 162^-e boooi Th s i k. compose variouf o d s prayer d biblicasan l reading reae b do st y thib eacsy grouda h f "earlpo y risers". Less than nte page thif so s boo devotee ar k prayere sico d t dth an k r sfo dying. In Maavor Yabok, both in the liturgical and ex- planatory sections, Berechiah makes reference to this earlier work. e situatioth f O Mantuan i n , with which Berechiah came into contact, and as to why he wrote this work, he writes: Oh, how happy I am but to be these few days in glorious Mantua, in the midst of this holy community, and with the congregations of Italy.... I have seen there particularn i , people th w man ho f ,eo y correct their past deeds, and how many make their crooked paths straight by takin gdeae th card f eo and participating as members in groups of Gemilut Hasadim t alsBu o. there mane ar thear f eyo o mwh t involveno Mishnahn i d , Gemara d Halachaan , d an , t engageno e evern i ar d o y wh greae aspecth tf to commandment of taking care of the dead. I recently overheard that the community desired that one of its members undertake the task of arranging for them a prayerbook, so that they could join in song and prayer at the time of the going out of the soul. (5) s ultimathi o t es A goa r thilfo s book writese h , : I compose w idea d differenne san t explanations... to offer them as an offering and as incense in reverancn i lov d ean e befor hole th ey congregations, in order that it will make a way in the midst of the shaking worlds,... a bridge from the world of change and destruction with its sinful heavenly conditio e joineb o nt d with the'pleasure f Unityo s , Blessing, and Holiness... and will pass the fjord Yabof o wrestlo t k warf o e , n witLorde ma th ha , until the dawn, that is resurrection /within the context f thio s worwore kth d n»no-i should actualle yb translate s 'immortalityda ' rather than 'resurrection^/ for then our soul and body will no longer be called Jacob, but rather Israel, in that we will be a kingdom of priests and we will be worthy of seeing God face o face) t (6 « These remark introductioe d othersth an n i s n imply that the communit charitable th wholea d s ya an , e group partin i s - cular, wer neen ei directiof o d n whic authoritativn ha e manual would supply. Berechiah saw his work as fulfilling this purpose. s introductionhi n I , Berechiah doe mentiot sno y nan previous tradition in which a special significance was attache phrase th o edt "maavor yabok". This phrase comes from parasha n^oM * Genesis 33s22. It was the fjord over which Jacob "brough s familhi t o safetyyt , before goin meeo e significancgt th t o Essaut s A .thif eo s title in the thematic development of the book, Berechiah writes: firse inth t sectio wiln ma lna lear awakeo nt n his creator by confession, prayer, and repentance Yabokf s demonstrateo a d ,yo e thath ty db refer s to the word 11 n» . The second section is to bring a blessing to the soul and body... as demonstrated by the bet of Yabok, that refers to the word nma . And by the third section a man will sanctify himself f Yaboo f k ko e referwor e th dth ..o .st ) nzm(? p. The word "section" refers to more than just a "part" of the book refert i ,a "theme" o st s thera ,e fiv ear e parto st t jus no booke td th mosthreea an ,n tI .genera l way, these themes could be seen as a part of the book. Sefer Hahayiim was written by Simon Frankfurter of Amsterdam s bor wa Schwerinn ni o wh , , o diePolandwh d d an , in 171 Amsterdam2n i firse Th .t editiobooe s th kwa f no printed in 1703, in two volumes, under the titles of Dine Semaho Alld tan e Dini n Freudenmyo e seconTh . d edition was printed in 1716, in one volume, by Simon*s son Moses. The third edition, which was printed in 1717, is the edition used for this thesis. From Frankfurter's history, as presented in his introduction, he left Poland in 1656 due to a decree of death issued by the government. Whether this was issued against him, or against his community, is not stated. He fled to Amsterdam where he remained with the writer R. Benjamin Jedid from Frankfort. He married Benjamin's daughter, ajxdwas brought intformer'e oth s grouf po Gemilut Hasadim. After thirty-eight years in. this group, according to the introduction in Andachts-Buch by C. Rehfuss, Simon bega o stud nt Geonime e worke th th yth f f so o , various group Gemiluf so t Hasadim e statementth , e th f so o "sages", the midrashim, and the Zohar. He then collected these studies intworks ohi , whic s latehwa r called Sefer Hahayiim e sourcTh .Rehfussf eo * informatio t givenno s ,ni and Marcus makes no mention of these facts in Frankfurter's life. The comparatively late date of Frankfurter's work, and the fact that he lived most of his life in Northern Europe, in opposition to Berechiah's Southern European back- ground, see poin o differenmt a o t t social backgrounr dfo e sourceth Sefef so r Hahayii Maavod man r Yabok sourcee Th . s migh differene tb than i t t they woul affectee db e th y db various customs pertainin sice d dyinth an k thei n o i gt r areas. As Berechiah, Frankfurter, in stating why he felt the nee writo t d e this book, describe e communitsth e th n i y following manner: And my children, my people, are scattered in farms ff kindo y -wa e t studd town th d theno an n an i o y,d y ness and truth1. And there is no one to teach them. (9) He also describes how they were lacking in the knowledge d customan dealinf so ge dead s wit th dyine Hi .d hth gan function, as he saw it, was to teach the people how to perform thes wroten so e s duties:hi s A . My father and teacher was aroused, and composed Sefer Hahayiim for the use of the dead and the living"; (10) As to Frankfurter's purpose in choosing the title Sefer Hahayiim writte s i e introductio th t i ,n ni o nt Andachts-Buch; e calleh d Sefet i dAn r Hahayiim n ordei , r that each o desirewh n dma life wil made lb s ea ; worthit f o y e introductiowrote th h n i e s bookhi o :n t 'And therefore I called the book of the law of kindness and truth, Sefer Hahayiim, that by it he will be worthy of being written in the book of life and will have the fear of heaven.' (11)

Maavor Yabo divides i k d into five sectionse Th . section e entitled sar s »Ji2B?- pi } na) (2 s(1 . : (3) jnj;n »nsB; (14-} ]inns Jin3Zi,ri»aj?u ]anp,r and (5) ay 13 »TDK . The majority of the book deals with discussions of customs: and rituals pertaining to the sick, dying, and dead, in the light of various cabbalistic texts. Becaus f interest o e limitation th d an , f timso d length an e , this thesis focuses on the liturgy for the sick and dying, thereby omitting discussion of the other materials included in this text." This discussion and analysis in this thesis 8

wil includt lno prayere eth s said afte persora s nha diedrelevane Th t t text foune sar d primaril n sectioi y n one, which is approximately eighty pages in length. The part of section four, entitled mopn jjj? nny , contains a short prayer that will "be discussed, and there are approximately forty page relevanf o s t liturgical material in the fifth section. Sefer Hahayiim is almost entirely a liturgical work with some explanatory notes concerning customs and prayers interspersed throughout the book. Unlike Maavor Yabok, Sefer Hahayii dividet no s mi d into various sectiond san chapters presentes i t bu , d a' sunifiea d liturgical handbook, divided only by subtitles. As with the treatment of Maavor Yabok. the discussion and analysis of the prayers in Sefer Hahayiim will not go beyond those which are useful until momene th f deathto . majoe Th r liturgical sectio Maavon ni r Yabok, will be compared with its counterpart in Sefer Hahayiim. majoo tw re liturgicath Thes e ear l sections dealing with the sick and the dying in these books. The prayers under discussion will be taken in the order in which they appear. e chapterTh thif so s thesis wil lbooko dividtw d san e th e their prayers, as much as possible, along a time-line from sickness to death. The order of the prayers in the texts basically follows such a time-line. chaptere e ordee th followingTh th f o rs si : Chapter 2: review of rabbinic themes in sickness deatd an h Chapter 3: introductory verses and reflections in the liturgies Chapter ^: what shoul saie db d upon enterine gth room of a sick person Chapter 5* prayers of confession by and for the gravely ill Chapte : miscellaneour6 s prayers; prayers sais da sickness worsens stilt bu , l tim e priogosef th eo o rt s Chapter 7- prayers said at the time of goses, and e departurth soue t a th l f eo Chapte : r8 conclusio n 10

Footnote Chapteo st rI

Jaco Marcus. bR , Communal Sick-Car e Germath n i ne Ghetto (Cinn.: The Hebrew Union College Press, 19^-7), p. 66. 2Ibid., p. 228. 3Ibid.. pp. 228-230. Aaron Berechiah b. Moses of Modena, Maavor Yabok (l626j rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, . 192?)6 . p , . •jlbid.19 . p . Ibid.. p. 14-. 7Ibid.. p. 16 O C. Rehfuss, Anda c hts-Bu ch (Frankfurt am Main: Druct und Verlag Undreaeifchen Buchhandlung, 183^), p. xviii. "Simon Frankfurter, Sefer Hahayiim (Amsterdam: Israel n Avrahambe , 1717)» introduction. Ibid., introduction. Rehfuss, p. xviii. 11

Chapter 31

Before entering int workso discussioa o tw e , th f no Sefer Hahayiim and Maavor Yajbok, it would prove useful to outline how sickness and death, and their related themes, are treated in the rabbinic literature. This would then give the following discussion a basis for comparison, as to how the themes in the two books are simila deparr o o rt t frorabbinie th m c treatment. To the rabbis, there was a direct relationship between sin, sickness, and death and the justice of God. The relationship between sin and death is described by S. Schechter when he writes: e identificatioTh Evie th l f Yezeno r witAngee hth l of Death is sometimes modified in the sense of the former bein cause th gdeatf o e h consequent upon nsi rather thaji of his performing the office of the executioner... must i notee tb t Bu .d tha n othei t r places it is sin itself that causes death. 'See, my children,' said the saint Ro Chaninah bo Dosa e ferociouth t s disciples tno ohi s tha s as i t t 'i , kills, it is sin that kills.' (1) Rabbi Akib s knowa wa hav o nt e believed thae on t shoul t fighdno t against sufferings (sicknes d loss)an s , but rather, should accept them, as no one is free from 2 sin. This statement implie relationshisa p between si n and sickness and God's justice. This knowledge of God's justice, in His dealings with man, was essential to the rabbinic system. The phrase JMJl pn»x taken from Deuteronomy 32:4 was utilized by the 12

rabbis in aggadic, liturgical and halachic statements. Schechter quotes the rabbis when he writes: •He sit n judgmensi t agains td give everan e e son yon what is due to him.1 It is with reference to the same verse (Deut. 32:4-) tha latea t r Rabbi make e remarsth k to the effect: He who says the Holy One, blessed be He e Mercifu(oth r l s dealins loosOne) i laxhi r , n (o e)i g out justice, let his life become loose. He is long- suffering but collects his (debt), in the end. (3) It is first through a system of justice that God rules s said i t suspecte t :e worldno i th s "Fos i A .d o rdt Go Zj, execute judgment without justice." There is, among the rabbis, emphasis upon IMH ma . They did, however, formulate s para ,f thei to r system e concepth , f o tJIT» B o»r>m n. Schechter writes: Deat d sufferin han viewee b y dgma eithe punisha s ra - ment satisfying the claims of justice, or as a atone- ment, bringing pardon and forgiveness and reconciling man with God. (5) Schechter seems to imply that sufferings as punishments and those sufferings as atonements are just two sides of the same coin. This followine parado th seee b n ni n xca g rabbinic remark: 'They asked Wisdom (Hagiographia), 'What is the punish- e sinner?th men f o t 1 Wisdom answered, 'Evil pursues sinners' (Prov. 13:2). They asked Prophecy,... Prophecy answered, 'The soul that sinneth t shali , l die' (Ezek. 18:4). They aske e Torah..dth . Torah answered, 'Let him bring a guilt-offering and it shall be forgiven s saidi untt ,i o'Ans a him ,t shld i acceptee lb r fo d o makt n atonemen ea m hi r him.tfo 1 (6) e senseon n ,I God' e rabbini se th seenb merc n n i , cyca system functioa s a , God'f no s justice actd Go s. mercifully

when man's deeds warrant thi rabbie s th mercy t s Bu als0 o 13

had a conception of unmerited mercy, which goes under the nam f eo nan s *?& J»TID» t whetheBu . » r merca functio s i y n meritef o unmeriter o d d deeds, repentanc d confessioean n do influence God' n sthereb ca mercy d an y, offset sin, sickness and death. G. Moore writes: n accordancI e with this, later authorities teach that even those sins which ipso facto exclude the sinner fro Worle ma shar th onlo Comeo s t d n y i eo d , n cas i diee eh s without repentance turne h f sI .fro m wickedness and dies in a state of repentance, he is one of the children of the World to Come, for there s nothini g tha n stantca d before repentance) (7 . The rabbis saw suffering and death as means in themselves r atonementfo . Suffering acceptef i ,e sufferer th y db , leads to confession of sins, and therefore is as a sacrificial offering before e acceptancGodTh . f sufferino e g becomes a positive move towards overcoming the suffering, be that suffering sickness or death. This is possible as the accep- tanc f sufferingeo d thereban , y repentance, changee sth divin writtens ei decreet i s :A . 'Beloved is suffering, for as sacrifices are atoning, s sufferinsi o g atoning.1 Nay, sufferin s evegha a n greater atoning effect than sacrifice, in as much as sacrifice affects only man's property, whilst suffering touche s vershi y self...« This e sufferinb o t s gha a sacrifice accompanie repentancey b d e suffereTh . r accepo t sufferine s th tha g -prayerfulla n i d an y spirit of submission, and has to recognize that the visitation of God was merited by him. Man knows well hears hi tn i when weighin deeds hi g s wit sufferine hth g which came upon him that he was dealt with mercifully. (8) t onl repentancs No i y meanea annullinf so g God's e gooar do deedsto decrees o s , t prayerbu , d studyan , . All these come under the heading of atonement. As it is written: Prayer, charity, and repentance, these three together avert the impending doom. (9) Atoning power ascribee sar e studde th th alsf yo o t o Law, which is more effective than sacrifice, especially when combined with good works. (10) The goal of this process from sickness to atonement, accordin e rabbinicath . o gt ".. a e seelb s viewna n ca , regeneration-restoratio originae th f n o i l n statma f o e s relatiohi o Godnt , called 'tekanah'." As confession is so potent in influencing God's decree, the Day of Atonement becomes a paradigm for this act of confession, that is, atonement. As it is written: AJ.1 the various elements affecting atonement are in a marked degree combined in the Day of Atonement, tooccasioe greath make th t i etf n o annua l re-inte- gration of man. (12) Atonemenf o y NoDa e tt th onlsee s influencins yi na g atonement, and thereby God's decree and mercy, but so too is the day of death seen in this manner. This connection betweeo day tw s stresse i sMishnahe e th nth n i d , Yoma 8:8: "The Sin-offering and the unconditional Guilt-offering affect atonement Atonemenf o y Da ;e tth deataffec d han t atonement if there is repentance." This statement from the Mishnah could influenc similaritea y betweee nth liturgies for the death-bed and the Day of Atonement, as both have similar goals. From these various rabbinic statements, it can be seen how the rabbis viewed the situation of the sick and 15

dying. Sicknes d deat san e see har s judgment na Godf o s . They represent break n one'si s relationship with God. Thes e judgmentear s against sin, "bue alsar t o instrumental atonementmovino n t i n gma . Acceptanc f judgmento e , repen- tance, studyi prayer, and good deeds then "become strategies for atonement which can change God's decrees, by moving mercyo t m .Hi While justic s beeha e ne over th see -s na riding principle, mercy is a part of the system by which movn ca e n bacma k int favorabloa e relationship with God. Changin brinn ca decree gd gth Go abou f o e t healins ga n escapwela s la e fro me othe deathth rn O hand. deatf i , h mus atonemene t pars th i come f o t i , t strateg o overt y - come e rewarn deateternaa th f y o dhb le "Worl th lif n di e to Come". If these changes are achieved by these strategies, strategies based upon acceptanc f one'o e s sicknesd san death (one's suffering), then acceptance is not a passive, rathert bu vera , y activ e invalid pare th movth f to n .o e 16

Footnotes to Chapter II

Solomon Schechter, Aspects of Rabbinic Theology (New York: Schocken Books, 1969), pp. TSphraim E. Urbach, The Sages (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1971), p. 392. ^Schechter, p. 306. ^Ibid. . 307p , . ^Ibid. , p. 30^. 6 Ibid.t p. 293. 7Georg ——— e Foot Moore, Judaism (Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 1966 , I 521 ), . o Schechter, p. 309. "Jewish Encyclopedia (New York: Fund Wagnallkan s Company, 1912), II, 279- 10Ibid. , 279II , . 1 Ibid1 , 280. II , . 12Ibid., II, 280. 17

Chapter III

Sefer Hahayii introductorn a s mha y sectio fivf no e sedarim, sections. Each section is to be read on a different day of a person's illness or during the period of mourning. e sectionTh e composesar quotationf o d s mostly froe mth Torah, Talmud, and Midrash. The main thrust of these reading followin e gives th si n ni g introductory remark: Lore perfectth s di f o •Thw ,la e restorin e soul*gth ; dyinge livine wise th e south Th d e.th f glan o wil l study wit e sickhth , after their prayers, each seder, as this is part of the basis of Sefer Hahayiim. He also need o studyst , wit mournere hth e chapteon , r from the five chapters each one of the seven days of mourning. And the sick will pay attention to their prayer d theisan r study) (1 . This remark point that sou t study witf o sice s hth i k utmost importance. Study is placed on an equal degree of importance with prayer e worTh d. D*JIB; s translatei - s da "dying" and not as "dead", as the wise cannot go and study with the dead, but only with the dying„ In context, therefore, the word "dying" makes better sense than does the word "dead". This opening remark immediately present methosa f o d how one should visit the sick that is radically different from a modern approach to this task. The emphasis today is on counselling, which generally entails either a "listening" or a 'directive" approach. Regardless, however, of which approach is used, conversation is the basis of the visit. If a clergyman is making the visit, a prayer might be said e sicth kn i person's behal r saifo d together witht himBu . 18

in modern counselling literature it is not suggested thae stud tth eithef o y r religiou secular so r texts would have a beneficial effect upon the patient. The word beneficial, in this context, means psycho- logical and physical. And in the above remark, from Sefer Hahayiim, the beneficial effect of the study of religious texts woul psychologicale db t physicalno t f i i , s a , involve srestoratioa e livine th th soue d f th gan lo f no dying. This also is not seen today as a tool of the modern counsellor. Various texts are then given to reinforce this function visitoe of studfth o d y ran itself n regardi e , th o st visiting procedure.

The introductory remark to the second part of the first seder is: I am convinced that upon mercy is the Universe established. That mercy is one of the things by which a man will eat of the fruits in this world,' and the capital is to be established in the world to come. (2) e textTh thin si s par timportance th tel f lo dealf o e - witg in h merc relationshipn i y s betweemand an .n nSucma h relationship e termesar d o»Ton jn^»z whici a s translatei h d Englise th f o h e editionon n i s "disinterestesa d benevo- 3 lence."^ The e benevolenyar e gooth td r deedfo thes e a s yar of another, and they are done with disinterest, meaning that they are not done for the sake of reward. This sens mercf o e learnes i y d from God's dealings 19

with mens describea , Biblicae th n i d l text (see first paragraph of this part). These deeds of n"i also in- clude visitin sice d thosgth kan mourning n i e s i t I . learned, therefore thesn i , e passages tha tsensa mercf eo y iprerequisitsa visitinr efo unfortunate th g sice th k d ean and those in mourning. In the.,.various counselling courses d textbookan s today, while mercreligioua s ya s ters i m not necessarily taught as an essential quality for the visitor of the sick, qualities essential fo the counsellor suc s compassionha , understanding d open-mindednesan , e sar taught n thiI .s way, thersimilarita s i e y between mod- visitinn er g practice d thossan e described here from Sefer Hahayiim. As one such counselling textbook states: religioue th w No s leader shares wit psychiatrise hth t and the caseworker an attitude of sympathy and respect for individual - and for his family - but s relationshihi m differhi o pt s from theirt i s sa is based upon ambigyous faith and a spiritual interpretatio d societyan n ma . f no (^-) The text in this part on page 17 which begins, "We find concernin deee Rabbf gth o d i Perachya Midrasn hi h Hanne'lan Ruth..." s froi ,m mysticaa l source Perachya. R . h is shown the Garden of Eden with its 365 palaces because he led his life with mercy. This is one of the few quota- tions from a mystical source in this introductory section d shoulan d therefor notede eb .

The final part of the first seder is introduced by the following exclamation: "The mercy of God endureth 20

continually." This part repeats the idea of the second part, by stating that man practices mercy as he senses God's mercy e firss stateupoi th t tn i i d him s A . paragraph of this part: tha n oughtma b o et mindfu merciee th f lo f so God.«.. Man is, therefore, in duty bound to walk in the ways of God, and continually practise /"sic 7 virtu d mercean mankindo yt , without distinction) (6 .

The second seder begins with the following verses fro e psalmsmth , "the prayeafflictee th f ro d s whei e nh overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the 7 Eternal." This part of the second seder speaks of the value of prayer, at all times, but especially during sick-

Q nes d dangersan . God, here s callei , e "heavenldth y physician". Prayer, therefore protectios Hi n calr ca ,lfo n from sick- ness, whic s chastisemena seehi s na t from God wels a , l as being able to bring about an easy death. Such a death tranquiseea s i s na ldescribes i sleep tere d th an m, y db "the kiss of death". Prayer, according to these passages, silence e judgmentsth s agains pray e mane h d tth s s an A . turns to God, protection follows. This part is interesting in the light of the modern n shoultell?o ma t A t questiod" tel no o knor "t lo w f no of the reality of his death so that he can turn to God y prayerb d thuan ,s perhaps e saved b e ,directio Th . f no this part, which unlik firse eth t sede s directei r d more visitor e sice thae th tth okon o ntha t s i , t preparine th r gfo 21

reality of sickness and death by prayer and confession can aid one in being saved from sickness and death.

The second part of this seder begins with the biblical verse: "Surely the bitterness of death is gone."Q7 This part adds repentance, stud Torahf o yd deedan , f xnV'oo s a D»ion -to prayer, as ways by which man can influence God n ordee savei b o rdt from death. These various strategies, e saveb n d whicca y frob e mhon sicknes d deathsan , find their biblical stor e basi th Kinf o yn si g Hezekiah. They o averenablt e decree e writtens tth i eon t Godf i o s s :,a Our sages also teach that by four means man may avert the pending punishment; viz. charity, devout prayer, amendin pass ghi t conducty acquirinb d an , g n exemplara y name. (10) Agai realite nth deatf yo stresses hi quotatioa n i d n from Talmud Avodah Zarah which depict awesome sth e image f death so purpose Th . thif o e s presentatioo t s ni get the reader to turn to God and receive the "kiss of death", an easy death. The strategies present the sick and dying with an active and not a passive role in the face of these calamities.

e firsTh te thir parth df t o seder begins: "'Good an d upright is the Eternal; therefore He will teach sinners in the way. "|12 This section underscores God's exactness in dealing o shut e gooe nth d wit th an do h d e teache manH o t s ,a n sma 22

bad. The goal of sickness and death is to get man to turn again to God. The rabbis quoted here answer the question of theodicy by saying that what is an apparent evil, sickness and death, is actuall goodya . "Whils e correctH t lenieny sb t chastise- ment e e exaltsamH ,th e t stimea makiny b , n mindfugma f lo his sins, and causing him to repent." 13J God's justice becomes the overriding principle. One way thi reconciles i s d wit mercs followinge h Hi th sees i yn i n : Rabbi Eliezer calls our attention to the apparent contradiction in the above verse, the former part f whico h says, 'And unto Thee Eternal0 , , belongeth mercy'i whilst the latter part says, 'For Thou renderest to every man according to his work1; which the Rabbi thus reconciles: - The reward according to our deeds preceeds, and the mercy of the Eternal follows. It is hoped that man awakens himself to repentance, e doeh sf i not t used bu ,Go s dream d thesan n chastisements to teac s wayshHi . ^ This part give sice dyinr sth o k g perso religioue nth s answers as to God's relationship to h'is sickness and/or approaching death. Such answers may have the goal of moving the sic above r dyino kth utiliz o get f o mentione e eon d strategies. Such chastisement Godf so , sicknes d deathsan , have the above described goal. If the sick or dying, therefore, utilize e abovsth e strategies linn wile i h ,e lb with God's goals and thereby receive the benefits of His justice and mercy. Described in this part, we find mention of the tools available for use by the sick or dying in the face of such events.

e seconTh d par thif to s third section begins wite hth verse: "Woe unto the wicked sinner; for the reward of his hands shall "be given him." This section describes the man o fail wh heeo st d God's warning d consequentlsan y what will

happe himo nt 0 This person will fall pre sickneso yt d san death. s stressedButi t ,i , that repentanc s alwayei s possible, even at the last minute before death. 17'

e firsTh te fourt parth f tho seder begins: "For 1 ft whoEternae mth l loveth e correcteth.H , " This section attempts to demonstrate, that as God's chastisements are out of His love to correct man, showing him the right way,

he must accept them as such and turn from sin0 On this idea writtens i t i : Ravah observes: 'Whoever submits to Divine punishment with pious resignation, will behol offsprins hi d g enjoying long life,,... The Holy One (blessed be He) visit timet sa s witgreatese th h t rigou mose rth t immaterial trespasses of His pious men, in order to cleanse their souls frol iniquitymal thao s , t they y entema perfecn i r t purit gatee yth everlastinf so g felicity.' (19) This acceptance of God's chastisements must be under- passiva t activen stooa no en d i dsense an , . Acceptance does not mean resignation in a negative sense. The acceptance of God's chastisements is a positive efficacious act. This act can change God's decrees as it is an act of repentance. This is just another of the strategies available for the sick or dying.,

The second part of this fourth seder begins: "There tima bor e die.o timb d a et no an s et i " This part 20 stresses an awareness of the fact that death does come and that therefor peopll eal e nee livo dt gooea d lifd ean be repentant s statei t I d. thae shoulton d returd Go o nt before death. Consolatio time f deatth o e t na h comes with the knowledge of a future life for those who have turned to God. As it is written: t terrifiedno manf t thae o a b , n tt so awfu,Ye l hour. Be rather consoled, for the Eternal is good to all, s compassioHi d an s creaturesnHi extendl al a o ye ;st all His doings are mercy and truth; all that the Holy One (blessed be He) hath created is merely for e righteou e th sak th f eo s mann gooo ordei d , do rt unto him at his latter end, and that his soul may reach its destination in eternal bliss. Thus we see how man ought to purify his thoughts, and even at his dying hour praise and acknowledge the justice of Godtha o s s sou ;y qui thi s earthl lma it t y abodn i e purit d innocence..yan . (21)

e fiftTh h seder begins wit followine hth g directive: "Visit the sick, and endeavor to alleviate their dis- tress." 22 This last e firssederth s ta ,seder writtes i , n for the visitor. It tells of both the details and the rewards of visiting the sick. The latter part of this seder is devote rewarddetaile e th th o d takint df so an g carf o e the dead and visiting the mourners. As this and the first sede rtryine b see o tel o t mgvisitot e rewards lth hi f r ro sfo visiting, we learn that one visits for the sake of the other d alshimselfr an ofo .

n conclusioI thesf no e introductory sedarim shoult i , d "be noted that these readings from rabbinic sourcee sar read studie dan fixea n i dd sequenc fixea s a ed liturgy. They are studied by both visitor and visited for both their benefits. Ther e passageear s which compare stud prayero yt , implying that not only is study a guide to correct behavior sourca d comforf an distressede o th o t that bu ,t study is as efficacious as prayer. While the concept of God's mercy is discussed in the second seder, the third and fourth sedarim point out that God's justice and judgment preceed His mercy. The relation- ship between God and man in the presence of sickness and death, in this introductory section, is marked by a sense of His overriding justice, which includes His mercy. A final comment is that out of seventy-eight paragraphs in these sedarim only two of them, that is the twenty-third and the twenty-fourth paragraphs, contain quotations from the mystical literature. Suc hsmala l numbe quotationf ro s fromysticae mth l literature, implie reliancsa e upon rabbinic material e implicationTh . thif so s wil drawe lb n thin latei sn r o thesis .

The introductory section of Maavor Yabok is divided into eight sedarim. One of the eight sedarim is to be read 26

fixea n i d order, eacduriny h da tim e gth sicknessf e o . As in the introductory section in Sefer Hahayiim, the section here is composed of readings. These readings, however, are from the Tanach and not rabbinic sources. Each seder in this section is introduced by five verses from the Tanach, and is concluded with three para- graphs composed of various biblical verses. e introductorTh y paragrap theso ht e sedari: is m We beseech Thee 0 Lord, save now. (said three times) Hea prayey rm salvationy m Lordr0 d an , , listeo nt my cry; do not be silent because I am a stranger with you, a sojourner as all my fathers. Like a swallow or a crane, so do I chatter, I do moan as a dove; mine eyes fail with looking upward Lordm 0 ;a I , oppressed, be Thou my surety. For the nether-world cannot praise Thee, death cannot praise Thee; they that go down into the pit cannot hop'e for Thy truth. Lore readTh s i d o savyt e me; therefor wile ew l sing songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord. Do not forsake r frofa m e meb .t no m Mak Lore0 o d Gody edm , haste to help me, 0 Lord, my salvation. (23) These verses ask for God's salvation and His answer to prayer. The worshipper speaks of himself as a sojourner, wanderera , searchin verse Th r Godeg. fo fro 38:1. 8mIs is used almos argumenn a s ta t agains readee tTh Godr. wants diem t,woulhi od knot Go deatdle f wi h bein gstata n ei whic e cannoh t prais t endeI Gods . v/it e petitioth h r nfo God's closenes d salvationsan . These verses depic e sictth k los a n searchinons tma ea relationshia r gfo p with God, s salvationhi s i goae o Th l.wh her thas ei t death shoult dno wels a s sickness, la it r com fo allt ,ea , represents this breach between man and God. 27

It is then stated that each seder is to be concluded with the following three paragraphs. Here is the first one: Tha belovey deliverede tb th y dma , save wity hTh right handd answer an ou ,. Beholdd rme Go 0 , shield d looan ,k upo face nth f thineo e anointed. I will not die but I will live and I will tell the deeds of God. Chastise me, 0 Lord, but do not give ovee m deatho rt . Tha deatn ti h thero rememn s ei - brance of Thee, in the nether-world who will praise y kindnes Th grave n th Thee ca ee toldn s b I y ?Th , faithfulnes place th destructionf eo n si ? Shaly lTh wondery righteousnesTh darke d knowe sth b An ?n ni s in the land of forgetfulness? Wilt Thou work wonders for the dead? Or shall the shades arise and give Thee thanks? Selah. The dead praise not the Lord, neithe y tha ran dowo tg n inte silencee w oth t Bu . bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Hallelujah o What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise Thee? Shall it declare Thy truth? For the nether-world cannot praise Thee, and they that go down into the pit cannot hope for Thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise Thee, as I do this day; the father to the children shall make known Thy truth. As with the above introductory passage, this first para- concludine grapth f ho g part presents verses demonstrating how in death a man cannot praise God. These verses would give consolatio realizee h sice s th ka o nt s tha wantd tGo s man to praise Him, and therefore would want man to live, as the last verse declares. For the dying, these verses might also hint at a life eternal, as well as a recovery from illness for the sick. If death, destruction, is overcome by eternal life, praises can still be sung in Godfs presence thes a y were sun lifen gi . e seconTh d paragraph reads: shalI Lord0 Hea d , healede lb an l ,me , 0 sav, eme wilI Lord savede d lb an , , becaus praisey em Tho t uar . Bring me forth out of the net that they have hidden for 28

me; for Thou art my stronghold. In Thy hand I will place my spirit, Thou wilt redeem me 0 Lord God of e Lorth truthd y blesMa . s the d keeean p theey . ,Ma the Lord shine His face upon thee and be gracious unto thee. May he lift up His face unto thee and grant thee salvatioy Th peace r Fo hop.nI Lorde0 hopI . e0 Lord for Thy salvation. 0 Lord for Thy salvation I hope, (repeat) hiding-placey m Tho t uar ; Thou wilt preserve me from the adversary; with the songs of deliverance Thou wilt compas aboute sm . Selahn O o y righm t Michael y lefM Gabriels .tha . Before em is Raphael. Behind me is Nuriel. Above me is the Divine Presenc Lorde th of eo BlesseLore th d s i d y dayb . Blessed,i e Lor th y nightsdb . Blessee th s i d lyinr ou Lor gn i d down . r Blesseou Lore n th i d s i d getting up. (25) Most of these verses are taken from the liturgical readings "upon goin o sleep"r g God't e versefo Th sk . sas healing, salvation, blessing d protectionan , . These verses also emphasize a relationship with God as being the ideal state. The final paragraph of this concluding section continues the already expressed idea of the sick one's hope in the Lord that God v/ill release him from pain and tears. Notice should be taken of the use of the words 'uio , 'Jiyoi , and »»:> e versTh . e "The Loro f wh hostso d n ma , e happth s yi trusts in Him" would certainly be a comfort to its reader. It says in essence, that God is with those who turn toward Him in relationship. This final paragraph says: Bin brokey dm n spirit y strongholm , y lightm d .dan My thought is with Thee to swathe my pain. My Only y namOneTh e y ,wilb l ther hopee eb d thu An .s to The Lore0 d v/il heary m l t look with hope.- Take l workerfroal e m f iniquity so Lore th d s hata , h heard my cry. Thou hast counted my tears into Thy bottle, are they not in Thy book? The Lord of hosts f Jacobo d ,Go a fortress wit , i selah, us hus r .sfo The Lord of hosts, happy is. the man who trusts in Thee. 29

0 Lord save, the king, answer us on the day we meditatione th worde mouty m th d f callsho an y Ma .s of my heart be acceptable unto Thee, my Rock and my Redeemer. (26) Just as these verses from the Tanach make up the contene introductioth f to d conclusionan e eighth to nt sedarim, verses from Tanach als contene o th mak p f eu to the sedarim themselves. Eac versehx si sede s s rha fro m Torah, twelve verses from Prophets d eighteean , n verses fro V/ritingse mth . While Sefer Hahayiim states that it is efficacious e sicth k r persofo o studynt putt i , s special emphasis on rabbinic literature, as it was this literature which was in. the above introductory reflections to the the book. Maavor Yabok also sees the efficaciousness of study, as it too places study into a liturgical framework. But study is seen here as the study of the Tanach, and in particular as the study of the Psalms. Maavor Yabok, just s a gefer Hahayiim did, suggest visito wh e sson thae th t should study writtens wit i e sic t hth i k s :oneA . The one who visits the< sick, his sage, will make him understand man's latter end, and he will give thanks, praises of the Living One, and he will petitio fathee th Kings d rnhi An wil. l infore mth children, and he will teach them to petition God by word Tanacf so h because behol Lore th dd stands upon the wall of the Tanach, as a fortress in times f troubleo . (2?) As to the function and purpose of the study of Tanach, while both works see them as efficacious, their descriptions of the process of "influencing the Divine" are different. Sefer Hahayiim, in quoting from rabbinic texts, describes 30 the study of Tanach, during the time of sickness, in terms of rev/ards which are viewed as health, length of days, peace, and eternal life. As it is written: Rabb if Yochai o Simon n so , says.. t evee Bu .nth patient himself mus neglect tno embraco t e eth moment, whilst it is yet in his power, to pour forth his heart in supplication before the Holy e (blesseOn o rendet He)e b d d ran , himself worthy f God'o s merc y meditatioyb e divinth n no e law; limited as his meditation may be, it only requires to flow fro devouma e tth reae w heartn i dd An . Talmud Berachoth, fol. v.p.l: 'Meditation on the divine law affords relief from the severest afflic- tions...1 (28) Henc t followsi e , that the o themselveywh s study, and the supporters of those who exclusively devote their tim o studyt e e equallar , y meritorious, and both may expect great reward... (29) And thus says King Solomon: 'My son, forget not my law... then shalt thou walk in thy way safely... For length of days, and a happy and peaceful life shall it add unto thee. It shall be health to thy flesh, and marrow to thy bones. Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be many. For they are life unto those that find them, d l healttheian al ro ht himseld flesh...Go d fAn . said: 'For this (the lav;) is thy life, and the length y days.th f o ' (30) lave e stud th alss Th ; i f yo o accompanied with another blessing - that of peace, as we read: 'All thy children shal Eternaltaughe e lb th f d greato an , t shale lb the peace of thy children...' (31) r ScripturFo e says: 'They (the moral doctrines) shall n bornamena e gracf to e diadea unty headd th o an m, abou y neck.tth ' (32) Rabbi Issac says: He who studies the biblical portions which treat of the laws and ceremonies of the sin- offerings and the guilt-offerings, will be deemed by the Eternal as if he actually brought those sacri- fices r Scripturfo ; e says: e lav''Thith ;s ( i mins ) of the sin-offering.* (33) These rabbinic statements describe precisn i , e terms, 31

e effecth f studyto s rewards; it tha, tis . t Theno o yd go into a discussion as to the precise process.of study's ^effect upon sickness; that is how man influences the Divine by such study, which then brings on healing. They only imply thaprocese tth bases si d upo e ide nDivinth f ao e rewar d punishmentdan , based upon man's actions

eighe Eacth tf h o sedari thin i m s introductory section s composei f thirty-sio d x verses .x versesi Tha , sis t froe Torahth m , twelve verses froProphetse th m d an , eighteen verses from the Writings. The number thirty-six is significant as it is double eighteen, which is equivalent o doublt r life.n o e» . Most probabl e numbeth y f versero s was chosen for this reason. s showA n above e eighth , t sedarim from Maavor Yabok serve a similar function as the reflections in Sefer Hahayiim. It would, therefore, be of interest to analyze the general contents of th£se sedarim and compare their thematic reflectionthruse th o t Sefen i s r Hahayiim. The first seder begins with a listing of psalms 13, 15i 16, and !?• The reader can choose one of these. Psalm 13 "opens on a note of despondency, passes on to prayer, hope, and a promise of thanksgiving."-*^ 6 The subject of psal deal5 1 m s witconduce th h t require e truth e f o Israelitd e s consequenhi d an t reward. psaln I ^ m 16psalmise ,th t "rejoices in his faith, for he is confident that Yahweh 33

will shiel from dhi m disaste lif a givd f m o eran ehi happiness."-^ Als e n psali oth 6 m1 speaker prays from relief, from sufferin d frogan m persecutio y enemienb o gloaswh t oves mastery..rhi . e claimH s God's protectios i o grounds e tw h n ) no a : fre n thoughtei fron e si mh , ) b word deedd an d an ; is a zealous follower of God's lav/, one of those o havwh e confidenc goodnese th n i ed justic san f o e God. (39) And psalm 1? is "David's hymn of thanksgiving to God for deliverancs hi perile eth frol s mal whic h bese durinm thi g his life...."^° s thesA e psalms spea God'f o k o s salvatiowh e on r nfo hopes in Him and follows His ways, they establish the theme for the following verses from the Tanach, in this seder. These themes of God's blessings and protection r thos e carriefo o trusar ewh Himn i t, d over intversee th o s froTorahe mth : liks i eo untWh o Theliks i Lord 0 eeo untwh , o Thee, awesom n holinessi e , awesom n praisesi e , working wonders. Thine right hany m Lord0 s i d strengte gloryth y b Thin,f ho e right han Lord0 d Thou wilt crush the enemy,, (M) Fro e Prophetsmth s quotedi t i , : Behold the Lord is my salvation, I will be secure. I will not fear because my strength and song is y salvationm e m r e fo wil.H e Lorde lb d th (^2an ,h ) Ja d froY7ritinge An th m s saidLorn Thei 0 i " y Godt dm :ei s, I trust, sav e froel m thos mal o pursu ewh e med sav,an e me. 4-J3 e seconTh d seder . begin23 d san wit, 22 h , psalm20 , 19 s e subjecTh s f psal"thi o te 9 1 mglor Yahwef o y s manifesteha d Lh. in the heavens and in the law." Psalm 20 asks for the success of the king and his kingdom in the day of their trouble. •> Of psalm 22, it is written: It is a prayer of one who is enduring intense suffering which has worn down his physical strength poine th d brough f death to o s weaknesan t Hi m . thi s n eas a s lef ym ha tvictipowerfus hi hi o mt l foesd an , he can look for no aid or comfort from his fellow-men. These merel yd gloa an loo n tko ove miserys rhi d an , calculat w the y profis deatheho y ma hi y .tb Accustomed to regard suffering as the penalty of sin, he is perplexe y God'db s apparent abandonmeno wh e on f to has always been a devoted servant and now has to bear the unbelievee tauntth f so r becaus s pietyhi f .o e onls hi makey e h s hop i d sfervena d ean Go Yen i tt o late e endto H d befor.s s i ai t s i appeae Hi r lfo with a promise of solemn and public thanksgiving service in the Temple. It appears that the psalmist is appealing to God's mercy alone e way Th f justicso . d judgmen an et see no mo d t te operativeob e judge,b o askins sinct i d e t eh g no according to his past deeds. And psalm 23 describes the blessings enjoyed by the believer that will be received from God, v/ho acts as a shepher hosta d .an d After this opening section of psalms, there is a section of verses from the Tanach . First, a verse is quoted froHagae th m r story which relate protective sth e quality of God over the unfortunate and over one's progeny: And God heard the voice of the child, and an angel of God called to Kagar from heaven, and said to her: 'What is with you Hagar, do not be afraid, for God s there. i s hear e e chilha h e voic th 'th ds a f do e God's sworn protection ove e childrerth Abrahamf no , people th Jacob Israef d o e an , alss i l o relate versen i d s 35

fro Torahe mth . Continuin above e themth g th ef o epsalms , verses are quoted from the Prophete which recall how God helps those in dire trouble* Be strong weak hands, strong weak knees . ... But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall moun witp tu h wing s eaglessa ; wearye b t the;no theyd an shaly n shallru l walk and not be afraid. The verses froWritinge mth s continue this themf o e Divine protection, as it is written: "Thou hast given me Thy shield of salvation; and Thy condescension hath La made me great." ' All of these verses have a psychologically positive influence} they comfort the sick or dying. This comfort comes fropromisee mth s verbalize y thesdb e words. There is alsknowledge oth e that such verses brin bace gon k into relationship with God relationshia , p whose benefits will e describeb d below.

The third seder begins with psalms 2^-, 25 f 28, and 30. Psalm 2^s composei - thref o d e parts . Then a y) are(1 : introductory hymn on the majesty of God; (2) a psalm on e characteth e truth e f ro Israelite d (3 an )a decalogu ; e betwee processiopeople e priese th th nth s d ea tan n arrives e Templeth t a . ^° Psal contain5 m2 s "prayer r guidancfo s d protectionean , for pardon from sin, for deliverance from trouble and from e attackth f enemies.so " e -> th whic, 7 Versee d har an s6 36

verse whicn i s h pardo askeds ni fron ,msi appea God'o lt s writtens i s justice t Hi i t s :A no mercy. d an , Remembe y compassiorTh y mercyTh d , nan Yahweh, for they have been from olden time; the sins and transgressions of my youth remember not. According to Thy mercy do Thou remember me, for Thy goodness sake, Yahweh. (52) In psalm 28, the psalmist begs "Yahweh for aid, lest e die."e h judgmen e e wickedth h e ask th H r d ^f sfo an o t, £0 s confidencha n thiknowe i h ss -sa that "Yahwee th s i h protector of His people and of His king."-' a s Psali 0 3 m psalm of thanksgiving for recovery from sickness. After a brief introduction in which the psalmist announce s themeshi e recallh , s formeshi r happiness, s suddehi n afflictionr fo d appeas Go hi , o lt s recoverreliefhi d w makewhicr an no y,fo e sh thanksgiving. (55) The method of each jseder is that the opening psalms set the theme for the following verses from the Tanach. This was proven in the first two gedarim , and it is also e remaininth trur efo x sjsdarim gsi . This bein e casegth , onle introductorth y y remaininpsalme th n i s g sedarim will be summarized in the name of interest and length. e fourtTh h seder include s d *f^-0, psalmlan 38 , » 31 s in its introduction. The psalmis psalf to 1 3 m reveals himself as one who is worn out by suffering... s littla e brokea regarde r o deaa nn s vesseldma a d . s sustainei goodnese belies e H th hi n y i db fd san justice of God, who has revealed Himself as the 37

protector of the faithful, and whose favours he himself has experienced in the past. (56) Psalm 31 is somewhat different than those psalms discussed thus far. The writer begins with the declaration that his sufferings are due to God's chastisements and rebukesthes i nd pictureGo .s aspec Hi n f steri dto n judge. But the psalm concludes by an appeal to God's mercy as with the above psalms. "The psalmist acknowledges guilts hi prayt mercbu r , sfo d deliveranc yan e fros mhi suffering."57 n psalI m e psalmist *K)s manth ,ha yo troubleswh , , recalls his faithfulness to God and "is confident that in retur wil d t leavnGo lwithou no m ehi tpresens hi hel n i pt troubles."58 The writer of psalm ^1 "appeals to God to pardon his eg sins and restore him to health."^7 . The fifth seder contains psalms 4-2, 4-3, 51, and 61. Psalms k2 and ^-3 tell of the psalmist's exile from Jerusalem writtes i t a commentarhome i n Godf th ni s ,o e A . y o thest e psalms n deepesi : s i "No te h wmisery d prayan , s r deliverancfo happinese retura th d o ean nt s whics hwa e past.th n "i s hi n psalI m e psalmis51th 1 t "humbly confesse s sinsshi , begs for pardon and for restoration to God's favour, and promises thanksgiving." In psalm 6l, the king "mindful of God's protection in the past, appeals to Him for aid, and promises thanks- 38

62 giving when the crisis is past..," e sixtTh h seder contain d 7^an « • 1 7 s , psalm67 * s63 Psalm 63 expresses a yearning for God, as the psalmist is confident tha wile tH l delive from enemies rhi mhi s /To and from his troubles o J The background to psalm 67 is that gives Godha fruitfuna l psalmisharveste th d an ,t takes occasio prao nt y that throug goodness hHi s thus shown toward s peoplesHi gentilee th e ,b y sma brought to honour Him as the true God. hopa deliverancr s Psalfo ei 1 m7 e from trouble, with a promise of thanksgiving upon salvation. -* Psalm 7^ is psala m describin disastega r thabefalles tha n Israel. The psalmist prays for deliverance from the enemy „ e seventTh h sede2 r 10 contain d an • 1 9 s , psalm86 i s85 In psalm 85 , the writer puts his message of hope in the form of a divine revelation; better times are at hand; the fidelity of Israel wil rewardede willd b Go l d granan , t prosperit d happinesyan s „ (67) n psalforgivings I i d m Go 86 d mercifuls ,a -an s i t i , /•o said here tha wile tH l savfaithfue eth l from trouble. In psalm 91 1 "the just one knows he will be saved as the sinner will meet with troubl d sorroean w during his life and will die prematurely. The just man will be saved from peri prematurf lo e th e n i death d an , normal trouble f lifso e wileh e undelb r God's care. (69) psaln I ther2 10 mexpresses i e lamentatioa d y nb n exila e stricken wit fataha l disease feelo wh , s that he will not survive to see the restoration of Sion. His only consoling thought is that God, being eternal, will in due time bring about the fulfillment s promise..Hi f o . (70) 39

The final and eigth seder is composed of psalms 103 » 104, 115d 118an , . Psalm 103 is a hymn of thanksgiving to God for His dealings with mercy and goodness towards Israel. 71 l livin creatoe al universe th f th Goo g s i f drd o an e s creatureHi l thingsal sd n botan ,i lann d o h dan the sea depend upon him for their continued exist- ence. (?2) a s i Psal 5 m11 praye r deliverancsame rfo th e t tima d messaga e ean e people th hopf o o et e Israe tima nationaf n o eli l humiliation. (73) alss i Psal osona 8 rejoicinf m11 o g God'n i g s deeds. 7'4 These ton e r theipsalmth fo e t r sse respectiv e sedarim. It has been shown that these psalms and the verses from Tanach , that are quoted with them, are appeals to God's mercy and goodness to save one from trouble and from death. The psalmist asks God to forgive his sins, and he promises that prais d thanksgivinean g wil .forthcomine lb g upon salvation. e appeaTh God'o lt s merc n thesi y e sedari refers i m - red to in the rubric before the thirteen psalms, which conclude this section of sedarim. As it is written: Mor o psalms e s 128, 130, 134, 139, 140, 141, 142, e worthar 148 0 o petitioyt ,15 149d an ,n mercn i y accordance wit intentioe hth thesf no e eight sedarim . (75) This rubric also mentions thareadee tth r doet sno f theso l e al thirtee y sa hav o t en psalms s thero a n , s i e 4-0

fixed halacha for this ritual. This points to the non- halachic, unfixed, nature of many of these rituals for sicke analysin th A . thesf so e thirteen psalms would reveal that they continue the above themes. V/hile it was suggested in the text of Maavor Yabok that these sedarim, comprised of verses from the Tanach, be sic th saik y persob d n conjunctioi n n wit visitore hth , rubrie stateis ti th n cdi afte e sedarirth m s i that t"i good for the sick one to accustom himself to saying the chapter Teacher Ou f so r Saadia Gaon's prayer whics i h written in our work 'Awakeners of the Dawn1 in the seder e fourthth f o , fifth d sixtan , s alshi day.ot I sai' d 77 that this praye bases ri d uposice nth k one's desireo st request mercy from befor s creator.ehi ' this Agaii st i n7 8 appeal to God's mercy which is emphasized. The prayer begin unusuan a n si l way. Rather than basing its appeal to God's mercy upon man's humble and sinful nature (as will be seen below, this is one of the charac- teristic e confessioth f so d petitionarnan y prayers) the prayer commences with a declaration of the petitioner's righteousness writtens i n righteousnest i i I " s :A . s will behold Thy face and will be satisfied in the awakening y vision. petitionee Th Th f o 7 " r als othad sayGo to 7st 9 he does not want to die, as his v/ork, his life, is not yet completed. As he says: "That I know myself that I have not had sufficient time to complete my work that Thou hast sent me to do." RO These statement Saadia'n si s praye e interestinrar g as they question the inopportune moment in which death is coming. The o againsyg e religioutth s e "accepideath f lo - tance of sufferings", in which death is also viewed as a "suffering". It runs counter to R. Akiba's famous, dictum: "Receive sufferings from love"e acceptancTh . f sufferingseo , s seewa ns a above, doe meat sno n resignation rathet I . r become sa strateg roae repentanceo th t d n o y , whicn ca h be used to overcome sickness as well as death. Beginning wit secone hth d paragrap f thiho s prayer, its author admits of his sins and prays that his repentance will be an atonement for his sins. This atonement he hopes will s brin healina i diseases n t hi o gi f s go A . written: "And receive me in perfect repentance and help fti me to do good in Thy eyes." As this prayer recitaa call r confessioa sfo f lo n repenf o middls t -it ac n n i eseea e b sections na n ca t i , tance to bring the repentant one back into relationship wit e similarith Th God. f thiyo s thema "renewe f o e d relationship" wit reechoed hGo themee th s s stressen i d the psalms quoted in the above eight sedarim. As it is written: Place in my kidneys proper advice in order that all my deeds, and all my statements, and all my thoughts wil e directelb d to-.vard servic f Thee o ed Tho an ,u wilt forgive all I have transgressed- (82) Increas y strengteTh powed han destroo rt d an y restrai l thanal t rise destroso t agains d an y e tm e troubleth y soulm f s.o (83) It is then suggested, in the rubric on page 88 in Maavor Yabok, after three prayer whico t s h(a s three prayers t saidno confessioa )s i t i these e th s saidn i ear s a , confession is said on Yom Kippor. The prayer of confession repentancf o t ac d in thereforsa ean f o t ac alss i en oa "renewed relationship" with God. As such, it too reechoes e abovth e mentione s discoverewa d s psalmsa d An d . above, the act of repentance, which follows an acceptance of the reality of one's sickness and/or death, is one of the stra- tegies to fight sickness and death. It is a strategy used both on the day of death and on Yom Kippor, as was shown above.

As a final part to this opening section, it is suggested thaprayee tth rfourte founth n hi d sectio Maavof no r Yabok, entitled "Entreat e Clou th reade f Incense" b o df o yo . t s i , states Ii t d that this praye s arrangerwa Berechiah'y db s teacher from Mantoba. This praye bases ri d upo idee nth a tha s offeringta s of incense were once offered as an atonement for sins, with the destruction of the Temple, the praying of the biblical verses which make mentio f sucno h offering s substituteswa d actuae th r l fo offerings prayee Th . r begins wit quotatioha n of the story concerning the cakes which Abraham asked Sara three preparo ht th er angelfo e t Sodomsa . Thers i e alsstore oth Israel'f yo s wha commano s sont thi s sa o dt incens d spicean e they should tak Josepo et Egyptn i h . These two references set the tone here as one of propi- tiatory effect. The worshipper wants to propitiate God by his offerings of incense which he cannot perform any more. Therefore he substitutes a reading for the act of offering the incense. Propitiation thereby becomes another strategy for influencin Divine gth e decree. Thi s donsi y readineb g the appropriate verses which mention offerings. Propitia tio alss ni o affecte y considerindb g one's sicknesr so atonemenn deata s ha t offering (this wil explainee lb d below). The second paragraph makes mentio incense th f no e offerings offered by the priest Aaron as atonement for sins. e thirTh d paragraph mention propee sth r proportions of ingredients that compose e incensth d e offerings. The fourth paragraph contain sprayea healthr rfo , As it is written: as we have no priest, no fire-pan, no coals, no altar o incensen , d naughan , t tbu remains u r sfo e conversatio th s saido i 's t :r i lip ou s sa f no wile w l rende bullocks ra r lips.worde ou sth f 'so r ou f o d Go d an d y wilGo Th Lorl0 r e b ou dt i y Ma Fathers that our v/ords be received before the seat of Thy glory, as if we brought before Thee incense and Thou wilt hold back the plague. The mystical intent of this prayer can be seen in the rubri pagn whic3 o c 33 e h askr speciasfo l concentration on the specific words describing the kinds of:incense. While Sefer Hahayiim quote Isaa. sR s sayinca g thae tth stud biblicaf o y l portions, which discus lawe d sth s an ceremonies of sin and guilt offerings, accomplishes the same effect as if those sacrifices had actually been brought, Sefer Hahayiim does not have one specific group of prayers devotee offeringsth o t d . It,thereforet , pu doe t sno into working process the efficaciousness of the sacrifice passages. And it also does not stress, as does Maavor Yabok e importancth , concentratiof eo n upon specific words, which is a necessary part of the mystical process of prayer. Footnote Chapteo st I rII

Simon Frankfurter Hahar e (Amsterdamf m e i yS i , : Israel ben Avraham, 171?) , p. l:a. . b 2: Ibid.12 . p . o -'BAscher. H . , tran. e Boo Th f Lif ,o kd Expressio an e e th f no Tongue (London: B.H. Ascher, 1863) , p. 7. Louis Linn and Leo W. Schwarz, Psychiatry and Religiou Experience (Nev/ York: Random House, . 1953p ", ") ^Frankfurter, p. 3:b. Ascher, p. 19- 7 Ibid.f p. 21. 8 . 21 Ibid . p .t 9Ibid.. p. 27. 10. Ibid.29 . p . . 1:L27 Ibid . p . 12IbJjd. , p. 33- 13Ibid. . p. 33. 1\bid.. p. 35. 1$Ibid.. p. 36. I6lbid.. p. iH. 17Ibid. . JW-^-5pp . . 18Ibid. . if-5p . . 19Ibid.. p. 4?. on . Ibid.59 . p , 21Ibid.. pp. 60-61. po . 65 . p , •".Aaron Berechia Mose. hb f Modenaso , Maavor Yabok (1626; rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, 1927) , PP» 56-57. ?LIbid. . 59-60pp , . 25 Ibid.f p. 60. 26Ibid., p. 60. 27Ibid. . 5^p .. 1 O 2 A AscherA , p. 1. . 29 2 Ibi . p d , . 3°Ibid . , p . 3 . ^ Ascher, 32Ibid., p. 4. 33Ibid.- 5 . p , pp. 1-2. -^Berechiah, p. 55 • •^Edward J. Kissane, The Book of Psalms (Dublin: The Richview Press, . 1953)52 , I , * 3759 Ibi , I d ,. 38Ibid., I, 61. 39 Ibid.t I, 66. . I, 72. ^Berechiah. 58 . p , h,r> . p. 58. . p. 59« Kissane. 83 , I , ., I, 88-89. , 9^I ., . 'Berechia. 62 . hp , . 63 . p , . ., p. 63. 5°Kissane , 106I , .

3CO Berechiah, p. , I 122, . I, 122. i, 129. 56Ibid. , 133I . . 57 Ibid,., I, 168. 58Ibid. , 176I . . 59Ibid.. I, 181. 6 °Ibid.t I 185. 6llbid , .I 224- , . /* ————— I, 261. 63Ibid. , 267I . .I, 267. , I, 285. 47

^Kissane, ,1, 308. . 9 66Ibid , II ., 67Ibid., II, 73. . 6876 Ibid , II ., 69Ibid.. II, 106. 7°Ibid. , 141II . . 71Ibid. , 14?II .. 72Ibid, , II, 151. 73Ibid , 206II .. . , II 216. . 7 ^Berechiah, p. 84. - 7655 Ibid_ . p ., 77Ibid_. , p. 88. . 7888 Ibid . p ., 7'^Aaro9 n Berechiah b. Moses of Modena, Maavor Yabok (Mantua, 1626) , p. 23:b. 80Ibid_. , p. 23: b. 8llbid. . p. 2*1-: a. 82Ibid.. p. 24: b. 83 . b : Ibid.24 . p f — 84—— Berechiah, rpt. 1927 . 334p , . Chapter IV

After these initial introductory readings and prayers, both Sefer Hahayii Kaavod man r Yabok begin witprayere th h s said upon entering a sick person's room. From this point e handbooksth n oni ,prayere th , botn si h works basically follo chronologicae wth l proces e ordeth f ro s from sickness to death. Sefer Hahayiim says that upon enterin rooe f gth o m e sickth , these verses shoul e saidb d : 'And the Eternal will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee, but will lay them upon l thos al o hatewh e e said thof h thee. 'I d u: An wil1 t diligently hearken unto the voice of the Eternal thy Godd wil an thao ,td t whic s sightrighs Hi i hd n an i ,t wilt give ear to His commandments, and keep all of His statues, then I will put none of these diseases upon thee whic havhI e brought upoEgyptianse nth ; Eternae th m o healeta l wh I r h fo thee. creatI ' 1 e the fruit of the lips; peace, peace, to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Eternal, and I will heal him.1 (1) In the introduction to these verses, the author reveals y theswh e three verse e chosensar . Utilizin methoe gth d of gematria, he points out that the fifty-four words of these verses is equivalent to the numerical value of the letters in the Hebrew phrase "That I will live". It is implied that the efficacious influence of these verses arises fronumericae mth l connection betwee numbee nth wordf ro s and the phrase "That I v/ill live", which verbalizes the hopes of the sick one. It must be noted that the cabbalistic plays on numbers, phrases, and words are within parentheses in this edition of Sefer Hahayiim. It should also be noted that what is in parentheses contains a different style and mode of inter- pretation, as well as a different style of writing, than what is outside the parentheses % With these differences, it would seem that the material in parentheses, v/hich is a "mystical f o " naturet origina no e text s th i ,.o lt Unfortunately e tira writinth f o e t a , f thigo s thesise th , earlier editions of I?l6 and 1703 are unavailable for com- parison. But that there are two styles and modes of inter- pretation and writing in one text is evident. As to the prayer's thematic content; it speaks of God's justice more tha s mercy nHi t emphasize I . s God's justicee firs th o verse ts tw a , one-to-one s th poin t ou t e qualit man'f yo s action relation si God'o nt s actionsf I . man follows God's ways, God will not place upon him the diseases of the Egyptians. The third verse also affirms this relationship. t shoulI d als notee ob d that this prayer, whics i h said upon enterin e sicgth k one!s room, later became halacha, as it can be found in the Rabbi's Manual Hamadrikh, p. 9?. Its exact sources seem to be unknown. Although the revelatio gematrias it f no l meaning point cabbalistia o st c source, it was utlilized by the author of Sefer Hahayiim authoe th Maavoy f rb o but rtno lattee Yabokth s ra , does not include this prayer• This same prayer is also found in Tozeoth Chaiim which is a liturgical handbook which s publishewa n Roedelheii d n 18?1i m . Maavo visitoe r th Yabo s rha k recitin differenga t prayer. The instructions included with this prayer ask the visitor to say these words in order to petition mercy upon the sick onet This goal of the visit, that is, a petitio mercr nfo y upo sice nth k person s sincha , e become halacha. The halachic statement found in the Shulhan Aruch is: As he requests mercy upon him, he will petition in any language he wishes.o. he will be included amon e sic wile gth Israef h o k ld lan say : "May d havGo e mercy upo u amon nyo e sic gth f Israel. o k ' (2) The prayer in Maavor Yabok is: May no evil approach you, nor any plague come near your tent. Tha s angeltHi wile sH l caus watco et h youl al rn waysi ove u .ryo e w LorHea0 d s dan lu shal healede lb shal,e w Lor0 save d lb s dan eu saved, as Thou art our praise. (3) Berechiah explains this prayer quite fully. The evil is illness, and it is God's angels who watch over man's ways n describinI . e influencgth thif o e s prayer upon the sephirot he writes, quoting from the Zohar; As they are with the man, the Shechinah is found there to watch you in all your ways, that the ways e froar m malehu tiphereto t , from tiphereo t malchut by way of yisod.., as is mentioned above. wile h ld concentratAn powere th n so e which pour forth fro Kine flese Hign th mth go hea o hht l lal which are deposited in the palaces above0 And also He will have in mind, by His saying, 'that His angels He will command unto you1, channels of lights that appointee ar d ove departine rth g sou thao ls e tth soul will not be troubled in its departure, that 51

God-forbid, death be decreed upon it. And it is writte 98:. n p ni in* p b1?* sa ;tha e Hole tth yOn Praise e walkH e v/ingn db so winf o sbrino t d g healing Raphaes s worlde influencei i th t I o o .lt wh y db malchut, who receives from tipheret, that places healin y strengtgb e crowth n highy no hb . (*{•) (see appendix I) The cabbalistic system is seen at work in this quotation. This prayer sets into the motion the spheres and the angel Raphael t describeI . e strategsth prayerf o y t alsbu ,o analyzes and specifies the process. Such an analysis is foune b rabbinie n eitheo Hahayiir i dt th e f t n i rSe no cr o m texts. The prayer also gives some psychological insight y sayinb gpresence th tha y tb angelf eo s "the soul will e trouble b s departure.... t it ho n i d " Knowledge th f o e presenc f theso e e angels would give great comfore sickth .o t By the theosophical knowledge of the process of how this prayer influence Divinee sth dyine th , g derives psycho- logica d spiritualan l comfor knowiny tb God'f go s protection. e worTh d 13'Ks s analyze i ne sam th e n i dway , thas i t in reference to the sephirot. The first three letters resh, d alep e spheran e drawpayth har , o nt e s Kindnessi t i s A . written: And the crown does not influence the sephirot but y hes_ed b d ne-ra-phaAn . belos i y y tipherewb d an t malchut. The nun and vav are the foundation of the soul Israelf so , which grasp tipheret, foundatiof no yav and malchut, foundation of nun, which are necessary for healing... (5) (see appendix II) At this point in the liturgy of Maavor Yabpk, it is suggested that one concentrate on the intention of visiting e sickth . Berechiah first quotes frogemare mth e ideath a 52

that he who visits the sick takes on l/6oth of the sick one's illness. He then, in the language and idea system e cabbalath f o , writes: engagee b o t thin i s di s o mitzvawh n ma hd thue An sth causes to pour forth from above power and strength, as he strengthens the sick one by his visit, and lighten e e sicstrengte sth th evie on k th f lo f o h s mentioned..a .o visitandwh e sice . h sth s fro i k m the side of the attribute of Kindness. And with his engagement wit healings hhi ascende h , s untie lth three sephirot that from ther drawe eh s strengtd han healing... (?) It is interesting to note how Maayor Yabok. as both a liturgical handbook as well as a handbook on customs, interweaves theosophy with the already established Jewish customs. This gives a theological knowledge to the practical. Sefer Hahayiim discusse visitine sicse th th k f go from another viewpoint. While it is acknowledged that prayer by the visitor is an important part of his visiting: Rabbi Simon, son of Yochai, says: What is the actual duty of those who visit the sick? Are they only to be solicitous for the restoration of the bodily health of the sick? Mo, their chief object must be to provide the sufferers with spiritual remedy.... awaken in the heart of the sick thoughts f piety..o ) (8 . more tha e efficacnth prayet f statedo yno s ri : The efficac prayef o y r performe righteoue th y b d s and those who devote their life to the study of the Divine Law, is practically borne out by numer- s instances..ou ) (9 . e visitor Th s statedi t i , , help e sicth s k onef ,i necessary, both physicall monetarilyd yan e speakH . s words 53

of "comfort and consolation". ** o The result of visiting, therefore describes i , visited e n termth i d f Haavpn so I . r Yabok, it was described in terms of the visited, but also the Divine world. Sefer Hahayiim sees visiting in terms religioua f o s duty, while Maavpr Yabok see alst si n oi terms of theosophical knowledge.. Sefer Hahayiim, in describing the rewards of the visited, also describes the reward visitinf so s said i visitors e reape ga t th : i y s db A . "Rabbi Judah teacheth in the name of Samuel, he who visits the sick will escape the judgment of Gehinom..." thiIs ti s rewar punishmend dan t system which again seems to be uppermost in the mind of Se f e r Hahayiim's author, as it is written: Rabbi Hannah Saba teaches, in the name of Rava: He s fellow-men s ablhi i o pra r t eo yfo wh , i.e.o wh , understands the nature of prayer, and neglects to perform it, is called a sinner... God is greatly pleased with the prayer offered to him on behalf of the sick.. The Ramban terms these prayers, 'seekin f Godo g 1... (12)

Maavor Yabok speciaa alss oha l prayee b r o whict s i h said only upon visitin ga "Maste Torah"f o r s it'iA . s written: s willHi ,e b that i wile t h blesse e y lb Ma d from s Hi th d e Hole Praisean e mout th yOn e H f o he db Shechinah wit n hs attributes te Hi eac s f o hHi d an , sephirot, \vith all His names, and from the four supports, and the six steps of the throne and from all the heads of the Yeshive above, and from all of the angels and from all the family above and the family beloshora quicd n a i w tan y kma timed An . healin heae H u accountee gb ly yo ma d youo an t d , from your stripes, and from the light of God, the 'ancient one, may He quickly "bring unto you sal- s grea Hi d mercifu y tan b , He l y vationma d An . name, be merciful to you with all the sick of Israe n neei l f mercy o v;hde ar o , Amen. Selah. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable unto Thee, 0 Lord, my rock and rny redeemer. (13) (see appendix III) It is evident how this prayer calls upon all the sources of power available to the mystic, that is the Divine Presence, God's attribute mercf o sd healingyan e th , sephirot, God's names, His throne, the angels, and His brin o thit f o healinn s familygso i l al goae Th f go l. through merGod'a t jusr eno s fo t cessatios mercyi t I . n n easpaia f o yr no death whic askes hi d for t rathe,bu r a real cure. 55

Footnote Chapteo st V rI

B.H. Ascher, tran e Boo. Th f Lif , o kd Expres_sio ean e th f o n Tongue (London: B.H. Ascher, 1863), P« 105. o Josep h Carop h ,Caro Shulha, Shulhan Arucn Aruch (1565h (1565; rpt; w Yor.rptNe ] . New York: Shulsinger Bros., 1953)i Yoreh Deah, vol 3, p. l6?:a. 3 -Aaro n Berechia Berechia Mose. hb hf Kodena o sb . Mose, Kaavos of r1 Kodena , Kaavor Yabok (1626; rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, . 192?)88 . p , Ibid., p. 48. 5rbid. . 4-8p , . Talmud Baba r.letzia f pago . , 30 d epere en , 6 k 7 pBerechiah , 21^-215pp , . Ascher. 1 . p , - 9Ibid.77 . p . 10. Ibid.71 . p . 1:L. Ibid.65 . p , 12Ibid., p. 69. 15Berechiah, pp. 88-89. ChapterV

After these prayers, which are to be said upon enter- ing the room of the sick person, Maavor Yabok moves into the confession of sins, while Sef er Hahay iim first has numbea prayerf ro sintroduction a sai s da prayere th o nt s of confession. Such a difference between the two texts coul attributee db availablde th mor o et e liturgies circu- late n theii d r respective areas ,e stres th thae o snth t texts placed upo confessionae nth l liturgy. The first praye Sefen ri r Hahayii introductioe th n i m n to the confessions,-which can be called "A Prayer of the Afflicted" froe firsmth t e prayerversth f s reao ei , d whe e feels wif non hi r childre eo sr o ill, n feelr o ill, whe e suffernh s fro pecuniarma y loss. Notice shoule b d taken that this prayer, which is included in a book of prayers d custome sic d dyingan th time kan th f rear s o e i ,fo s t a d o wh e lose t th healthf juson so no t e y loss a td Th an .an , suffer slosa s should pray this prayer immediatele th s ya judgment of heaven is upon him. He is to analyze his deeds, e angelth o :t "Youy sa ro t han d weakened.e db an t I " is also said: Nothing happen y accidentsb t rathee bu th , y rb s providenci o Hole wh Praisee th e On y H f o ee b d exacting wit s righteouhHi hairsbreadtha s sa s a , it is written: 'it shall be very tempestuous round abou to brin t him1,g upo m 'thenhi disease whicI h placed upoEgyptiane nth wilsI plact lno e upon you' e Lor,th dm thaa you I ' tr healer.) (2 1 57

This comment certainly shows God to be an executor of exacting justice with His righteous people. The sick muse on t looks i throug e h s y deedhhi wh fino t st ou d being punished, as there is believed to be a direct re- lationship d betweesicknessan n si n . This relationship d betweesicknesan n si ns begin poino st t towar cone th d - fessional prayer. This relationship also echoes the relationship between sickness and sin as seen by the rabbis, whic s describei h Chapten i d I aboveI r . s interestini t I g thapare thif tth o t s commenn i t parentheses is written in a different style than what is written outsid parenthesese th e s seewa ns a above, . This inner comment again use vocabulare sth modd yan f intero e - pretation of the mystic. The tone of the material within the parentheses is *' immediately recognize s differena d t from what surround, sit as mercy is now stressed over judgment. As it is written: e 5^Th versepetitioe th f mercso - nof y reverse eth attribute of judgment to mercy. To fix the breach e namth en i n°Mn n"' tha;i"in M s mercy*" I" i t» s a , which is equivalent to non , and by his • ..< sins judgment comes upon him by the name JiunK . (3) (see appendix IV) It happens tha numericae tth l equivalen name th e f o t JiUTi , judged Rthereban ,s t 5i ,^]~ whicy s equivai h - lent to the numerical value of God's name «wn i"M «"n TM*. The judgment, punishment for sin, functions then as an. incentive to do repentance which returns the letters KMn I"M R*n i"i» >. to '"n T'T T"i »nn and thereby 58

bring mercn so y which accompanie lettere sth named san s that e appeaendth .t ra Punishment , therefore, functiona s sa means to av/aken man to overcome his evil inclination in repentanceo orded o rt „ This repentance influencee sth divine harmone spheresth n i y . resuld en botf e to Th h explanations e explanationth , s inside and outside the parentheses, is to bring the sick one to the act of repentance. The means and the knowledge of the means of this prayer differ, however, between the two explanations. The explanation . outside the parentheses describes God's judgment and exacting justice. Healing is brought on as a reward for the sick one's repentance, which then depends upon God's mercy. This explanation describes what happens between man." and God, but it contains no theosophical knov/ledge as to how this process of healing comes abotit. This explanation, viewee b whic n s a dca h reflectin rabbiniga c attitude towards man's relationship with God, seems-t e justicse o e as.- God's overriding mechanism in dealing with man. Mercy comes into play after justice has been exacted. e explanatioTh n withi parenthesese nth , however, does have a theosophical knowledge of this healing process. It differs in that it sees mercy, not justice, as God's overriding mechanism in dealing with man. It, therefore, seem o reflecst e cabbala'tth s hierarche systeth f o m y d mechanisan e sephirotth f e explanatioo m Th . n states 59

that sin has disturbed the harmony of the spheres and God's attribut y repentance b f mercy o ed An .e harmonth , y returnes i e letterth s God'da f so s nam e changedear . It is at this time that His attribute of judgment moves bac o mercykt . These differences between the two explanations is

mor differencea terminologn i e y than anything else0 knowledga s othee procese Whilha n th th e rca d f eo on esan only describe it, while one sees a different overrriding mechanism than the other, the underlying process of both explanations is the same. This process is the rabbinic idea, as described above, that God reacts to man's needs. Regardless as to why God does this, it is this underlying process which seems to make repentance, and thereby healing, possible. In the prayer itself, the sick person"pours out his heart to God, asking God not to turn from him. He sees God as his shield and glory, who will answer him when he calls. After this introduction e appealh , o God'st s mercy prayingy b Eternal0 " , n Thin,i rebukt e no anger e em r no , chastise me in Thy wrath. Have mercy upon me, 0 Eternal!" transgressionss Hhi eblo o t t ask ou td sGo e recognizeH . s that he has sinned from "his youthful years and on, and so h etako t ask ed sGo thi s into consideration. e Therth s i e recognition that God is the ruling power over all. There is the hope that by turning unto the Lord again, that there 6o

wil healinge lb . Eternae th Trusn eternae i l th e tforevery n i l r fo ; God is everlasting strength. The Eternal will give strength unto His people, the Eternal will bless His people wit Hostsf o h d peace,Go blesse0 e . th s i d man who trusteth in Thee. Save us, Eternal. May the King hear us when we call. (6) The second part of this prayer appeals to God's exacting justice. This sens God'f o e s justic d thereban e y acceptancn a s judgmentHi f eo n essentiasa e seemb o t sl part of the sick person's relationship with God. Sovereign of the universe, I know that just is Thy judgment; Thou hast tried me, but, alasi I was t founno d pur guiltlessd ean . Ther nothins ewa g o shielt e againsdm y sentencetTh ) (7 . e invali t th then Bu s a ,d recognize s sinsshi e h , gains a sense of humility, an embarrassment over his sins, and then he petitions: And Thou, merciful God, look down upon my trouble, and count it to me as an atonement. I beseech Thee to spare me, and all the members of my house- hold. Omnipotent ruler! Terminate my trouble and sufferings and change the evil decree for my good. (8) e thirTh d sectio f thiappealno ) s m prayeo a st ( r God's mercy and kindness. As God will have compassion, the sick one, when he is healed, will praise God and tell of His wonders. The fourth section ( nmn-nflK) begins with an ' acknowledgemen God'f to s justice whic e sice hopehth on k s will be tempered with mercyo 0 mayest Thou Thinn i , e infinite mercy, support me, and grant pardon for all my transgressions 61

against Thee, for which Thou hast visited me wit chastisementsy hTh knoI . w tha y judgmenttTh s e right ar t mercifubu , d gracioulan t Thou..sar . (9) Notice should be taken that this prayer expresses the rabbinic idea that God's strict justice must be tempered with mercy. The paragraphs of this prayer, therefore, alternate between judgment and mercy. An original moral is then told, whose purpose is to exalt God's justice. Even God's chastisements are for man's good. As has been seen above, the strategy of acceptance of God's deeds is made a part of the liturgical texts. This ability to change the decree of God through repentance, that is acceptance, is also a part of the Yo.ii Kfppor liturgy. Lo! all these things worketh God oftentimes for- bearingly with manwithdrao t , s souwhi l from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the e (GodlivingH r ) Fo v/il .t imposlno e upo n mornma e than right; to cite him before His mighty throne of judgment.... touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out; He is excellent in power, and in judgment n plenti d f justice...o yan , . Behold! whon correctethd ma mGo e happth s yi ; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: makete H r hFo sor d bindet woundete ean H : hup h s handHi d s an heal... (10) e fift Th d sixthan h sections appea God'o lt s merc brino t y thin go s healing. Therrecognitioa s i e n f God'o s power over life n quitI . e realistic terms, original phrases and biblical phrases are interwoven to express this hope: Deign that my pain and suffering may abate, like the visible decrease of the lunar light, whilst the health and vigour of my bodily frame may be 62

renewed like renewalr untmoohe e on th ni ; grant that my youthful strength may again be like that e eagleth f o . (11) thin I s prayer from Sefer Hahayii allusiono mn e sar mad mysticao et l doctrine moder so f interpretationo s . The underlying idea is rabbinic in focus, that is, that merca chec s n God'i yo k s judgment, whic God's i h s means r rulin fo universee gth .a sense n Merc i a rewar, is y d for accepting God's judgment. There are less whole verses quoted here from the Bible than whole verses quoted in Maavor Yabok lattee Th . r seem depeno st d more heavily biblican o l verses thacontene formere th n th r f to fo , many of its prayers.

The next grou prayerf po botn i s h Maavor Yabo Sefed kan r Hahayiim compris e confession Mie th eth , M . That this section is the central section of these liturgies for the sick and dying is demonstrated first of all by its overall length e confessioTh . Maavon ni r Yabo composes i k thref o d e main parts with an introduction and a conclusion. Sefer Hahayiim contains a general confession of sin, and a confessio r thosnfo thein eo r death-bed. The importance of the confession is underscored in Maavo rannouncements Yaboit y kb : Frol whic mal bees hha w n tha sa saidt e w ever, y man needs to meditate and to articulate his sins beforparticulan i kin s d cone ehi gan th -y rb fessio e death-bedth n no . (12) And in Sefer Hahayiim the importance of the confession is stressed in the following comment: "But if; he repents even at the last moment of his life he will be saved. t." 1J 3 The centrality and importance of the confession also has an historical basis. The Talmud, tractate Semachot, specifie o typestw prayer f o s e ; th thosr fo er o sai y db sick mentiones persona d An . d above e firsth , t prayes ri prayea mercr quits rfo i yt ei \ shor d vertan y generan li handes i e content th t i dn Talmu e i s dowth a , d n ni dan codes. The second prayer is the confession. The prayer of the death-bed confession, as it appears in Talmud e Shulhath Semacho n i n d Aruchtan ,: Yoreis ,h ea hD I confess before Thou, Q. Lord, my God and God of my Fathers, that my healing and my death are in Thy hand. May it be Thy will that Thou wilt heal me with a perfect healing, and that if I will die, y sinsm y deatatonemenn m a l ,e y hb al ma r tfo iniquities, and transgressions which I have committed perversely before Thee. d gran portioa An ,e tm n in the Garden of Eden, and cause me to merit the e worlth lif o comen t di e , v/hic s reservei h r fo d the righteous. Realizin brevite gth thif o y s confession Shulhae th , n Aruch, quoting froBol m,Co says thae invalitth n ca d also say the Yom Kippor liturgical confession. ^ Again, a connection is made between the Yom Kippor liturgy and the liturgy for the day of death. The centrality and importance of the prayer of con- fessio alss i n o demonstrate appearancs it y db n Isaiai e h Horov/itz's work Shene Luhpt Ha-Brit . This work was one of the major cabbalistic works pertainin o customgt d san practice e 17tth hn i scenturys publishe wa t I . d after Horowitzfs dea,th in 16^9 in Jerusalem. In tractate Pesachim, of the first part of this work, ther quits i e n extensivea e section compose lawf o dr sfo visiting the sick and dying, and prayers to be said by the visito e invalidnoteworths th i d t I ran . poino yt t out that almost the entire section is devoted to a lengthy confession. The remaining prayers are mostly directed e throeth towar n f deathi e so gpses th de .on , e reasoTh y Horowitnwh z devoted so" muc f thiho s sectio e confessionth o nt , bot s law d prayersit hs an s i , presented in many cabbalistic and rabbinic texts that he quotes e textOn o, whic s froi hZphare mth , puts great weight upon the confession and its relation to the future health of the individual, in this world and in the next. It shoul notee db d that eve thin i n s commenprayee th o rt of confession, emphasis is not only placed1 on the visited, but also upon the visitorc It goes so far as to call the visito n "angera writtens f goodness"i o l t i s :A . In the Zohar, parashat Pekudai, 'he who watches the returo t m sicrepentancen d attempthi ni kan t ge o st , behold he is as the advocate of goodness, that he causes him to be saved from the attribute of stern judgment, and save him from death, and redeem him from destruction d caus an m ,reviva ehi f life...lo 1 (16) As has been seen above, Maavor Yabok describes, within its explanation on the confessional prayers, the cabba- listic theosophical system, the process of the various prayer meane d customs th an whicy sb d san h thee effiyar - cacious. As to why Berechiah includes three confessions 65

in his liturgy, he writes: and the sick one will concentrate on uniting in confessios hi n three confessions corresponding o sint , transgression d iniquity an o ,includt d an ,e the majo d minoan r r alphabets wile h ld menAn . d first "by binah d secondan , , tipheret d thiran , d malchut o ment dd tipheretan , , malehut d yisoan , d whic e breachehar y sindb , transgressiond an , iniquity. (1?) This comment displays that cabbalistic linkage Divinee specifie th th betweed s a ,an c e n wordth nma f so confessio confessioe th d nan n itself hav direca e t influence upon God, in this case keter. The act of the confessional prayer, with its specific words and their abilite th order s brino yt ha , g togethe membere rth f so the middle pillar of Mercy, that is tipheret (the King), yisod (the Foundation), and malchut (the Queen), thereby bringing about harmony through the sephirot, the heavenly heights. Certainly this process is in no v/ay explicit or implicit in Sefer Hahayiim's comment on repentance: But if he repents even at the last moment of his life, he will be saved, as Scripture says: If there be a messenger with him, an 'interpreter, one among a thousan shoo dt uprightnesss whi untn oma , then He is gracious unto Him, and says: 'Deliver him from

oing dovrn intgravee th o havI : e foun ransoma d ?Job XXXII. 24,25). Yea, he wil1 l then escape death, the pangs of Gehinom, and attain future bliss. This happy change may be wrought by repentance.... t onlno yd doeAn s repentance mene sinnerth dt bu , even ranks him amongst the righteous... (18) Again, Sefer Hahayiim uses texts which speak in rabbinic and therefore biblical terms of reward and punish- ment. These texts do not display the theosophical know- 66

ledg Divinf o e e process thae cabbalistitth c text, sdo as quoted in Maavor Yabok, it describes practice and not theosophy.

The text of Maavor Yabok suggests that before the ful le confessio th tex f o t reads e ni invali th , d should rpad the confession written by Nachmanides. The text of this confession is found later in the work, not in the liturgical section under consideration. Before th e confession, it is mentioned that it was v/ritten by Nachman- ide d receivesan d froe e "mehasadith mth f Deed no d man " ( nvyon »c?3K ) . This is a confession for those on their death-bed. The Nachmanides confession begins wit n expansioha n e confessionath f o l formula foun Semachotn i d . Thers i e firs ta recognitio God'f no s pov.'er e dealH . s with kind- nes d justicesan e sice prayTh on kr healing. f sfo i t bu , muse h t die knowe ,h s thas deatthi h n atonemenvrila e b l t for all his sins, so that he may receive the rewards of the world to come. After this first part, thera listin n obvious a i e f go s adaptation of Maimonides1 "thirteen principles". While it doe t comsno e unde purviee rth thif o w s thesis, many other liturgical compendium sice d dyinth kan o includr gd fo s e a reading of Maimonides1 "thirteen principles" after the death-bed confession presence e reasoth Th r . nfo thesf eo e 67

thirteen principle giv o commoe t eth s si w enoug nJe h philosoph activato yt Activs ehi e Intellect. Thin i s turn would give him eternal life. The possibility of eterna philosophee lth lifr resule efo th actif s o tri - vatin Active gth e Intellect which then becomes.a part s immortali f Godo o wh s Maimonide, A . se Moreh -wrotth n ,i e "The works of God being most perfect, admitting no addition or deduction, must remain the same forever." 179 This inclusion of the "thirteen principles" shows the influence of Maimonides upon even the cabb.cllisr5J;c movemenvarioue th d stan traditions revolving aroune dth sick and dying, which circulated among the people. While Nachmanides changes the wording slightly, and does not number his thirteen principles, the direct correlation thesf o e principles with thos Maimonidef o e ascere b n -sca tained by a quick comparison of these works of Nachmanides and Maimonides. It would als interestine ob -conjecturo gt y thiwh e s confession was not included in the main liturgical section. Whether thi becauss swa confession'e eth s t authono s rwa Berechiah, or because it included an adaptation of the "thirteen principles" of Maimonides. or for some other reasons impossibli t i , o determint e e answerth e , beyond mere conjecture.

rubrie th n whicce I afteon he rsuggestth sreadina g 68

of Nachmanides1 confession, Berechiah makes the following remark which follows a cabbalistic line of speculation .on number and word plays . Before the confession, he will wash his hands, he will wra pe sic himsele wilth kon d ltala an n , lfi t i distribut hany eb worr o dmoutf o d least ha 6 t2 perutot , 91 1 or 112, the intention behind this act wito d e thre hth o t e d s nameaGo nha »ii f so K n"»in . (20) e relationshiTh p betwee monetare nth e y th valu d ean thre tha s three i e t th d name eGo namef so s have thirteen letters and the numbers 26 and 91 are multiples of 13- The number 112 is the numerical equivalent of the letters a*P which is the title of the work, that is Yabok pa» . The rubric also points out that the confession should be said in the morning, as that is the time when the sphere Kindness rules. This underscores the idea that the confession in Maavor Yabok is appealing to mercy .

In addition to the above mentioned prayer said upon entering the room of someone who is sick, if that person is a "student of wisdom" then a special prayer is said for him. The same is suggested before the confession. The following is that special prayer, Its emphasis upon a knowledge of the hidden secrets of the Torah needs to be noted. Master of the world, Thou, the light of counsels, the revealer of secrets: May the logical argument e wordmouty m th pleasinf e so hb f o Theeo gt : that it may establish for me the scriptural phrase •And I will be with your mouth', for were it not so woulI d ascend before The disgracen i e beford an , e the Yeshiv e e headb th I f so y a ma above t Bu . worth hea o wordt ye rth d secretTora e san th hf o s from the heads of the Yeshive above. (21) (see appendi) xV The emphasis here is on the learning of philosophy and theosoph worle th o come t dn s prayethia i yA s .si r said by a "student of wisdom", this learning must be his s goas i hi n life li t s I goa.wa t n deathli i s a , interesting to note that not on3.y is the word "secrets" ( l*n ) used, but also a pure3.y philosophical term such as "logical argument" ( Kino) is used here too. There iblendinsa g her cabbalistif o e philosophicad can l vocabularies.

The confession begins with a reading of psalm four, which can be said to be a declaration by David to have fait d securit Lorhan e s th dhi face n f th i eveyo e n i n o usageenemies tw e down e li e ver sTh o "th her."t b f o e make this psalm particularly applicabl readee th o o rt wh e too is lying down on his sick bed. These two usages f thio s verb are: "Trembln notsi , d speaan e youn i k r heart upon your bed and be silent, selah...." and "I will bot dowe d sleeli h nan peacn pi e because Tho Loru0 d makest me dwell alone in safety,," 22 The first confession opens wit humblinha e th f go self. The worshipper asks God not to deny his petitions, becaus admit e estiff-neckeh s i e sh sinnera d dan . There 70

is the nlisa enumerates sinsf i to eacs A n .hsi n i d wordsw fe echoet a i , confessioe sth e th f sinno n si Yom Kippor liturgy. But more than just being a random listing of sins, it is an alphabetical list, as each alphabee letteth f ro t start o sinse sine stw Th sar . t onlno y ethical alst bu ,o ritualisti d ceremoniacan l in nature firse Th .t confession ends wit knowledgha e that while man has turned aside from God*s commandments, God is just and truthful. God has not turned aside from s emea hime translatetb , (HDKn ca ) s "faithfulda " ^ 2/i and tzadek (pMs ) as "one who is true". As God knows hiddee th d revealel nan al d thoughts e sicappeale th ,on k s to God's mercy to forgive him from his sins. This might be the original work of this alphabetical listin prioo sinsf n go s ra , source coul founde db e Th . emphasi thif so s confessio upos ni n man's lac faithf ko - fulness d God'an , s faithfulnes thein si r relationship wit e anotherhon . e activThith sn i e put rolen sma n i , s actionshi y n correcb tha ca , , the t this broken relation- ship witmercs Hi h o know n t yGod i e ask H ,d . sGo bot y hb the revealed and hidden thoughts, man's turning, that is, repentances hi . The second confession on page 91 is little more than n expansioa confessioe th f no n foun Talmun i d d Semachpt. The invalid asks that if he can be healed, then let it be so. But if he must die, may his death be an atonement 71

for all his sins, so that he can be worthy of entering the Garde Edef no n witothee hth r righteous. This acceptance of death is partially a resignation to God's decreet.But alss i i tactivn oa e acceptance. Active than i ,y tb acceptin e deatth , h git become atonemenn a s t which then makes this man worthy of various future rewards. .Acceptance of death, as part of this confession, is a strategy for overcoming death. This confession expands the talmudic confession by asking that healing come due to the merit of King writtens Hezekiahi t i s :A . Thos "Haya ue m Tho d uai 2< aided Hezekiah, Kin f Judahgo , durin s illness,..ghi " The' story of King Hezekiah thereby becomes a paradigm for this strategy of overcoming the decrees of God. The confession the ndeao t ask ld sGo wit e sice hth on k out of faithfulness and justice. "With an even hand Thou wilt weigh me, and Thou wilt judge me, and by Thy great p/ light Thou wilt emblazon me." The third confession opens with an al chayt formula, reminiscen Kippom Yo e rth liturgyf to first I . t mentions those sins done intentionall thosd yan e - carrieun t ou d intentionally, those mad secren i e d thostan e performed in the open. It then lists the various parts of the body, showing their part in committing these sins. This al chayt formula is general in content. This list of sins is concluded by the following prayer for forgiveness, from 72

the Yom Kippor liturgy: "And thus for what I caused to others, Thou wilt pardon d forgivan , e all..." From 2thi7 s last statement in the confession, it would seem that these admitted sins are ethical in nature, that is, those sins perpetrated between man and man. Ther thes i en appea na God'o lt s mercy based upon s thirteeHi nthif i attributes ss a biblica s i t I .l section of God's attribute takes si stano witnesa nt s da God'o st s act mercf so ywrittens i wit t i h s :manA . greay Th y tb mercietheid y b An d rsan strength which shine upon the earth and its inhabitants; by Thy thirteen attributes which Thou hast appointed ove gatee r th prayer f so , that they not return empty... (28) This appea God'o lt s merc r forgivenessfo y s i / continued by a calling upon God's name -/n»ns ns?K n»nK from whic l merc hal s hopei yt i dcomes thad An t. God'' s mercy wil invalid'e lth forgivf o l s eal sins whicr fo , h he woul deservine db punishmente th f go s from heaved nan those of the human court below. The prayer enumerates the various types of punish- ments possible, and concludes this section of the confession y statingb : May it be Thy will, Lord, my God and God of my Fathers, that by the merit of Abraham, Issac, and Israel Thy servants, that this confession will be acceptable before Thee. If I were stoned, I were burned, I were murdered, I were strangled according to Tora y greahTh lavn ti ; cour n Jerusalei t m because of the honor of Thy great name that I injuremeditatioe th y b d r thoughtno , worr o d deed, the first, second, third, or fourth letter 73

of Thy great, powerful, and awesome name or by other such letters, or by other letters which e connectear d with them, the havnI e been deserving f theso e four deaths befor y throneTh f glory..eo . (29) (see appendi) xVI These and all sins are thereby destructions of God's names, and thereby His mercy, and the harmony of the spheres. The strategy of fixing this disharmony of the spheres, cause y sino vicariousldb t s ,i y accep e variouth t s punish- ments of the heavenly and human courts. With this vicarious acceptanc punishmentf o e , harmon mercd yan e returned yar . It is with this strategy in mind, that concerning one's possible death it is written: and may my soul depart in holiness and in purity upon the holiness of Thy great name which revives o appeast d an es fouall ,it eacr f o hletters d An . y Tho ma Thiny ub e abundant raercy retur d unitnan e upon me each of the four letters from Thy three essential name a Miiais n»ns n*in , and may all of them emblazon togethe worlde th Atz.ilutn f ri so , the Briatic world, the Jetziratic world, and the Assiatic world... y t frodesire Ha ou th m . o g e Crown of Kercy the way of the paths of thought, and prepare for me Thy greatness and Thy might, wil I e eternit proue d th lb an n i d y (nezachf o ) Thy majesty and I will be established in Thy kingdom (malchut). (30) (see appendix VII) Repentance, as described in the paragraph above, brings abou harmonta lettere d unitth yan f God'f o yo s s names, the various worlds, and throughout the ten spheres. e lasTh t sentenc s composei e e namee th playf th o df so n o s spheres. It is then described in this confession that with this established harmone spheresth n i y , water f lifso e will flow down the middle pillar, purifying all impurities. These are probably waters of God's mercy. The invalid then prays for strength to do away with the impurities of the Evil Inclination. He hopes that death should not come until the purification of the soul comes about. This purificatio e sou accomplishes th i lf no d by confessio d repentancenan . Such purification, according to at least this confession, is also carried out by God's appointed angels who will enlighten him in the secrets of the Torah. The influence of theosophy is again evident. The goal of such preparations (strategies) in reference to death is that: iieshamah will unite with Thee, and my ne-nhesh will praise Thee, and also my ruach inside of roe will early wilI seenam y d le kTh ean th wal n i k lighpura f teo soul befor menorah..e th e d an . brinwitp u he gm endearmen Gooe th d o Plact e that it has no limit, and I will depart in great nesjhcimae th love d an ,h that Thou gave pure unto m ebonde wil th D f life o sbounn e (3 l i b .p du (see appendix VIII) By a wealth of cabbalistic imagery, this third confession, in Ilaavor Yabok, gives a description of what might be defined as a state of purity of soul, that is, a "good death". Suc ha "goo d death s accomplishei " y b d repentance, by which such a soul will find eternal peace spherese unita d resth n an i td y an .wit d hGo The prayer at the bottom of page 9^1 Ana Ho rah, begin e concludinth s g sectioconfessionae th o nt l prayer n flaavoi r Yabok. This prayer continue petitioe sth f o n 75

God's mercy. Once again allusion worthie made th sar o et - e Fathers n appeanesth a f d so mads i lan ,God'o t e s thirteen attributes. As it is written: May Thou givest truth to Jacob and mercy to Abraham which Thou sv/oresFatherr ou o t s since e wilH day ld sAn concentrat gon . eby e th n o e thirteen attributes of the macroprosopon as expounde n Sefei d r Pardes. (32) This prayer doe mentiot sno n possibility s deatit r o h , but rather, it mentions sufferings and terrible sickness. hopes i t dI that through God's mercy, thas sinthi s would be dashed intdepthse oth d tha an punishmeno ,tn t would com y sufferineb illnessr go . It is then suggested that the invalid read psalm 121, which as it begins "I will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains from whenc hely em p comes J "speak God'f so s33 ever-present hel d protectionpan lase Th t. vers thif o e s psalm woul especialle db y comfortin time th e t gaftea r such extensive confessions. It speaks of God's protection at birth and at death.* As it is stated: "The Lord will watch you rd comin goinan fron t i ggou m this time forth and forever." 3^4 This sectio prayerf o n confessiof so Llaavon ni r Yabpk concludes wit basiha c recapitulatio above th ef no praye r Ana I'lorah. The prayer I.Ii El Camocha asks God to constrain s anger Hi d deaan , l mercn i wit d faithe sice yan hth on k - fulness t stateI . s tha therf ti e mus e sufferingtb s they should corat ofou e God's justice (restrainedt powerno d an ) 76

out of His wrath (unrestrained power). The traditional prayer for health is said, and the prayer concludes with a number of verses from the evening service "before going o bedt " which call upon God's salvatio d protectionnan . This prayer, however t onlno ya reiteratios i , f no the previous prayer, but rather the order of its first three verse a cabbalisti s sha c meaning referrine th o gt thirteen attributes of God. As it is written: And afterward he will say thirteen attributes which will increase their usage; length of days and healing will be brought up before him from these three verses. 1. 'Who is as Thee' 2. 'forgives iniquity' 3^ 'pardons transgressions' ^-. 'fo e remainderth r of His inheritance' 5« 'He will not increase His anger always . 'bu6 e 1desiret H se mercy'H . 7 ' will turn, He will be merciful to us' 8. 'He will conque r sinsrou ' wile 9'H r lsin« ou thros l wal into the depths of the sea" 10. 'He will give truth o Jacob t . 'merc11 Tho s 1Abrahamo t y'A u . 12 ' sworest to our Fathers' 13. 'from days of old' (35) thes i nt I suggested tha sice prae prayee tth kon yth r El Melech, and if a "student of wisdom" the prayer Otanu al Shemecha. These prayers are not printed in the text. The Odam Olam and Yigdal are recited. These are both medieval poems based on the model of the "thirteen principles" Maimonidesf o whosf o , e importanc s saii dt i e here : d thean y v:ill explai o hinnt e , th eac f o h thirteen principles if it is necessary. (36} e importancTh e "thirteeth f o e n principless i " connected with the cabbalists'"_ stress upon wisdom and metaphysical knowledge as means of purifying the soul and achieving eternal life. 7?

Sefer Hahayiim has tv/o confessions. The first is generaa death-beda n o l e confession on saie b .y db o t t no , The first paragraph of this first confession is quite similar in form to the first confessional section in I'Taavor Yabok, although shorte n lengthi r . They both begin wite hth same phrase y Fathersm : f o "Lld ! Go y GodHa d y prayeryan m , s come before Thee, and hide not Thyself from my supplications." Llaavon i s A r Yabok, thera confessio s i e man'f o n s sinful nature when it is written: havI e sinned agains lify tm Theel loneal g unto this I dayhav r ,efo acted foolishly m ashamea I ; d and confused; my evil inclinations enticed me to rebellion. (38) There is also written here a listing of sins, similar m KippoYo e re th lis liturgy th n Llaavon i ti o t s A r. Yabok, the sins are listed alphabetically. But whereas Llaavor Yabok lists two or more sins for each letter, Sefer HahayiJLm list n undessi onle r yon eac h lettern si type Th f o e. which Sefer Hahayiim seems to be lacking might be called sins tharitualistie tar naturen ci exampleo Tw . s would e sufficienb t her n demonstratini e g these differences. Y.'hile firse th tr lettealphabefo e th f ro t both works lise tth sin ashamti, "I have sinned", Llaavor Yabok adds, "I ate (achalti) things which were forbidden and abominable."•*' And while for the eighth letter both books list the sin llamasti I destroyed"" , , Ilaavor Yabok adds profaneI " , d (hola.lti) the name of the Lord in secret and in open; I pro- IA.Q fane e sabbathdth d holidays.san " While Llaavor Yabok lists 78

these ritualistic sin mann si y cases, Sefer Hahayiim does t see mentiono o mt n the allt ma . shoult I d als mentionee ob d that unlikee mucth f ho confession in Maayor Yabok , Sefer Hahayiim in this opening firs te confessio th par f to n doe t mentiosno e nwor •th d mercy or its synonyms, in relation to God. It speaks, e ratheracceptancth f o , f God'o e ss v;ritten i justice t i s :a , Thot t jusbu uar t concernin l tha gal coms i t e r Thofo upo u, hasnus t dealt most trulyd an , I have done most wickedly. The actual bod thif o y s first confession begins with the prayer Lla Omar ( no IK no ) . The confession begins v/it declaratioa h s knowledgn ha thad tGo bot f o e h revealed d hiddean n thought manf so . Fro purviema confessionaf wo l prayers, this typ declaratiof o e n appear essentiae b o st l to suc prayerha sucy B .declarationha confessoe th , r protects himself, in that even if he does not utter a certain sin, he knows that God is aware of it and therefore,

"despising my parents and teachers", as does the second paragraph. The first paragraph, however, makes a point of stating that these sins were conducted "voluntarily and involuntarily", "publicly.'.or secretly, deliberately or An deceitfully", "presumptuousl accidentally"r o y y B J . stating both type motivatiof so thin i n s way firse ,th t paragraph also cover possibll sal e aspect sinfue th f lso deed, that is both voluntary and involuntary motivations» The third paragrap similas thire i h th do r t confession in Ha ay or Yabok. The confessor aslcs God to pardon him for all sins which he would need to bring trespass offerings or v/ould be liable to incur the punishments by stripes, barrenness r deatho , . Each paragrap followes i hliturgicae th y b d l formula fro m Kip-ppr f mtheseYp o l ;, f Pardonal "Ano Tho r d dfo uGo ! LL 0 pardon me! 0 forgive me! 0 grant me remission!" This appeal to God's mercy is followed through in the closing paragraph thif o s s first confessio Hahayiimnr e prayef Se n ri .

There is then an interim prayer between the general s persodeath-beda e sai confessiohi y on d b n e no th d . nan This interim prayer describes the efficaciousness of prayer. Once again, Sefer Hahayiim present sdescriptioa n of the end result of prayer, not theosophically, but practical^ writtens i t I .: A truly religiou godld swiln an yma l never suffer 80

himsel e overtakeb o ft y deathnb wile h : l always prepare for it by ardent prayer, and humble submission to the Y/ill of God. Confession, my brother d piouan , s sister s neveha , r accelerated death . On the contrary, prayer and confession very often cause our days to be prolonged, and forgivene r sinb ou o st . This prayer begin n extollina y sb God'f go s holiness, knowledge d healinan , g powee hands powersth Hi rs n si I . to strengthen and to heal. In very real terms, the prayer describes one's vicissitudess illnesit d san : for all my limbs are as heavy on me as lead, crushed and dislocated. My days are consumed like bone y m smoke burne heartha d sar s an ,ta ; my heart is smitten and withered like grass. (46) This situation is due to God's anger. As it says: For Thine arrows stick fast in me, and Thy hand presset e sorehm , thero soundnesn s i ey m n si flesh because of Thine anger... which is brought on by the sick person's sins "because oi my sin! for mine iniquities are gone over my head." hO e prayeTh w turnn appeala rno o st , firs God'o t s presence s mercy d theHi an o ,n.t Mine eye e evesar r toward se shal H God r l;fo pluck my feet out of the tent. Turn Thou unto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am desolate and afflicted.... Have mercy upon me, 0 Eternal God; consider my trouble, which I suffer by those who hate me; 0 lift me up from the gates of death. givinn I shoul d greasoa Go y d nwh sav from ehi m death prayee th , r then quote psalmiste worde th sth f so , which were mentioned earlier in Sefer Hahayiim; For in death there is no remembrance of Thee, in e grav o th shalewh l give Thee thanks? v/il I ... l 81

praise Thee, that Thou hastt afflictear d an , dme become my salvation. The dead praise not the Eternal, neithe y tha ran o dow tg n silencei n . (50) It should be noted that death is described here in Sefer Hahayiim in terms of one being unable to praise God. This ide deatf o a biblicas i h naturen li . Various verses from the psalms are quoted to present this idea. As has been seen above, llaavor Yabok sees death in terms of cosmic disharmony cessatioa d an , Divinf no e Light pouring forth from the brighter spheres in reaction to sin. V/hile the terminologies differ, both books see man's ability to repent through word and deeds as a strategy to overcome death.

The confession on the death-bed begins with a slight expansion of the confession which is found in the Shulhan e seconth n di Aruch confessiod an , riaavon ni r Yabok. The dying person acknowledges God's power over life and death, illness and recovery. As such, he prays to God for recoveryo If this is impossible, then his death should bn atonemenea l y sinsreceiv al thama o s ,e r e th tfo th e rewards in the life to come. The second paragraph of this confession is a petition r morfo e year f life so t recognize I . s thadoed t tGo sno wan e deata sinnertth f o ht rather bu ,s repentance hi , o s , y live ma e thatherefore H " "h t5. e says: I therefore do return unto Thee with all my heart, I 82

sincerely repent all my sins, and deign to have mercy upo accordine nm y sacreTh o gt d promise: 'And he that confesseth and forsalceth his sin, shall have mercy.' (52) He then hopes that, based upon the merit of Hezekiah and David e shoulh , givee db na cur e fros illnesmhi d san thereby long life. This paragra.ph concludes this death-bed confession. It is of interest that it is so much shorter than the confessional section in frlaavor Yabok. And it is also certainly cabbalistie devoith f o d c allusions which were e confessionfounth n i d Llaavof so r Yabok. Footnote Chapteo st rV

B. H. Ascher, tran., The Boole of Life and Expression of e Tonguth e (London . AsherH . B :, 1863) . 106p , T 2 Ibid t ) P • 106 •

Ibid g f P t 106 4 I* Ibid • 1 P * 106 • 5 Ibid • 9 P • 109 • 6 Ibid f f P • 111 « 7 Ibid • f P f 111 t 8 Ibid • 1 P t 111 • 9 Ibid • I P t 113 • 10 Ibid • f P. 11 5- HTT,-,» Ibid • 1 P. 117- 1 ? Aaron Berechia . Moseb h f Modenao s , I-1aavor Yabok (1626; rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, 1927). p , 1 ^Aschersch , p 'Joseph Karo, Shulhan Aruch (1565; rpt. New York: Shulsinger Bros., 1953 , Yore) h Deah, p» 168. a : ^Ibid., PC 167: a. Isaiah llorov;itz, Shene Luhot Ha-Brit . (Jerusalem, 1923), . tyiap Par , . II t 17Berechiah, pp. 1^7-1^8. 1 R Ascher W-^5. pp , . %. Priedlender, tran., The Guide for the Perplexed (Nev; York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1956) . ,20^'p . 20Berechiah. 89 . p , 21. Ibid.89 . p . ?p Ibid. . pp. 89-90. 23^Marcus Jastrov/, A Dictionary (Ilev; York: Pardes Publ. House, Inc., 1950), vol . 793p ., *I " . 1263P .i H '. ^Berechiah, p. 91. 26Ibid., p. 91. 27 Ibid. . p. 92. . 92 . p . 29Ibid.. p. 93. id. . pp. 93-9^-. 31Berechiah,. P94 » 32. Ibid.95 . p . . 95 . p . - 95 . p , 35rbid. . 154p , . 36Ibid.. p. 96. ^'Aschey, p. 118. 38Ibid.. p. 119. •''Berechiah•30 . 90 . p , 4n ^ulbid.. p. 90. Ascher, p. 121. . p. 121. . 121p . . 123p . . 125p . Ibid.. p. 125. . 125p . . 127P . 9Ibid., p. 127. 5°Ibid., pp. 129-131. 51 Ibid. . 131p , . 52Ibid.. p. 133. 85

ChapteI rV

e sectioTh n which follow confessione sth Sefen i s r Hahayiim contains prayers said by visitors for the very personl il . This sectio preceedes i n a commen y b d t which s dividei d into partsotw . e firsTh t part describe e sicth k neee r onesth fo d , as he goes through the process of confession, to ask forgiveness from any person he might have offended or hurt by word or deed. He is both a sinner before God and before man. This very social act of repentance has been discussed alst abovei os a ,appear e confessionath n si l sectiof no Maavor Yabok t shoulI . rememberee db d tha Maavon i t r Yabok f repentanco tht eac e toward one's fellowme s carrienwa d out by an act of charity ( np?S ) whose sum was interpreted by Its mystical numerical value. e seconTh d commen parenthesesn i s i t s witA e .th h above comments from Sefer Hahayiim, which appeared in parentheses, this comment's content is cabbalistic. It gives an example of the mystic's doctrine of transmigration e soul t describeth I .f o s what happen persoe th o o nst wh fail mako st e monetary amend o thosst e witn i hs i who e mh debt. This person puts himself unde paie rth f transno - migration. This comment not only seems to be cabbalistic in con- tent d thereforan , e possibl a ylate r additio e textth ,o nt but for the first time the comment is preceeded by the words; "And the wise men of Cabbalah wrote..." which would verif s sourceit y . s thiA s discussion preceed prayere visitorse sth th y sb , Sefer Hahayiim quotes Rabbi Eleazar's statemene th n to prayee righteou s th influence it f ro d san e states H . : e e righteouprayeth th f . ro ".. s turn e Hole Praisesth yOn d 2 He'e b s e attributth f o e f angeus eo e o mercy.rt Th " term "attribute of anger" ( mam ) is noteworthy. Is Rabbi Eleazar equating God's attribut angef o e r wite hth more commonly used term God's "attribute of judgment"?

This sectio supposes i verprayere f l o nth il y r d sfo minimu a te saivisitorsn ob y te b d f mo begint I . s v/ita h petition for permission from the Holy One Praised be He and His Divine Presence„ The first paragraph is an Aramaic prayer which entreats God's mercy by quoting the thirteen attributes of God from Exodus 2^:6. This prayer is also Ari'e founth n si d siddue 18th th f ro century , ajid also in the Southern French work of the late 1^-th century Orchoth

Chajim by R Aharon Hakohen Lunel. The latter work would 0

certainly be the earliest mention of this prayer0 Its bastardized Aramaic, which f zoharimplieo t -no ss i tha t ti istic appearancs originit d an , thin i e s early sephardic work, might reflect an unfixed oral liturgy used by some e earlth yf o sephardic cabbalistic groups. s i Tha t i t part of an unfixed oral liturgy is attested to by the 87

following comment in Orchqth Chajim; "And there are places that begi pra e d entreat'W nyan 1 l folloetc.al d w,an after the custom: 'The Lord, Lord God is merciful and 3 gracious,' etc."J This first paragrap followes i h paragraphy db n si Hebrew which leave spac o insert e e sictth k person.Js name. The rest of the prayer continues this appeal to God's mercy. His justice and His judgment are not mentioned. Psalm 93 is then inserted. This is a psalm appealing to God's protection, t thibu s protection actuall s justicHi yf o come e t ratheou s r than His mercy. It arises out of His overriding justice, s contingeni t i s a t upon man' writtens i s t deedsi s :A . "Because he delighteth in Me will I deliver him; I will exalt him because he hath known My name. V/hen he calleth 4 upowilI e nlM answer him..." God's unmerited mercs i y also mentioned t saysi s :A . "Lika fathe s a e r pitiets hhi children, so the Eternal pitieth th-era that fear Him." ^ This unmerited mercy is then colored by justice, tha merite, tis d e paragrapmercyth n i , h which begins: And He said, if thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the Lord Eternal Thy God, and v/ilt do that v:hic s sight,..s righHi i h n i t I v/il. l nont pu thosf eo e diseases upon thee whic havI h e brought upon the Egyptians... (6) The idea, that God's mercy is contingent upon man's repentance, and thereby tempered with justice, continues through the rest of the prayer. As it is written: "The Eternal is good unto them that wait for Him; to the soul that seeketh Him." This intermingling of mercy and justice possibly arises from the fact that these paragraphs are composed of biblical verses. As is the case with many of the psalms, they often do balance off the attributes of mercy and justice. Ther alss i e oa secon d grou prayerf o p s included, which are also said for the very ill person by his visitors. e firsth tn I paragrap thif ho s section visitore th , e sar depicted as officers bringing the prisoner to the scaffold. s stera d e imagnGo Th judgf o e ver s i e y strongt i here s A . s writteni : Israelf o 0 Lord d Go ,, hearkeprayee th d o an rt n petition which Thy servants pray before Thee, forgive thef i ys a d s stretchebe i ths o ehi wh sicn e o d on k brought him up to the gallows to be judged... (8) The reality of one's illness and suffering , is vividly depicted whe t saysi n : ______e H bitteree th d soul s couc; hi s thai hl tal turned by his illness, he does not stand from it, s tast hi d smel ean bitterede lar s souhi ,l will despiswarmts innee hi th l foorf d o h al ehear an d t touches the gates of death... (9) After this description of the invalid's sickness, he prays for a healing from God, by appealing to His mercy. Wha s beeha tn termed merite d unmeritedan d mercy both appear here. An example of an appeal to unmerited mercy would be: 0 Lord gracioue b , s unto him, hea s soud lhi l an forgiv m becaus s sinnehi e ha e eh d against Thee. (10) This is an unmerited act on God's part, as it is tie causes man sinfus i becaust naturen y specifili no an d f an eo , c act, thereby showing man's qualit weaknesf o y d finitudesan , that God shoul d hea mercifue an b d l m himhi o .lt An example of an appeal to merited rnercy in this section woul: dbe o thost Lore o feath s i d ewh f ro Hime ey , e Th to those who wait for His kindness. (11) Here God's mercy is predicated upon man's turning toward Him. While this prayer over and over again appeals to both merc d justiceyan t seemi , recognizo st ehierarcha y between e t\voth . This hierarch e verseth s pointen i y:i t ou d d becausAn f theo e wil e mH l remember wile H , l requite e mercifulb , e forgivingb , , will save, will help, will prote'ct, will save and will heal ______from all his illness. (12) The verb "to requite" ( Tps ) implies the exacting of judgment, and it is this act which preceeds the act of e abovmercyth n ei ,quotation s beeha nt I demonstrate. d above, and will be seen below in the section from Maavor Yabok, which is equivalent to this section under discussion from Sefer Hahayiim (that is, prayers said for the very ill), tha e formetth r doe God'e se s s s priorequitina n rsi f o g to His act of mercy more pervasively than the latter work. Maavor Yabo t justicek e no mercye tendth se d s an o a ,,st overriding principle. The concluding paragraphs of this section, then, emphasize an appeal to God's mercy. That these prayers were from a cabbalistic tradition there can be little doubt. The prayer printed here 1J3 which asks that the 21 gates of mercy be opened is also found in Maavor Yabok. The verse "And He will cause him to dream, Pie will heal him, He will watch him and He will revive him" is also quoted in Maavor Yabok and becomes the biblical basis for the belief that dreams can awaken one to repentance. The appeal, in this prayer from Sefer Hahayiim, for a perfect healing from the fourth palace in which the angel Raphael appears, is certainl usagya f cabbalistieo c imagery. And- finally, there is an appeal to God's name . n»ns I«?K n»nx , which has frequently been appeale Maayon i o t dr Yabok. I do not mean to infer that Sefer Hahayiim borrowed these verses and imagery from Maayor Yabok. Thus far, there io evidencsn worko e tw tha se tth crosse d paths earln yi their developmental stages. I do infer, however, that while basie th c emphase worke th sf o sdiverge' , they were borrowing many prayers from a common circulating oral tradition, both froe cabbalistith m wels ca fros morle a th me "rationalistic" rabbinic traditions. The latter seems to have been utilized more by Sefer Hahayiim, while the former seems to have been utilized more by I.laavor Yabok. The final part in this section of prayers for the very ill, from Sefer Hahayiira e prayerar , e sagesth sai,r fo d that is, the Student of wisdom". Two items should be mentioned heree firsTh s tha .tworthinesi e tth Torahe th s f a ,so well as Torah study and deeds of kindness, is used for this appeal for long years and good health. The second ite tha s veri e m tth y straight-forward biblical-rabbinic language of these prayers stands in marked contrast to the above mentioned prayers said for and by the sage in Maavor Yabok. The florid mystical imagery of the latter is missing here in Sefer Hahayiiin. There is a direct appeal here to forgiveness of sins, and thereby God's healing through His mercy.

In the section in ?.!aavor Yabok which follows the confessional section described above, a variety of prayers d custom an a sense n e mentionedi sar miscellaneoua , is t .I . s section, which includes prayers for the very ill and those approaching goses. There is a prayer of one verse in length which one says if he feels that death is near ( npim nyvn ) . He spreads his ten fingers toward heaven, concentrates on a unity with the Holy One Praised be He and His Presence and says: In the light of the cause of causes, the first cause, foundatioe th o reviverisiny e wh b th l f f go no sal his soul he will say: 'Ilaster of the universe, may y wilTh lie tb tha y restm t wil e peace.e h lb d An ' will concentrat Kole th name yd f th o eOne an n o e, His unity, in the presence of the great and awesome Mt. Sinai. (15) (see appendix IX) Notice should be taken here of the description of ritual, the reference to philosophical terms such as "first cause" e emphasi th e concentratio, th n so n God'no s names Hi , revelatioe th unity d an , Mount na tensuine th Sina d gian covenant. All of these elements are not mentioned or included Sefen i r Hahayiim alst I s interestin.oi noto gt e that this one-verse prayer asks healinr onlr peacer fo fo yfo t r go no , rewarde e worlth th o comedn t i s . While these other concepts might "be implied, they are not explicitly stated. At the time of death, v/ith all one's concommitant fears, it is only peace tha requesteds i t . The next prayer collected in this section is a prayer which is said before the soul leaves the body. It is obviousl f chronologicao t ou y lprayere orderth r s a ,sfo e nearinon e th g deat ht entegooesn i no (the o e rth d e)on liturgy until later prayee Th . fros booe ri Isaiaf th mo k h and it reads: In the death of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting s higd exalteHi han n o dlimit s throneit d s an ,fille d the palace. Seraphim v;ere standing over it, six wing s r fac eacs coveredsit fo ewa h o onetw ,y ,b by two its feet v/ere covered, and by two it flew. And they .called one to another, 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled v/ith His glory.' (16) e commentarTh thio yt s prayer explains tha deatt ta h the soul of the righteous returns to the V/'orld of Emanations (Aztilut), as the soul of the righteous is made from the intercourse of tipheret and malchut. 17' As this prayer has forty-two letters from the word " ns " through the word 93

"f it is hoped that he who concentrates on these letters will receive worthiness from name heaveth ey "b n fl"K which collects all the emanations from the keter on high which is * K * until malchut , which is ' ft * that is *W:MIK ."18 (see appendix X) This commen thes i t n followe lona y gdb commentary on each of the phrases of the above verses from Isaiah. It shows how they bring together the ten spheres. Not only is it specified that these forty-two letters must be concentrated upon, but that each vowel must be stressed. thes i nt I pointe o concentrates that wh dou e t h : on the first kp. do sh concentrates on the first three spheres ketor, chohnah , and b inah ; the second kadosh concentrates on the second three spheres hesed, revurah, and tir)heret; aiad the third ka.dosh concentrates on the last three spheres nezach , ,d anho d yiso d 'ThdAn . e whole eart s fillei h d wit s gloryhHi 1 concentrate e tentth hn so sphere. (19) (see appendix XI) Berechiah concludes his commentary on this prayer y commentinb theurigis it t onl gno n yo c function alst bu ,o on its end result in reference to one's soul and to one's death . surely all this will be a preparation to purify him and sanctify him, that he will be worthy to be a sweet smelling offering to the Lord and a pure meal offering on the day of his departure to the e Seraphim th x wingcourte Lordsi d th An f sf o . ,so by their wings wil lwild covean lm lifrhi t him up on high. Hay it be His will that he be v/orthy, be revived, and see length of days. And with all Israel he will praise God forever in this world and in the world to come, Amen. I.'ay it be s willHi . (20) (see appendix XII) 94-

This section of prayers in Maavor Yabok then tells where, in the book, customs and laws pertaining to the period of goses are found. It then suggests that upon the conclusion of the visit to the sick person, the visitor should cay: The Holy One Praised be He, may He take pity to receive you and bring you up by fullness of mercy. Mastee Universeth becauso f s y mercro o Th d ,f y o e y kindnessTh d an , becausy greaTh f to e nameo D . o shamt e sice eth kon becaus t s thoughtpu hi t f eo no , sice Israef th ko l includee al lb y ma n d i d an mercy. (21) Sefer Hahayiim, in an earlier section, suggests that the following praye saie rb d upon leavin gsica k person. This praye beins ri mors i g et discusse i appropriat s a w dno e to see it in comparison to its counterpart in Maavor Yabok, which does appear e prayenowTh . r reads: n leavinO d e patient,.sasengGo th d y thema 0 e' - y a speedperfeca d yan t cure d untan ,o all'the sick of Israel!' On Sabbath or Festival the following shoul e sai db Sabbatf o - d'Thi y festivalr da s(o h ) i sa daresf o y t from grie d heart-rendinfan g prayer, yet recovery will speedily be granted unto thee, e sic f Israelth o kd unt l an d thuoal an ,s celebrate th e Sabbat n peacehi . (22) botf o thesf o hThe eus e prayers from Sefer Hahayiim became halachic the s mentionea e , yar Shulhae th n i dn Aruch, Yoreh Deah, 335:6, whic f courso h e preceeded Sefer Hahayiim, and it is also found in the HamadrikX In com- paring these prayer mentionee s on wite hth d above from I-laavpr Yabok, notice should be taken that neither the Holy One Praised be Pie, His Divine Presence, or His mercy is referre thesn i o edt prayers from Sefer .Hahayiim, which 95

became part of the halacha, while they appear in Maavor Yabok's prayer. Before another section of psalms, the rubric on page Maavon 9i ? r Yabok says thae sicth tk persoe nth mus e se t sufferings that have comn atonemena e es th a upo m r nhi fo t accepo t s importan i s soule t sinhi on tI .f r the so tfo m n loves death-bedi hi ,n o befors e i b . e o eh t The e ar y accepted from love, knowing that they are sent out of God's mercorden i d lov manr brino yan ,t r fo e n bac gma k into harmony with the spheres, and thereby God. One again, this strategy against death, thaacceptance, is t s presentedi , . Berechiah then numerically lists twenty-eight psalms, death-bes hi d n suggesto an s i d shoulo s wh thae don t read these psalms, as they unify the twenty-eight camps of the Divine Presence. One can, however, read as many or as f theso w e fe psalmwantse h s sa . V/hile Berechiah does s evideny thisi sa t i ,t tno thapsalme e reciteth tb o st d e numbeth d ran said, were dictate y 1-ocadb l customse th s a , number to be read is not fixed. He does, however, have three psalms written out. Thes e psalm ear d 123 an s . 0 8412 Thes, e summarizee psalmb n ca s followss a d . Psal tell4 8 m f o s the yearnings by the hasid for the courts of the Lord where he will find safet protectiond an y plea . s ai Psal 0 12 m r salvatiofo n from one's enemiespetitioa s i d psal An 3 .n12 m e Lord'th r sfo riercy. These three psalms t leasta , , continue in the tradition of the psalms quoted above, in that they expres yearninsa relationshia r gfo s Hi d pan witd hGo mercy. s par A thif to s miscellaneous section, Berechiah includes 112 verses from Tanach that are to be said by visitorss hi y e intentiob Th m . e hi sic th r kn fo one r o , of these verses is to pass maavor yabok ( pa» maj?o ) from belof o o abovews t i e doeH ) .p s 3» thi ( n tha i s2 11 t cours ea reversa e letter th » (Yabok) pa f lo s . Alst i o e texth t pointes n i i thathree t th t ou de d nameGo f so nwnaiK nM»nis n"»in are numerically equivalent to the number 112, and therefore these verses have a theurgic influence upon these name d Godf finallyso An . , thi- sex planatio procese th f no s behin verses2 sayine 11 th d f o g, states tha spare sayine tth on k e g froth soue thesf mth o l e verses attache s strengt sit othee th ro ht soul Israelf so , d thereian derivet ni strengths sit J . 23 The introduction to these verses sets this section's tone f hopo ,God'n i e whicon s s protectioi h d presencenan , as it says: Harken heavens and I will speak, listen earth to the v/ords of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as e smalth l rain upo tendee nth e th r s grassa d an , showers upon the herb. The Lord of Hosts is with f Jacobo d , Go r rock use selahou ,th , . Lorf o d Hosts, happy is the man who trusts in Thee. Lord, save, the King will answer on the day vie call. y hiding-placem Tho t uar , Thou wilt preserv froe em m the adversary, with songs of deliverance Thou wilt compas e aboutsm . Selah. Lore Trusth d n i alwayst , becaus e eterna n Jahth e Lordi e th s ,i ,l rocke Th . Lord will give strengt peoples Hi o wile ht H , l bless 97

His people with peace. At his right is Michael, his left Gabriel, before him Raphael, behind him Nuriel, and above his head the Divine spirit of God. (24) thesf o verse2 l 11 e Al s quoted froTanace th m h continue the theme of this introduction. These 112 verses e dividear d into four section e firstTh . , t whicno s i h include totae th ln i dcoun t becaus onls i n introductioya t i e n and is not a name of God, is composed of twenty-one verses, equivalent to the word " IK ". The second section is composed of twenty-one verses equivalent to the word " nd»nK ". The third sectio s composei n twenty-sif o d x verses equivalent o God't s nam " ea ne 'ifinath n ld " ,an sectio n contains sixty-five verses which is equivalent to the word " JiniiTK ". interesf o s i sectione noto t th t I ef o thaso ttw of verses from the Tanach include descriptions of the priestly function atonementf o s s thesA . e verses hav etheurgia c function t couli , e saidb d tha y justb t reading such verses the sick person benefits were h ,pries ea f i jus s a tt performing such function atonementf so bees ha n s seeA . n above, this is another example of the propitiatory strategy. The twenty-six verses whic e equivalenhar t numerically e worth " do nt w»in ", contai t onle versenno th y s from Isaiah which were quoted above t werbu ,e later made th para e f o t kedushah. This praye Kabbalae foune th alsb s ri n o i dot t Shabbat service, and its translation in the siddur edited by David de Sola Pool is: We pray Thee, God, free captive Israel 98

Throug y righhTh t hand's mighty power. f aweo ,d Go receiv y people'eTh s prayer; Uplift us, make us pure. Almighty God, we pray Thee, Guard as the apple of the eye those who seek Thy unity. Bles , cleanssus , eus And ever temper for us Thy justice with Thy mercy. Almight d Holyyan , bountifuy y flocTh Th Lea n n i ko d l goodness. Supreme and only God, Turn to Thy people who are mindful of Thy holiness. Accep r prayer ou tr cry ou , ,o t givr ea e Tho knoweso uwh r inwartou d thoughts. Blesse glorious Hi e db d sovereig san n name forever and ever. (25) This prayer nsa KJR is also found in Isaiah Horowitz's work Shene Luhot HaBrit which was printed in 16^-9 • Concernin e importancgth d functioean f thino s prayer as the sick person nears gpses, Horov/itz writes: This ancient prayer is based on the Name of forty- o letterstw d Rabban , i Simos Yohain hi nbe y ma , blessinga memorr fo e yb , wore wrotth k n HaPardei e s e gatf th o e n d i 'specificen e namese th th t f a 'o s parash i3 a1 tha t ever x letterysi nam s eha s equivalent to the six wings of the Seraphim, ard based on this s saii dt i 'six wings x wing si r ,eachn sfo (i ' Isaiah e saih d d )s goo i An tha . o mentio t t di t n this name e beforon goee r on eo sleeps t fo d thu o an ,sto s demisecloshi o t e, that upon thes wingx s i si e t si writte n Isaiahni , wile h 'wit lo tw hcove s feetrhi , wile h d wit lo an soue htw fly th l* above d wilan e ,lb worthy to be saved from the Destructive Angels and frol demonal m e wild sth lifan e worthe lb f th o e f o y worl o comet d , this endquotatione sth I d An . received from the watchers of the dead who sit around him, from the moncnt of death until he will be covered with earth in the grave, they will sit in successive watches around him, diligently, that profane air will not enter among them. And they mention this prayer continually without a moment's stop, and they will not say if less than one thousand times. (26) (see appendix XIII) Dr, Jacob Llarcus states that this prayer was attributed 99

e firsth o tt century tanna Nehuny Ha-Kannahn abe d an ' , 27 of the prayer he writes: One of the most frequently recurring prayer formulas e extende a ba-koath an n i e d th hsic e rituas th i k r lfo prayer.... As one recited this brief forty-two word cabbalistic prayer - or its variations - one was asked to think of the initial letters of each word. All told there are forty-two initial letters, which is also the total number of letters in God's four merciful Names when spelt out fully: Aleph, dalet, . he w wa e h d yo ; he d alep; yo he e h d nun yo , w yodwa e }h this i st I forty-two lettee th tha d rs Go Namtha f o e power to save the soul from the evil spirits. Each lin thif eo s seven-line praye Nehunyx f ro si s aha initia wordsx si l s letter. it Thesr sfo e letters for worma whicn o dmuse hon t mentally concentrate. e initiaTh l letter e seconth f sdo line r instancefo , , spell out the magical words kera satan ('Rend Satan'), n d invocatioserva an s a e n against Satan whee nth soul leave e bodysth . Each mystical word, formed froe initiath mx si le letterth f o eacf e so on h word n eacso h line, correspondx wingsi se th o st of the divine creatures described in Isaiah 6. By mean thesf so e wing e sousth l flies upward Go o t d and merits being saved from the angels of destruction d becominan e gworl th e worthlif o cometh t f do e f .yo (28) 100

Footnote Chapteo st I rV

Ascher. BH . , tran. e Boo Th f Lif ,o kd Expressio ean e th f no Tongue (London: B. H. Ascher, 1363), p. 132. 2 ~Ibid- JLt p. 133. •'Aaron Ha-Cohen from Lunel, Orchot Gha.1J.m (Frienze, 1750), p. 559. L Ascher . 133p , . ^Ibid . 135p . . 6Ibid., p. 139. 7Ibid . . p. 1M. 8 IMd. . 14-2p f . 9Ibid., p. lif-2. 10Ibid.. p. 14-2, 11 Ibid. . 1*1.3p l . 12 Ibid., p. 14-3. 13 Ibid.. p t 1^Ibid.. p , •^Aaron Berechiah b. Moses of llodena, I'aayor Yabok (1626; rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, 192?), p. 9^0 , I6lbid.. p. 96. 17 Ibid., p. 186. 18 Ibid.t p. 18?. 19Ibid.. p. 188. i P« 138. 21. Ibid.97 . p , 99Ibid., p. 105.- 23Ibid., . TD98 . 9k- ——— c Ibid. . p. 98. 25David-de Sol d tran.a an e Pool Traditiona. Th ,ed , l Prayer Book j^r__S3vbbat d Festivalhan s (IIov.' Hyde Park: University 3o~ok c .s. , 196^0In p , .7 0) ^ /c Isaiah Horov/itz, Shene Luhot Ha-Brit (Jerusalem, 1923), Part II, p. ^:c. —————— 27 Jacob R0 Marcus, CoTmr'.unal Sick-Care,. .in the German Ghetto (Cinn. e Iiebre\Th : ; Union College Press, 19^7) . 267p , . 8 " 26 Ibid . p ., 101

Chapter VII

departure th time e sou f th th o e l s f A o froee mth body approaches, therprayea s i eMaavojn ri r Yabok saiy db those standing over a "great man". If it is at night, the "thirteen attributes e added b e praye y Th .ma s "composeri d twenty-sif o x verses whic e equivalenar h t numericallo yt God's'name " n"Mn "» thereby adding another theurgic device to the liturgy. It should be noted that Llaavor Yabok contains more prayers written specificall "studene th r fo yt of wisdom" and the "great man" than does Sefer Hahayiim. This praye s composei r versef o d s froTanache th me Th . firs bworde versth plaa sn s o yi e"Jaco b wen ways thi " from Genesis 32:2. This biblical section speaks of Jacob's taking leav tellt i Labahf God'w o e d d sho an an ,s m angelhi t sme protected e vershimTh .e thereby sets this them f God'o e s protection, which carries over intnexe oth t quoted verse whic s Exodui h s 23:20. This prayer then quotes the sacrificial service for the consecration of the priests, which comes from the Torah. By reading these verses, an invalid vica.riously puts himself intpositioe Higth oe th h f Priesno t s servinAaroni o wh ,g before t thiGod followes Bu i s.e verse th y sb d which tell e impropeth f o r servic Aaron'f o e s sond theisan r deaths. e verseTh , "And Moses said, 'Arise Lor d scattean d r Thine o enemies d Thinan , e enemies shall flee before Thee'" then 102

follows. These verses imply that improper service before God will brin punishmenn go d deathtan . This warning becomes an incentive to do proper atonement, which is done by reading these propitiatory and confessional prayers. This prayer concludes with verses from the Writings in which God establishes His protection with Israel, and thereby with the sick one. The kedushah verses from Isaiah are once again quoted. This petitio God'r nfo s protection e becomeon w sno majoe th f ro themee concludinth f o s g sectio prayersf no , which begins wit e prayer's?hth 1? nVs f pago u e 105. This prayer begins with an appeal to God, whose name " n»n s i K ne?K n»nThi• " Ksd appear Go name b f o eo st synonymous with His mercy, as this prayer and the previous prayers which mention this name invariably appea God'o lt s mercy. God is the "God of all spirits" ( Jiiim ) and He gives a pure soul to His people, revives the living, brings up the fallen, revives the sick, and causes death by mercy. It is interesting to note how this prayer addresses itself to all of the attributes which would be pertinent to the one in goses, the one for whom the prayer is said, The term "causes deat y mercy"hb s alsi Jo interestingT firs, It f .to t biblicalno all s i musit I .t als statee ob d that sucn ha outlook woul accepdo t hel e sees i ton ps na t death i s a , a merciful actio God'n o n s part. Such knowledge could have as much, if not more, value and comfort than the knowledge 103

that God "causes death by justice". The prayer then appeals directly to God's mercy "by mentionin e sicgth k one's name vern I .y realistic terms t describei s conditioshi writtens i t i Godo nt s :A . who v/ails from his groaning heart and not from the s puritfleoh hears hi Hi f .o yt flutters s strengthi d an h fails him. e prayeTh r hopes that this one's sou precioue lb n i s God's sight, and that it be released from its prison, so n praisca tha t i te God. Suc hpraisa n onl ca saie y b f i d deat overcoms i h e and/o n immortara l lifes i wit d hGo achieved. bees ha n s seeA n witabove hth e prayers, firsta healin s prayei g d for, thabefor, is te imminenc th e f deato e h is accepted. As in the above prayer from Sefer Hahayiim, in chapter VI, an appeal is made to the angel Raphael in the fourth palace. Unlike the prayer in Sefer Hahayiim, however, Ivlaavor Yabok embellishes this prayer with more cabbalistic imagery. As it is written: And from the light which lights from the east, from the fourth palace, his name is Raphael. It is he whom Thou hast commanded, by the strength y namTh ef o e n»r»K:goo th f Israelo o dt r : ,fo d an , shine upon thorn to revive the sick from their sickness and to save them from their evil. (5) (see appendix XIV) As was also seen above, if death must come, it is hoped tha s sou petitiones thi e savedi lb t I . d tha ta spiri f o t purit d holinesyan e sic addee sth b k o t done' s sould an , e ablb tha o receivt e th e God's chastisement n lovei s . Then e "gooth , d death s describedi " e prayeTh . r hopes that the dying one will be worthy of seeing the residence of God's dwelling. It is implied, from the above materials d froan m what follows-this, that this stat d relationshiean p with God coraes about from a purity of soul, v/hich has'been achieved before death through earnest repentance. It is also

hoped that ones nephesh, ruach d neshamaan , e h th joi n i n f light of the Divine Presence, and also join with the four angels appointed froe sixtth m h palace e souTh l. shoulo dg out by a kiss, and it should be protected from all evil spirits, especially those that rule Dareth k Side (KIHK KTDD ). hopes Ii t d tha wild tGo l prepar altan ea r frocedare mth s of Lebanon for the offering of this soul, that it will enter the gates of mercy and the Garden of Eden. As it is written: wile h ld sinAn glors gHi y unt Gardeoe th The n ni e e silentb o t Edenf ,o t y witno ,e soul Th th hf o s righteous who sit before Thee, the cro\vn of their light upon their head, to be given benefit from y lengtma y faced e daysf lighho Th An th f .,t o years d peacan ,addee eb d unt wits ou h great strengt d mighhan t wit l Israelhal , comrades, amen. y (sewill) Th (6 e ,b appendi t i Thu ) y xXV sma V/hile Sef er Hahayiim also describes this idea that f deati h must come t shouli ,a "goo e db d death" ("the kiss f death"'o n v/hici e )sou th h l enter e Gardesth f Edenno , Hahayiir e f Se m nowhere contains suc n involveha d description of the "good death", as is here described in I.Iaayor Yabok. That such a prayer is said before one in goses, who migh t eve tno able nb heao et r these words, s speakit f o s assumed physica d spiritualan l efficacy. These visitoro sd 105

more than just counselling,no mans a tf today' o y s visitors of the sick. But it also needs to be mentioned that the prayer is not only for the benefit of the one v/ho is dying, but is also for the benefit of the visitors, as the last two sentences of the prayer imply. After this prayer, Berechiah n typicai , l cabbalistic fashion, explain e lase effecth sth t f phraso t e upoe nth Godhead. As he states: And he will stress by the word ID ' the unity n of Wisdom and Understanding. ] isn Of the exalted Crov.rn pours upon them from the goodness y hiddeb x f KIIo ]» On knowledge. (?) (see appendix XVI) Sefer Hahayiim does not and really could not understand the liturgical texts in such a theosophical manner.

e tex Th r.laavof o t r Yabok then attribute Moseo st s the following statement before his death: "Blessed is His

Q name v/ho lives and exists forever." The text then gives e directiveth : "And from this ever n wilyma l learn." ' First of all, such a statement is not made by Moses in the biblical text. Secondly, Berechiah's not s directini e g this acceptance of the eternality of God to every man by stating that every man should learn from this statement by Moses. This directiv s greae ha s reai ty db t force i s a , or for the one in goses. The statement implies that man mus;t recogniz s finitenesehi d God'san s infinitenessd an , that therefor neede eh placo st e himselfe tim th f deatho e t a , , 106

int this s handsi oHi st I hop. God'n i e s protective power'which is emphasized in the remaining prayers before death.

The prayer Ka-Helech Ha-Goel (p. 107-108) is com- prised of "biblical verses. It begins with the well-known prayer of Jacob: The angel who redeems me, from all evil, may he bless the boys, and may they be called by my name and the name of my fathers Abraham and Jacob, and y thema y increase greatly ove e earthrth . (10) It is suggested in the rubric to this prayer, that this prayer gosesn i possiblef e i ,.on e th e reab ,y db These verses suggest the biblical idea of the eternality of one's name through one's progeny. In this sense, one achieves what can be called social immortality„ But this hope in social immortality is extended to a hope in personal immortality, as one places himself into God' writtens i s t handsi s :A . Sav y soum e l y uniquenes from e sword mth d an , s from the dog... into the hand of the Lord may I fall, for His mercies are great, but not into the han man..f do . Inty hanoTh d wil lcommenI y dm spirit, Thou wilt redeem me 0 Lord, God of Truth. In goodness you will sleep and you will awake in good mercy, amen... wilI . l walk befor e Lorth ed in the Lands of the Living.... And in righteousness will behol wil I y facesatisfiee d lb dTh an , n i d the awakening of Thy visage„ Every soul will praise, Jah, they will praise Jah, God of our salvation help us by the glory of Thy name, save us and forgive our sins because of Thy name» He is merciful, forgiving iniquity wile H t lno d an , destroy. Frequently He turns His anger a.way, and does not stir up all His wrath. Hear 0 Israel, 10?

e Lor e Lorr God th Ones th dou i ,d . Blessee db His name whose glorious kingdom is forever and forever... (11) The emphasis of this prayer is on God's mercy and on His protective power. The prayer directs itself toward immortality. This is especially evident in the verse, "In goodnes u wilsyo lwilu yo sleel d awakpan goon i e d mercy, amen." 12 The phrase "in the Lands of the Living" could sociae refeth o rlt immortalit people th f eyo implied openine inth g quotation concludine Th . g verses implya life, afte e evenrth f deatho t , wit t saysi h s God:A . The Lord is King, the Lord reigneth, the Lord will reign forever. e LorGods i Lordth ,de H , He is God. Specifically n*HK TE?S n».iK He was, e causeH e wil H . sd lbe an deat , d causeis han e H s life. No God was created before Him and there will be none after Him. Do this for Thy name. Do this for Thy right hand. Do this for Thy Torah. y holiness Th o thiD r dowe sfo .li n I Thaw tno and I will awaken, I sleep but then there will be peace for me. (13) e nexTh t praye s sai( ri y ) TH'^sdb ? i »~\ 3 those standing aroun dyine dth g person beginnine Th . f go this prayer appears in Hamadrikh. This prayer also begins with verses callin God'r gfo s mercies t includeI . s the Priestly Benediction, and the prayer from the "service before going to sleep" in which God's angels and protective spiri s callei t d upone vers f goostronTh e o ."B edd gan frightenee b courage t no Lore o afrair d s ,th o d i d r fo d wit whereveu ^" hyo woul go u psychologicalle db ryo y t alonecomfortinno t I e s knowe dyingi .h th s e sa h r , gfo 108

is important to note, however, that this prayer is said even if the one in fioses is incontinent and cannot hear , • the prayers prayee Th • rsoun e effec a th the l s n no ha t and also on those who are reading it. The verse: t Thov;har yu cast dovry meanes wh y soulm n d ?An t within me? Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the salvation of my countenance d Go (16 y m d ) an also expresses the hope, by the siclc person, for God's protection. Then e sectioth , n froe Torahmth , which describes the servic f priestleo y offering r atonementsfo mentioneds i , , s seewa n s A earlier, casthia s esi wher reade e on sth verses concerning offerings in order to vicariously propitiate God. The remainder of this prayer is composed of verses v/hich continue to express the desire for God's mercy and protection. Included in this section are the biblical verses of the "thirteen attributes" and the section from Isaiah describing the wings of the seraphim, v;hich appeared in the previous prayers. Following this praye pjyyut. a t s readsI i r . : uniquenes y gardee SdeTh n th wili I f n/ o ne lb s/ Thou wilt receive IJis righteousness / lister, accept / entreat, watc sou e purith/ hi emblazol/ f o y e nb a mighty one / emblazoned be Thy banners / glory of His Sabbat thn i e h/ greatnes goodnesy Th f so s/ righteous Shepher greatness Hi / d s wil exaltee lb d/ bring near protectio wily goodnesb f lo / n s/ sustaining his pilgrimage / Thy redemption, will be know perceivsplendouo e t th n / glor y f o eTh yr/ 109

holiness ofHi dwellins/ g nea doinr/ g good, commanding / salvation of His praise. And He will ride upon a cherub, and He will fly, fly upon the wings of the wind. Kiss me from the kisses of His mouth that Thy love making is better than wine. 0 God, Lord speak and call the earth from the east of the sun until its going down. Thy perfection of the beauty of God appeared, from Zion. Hear 0 Israel, e Lor r Godth dOu e Lor ,Ones th s i de i Lord .Th e H , s Gode e i LordLorGod e Th Th s Kinge .i dH Th ., . Lord reigned e LorTh d. will reign forever. (1?) (see appendix XVIII) The first paragrap thif ho s prayer expresse desire sth e dyine th gf Gardeo e persoth Edenr f n o nwhic fo n i , h one's relationship with God is brought closer. Notice should be taken of the phrase "I will be in Eden" because it becomes a desired state. This piyyut, as the previously discussed prayer KJK s basei na , nd upo e forty-twnth o letter f God'so s namefirse Th .t lette f eacro h grou thref po e words spells out the abbreviation of a demonic spirit, as in nan SJK. This prayer, however, is not found in Sheloh and Davidson's Thesaurus of Medieval Poetry makes no earlier mention of it, o earlien tha, tis r mention tha appearancs nit Maavon i e r Yabok. e secone usageth Th n di , paragraph versef o , s from Song of Songs places an emphasis upon one's relationship with d upo e Vkisan n th d f death"o sGo . Moderns might call this an "easy death", a going out of the soul. For the works under consideration, this can be seen as the hope that God will take one's soul intGardee th o Edenf no . e usagTh f sexuaeo l imagertime th f deatho e t s ya i , 110

also quite intriging. Here, in the midst of solemnity, love s expressedi , tha lov, tis e betv/ee e dyinnth g persod nan God. This love betv/een the tv/o partners, v/hich if the analogy may be extended, is consummated in death, concludes with the verses from the Sheron.. The section of prayer fron here until the moment of death is appropriately called the "verses of unity, consummation". Concerning these "verse unificatiof o s consummationr no " e saib dn ica that t they resembl concludine th e g versef so the Heilah service on Yorn Kippor. The cabbalistic dynamics of these important verses are described in the following quotation from Llaavor Yabok. Again, emphasis is placed upon versee e effecth th f sto upo harmone spherese nth th f yo , thereby influencin Godheade gth . The creator made the harmony in the higher v;orlds dependent upon the lower v;orlds, and therefore the higher t separateworldno e sar d frot e lov;ei th ms a r writtes i n 'An wile dh l ride upo e e cheruh nth d an b will fly1. Firs spheree tth s rid malchun o e o t harmonize it, ajid after, 'and he. will fly upon wings of the wind*i and with the verse 'and He will kiss me from the kisses of His mouth that His love making is

better than wine, and thus 'and Jacob kissed Rachel and he raised hi1 s voice and cried*; here there are seven worlds hinting at the seven kisses, seven breaths, that masculine cling feminineo st , feminine with masculine, spirit with spirit, love with Foundation, and they are the foundation of seven and the seven which are spread out. 'And he will ride upon e cherubwile h th ld flyan s 1 'kis froe kissee m s th m s of His mouth' 'God C God Lord' 'from Zion perfection of beauty1 'Hear 0 Israel' 'The Lord He is God, the Lord is One and His name is One.' The Unity needs to joihundreo tw n d forty-eighan d t holy groups that they y themselveb e ar s from themselve themselveo t s d san therefore 'the Lord is One* is connected with the Foundation letters n-Min» ..„ the Foundation of Unity Ill

of 'Hea Israelr0 connectiowitf e Sp th h s n I *Ay f no the spheres and afterward is joined v;ith them by Yesod. (18) (see appendix XVIII) Aside from the description of theosophical activity f eaco h \?or f thio d s prayer, e openinth g sentence showe sth cabbalistic systen's stress upon the ability of man to directly influenc uppee eth r spheres. After this piyyut and these "verses of unification", various psalm e saidShomae sar Th . , which containe sth customary and inportant words that are to be said at the time of death, does not stand by itself, as it does in Sefer Hahayiim. Instead pars i f othe to t i , r biblical verses ("versef o s unification" d psalmsan ) o This arrangement doe necessarilt sno y detract from the She-ma, if anything, it expands its basic idea of the unity of God. IP Psalm 3 is written out in the text of I'a •aver Yabok. Ther e quitear ea fev ; aspect f thiso s psalm which v;oule b d appropriate to the D.ast moments of onefs life. In the first Stanza,i Lord, how nany are mine adversaries become! Many are they that rise up against me. Man y soulym f ther:o e thay ear sa t 'There is no salvation for him in God.' Solah. (20) the "adversaries" can be seen as sickness and death, as it s sicknesi d deatsan h which see o sayt m , "thero God"n s .i e e dyin t yetth Bu ,g person knows, "Thou a shiel Lord0 ,t ar ,d abou sleepI e e e Lordown...tm m d th I awake;dan y , r Ila fo , sustaineth me... Arise Lord0 eTh y God. m ;~ 0 "sav , eme 21 112

phrase "I awake for the Lord sustaineth me" might point toward e concepsth d hop an tf immortality o e , e whichth n i , context of Kaavor Yabok, is a continued existence in the Garden of Eden. The text then suggests that psalm 116 be reed. This psalm also is a supplication Tor God's salvation in the face of death. I love that the Lord should hear y supplications..m y voicM d an e . The cords of death compassed me, e straitnether-worle th th d f so An d t holgo d upo; nme I found troubl sorrod ean w I calle t Bu d e Lordupo th name .nf th e o (22) Again must i ,mentionee tb d thae realitieth t f deatso h are never evaded, but are visualized in order to be overcome. It is then suggested that the previously mentioned prayer be read. The next statement then implies that the prayers over the person in goses., who in so many cases is incontinent, are to move the vis5 tors to repentance, which will be for the good of the dying. As it says: d 'thad e n dwellerca e On n claysi hasteo t ' n those standing there to repentance, that by this there will be worthiness for the departing one, if they will be awakened to return from their way. (23) Surely this active and efficacious concept of the visitor's function is not utilized today. This piyyut, "The Dwellers in Clay", by Solomon ibn Gabriol is an exhortation for the Day of Atonement. It contains the strongest lan^ua^e of man's sinful nature of any of the prayers anaJyzed thus far. As mentioned, its hope is 113

to frighte n intnma o repentance frightent I . becausm shi e s actua hi t revea.l i m lhi natureo t s . 0 habitant homef so clayf so , Why lift ye such a sv/elling eye, e VJhaboasy o d tf moro t e than they?. .. To be unborn were better v:orth Than thus to reap distress and pain, For how easy great things to gain When struggling in this snare of earth? (24) And it implores him to repent, so that God can hide His wrath writtens i t s mercyi Hi s :A d reveam .an hi o lt 0 let the wicked turn aside, And take, 0 King, the path to Thee. Perchance the Rock will heed the plea, d fro s wratAn mHi e sinne hth r hide. (25) s quotei iyyu'f p t i n r.!aavo i d e c s Tn »a r Yabok , then stops two stanzas short. These last two stanzas are placed in the next section which is proceeded by the statement: "If his intention will be to request only mercy upon him, he will begin and say." This statement is followed by the end of the poem. Draw up Thy people from the pit, Thou Ruler of the depth and height Stiff-necked were we in Thy despite, Yet of Thy mercies bate no wit But shed Thy sweet compassion o'er The people knocking at Thy gate, Thou art the Plaster of our fate, And unto Thee our eyes upsoar. (26) By this division of the niyyut, Berechiah shows a real sense of the text and its psychological function. He then combines these verse f Gabriel'sso , appealin o God't g s mercies, with the beautiful verses of Abraham ibn Ezra which follow through the previously established image of the Garden of Eden, and appeal to God's forgiveness. As it is written: SenAngelt dou kindnesf so s and may they go out close by him, And peace to you who comes they will say o coneswh wit e e voic,h hon o t e And they wilGardey Th l Edeo f t brinno m n ghi d ther an s throneHi e wil. lbe wile h refine e lb y lighd Th An n ti d d s restfine gloran hi th d,f o y And the light hidden before Thee protections s secrehi wilhi d e lb tan , And under the Shadow of Thy wings s protectivhi e screen wil e givelb n him, o showwh d sWit helGo e merc f hth d forgiveneso p an y s to answer His people and congregation. (2?) Berechiah concludes this sectio f "versee timo n th e t a s e soulth "f o goine wit th t hou gf o various commente th n o s moment of death. He states that one whose soul is ordained to dopart should hav intentioe eth slaughterea f no f ro sacrifices s explainei t i s n a I.Iairaonides,i d 1 Yad, chapte, r2

pO hilchot r.Iaaseh Ha Carbanot. One sees his confession and death as an atonement (sacrifice) for sins. The view here is toward the world to come, and not toward this one. Berechiah then writes that it is wonderful when one can die in the midst of verses of mercy and thoughts of Torah. These thoughts will help bring on. help from heave d securnan e one's departure as described above. s saii dt I tha dyine tth g o fulfilshoult y tr dl any' commandments tha e canth d shoul,an d seek forgiveness from anyons wrongedha e shoule eh On c d accep s deathi t h willingly. Berechiah then suggests various petition e saib do st morning , ?Q afternoon, and evening. These include verses of "mercy" frorTanache th a s theiA . r thematic conten o differenn s i t t 115

than those verses from Tanach analyzed above, they will not be discussed here. This conclude discussioe sth texe Kaavof th o t f no r s interestinYaboki t I . o notgt e that one's religious life remains active "up until the very last moment, that is, one's relationshi d manan . n pma Ther betweed Godd an ean , n nma io concep sn modere th f o tn ide disengagemenf o a time th e t ta of dying and death.

goscn i Sefen e i sBefor on rprayere e th th e r sfo Hahayiim, there are sections which contain blessings of thanksgivin r recovergfo y from illness changine th , one'f go s name d paternaan , l blessings before death e firsTh .t prayer doe t corasno e unde purviee rth thif o w s thesis whics i h intereste dyinge th e prayer e sicth d . th n an k i d f Sufficso e writte e e seconb th o i t f ndo prayer thae "rituath t r fo l changing one's name" is unljke the other prayers studied thus far representt I . sstratega avoio yt d deata y hb deceptio e soulth .f o n This strategy e seemclosedb o o t st , the modern persodoe e t h hav sno s ena suc concepa he th f o t soul and its relationship to the person's name, as well as a concept of the angel of death v;ho recognises one's soul s namee "paternait Th .y b l blessing before death s composei " d of the blessing of Jacob over his grandsons, with the priestly benediction and the following verses added: Plac Lorde e spirie spirith th th upo ,f m to t nhi 116

of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of advice d strengthan e spirith , knowledgf o t d feaean r e Lordth .f o (30) Such ritual would "be a comfort to the dying, as he could fee continuite lth heritags hi f o ybestowiny eb g these blessings upo s childrennhi . Following these miscellaneous prayers, it is written: Rabbi Simon, son of Yochai, says, As soon as those who attend the sick person perceive that he draws l fleshal becomet f i ,o d en s e theineath o rrt imperative duty to make him aware of it, and to infor hanthat m houa e m hi dts th i r whe wile nh l be called to appear before the throne of the Host High Judge, and that the time has arrived to reconcile himself with his Heavenly Father. I.'an may, in one moment, by one pious deed, acquire eternal life.... ~..'e must, therefore, as soon as we perceive tha e illnese suffereth tth f so r increases, much more when cure becomes hopeless, call his attention to his serious condition... we terminate our earthly spirie caree th wordd n tan i r Kol f so y Writ, 'Till I give up my ghost, I will not remove my integrity from ine.' (31) The modern idea of protecting one from the ugly reality f deato above absens i hth en i tpassage . One's integrity is not lost as a strategy is presented for meeting and overcoming death. There is real direction here as to how n prepa.ronca e r imminenfo e t death. Concerning thiy swa to die, the text states further on: V'hen the patient perceived that his time to die draws near, he should with a pious spirit and a humble heart accep e heavenlth t y decreed 9..an . offer namthanke r havinGodf th o e fo o ,st g granted undisturbedle di o t s bed..m hi d thuhi n an o y.s breathe his last in the firm belief in the Unity f Israelo e onld th yGo .f o (32) And in defining what might be termed the "good" death, Sefer Hahayii mn agreemen i , t with Ijaavor Yabok, states, 11?

Tha gatee tth openeheavee f b so y receivo t dnma e his devotion, and that his soul may undisturbedly soar to the heavenly abode in the garden of Eden, there to enjoy, beneath the tree of eternal life, the plentitude of bliss treasured up for the righteous f sucO .ha deat h King Solomon says, 'That the day of death is better than the day of birth.1 Indeed, suc ha departur e from lif y justlema e b y termed good ; as the sages (of blessed memory) com- ment on the verse: - 'And God saw everything that d made d s beholverha an wa e , yH t i dgooc! ' .The words 'vej-T good * , they say, allude to death; rhen the truly piou virtuoud san s receive their full reward highee th n ri regions d enjo e an celestia, th y d lan undisturbed tranquilit soule th ,f yo figuratively termed by our sages, the day which is completely Sabbath. (33) prayere Th s said persoe eitheth gosen y y ni rb b r o s other r him e sectiosfo e foun th ,ar n i dn "Ane d th thi s i s ojii Gat Heaven.f o e J " Whil explanatore eth y section pre- ceeding this praye a cabbalistir f appearo e b o st c nature, bases i number-playsn t o di s a must i ,mentionee tb d that no references are given and it is not in parentheses, as were the above cabbalistic statements found in Sefer Hahayiim. sais i dt I thaeighteee tth n worlds through whice th h soul descend eighteee birtth t s a d han n worlds through which the soul ascends at death are referred to in the eighteen verses of the first prayer »•? inue i in order that the soul cleaves to the living God and is worthy of the resurrection to be, that 'you that cleave to e e Lorlivinar th d u yougyo thirf o Gods l day'al , , tharighteoue th t s eve n theii n r deat e callehar d living. (35) Notice should be taken of the very interesting phrase "that the righteous eve thein i n r deat e callear h d living" t shoulI . d als mentionee ob vere placew dth fe y f thao s te on thi s i s 118

botn i h Sefer Hahayii I.laavod man r Yabok thatere tth m resurrectio mentioneds ni . This prayer **? inns is a beautiful collection f verseo s which contai e wornth d "gate n themi "r tha o , t expres relationshie whor sth fo m e on e pth betweed an d nGo e openH s gatessHi . Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will enter there, and I will thank the Eternal. .». I sleep, but my heart waketh; it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled wit hy lockm dew d s, an wit nighe e dropth hth t f o s .... to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to loose those that are appointed to death.... Thou wilt e paty presenc shoth Th lifef ho e n wm i ; s fulnes i e s of joy, in Thy right hand there is beautitude for evermore. (36) Th Sabbate thes i th Psal ny r recitedhDa fo m n I . the preceeding explanatory remarks pointes i t t thai , ou dt the verse "the righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon" J3{7 refers to the growth, ascension, of the soul up through the eighteen worlds to God. This also points to the conception of resurrectiono OQ e nexTh t paragraph ^ contain verse sth e whicn i h Maavor Yabo s include wa ke "verse th n f unification"i do s , "Let Him kiss me with the kisses of His mouth for Thy love is better than wine." 3-"9 This paragraph continues the hope for immortality in relationship with God. But first, there irecognitiosa e closenesth f no d realit san deathf o y s A . it is stated: 119

knoI r w Fo that Thou wilt deathbrino t d e an gm , to the house appointed for all the living. Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with bloody men. Yea, thoug walhI k throug e vallee th th h f o y shado deathf w o wil I - ,l fear o evil..rfo n s A . me I will behold Thy face in righteousness; awaking I shalr ou l s gloryy i feasthi r Th d Fo n sGo .to r eve d r everguidfo ran ou e v;ild H ;e Go b l even beyond death. For Thy salvation I have waited 0 Eternal. (4-0) The next prayer, »3TiK KJJK , continues this theme whe t statesni : the moment has now arrived at which I have to return to Thee the soul which Thou hast deposited within me. Take it back from rn.e by the kiss of Thy mouth, e angeth f death..lo y b t no . d seny angelan dTh s of mercy and truth to attend to the last moment of my existence, to receive my soul, and to restore her to her heavenly source - the garden of Sden. (*H) Notice shoul differentiatioe takee dth b f no n betweee nth kiss of death and the visitation of the Angel of Death. One seems to represent an "easy" death, while the other a "difficult" death. The second part of this prayer is a confession, in which it is stated that as there is a confession of sins, then God will not doom his soul to perdition, but grant me a portion in the garden of Eden, in the assembly of the saints and pious ones. Deign that I may be worthy of participating in the resurrection of the dead, e tranquith andn i . l blisa futur f o s e world, v;hich d everlastinan e on a s gi Sabbath. ('12) Again Sefer Hahayiim makes mention of the resurrection. Why it does make use of this term and llaavor Yabok does not, s beyoni d conjecture .e said b Exceptn , ca that e i ,tth rabbinic eschatology s demonstratea , Sefen i d r Hahayiim, sees 120

Judgmenf o greaf thy o eDa s tta importance therebd an , y resurrection, v/hil e cabbalistith e c system s demonstratea , d r.laavon i r Yabok, see sa harmone south lf o y v;ite sphereth h s as the desired goal after death. A reading of the two works reveals that they both discuss the transmigration of the soul, Sefer Hahayiim in s cabbalistiit t rabbinino d can c sections d botan ,h discuss the image of the Garden of Eden. Both works infrequently d sparselan y mentio d discusnan s gehinom. Only Sefer Hahayiim mention tere sth m "resurrection y degrean o f frequencyt eo " . One reason for the infrequent appearance of the latter concepts might be that the v/orks assume that one is av/are of these latter concepts when readin e tergth m "Garde Eden"f o n . Another possible reaso s tha ni e terra th t s suc s "gehinomha " , "transmigration", and "resurrection" conjure an image of stern judgment and therefore "fear and trembling" in the reader. He fears this judgment of his actions and how they will be weighe referencn i d s futurhi o et regards , the term "Garden of Eden" is more tranquil in its depicted mood. V/hile judgment would certainly preceed one's entry into the Garden, it conjures a picture of life after death which is soothing, unaccompanied by the constant judging by God which accompanies the images of "resurrection" , ""transmigration" d "gehinoman , " A thir. d possible reason frequence Gardee th e imag th r th f fo o enf o yove othee rth r images tha s Gardei e , tth n imag realls i e e onlth yy positive one, as it is equivalent to the concept of "heaven". 121

There is then included quotations of Rabbi Jochanan d Rabban i Jochaif Simeono n so ,, v/hich stres e importancsth e o goofa d goo a lif d d ean reputation , even unti vere lth y moment of death.

t happBu y that man.. *e las th v;ho ts o t houhi f f ro existence, maintaine gooe dth d reputation acquired from early youth. To hira may be applied the maxim e v.'isesth f f kingso o t gooA ' :d nam s bettei e r than a precious ointnent, and the day of death than the f one'o y s da birth'. e nexTh t prayer, »amn »JHwhos, K V Ke importances ,i emphasized above quits i , e simila prayee th o L!aavon rt ri r Yabok »3y^ n^3Ji , also discussed above. There is first an appeal to Godfe raercy for a healing from sickness. And it prayes i d tha f deati t h must come a deat, s i f thao ht ir t peace, vXhic s accompaniei h n entranca y db e int e Gardenoth . of Eden. e samTh e theme thoss sa e that have been mentioned in this section concerning the prayers of the one in goses, continue throug three th h e final prayer pagen so s 178-191. The first prayer, *jiyD» D»m1?K , is a -piyyut. Each line contains five v.'ords equivalen numben e i t th o rt five v/ords m*.n»*'nrn .aawj mn osa arid the five books of the Torah. The alphabet is gone through tv;ice, v/ith each letter beginnin glinea . Firs alphabee tth gons i t e through in its normal order, and then it is gone through in reverse. This repetion of the alphabet is done so that it represents e v/rittee orath th l d Torahan n s thia ,s explaine i se th n i d explanatory note that proceeds the prayer in the text. 122

This piyyut praise rev/arde righteoue sth th f o s s in the world to come. It functions as a means of giving solace to the dying person by informing him of what lies ahead.

Exclaim aloud, Sternal God, v,ho is like unto Thee? and surely He will rcv;ard theeT with abundance of deligh d celestiatan l bliss. Great and heavenly reward awaits thce; in full age thou shalt come to the repose of thine ancestors. The lav: which thou didst practice, the faith in which thou didst live, v/ill be thy guardians; watched by them thou wilt sweetly and undisturbedly sleep.

T-he Omnipoten s formeha d dtGo thee, and. appointed thy lot: surely the day of thy death is better than that of thy birth. In that higher region of blissfulness thou wilt continue to live an everlasting life; this will be the reward for thine earthly labour. w thinHo e immortal soul will liv liv- er efo eternity; suce lengt th hy life d wilth h an ,e lb of thy days. (44) e nexTh t prayer, use, lia s» verse»n s s froe mth Tanach in order to declare God's righteousness, mercy, and power over life. It is this knowledge which gives the dying person hope. It is His consistent righteousness (faithfulness) which gives the dying person the knowledge that he v/ill not be forsaken. As it is written: I v/ill sing of mercy and judgement; unto Thee, 0 Sternal, righteoue wilth r lsingI lovetFo d .sGo h righteousness s countenancKi ; e doth graciously behol e uprighe samed th dth t Thoan ,t Bu tuar e 123

Thy years shall have no end. Vlhy art Thou cast down, y soult Thod m v:h ar an y0 u ? disquiete? ne n i d Hope ,shal I r Thopraist r fo Godn lye fo ui m : eHi the salvation of His countenance. After tro days /of affliction/ vdll He revive us: on the third v/ile H y l da establish, tha e shaltw ls Hi liv n i e presence. (4-5) e finaTh l prayer, i-npi hope, sr lif sfo e eternal, based, first on God's righteousness, and then on His nercy. As it is written: y righteousnesTh n everlastina s si g righteousness, e everlastiny lavth Th / d an g truth r thiFo s i s. God our God, for ever and ever: He v/ill be our guide even beyond death. As for Cod, His way is immutable e interna th e v.'or th f ,o s trieds d i li e H : a buckle l thos al o trus o e wh rt Him...n i te th . yearn strengtr i ou day e seventy f f i sar so d han ; they be eighty years, yet is their pride labour d v.y av;ayran efl f . of s sooi t d cu t nsorrov/i an r fo ; But they that v/ait upon the Eternal shall renev,1 their strength... v/ho redeeriet y lifth h e from destruction; who crovrneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercieso.. All flesh shall perish togethern shalma ld an retm-, n unto dust...e Th . Eternal killeth and naketh alive: He bringeth down e grave th d bringet o an ,t . VJilhup t Thou t returno , n d revivan tha? y peopleus t Th y rejoicema Theen i e . t IsraelLe , therefore, Eternale trusth n r i t fo : Eternae th l ther mercyplenteous s i i ed v/it m an ,hHi s red enp t i on. (A'-6) Even in these final prayers, the difference between e tv/oth v/orks under discussio e seenb n . nca While Scfer Hahayiim speaks of God's mercy, its emphasis on God's judgment, that is basically lacking in the closing section of naayor Yabok, is stressed here. In Sef er I ID hay i in the life in the world to come and resurrection are viewed, as rewards. Hravor Yabo1:, explicitly and implicitly, speaks of the world to come, not in terns of rewards, which might t speaki y b Cardere sewh t resurrection th onlno Edef f o d o y, nan , 124

n termi harmonf t so bu y v;ith God, bathin s lightHi n i g. Based upon these considerations believt no o d eI ,tha t j.laavor Yabok could contain the Myyut , while Sefcr rahayi.J.n could not contain Ga.briols's or ibn Esrp's piyyutin.

Each v.or):, during their last sections, viev/s the T "kiss of Cod" as the "good" death. But each v/ork has its ovni languag d imagerean r describinyfo g that kisse Th . difference I contend, ,e differenc th lie n i s e betv;eee th n knov:ledge the ra.bbinic and the cabbalistic systems had of God and His relationship to nan. S_efer Ilahayii'q concludes v.'ith d ^Tian Q1?!.»] ? and the verses of "unification". As to these verses, they are presented alone and not v.'ith surrounding verses, as is e casth e 5n Ilaavor Yabok. Again mysticae th , l imaginetion- is not present in Scfer Hahayiin. 125

Footnotes to Chapter VII

Aaron Berechiah b. Hoses of P'odena, Ilaavor Ynbok, (1626; rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, 192?) , p. 10*1- . 2Ibid. , p. 10^. 3Ibid.. p. 105. . p 105, . _____ , p. 105. Ibid.., p. 106. 7 Ibid. , p. 106. 8Ibid. . 106p . . 9 Ibid.t p. 106. 10Ibid.. p. 10?. 1 Ibid..1 . 10?p . . 12 Ibid.t p. 107. 13Ibid. p. 108. li— t—— f Hyman -E. Goldin, Hamadrikh (Hew York: Hebrev.' Publ. Co., 1956) . 109p , . ^Berechiah, p. 100. I6lbid. . 108p . . 17rbid., p. 109. . pp « "ibid,, pp. 109-110. ^?0ulbid. . 109-110pp . . 21Ibid.. pp. 109-110. 22Ibid.. p. 110. 23Ibid.. p. 110. Israel Zangwill, tran., Selected Religious Poems pf_Splpnpn_ n GabrioIb l (Phil.: JPS, 1*923) . 61-62pp , . , p. 62. 26Ibid.. p. 63. 27Berechiah . 111p , . Ibid., p. Ill. 29 Ibid. . 111p t . 3 0Ascher. BH . , tran. e Boo f Th Lif,o d kExpressio an e e th f no Tongue (london: 13. H~. Archer, f863) , p. 31Ibid. . 162-162pp , . .32Ibid.. p. 167. 126

-^Ascher . 168p , . Sr.A 3^-r , Ib_id.- , . 169p , . 35Ibid., p. 169. 36Ibid., pp. 169-179. ^7Ibid. . 171p , . 38 Ibid.t p. 172. ^IMd., p. 173. /J-vuD lbid.——— f p. 173. .Ibid., pp. 173-175. , p. 175- . 175p , - , pp. 179-181. , p. 187.

, PP. 187-191. 127

Chapter VIII muco S h materia beins li g written subjece todath n yo t of deat d dying fiele han Th thanatologf .o d s growyha n to immense proportions. While this subject has been treated from different angles, little attention has been given-to the Jewish attitudes toward death and dying, aside from their halachic discussion. Leigh David Lerner, in his recent article "On Death and Dying - Jewishly", also sees this paucity of Jewish material in this field when he writes: Finding Jewish material by which comparison crystallizes proves to be more difficult than first guess might have itA surfeio prescriptiof to d legalisnan m surrounds doet i t e deadying sno th t l e sicbu d ,witth an k h lona g transition from whepatiene nth t learne sh must die to the time of actual death. (1) He, however, does find such Jewish materia midrase th n li h on Moses1 death. And at the end of his article, he suggests that such Jewish attitudes toward sickness, dying and death might not only be found in the Midrash, "but in the very p nature of our liturgy, which the faithful recite often." This thesis has been devoted toward such an analysis of the liturgy as to the Jewish, attitudes toward sickness, dying and death by a discussion of the works Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim. It is now possible to draw a number f conclusiono o thest s sea attitudes o suggest d an ,t questions for future research. w evidentno s e abovi n lighi th , t I f eto thesis, that these two works, for the most part, rely upon different 128

aspects of the Jewish tradition which affect their respective attitudes toward sickness and dying. The two handbooks were separate almosy db hundree on t d years d theian , r authorst a , least, were separated geographicall d therebyan y culturally. Berechiah was from southern Europe, while Frankfurter was from northern Europe. And as no handbooks, on the same scale s thesea , v/as writte publisher no d prio Maavoo rt r Yabpd an k Sefer Hahayiim, it becomes evident that they were working from various ora writted lan n traditions,circulating during their times and in their geographical places. This is substantiated differencee bth y texte th sn si themselves n weli s a ,s la their introductions, and also in Marcus1 definitive analysis of the subject- They reflected their cultural milieus as well. The quotations from their introductions, found in chapter I of this thesis, demonstrate how they were reacting to their surrounding d theisan r communal needs, There ear therefore these differences betwee workse nth . Their similarities, however ,minimizede b mus t tno . Many of their oral and written traditions were similar. Surely both authors were aware of the major works which proceeded them, such as Nachmanides1 Torat Ha-Adam and the Shulhan Aruch. And it v/as demonstrated in a few places above where Frankfurter might have been aware of Berechiah's work. thematie th o t cs A differences betweeo workstw e , nth Berechiah's cabbalistic theosophical sources, v/hice h relied upon more heavily tha rabbinie nth c sources, allowed 129

him to describe and analyze in detail the processes of sin and repentance in relationship to sickness, health, and death. This cabbalistic system surel s concerneywa d with the practical aspecte facth f o e n whaf i mussn o o tma d t these circumstances. But it was also very much concerned d an witw ho hknowledgea o t thatt a n exac a s e a ,d on t an , why man can take these actions, as well as how the Godhead react this i o them st t I emphasi. s upon knowledge (notice shoul takee db n thafirse sphereo tth ttw e callesar d Wisdom and Understanding) in the cabbalistic citations in I-laavor Yabok that allow Berechiah's wor detaio kt processee lth s d repentancan n si man'n f o eo s healt d sicknesshan d an , thereb man'n yo s relationship wite spheree th hth d san Godhead, and vice a versa. This knowledge adds depth to1 .one's thinking as well as to one's deeds. Knowledge thereby becomes the desired goal, and is joined with deed in the act of intention (kavanah) which plays an important part in the cabbalistic system, s see numbeabove a wa wort na th n d i kef an r o prayers. Frankfurter's rabbinical sources, which except for those comments in parentheses were the sources he relied upon most of all, allowed him to describe only the end result of these d repentanceprocessean n si e rabbini f Th so . c system's emphasis and goal was more upon "deed" than upon "knowledge". Sefer Hahayiim's explanatory sections tell what actions man must take before sickness and death in terms of rewards and 130

s concernea punishments t no s di wit t intermediare I .hth y step thesf so e processe Maavos i s sa r Yabok, than wite hth initial steps, sicknes d repentancesan finae th ld an , steps,v_repentanc d rewaro repentancan n e r o d e whics i h followed by death with no eternal life with God. This emphasis upon deed rather than metaphysical knowledge would explai lace directionnf th ko e us kavanae r th sfo d han of gematria in the rabbinic sections of Sefer Hahayiim. In this thesis I had tried to discover if these different o 'worktw sourcee sth werf so e reflecte t onl theidn no i y r explanatory sections, but also in the various prayers they utilized. While it did not prove to be true in every' case that was studied, I came away from this review of these works wit sense hth e thaprayere tth Maavon i s r Yabok appeal basicall God'o yt s attribut f o emercy havI . e therefore suggested in the thesis that the liturgies reflect the works' respective source seemet i s sa d thaprayere tth Sefen si r Hahayiim appeal to God's justice. But again, in certain section liturgiese th f so , especiall e sectionth n i y s close to the time of death, in both works their appeals to mercy d justican e become combine d confused.an d cannoI . t account phenomenoe th r fo beginningne th tha workt e ta th e sth f sd demarcation between prayers appealin merco gt d thos an y e to justice is clear, while toward the end of the liturgies this demarcatio t clearno s .ni As to these works1 reliance upon their respective 131

rabbinic and cabbalistic traditions, future research might be devoted to ascertaining whether those cabbalistic references and explanations in parentheses in Sgfer Hayiim writine th time e origina f th ar texte o f e go t th A .o lt xthis thesis, the earlier editions of Sefer jlahayiim are unavailabl r comparisoefo n witthire hth d edition user fo d this thesis. If Sefer Hahayiim really relied more heavily upo rabbinie nth ccabbalistie th tha n no c sources it t sa inception, these parentheses, as conjectured above, should not be found in the earlier editions of 1?03 and I?l6. Another arefuturr afo e research deals withistore hth - ica d culturalan l strea whicn i m h these works stood. Surely Maavor Yabok was within the mystical tradition. The question must be raised as to the theurgical function of these prayers, and thereby the basic underlying gnostic influence. The heavy reliance upon the usage of God's names in the cabba- listic sections in both works suggests this gnostic tradition. And if there is a theurgic function here, it would be interesting to discover the relationship between the above prayers and the theurgic incantations to be found upon amulets and talismen. That such incantations are an ancient part of Judaism has been attested to by scholarship. And if suc relationshiha p does exist between these prayerd san the tradition of incantations, the question needs to be raisewhetheo t thest s no da r ero prayersice d th kan r sfo dying come under the heading of magical formulae and customs. 132

f thii doe , e suddesd so sth prove An e b n o appearancst e of these major liturgical works concur with a deepened interes magican i t l incantation sice d dyinth kan n r i gs fo other religious traditions in Europe? There is then the relationship between the Jewish traditions before sickness, dying and death,and between the Christian traditions which needs to be analyzed. That there relationshia s wa attestifies i p Marcusy b o t d 1 statement: A detailed Christia e studth f o y n guilds, primarily e religiouth s guilds, havprovese vi ea righ s a o ,t expect strona , g similarit average th o yt e Holy Brotherhood t onl broan no ,i y d outline t alsbu ,o in detail. (3) Marcus sees the similarities between the Guilds and the' Brotherhoods in terms of institutional structures. But what of theological similarities and influences? What were the rituals and praj^ers in the Church at this time? It was mentioned above that both works utilize the concept "Garden of Eden" (heaven!) more often than "resurrection", "transmigration", or the "Day of Judgment"„ Was this usage of the "Garden of Eden" paralleled by a similar emphasis upon e concepth t "heavenChristiae th n i " n liturgie t thisa s time? After all, both traditions containe e otheth d r concepts sa well. The answers to these questions must await future research. The final suggestio futurr nfo e research might deal with Lerner's questio muc w daile ho yearld hth f yan no y liturgies of the Jewish calendar tell us of the Jewish 133

attitudes toward sickness and death. The relationship between the liturgies for the Day of Atonement and the day of death has been stressed over and over again in this thesis. Further detailed investigation into this relationship between these tv;o days., must be left for future study. With, however, all of the above differences between thworko etw s Llaavor Yabo Sefed kan r Hahayii thein mi r attitudes toward sicknes d deathsan , their terminologies, d analysesan s beeha nt i ,demonstrate d that they both shar. e the basic rabbinic understanding of the process of sickness, dying and death. This has been demonstrated by the above references between the body of the liturgies and the rabbinic understanding,in these areas, s presente,a d primarily in chapter II. For whether the liturgy*s'vocabulary is in terms of metaphysical concepts harmond an , d disharmonyan y betweee nth spheres, or in terms of concrete rewards and punishments, both liturgies define sickness in terms of sin. Sickness is the result of one's actions in relation to God and to man. While it is implied that deterioration of man's physical structure is a fact of life, in no place is it said that man will live forever in this body; sickness is the result of one's broken relationshi d manmust pI an wite »tb d hGo pointed out, however, that sicknes resule th s e tmighb t tno of a particular sin or act which breaks these relationships, but rather can be the result of a general relationship with Go manr r thio d Fo .s reason sufferings (sicknessese ar ) wickeo t d givedGo meny nb , averagee mens th wela ,s la righteous, not because of a specific act they committed warninga bu s sora ta shocf s to a , negativf o k e reinforcement, to make one realize the necessity to turn toward God, or in the case of the righteous, to remain in relationship with God. In light of this definition of sickness, these liturgies, their customs and rituals, serve the function of returning the sicbace kon k into relationshi d witp an wit hd manhGo . relationshin I man,charito pt d gooan y d deed e suggestedsar . And in relationship to God,prayer and study are suggested. These acts come under the heading of "deeds of repentance". thess i t ei actd repentancf An so e which restoriny b , g these relationships, cure man of his sufferings, sicknesses, assumin t God'no g s si tha intentiot i t brino nt deatn go h despite the deeds of repentance. Deat thes hi n define similaa n i d r wayrabbie Th .w sa s the existenc resule deatf eo th man'f s hto a se falth n li Garde Edenf o n . Deat therefors i h naturaea l par lifef to . One's typ f deatho e , naturaa however t no ls i ,par lifef to . One's death can be prolonged and filled with pain and suffering n occun earla ca t wilyrt t a i I t age .lno d An . be followed by an eternal existence in relationship with Gardee o th wh Go Edenn f e i no d on . e e deatth th Thi f o s hsi doe t repent reneso no t relationshis y ,whi tr doe t sno p with d eveGo n when death must come. 135

On the otherhand,one's death can come at the end of a lon d fulfille n easgan a ye b deathn d ca life ,t I fille. d wit deata paio hn s sufferingr i no h t followei d An .y db n eternaa l existenc relationshin i e Gardene th pn i .wit d hGo Whether this is a disembodied or an embodied existence is not stated in the liturgies^ although the emphasis in the above liturgies on the neshamah, the soul, does imply that it will be a disembodied existence. In the Garden one will continue to sing God's praises, the psalms, with the angels and the worthies of the past. There is this concept her f immortalityeo . This resul e deatpropea th f s to i h r life d thian ,s immortal lif eresula thesf to e deedd san prayer repentancf so d confessioan e n which clea pate rth h continuea r fo d relationshi r eternityp fo wit d hGo . basie th Thes c e work o attitudeear tw se th towar f so d sickness, dyin d deathgan » Once again particularn i , e sth works differ as to how one overcomes sickness and/or death y repentancb eo Maavor Yabok sees the' attainmen f knowledgto e utmose th s patta e achievinf goath ho n lo n eternaga l relationship with God. This is emphasized, at least, by its inclusion of Nachmanides' thirteen principles toward e death-beth f o d d en liturgies e th s witA .h Maimonides' thirteen principles, it is assumed that even this minimum amount of philosophy will help one to achieve immortality. Sefer Hahayiim,o e otherhand,seeth n s deed e e actth th ,s ,a utmos tpate goath h n ltowaro d achievin n eternaga l rela- 136

tionship with God. Regardles e differenceth f so termn si - inologies, both works see an eternal disembodied relationship with God as the goal of one's life. These deed prayerd an s repentancf so e thereby become strategies for attaining this goal of life. It is interesting, tha s Lerneta d donrha e wit e Moseshth 1 midrass i t hi , possibl o comparet e these strategie e fivth e o st stage s of dying now made famous by Dr. Kuebler-Ross in her book On Death and Dying. Lerner describes these five stages in e followinth g way: 1. Denia d isolationlan . Initially e dyinth , g patient cannot believe it is true. 'No, not me,' is the reaction. Then comes a partial acceptance of the facts, followe t desira alonee no b y db t o t eye , without the option of re-opening ties or links with humanity outside the self. 2. Anger e patienTh . t focuses haphazardl n nursesyo , doctors, chaplains, visitors, even things, venting a rather undirected anger. 3» Bargaining > This attempt to postpone offers good d 'nicean hope 1 avertinf th acto e n i s finae gth l decree for at least a short while. *!-. Depression o typeTw .f depressio so n manifest themselves: reactive, stemming from the sureness of death e disfigurementh , e body e impossiblth th ,f to e burden of debts incurred in a hospital, etc.; and preparatory, the patient's own grief for his death, acceptancer fo y pavinwa e .gth 5» Acceptance . Voi f feelingso d a quie, t expectation overtakes the individual. He sleeps relievedly and has some measure of peace. Lerner concludes afte stude rth thif yo s midrash that "Denial could be a minor factor; anger, directed instead of diffuse; bargaining, far more extensive."^ The present question is how do the strategies of repentance in Maavor Yabo Sefed kan r Hahayiim compare with these five stages? 137

As Lerner had discovered in the midrash on Moses1 death, it can be seen in the above liturgies that the element of denial is kept at a minimum and acceptance at maximuma . Acceptanc e firseth tseeme b stratego st o yt be taken by the sick or dying. Over and over again in tnis thesis, it has been emphasized how the prayers stress the realit f one'o y s sicknes e realit th d death san d yan , that they stem from one's specific act r one'so s general improper relationship with God. The language in both the original prayers,as well as in the psalms chosen by Berechiah and Frankfurter,are extremely vivi d graphian d n theii c r imagery, depictin e situatioth g sice d dyingth an k f no . Acceptance e firsmusth te tb strategy s repentanca , e cannot begin until one accepts his own role and God's role in his present predicament s stateA . d repeatedly above, acceptancs i e a positive step as it is the first step of repentance. The other strategies mentioned in this thesis can be see s attemptna o bargaist n with must GodI e stressed.tb , Kuebler-Rossm goin. a Dr I o attemp gt e f i us o t ' termin- ology, that thi s sureli s bargainint yno markets it n i g- place bargainins sensei t I offerins .i than e i g s on t ghi prayer d deedsan repentancr o s hopen i e s thawild tGo l present His changed decree in return, and that health or an easy death s describea , d above, wil e forthcominglb . These strategies of "bargaining" include study, prayer, and deeds of "kindness". 138

Study in the rabbinic sense is a mitzvah. which as an act in itself brings one into relationship with God. Study in the cabbalistic sense is a development of one's soul (active intellect), which then places one higher within the sphere d therebsan y bring Godheade e closeson th o rt . But regardles studw ho detaileds i yf s o seea s i s na t i , strategy firsa , t step toward acceptance, renewing one's relationship with God. Prayer, as an outpouring of oneself toward God, is, of course, also such a strategy. Intention is important prayern i , whether withi cabbalistie nth rabbinir co c systems difference Th . e betwee intentioe nth prayef no s ra described betweeo systemtw e differenca snth e seemb o t s e of degree and understanding of such a concept. Prayer is of course efficacious in both systems. The theurgical usag certaif eo God'f no s specianamea s sha l effect upon the Godhead. Prayers of propitiation, that is those prayers in which one sees himself as priest making offerings of

n prayers,osicknesow s deathr hi so f o r tas atonement offerings before God, also have a way of influencing God as did the ancient offerings, by their "pleasing smell". And the prayers of confession also influence God by demon- strating that one is ready to cleanse himself of all the dros distanca s t thaa kepd m tha et hi from God. e deedAnth d f "kindnessso " show physically thae ton reads i mako yt e physica d thereban l amend n Godo ma yt o .st This and all these strategies of repentance, bargaining 139

moves e stepar , s base n acceptancdo f one'eo s situation, toward showing God that as he is now renewing his relation- ship with God, so too should God show mercy to him and renew His relationship with man. And this renewal with s prayedi t i e mos,, th tshoulhim n i appropriat e b d e way. recoveryy b e appropriate b Th easn y a ,ma y y deatewa h and/or eternan a l life with God. Unlike the midrash on Moses' death, little anger is expressed toward God.over what has happened. Only Nachmanides' confession, mentioned abovee d th som an f ,eo e questionpsalmth k as s , "why me?d "whan " y t now?Bu " basically I concur with Lerner that the Jewish tradition has three stages rather than Kuebler-Ross* five stages, although since anger in these liturgies is at such a minimum, there realle ar y onlstageo ytw s wit repetitioha firse th tf no stage. These stages presen n thesi t e liturgies are) (1 : acceptance, (2) strategies of bargaining, and (3) acceptance again. The practical and realistic difficulty with these strategies is that they are based upon the traditional concepts of man's relationship with God. It is this point which makes the difficulty since I am not sure how many moderns, aside from the traditionally orthodox, still accept these traditional beliefs in the man-God relationship. The question which Lerner raises and I too wish to raise, in ligh f thito s modern difficultyn thesca ew ho traditiona s i , l 14-0

strategies be "translated into modern philosophies and liturgical structures to be of use to moderns today. Firs allf to e strateg ,th acceptancf o y vitas i e o lt the sick one's getting better or worse in the modern medical situation. It is only by acceptance that the patient can do anything abou s illnessthi womane Th r example.fo , o wh , breasr denie he luma n s to ps ha wil thae lsh t most probably die of metestatic breast cancer. On the otherhand, the woman who discovers the lump, goes to the doctor, and gets the lump removed or treated has an excellent chance of lickin e entirgth e situation. Especiall fighe th tn i y against cancer, where patients mus througo tg h various and vigorous courses of treatment and/or surgery, I believe that it can safely be said that the doctors need the cooperatio patiene th patiene f th mucs no ta s a ht needs e cooperatioth e doctorsth f no . s alsIha to been said tha acceptancn a t f one'eo s illness, course of treatment, and hospital routine make for a quicker recovery. As it is written: n ailinA g perso o doeaccept nwh sno sice th tk role when necessary, who does not remain within its protecting confines for an appropriate time, and who fails to relinquish it in a fitting manner when y endangema , so s allowelif rhi o o tha d s e o tt d trivial disease becomes fatal.(5) d eve An n referenci n dyino et e d deathon gan f i , accept e realitsth proximitys it f deathyo d d an , an , therefore prepares physically, psychologically, materially, d spirituallan have comings on n easiee a it n r ca ,ryfo sais i dt i tha n e deaty deatha tth wh f s thi o hI t ?s no eighteen year old is harder than the death of a seventy year old? The former faces incompleteness of life, while r lifs beehe ha e r no fulle latters s readth hi i , d f i yan , prepared for death. Of cours stratege eth acceptancf yo bargainine th d ean g strategie thein i s r modern sense chang basie th e c theological thrust of the strategies in the above works. Modern man's strategie e definitelsar y man-centered, whil oldee th e r strategies are God-man centered. It might be possible, however, to take the modern acceptance strategy and say that while God might not be the cause of one's illness or dying, in that these are neither rewards or punishments but are accidents of life, it might be said that God can give man, e doctors th s wela s e strengtla th , meeo ht e illness th t , possibly overcome it, and if not, make for an easy death. While of course God becomes limited in this sense, He is the hope v/he l failsal n , bringing strengt o whaht t lies ahead. God become undefinable th s e strength which stan r healthfo d , and/or peace. He becomes man's inner motivational strength, for even at the end of life man must look inward to achieve what he wants. He is the strength which is described in the following prayer which is a paraphrase of the prayer of Alcholic's Anonymous! "Give me the strength to change that which I can change, and the strength to accept that which I cannot change." mightt I ,modere eveth n ni world possible b - o et sugges trelates i tha d tone'Go o d t s suffering, sickness, cause th thesf o es i ed e dying H calamitiesan s a , I t Bu . would believe that wit l goohal d conscienc woult i e vere db y difficult to say that such and such is the sin which one committe d thian d s one's punishment r forefathersou s a , e th , rabbis, could many times say with surety. Especially in the cas cancef eo r where many time sufferine sth greato s s gi , it would be difficult to make such a correlation. But might' relates i e star weth d f one'tGo o o stildt y slsa illness without specifying how? This would at least give to the r forefathersou o t d di modern,t i sucs a thoss ,ha o ewh used Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim, a sense of meaning to their lives. r sufferingsOu coursf o para r joys d e teou an , ar , ogreatefa r pla whicf no have h w o specifien c knowledget bu , can only sense in our lives. This sense of meaning is very comforting, and might in some cases give people the hope to go on in the face of physical calamities. This would also be true for the sense of guilt in relationship to our past actions d society,e counsello an on God ,s A . r wrote: Guilt implies that life has meaning - that there is a standard whic larges i h r thae individualnth . When the individual transgresses this standard, he exper- iences the justifiable consequences... To protect ourselves from the threat of the unknown - the perils of meaninglessnes y holma de w tenaciousl s- e th o yt security of the known - the discomfiture of guilt. (6) How to relate this sense of guilt, that is the meaningfulnes moderlifef a so o t , n patient without having m considehi e counsellorth d "old-timran e religionist", migh difficule tb practicaa n ti l sense surelt Bu . y this si aren a a worth futurr yfo e exploration. These three stage acceptancef so , bargainingd an , acceptanc eactivn a giv n ema rolacceptin n wela s e a s la g role of the realities of life and their inherent meanings. It is by this translation of the liturgies Maavor Yabok and Sefer Hahayiim that they hol interesn a d t beyon merda e historica d theologicalan l one. Further researc d creativhan e work must be done in this area of translating traditional concept d valuesan s into modern ones orden i , mako rt e such translations a working reality. We are living in an era when the sick and dying are living and dying in sterile lonely existences oncf I .e agai taughe b nn modertca n nma waye th s n i ofnom .ion,"kindnes d truth"an s , possible yth sicd dyinkan amidsge wildi t livd tlno ean sterilit d yan loneliness rathet bu , r amids tsharea d communit carinf yo g and strength in the face of the ulimat-e of life, that is, death. Footnotes to Chapter VIII

Leigh David Lerner, "On Death and Dignity - Jev/ishly" , Reconstructionis 1 (197. . 11 Ho Z. 0 p , t XL . 2Il3id.. p. 15. -•^3 Jacob R. Marcus, Communal, _Sick-Care in the German Ghetto (Cinn. e HebrevTh : ; Union College Press, 19^7) ,, p75 » h. Lemer. 12 . p , Siegle d Humphrran y Osmond, "The 'Sick Role1 Revisited", The Hastings Center Studies. I, No. 3 (1973), P« 57. ntfilliam Hulme, Dialp-gue__in_ Despair (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 19"68) , pp0 53-5^. 3-i 3 -» u s» _! ..» a vj • 3 •»b a ^w ii (Q3 3 > r» s b * - J v- i 3 v1 t u u a U -U »u Q » - vl U *b U u 3 1 uo 3 -* a a < * -J* a b -«r tj o a uav *>u + * -ji3x * j b a «Js *5 b u 3 « 3 U D b 4 «J*_J ^a T 5U ? a :; -«J- ^U i i3Sta<«*«^ tn Jwb-j* u^ -5a i « 3 l3-»bVJ l < b- ,_ -» a _i -• _» vs _i _i ?T wsjajo a 2 i»~. aau-»bba—»3U ^ u *-K u J 2 w <» g * < ^ r> a w: UJ-«tf3 ^ •^J-l sTQU-J-aS' JT;;X<<>*VJ>«U» u r, 13 -iua ia i»»33 ^ D-» 3DU^ ^«3 ., • <3 U <«3U U » • sT 3 vjst^tJBNro» • O•Kl«u S u 3 a U D 3 «U 1432O sbaac< f ^u < *3^atiaauj ou 3OVJWP! i ««ja «_ - s w «j- - a vj ^ J 3 _3U-«"S * -^IDD *SP: l J 4 *- —< u i - 4 .UM u -• b -• a u x a _l •^J_»! 4 5 V»5 K b>>u_t _.j -j j 4

» i- JU « J tJ P l a_ J b> w 3 i U U f _ j u u a * w^^r *<3 AppendiI xI K^K im'so n Vso no •n Vua .rnDVofl ,nMna ncjo1? .]-"ia I.ID (a pns ,pns AppendiI II x sin via Rizn.ipn KDISO THUD Kjun siyn sn»n 73:11 a*7-»i JT»SD ns?y:ii mo.i mo

7301 ]J13»J1D »TSD 7D01 y»i a»Tp ]Dtai K7 Kc?»ip Kp'Jiyi Kiin 73 ay »7y loy »?in n,in» TJ97. »D7 ]i»am »s 'no« ]ISTJ T»n» ".'7K1J1.1 (T pns Appendix IV l HID pSSilDW D»om JlCpa *?V O'p.lDS Kins? n ».in 'JD oe?a cuK D s n AppendixV

Kin JUKI 1'aVy 150

AppendiI xV

nsna n»n»o Tiny VKIB*I pnx-»i omaK nt IK mmna 'naas OKI -pc Tina nai D'^-V? K n»»3eI njiosK I ? n niKa a^yo s Tia'i.i n K a.I nAn TDWB u'^^a K Ji'B'VfI n f Ji.i»n.iKa .IK mins ^i».inn .is rnjij.a an i n

f pa* 151

Appendix VII

-joe? nsmp Vy mnoa.i nsmpa i»jn«ms yuiKD ins Vs oi^sVi Van nK n»non s in 7iz? JI n»ns o»smn 152

Appendix VIII aion .].iya s ,n>nji,i nmi nansa TDBJ;I nasp i1? n.iiio *i flujo s nooD'»nmn j n (T pTa ,pns 153

AppendiX I x n»non

i Vnjin »J*D nn Tayjjm -pan* (T pns ,pis 'us?? ,£32. IT?' acir* r u rfc, uri.4»u u tr

X xxpuaddy 155

AppendiI X x

JIITSD no'y&n .VK iicsn w.n.pa I'/i "7K ]»ID o s?npai*na*»3 » a noon *no i.in nsj oyn rp7is ,, 156

AppendiI xXI

nt rn.in.t7 nnjoi n.in*1? nn»j n*n o»S3D BO 'Vya D'snej.iTj "PS 3*0.) ? Y1DJ D uan o'jiya 157

Appendix XIII o*ns»n V.T.I 3'nz> Vs DO *?y nwy

OTI.P n'?'1?^ iTDtn1? mo HT DOW

san 0*717 in»3D D»3i27T»i nan UK ptina i3»3D flis'siu ias?» napn IT i»»n n»:>Tm a » 158

Appendix XIV

'IDE Vssn »j?»ann I73»no rma is.1? n mo is n*nn -jas? nsa DJIIK jmpan D»».Vna D'^in jn'nn1? D.T'jy n 159

Appendix XV

? D.10 T K1?.! ,py ]*!1 » *?y onus nnoyi vaa ? a»a«?i»n 1 -Dy Jnoasyni tiy ma u1? ia»oi» 160

Appendix XVI

Tin

(106 161

Appendix XVII

jmao m»ny |n:n map 1JUB ITS' iia* 11K3

E7313

mrcc mn» : mn» 162

Appendix XVIII

a»3i»l?s?n iipnc sn.nan D'juinnrj ]o Q'ji'Vyn DMTSJID ]»K jm»son maim n^nn «iy»i mn »S33 Vy KTI S insi a ^a».an ^ i^i *D»K pJI I ^m mpy* pg?».i Dv'yan nyno inp»s?3 nyac ^K non1? .smi m KTIDIKi a S Kapiai xp.iaaa V,y aoTi inp.ysio nyno nanm ia nya so n s noun in-ya jnp»s?jQ »apo» no.na.i «jy»n ainD IJU »ST» V^ao ]i»x»a noun ain» D'm'js VK » D'mVsmn s nin » noia«imn n i 'yjnz?' yaw one? no . ,.n".in» JII»JI,IK no

(.n pu, s 163

Bibliograph Hebref yo w Texts .1809 ,K»s»3i . njasj nK*np .Vs'n* i"3a in . nj»iiaD noa

.1902 , .1881, Warsaw .tt^Ti1? pns^» ^g -]iny ]n'?p . ol?67iWarsaw . .17-67 ,^aiD3a .npis b^yo 120 .annas Tina ,nsia .1854 .nan JIM*? .^"ao sH8?n ,'?j',pJK'n3 .1717 .fl<*pn. ngp ,]iyos? ,non.i3p-aT3 ,18o6,Dyherenfurth -pa* mjgp ms*p .18 Frankfur, 5 1 Oderm a tmay* .pa o nts*p .186o,Prague .^J .1809 , KJ.loYK .pain .1714 ^n.noo'pn.1?*!! .pop 3 Bibliography Ascher, B.H. , tran e Expressioe Booth Th .f Lif o kd e ean th f no Tongue, London: B. H0 Ascher, 186^0 Baer, G. Tozeot Chaiim. Roedelheim: Druck u» Verlag von I. Lehrberger und Comp., 1871. Berechiah, Aaron b. Moses of Modenao Maavor Yaboko 16265 rpt. Bnai Berak: Yashfeh, 192?. Caro, Joseph. Shulhan Aruch. 1565; rptw YorkNe o : Shulsinger Bros., 1953. Davidson, Israel. Theasuru Medievaf so l Hebrew Poetry„ New York: Ktav Publ. House, Inc., 1970. Frankfurter, Simon. Sefer Hahayiimo Amsterdam: Israen lbe Avraham, 171?o Friendlender, M., tran. The_Guide for the .Perplexed. New York: Dover Publications, Inc 0, 1956 o Goldin, Hyman E. Hamadrikh. New York: Hebrew Publ. Co,, 1956. HaCohen, Aaron from Lunel. Orchot Chajim « Frienze, 1750. Horowitz, Isaiah. Shene Luhot_Ha^Brit0 Jerusalem, 1923* Hulme, William. Dialogu Despairn ei 0 Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1961T; Jastrow, Marcus oA Dictionary w YorkNe .: Pardes Publ. House, Inc., 1950. Jewish Encyclopedia o New York: Funk & Wagnails Co., 19120 Kissane, Edware Boo Th Psalmsf o ko dJ * Dublin e RichvieTh ; w Press, 1953. Kuebler-Ross, Elizabeth0 On__D_eath_and Dying. London: Collier- Ma cmillan Ltd., 19?2o Lazaron, Morris S0 The Consolations of Our Faith. Baltimore, 1928. Lerner, David Leigh. "On Death and Dying - Jewishly". Reconstructionist. XL, No0 1, (1974), ll-15o Linn, Louis, and Leo W. Schwarzo Psychiatry and Religious Experience w YorkNe .: Random House, 1958<> Marcus, Jacob„ Ro Communal Sick-Care in the German Ghetto„ Cinn.: The HUG Press, 1947. M,inor_Tractate e Talmudth f o s 0 London:- Soncino Press, 1963° Moore, George Foot. Judaism„ Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966. Pappenheim . ZiduS . M k, Hq.din. Breslau, 1821. Rehfuss, Co Vollstandiges Andacht3.-Buch_ aum_Gebrauche bei Krankheitsfslien„ Frankfurt-am Main: Drucd tun Verlag Undraeaifchen Buchhandlung, 183^c Schechter, Solomon. Aspects of Rabbinic Theplogy. New York: Schocken Books, 1969. Siegler, Miria d Humphreman y Osmond. "The 'Sick Role' Revisited". The Hastings Center Studies. 1, No0 3 (1973), 41-58. de Sola Pool, d tra edTraditionae an . mTh l Prayer_Boor kfo Sabbath and Festivals. New Hyde Park: University Books, Inc., 1960. 165

Urbach, Ephraim E0 The Sages. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1971. Zangwill, Israel, tran. Selected Religious Ppems^of Solomon Ibn Gabriol. Philo: JPS, 1923.