Chazan’s Prayers
Parchment Manuscript
By the Famous Scribe Rabbi Yaakov of Berlin
Hamburg, 1726
A notebook with prayers and blessings for the chazan’s use in the synagogue, including prayers that the chazan would traditionally recite at the synagogue bimah.
Handwritten on parchment, with large calligraphic opening words, some with drawings and decorations.
Handwritten by the renowned scribe Rabbi Yaakov son of Rabbi Yehuda Leib [Shamash] of Berlin, an expert scribe in Hamburg.
Colophon at the end: By the writer Yaakov the scribe, son of Rabbi Yehuda Leib, of blessed memory, from Berlin, currently a Sofer Stam in the holy community of Hamburg, completed in the year 1726.
The Scribe Rabbi Yaakov of Berlin was active in Hamburg between 1715-1741 and was renowned for his artistic work. His famous works are housed in the world’s largest and most important museums and libraries, including The Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Hamburg University, the British Museum, Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and the Rosenthaliana Library in Amsterdam.
Among his known works are: The Hamburg-Amsterdam Haggadah of 1728 in the Rosenthaliana Library, and the Hamburg Haggadah of 1731 preserved in the New York Public Library (a copy was printed in New York in 1961).
Manuscript Contents:
Kabbalas Shabbos; blessing of ‘Baruch She’amar’ [in the past sung on Shabbos and holidays]; Haftarah blessings; ‘Yekum Purkan’; prayers for the welfare of the kingdom: ‘Hanoten Teshuah LaMelachim’, and ‘Elokim Chaim U’Melech Olam’ (mentioning ‘Louis Philippe Premiere de Frances’ [presumably Louis XIV King of France]); various ‘Mi Sheberach’ prayers; ‘Av HaRachamim’; Blessing of the New Month; Eruv Chatzeirot; Megillas Esther blessings; Seder Simchas Torah; ‘Yehi Ratzon’ and prayer of ‘Acheinu Kol Beis Yisrael HaNesunim B’Tzara U’vShivya’; Birkas HaGomel; ‘Yizkor’ prayers, and ‘El Malei Rachamim’.
Also included is a text for the proclamation of a ‘cherem’, a prayer for changing a sick person’s name and a prayer for the sick.
In the flyleaf, prayers were added in round script for praying for rain (in case of drought) and prayer to prevent excessive rains (floods) and a prayer for our people and the inhabitants of France.
Hamburg, 1726.
Page Count: [16], [1] parchment leaves.
Size: 24 cm.
Condition: Fair, minor tears (without loss), creases, age stains and signs of use. Antique leather binding, possibly original. The first word in the manuscript (‘Lechu Neranena’) which was written in red ink and large letters is smudged from ink spreading.
We do not know if the manuscript originally had a title page. (It should be noted that the first two leaves are one section which means that if there was a title page, it would have been on a separate leaf).
