The prayer cycle, written in the Middle Ages, is an important and unique source for ancient piyyut and also for some piyyut that were previously unknown.
The National Library recently acquired a rare and unique prayer book from the 14th century that came from the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine.
The cycle, written in elegant handwriting, contains piyyutim for the Yom Kippur prayers of Shacharit, Musaf, and Ni'la, according to the liturgical tradition that has almost disappeared from the world: the custom of the city of Kappa, modern-day Feodosia.
Capa was a vibrant international port city, a global trade center in the Middle Ages where Jewish, Christian and Muslim merchants met, making it a noisy and vibrant cosmopolitan city influenced by very diverse cultures.
The city was home to an important and well-established Jewish community that combined customs from various traditions: Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and especially traditions of the Jews of the Balkans and Asia Minor (Romaniotes).
The uniqueness and importance of the manuscript lies primarily in its contents. It is the only source for many ancient piyyut and apparently preserves an earlier stage in the development of the tradition of the Jews of the Crimean Peninsula.
While some of the piyyutim are known from the Cairo Genizah, others are not known at all, and some appear in this prayer book in unique versions not found in any other source. In one case, a piyyutim from the Cairo Genizah that survived there only in part appears in this cycle in its entirety as if specially preserved for future generations.
Dr. Haim Neria, curator of the Haim and Hannah Solomon Jewish Collection at the National Library, explains: "Yom Kippur poems are the core of Jewish prayer, as they deal with themes of sin and repentance, and allow us to pray for forgiveness, kindness, and mercy. This manuscript is exceptionally important for the study of ancient poetry, as it preserves the unique prayer tradition of the residents of the city of Kaffa.".
""This is an irreplaceable item in Jewish history, as it enriches our understanding of the form of prayer, poetry, and Jewish community life in the Middle Ages in one of the most fascinating regions of the Jewish world due to its connection between the West and the East.".
The purchase was made with the generous assistance of the Kraus Foundation. The special volume has been scanned and is now available on the National Library website.
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