Manchester. The John Rylands Library, Gaster Hebrew MS Add 5
- Source
- Manchester Digital Collections
- Library
- The John Rylands Library
- Shelfmark
-
- Gaster Hebrew MS Add 5
- Biblissima authority file
- Language
-
- Hebrew
- Judeo-Arabic
- Aramaic
- Title
-
- Yemenite prayer book (תכלאל | Tikhlal)
- Pa‘amon Zahav ve-Rimmon (פעמון זהב ורמון | חידושין | Golden Bell and Pomegranate | Hiddushin)
- Agent
-
-
- Preferred form
-
- Abraham ben Aaron ben Shalom ben Aaron ben Shalom Manzili
- Role
-
- Scribe
- Original form
-
- Manzili, Avraham ben Aharon ben Shalom ben Aharon ben Shalom
- Abraham ben Aaron ben Shalom ben Aaron ben Shalom Manzili
- אברהם בן אהרן בן שלום בן אהרן בן שלום מנזלי
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Isaac Wana
- Role
-
- Author
- Original form
-
- Isaac Wana
- יצחק ונה
- Wana, Isaac
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Elisha ben Samuel Hazak
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Elisha ben Samuel Hazak
- אלישע בן שמואל חזק
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Preferred form
-
- Moses Gaster (1856-1939)
- Role
-
- Former owner
- Original form
-
- Moses Gaster
- Gaster, Moses 1856-1939
- Biblissima portal
- Biblissima authority file
-
- Description
-
- Extent:
275 ff. Leaf height: 325 mm, width: 227 mm.
Binding:
Brown leather binding with blind tooled decoration on boards: a double-line frame, a central diamond, four corner pieces and four diamonds on the sides. Remnants of two leather ties. Paste-downs in paper and spine reinforced with cloth.
Decoration:
Marginal decorations and headings
Larger headings with ornamental borders in red or black ink.
Folio 45a: Marginal decoration in black ink.
Diagram
Folio 267b: Circle subdivided into eight sections mentioning the cardinal points, the corresponding element (earth, water, fire, air) and lands surrounding Yemen.
Acquisition:
Acquired by The John Rylands Library from the heirs of Moses Gaster in 1954.
Layout:
Long line with a maximum of 30 written lines. Whenever the page includes more than one text, the secondary one is written in smaller characters on a side column.
Collation:
Catchwords at the bottom left corner of each page, or at the bottom of each column of text.
Script:
Yemenite square script.
Data Source(s):
Description based on Alexander Samely's unpublished draft catalogue, revised and expanded by Stefania Silvestri and Renate Smithuis.
Subject(s):
Maḥzor (Yemen). Passover; Siddur (Yemen); Prayer Judaism; Judaism Liturgy Texts; Cabala; Jewish law; Mishnah; Jewish calendar; Jewish astronomy; Piyutim
Abstract:
This Yemenite prayer book for the whole year, known as a tikhlal (תכלאל), was produced in the Bir al-Azab district of Ṣanʻā’ in 1769. The manuscript does not refer to the term tikhlal but rather mentions siddur gadol (“Great Daily Prayer Book”) on its title-page. The tikhlal is preceded by a Hebrew exhortation and a series of supplicatory poems or hymns known as baqqashot (בקשות) to be sung or recited on especially the late night or early morning of Shabbat. The tikhlal proper contains a siddur for daily prayers, the prayers and liturgical poems for Shabbat, new moon days and festivals, as well as the liturgy connected to the life cycle. In more detail, it includes a Passover Haggadah, Ibn Gabirol’s Keter Malkhut, numerous liturgical poems (such as selihot and qinot), the Mishnah tractates Avot and Yoma and the Aramaic Scroll of the Hasmoneans (מגלת בני חשמונאי). The liturgical instructions alternate in Hebrew and Judeo-Arabic. The texts of the tikhlal are accompanied by Isaac Wana’s commentary Pa‘amon Zahav [ve-Rimmon] or Golden Bell [and Pomegranate], also known as Hiddushin. Towards the end the tikhlal contains a Judeo-Arabic section on the calendar and intercalation and one on documents. The scribe shows awareness of printed siddurs and mahzors (e.g. on folios 12b, 70a, 95a). Most texts have Babylonian vocalisation.
Foliation:
Hebrew foliation at the top outer corner of side a of each folio, from 2 [ב] to 283 [רפג]. Missing on first and last folios and on 18, 49, 70-74, 77, 83, 100, 118-119, 159-161. Several folios missing: one between 49 [unnumbered] and 51 [נא], two between 272 [רעב] and 275 [רעה], six between 275 [רעה] and 282 [רפב].
Format:
Codex
Material:
Paper
Provenance:
Folios 1a, 13a, 120a, 283b and 284a: Signatures of Moses Gaster.
Folio 1a: Handwritten in pencil numeral 51 and in blue crayon numeral 5.
Folio 2a: Handwritten note in Hebrew reading "אברהם 'ן מ"ו אהרן יצ"ו / אנתקל ?אלא מלך אברהם 'ן מ"ו בנימין יצ"ו / ?צעיר יודא 'ן יו?נה הזפאן יצ"ו"
Folio 10b: Handwritten ownership note, including the name Elisha ben Samuel Hazak
Folio 13a: Handwritten note in Hebrew reading "אני הצעיר הכותב אברהם בן מ"ו אהרן / כתבתיו לי לעצמי ולבני ?קב"ה יזכהו להגות / בו אני (...) / אכי"ר".
Condition:
Water damage and text loss. Several corners have been repaired. Back board damaged. Sewing absent and spine exposed. Small paper strip with handwritten Hebrew text glued to folio 160a. The same text has left an imprint on folio 159b.
Additions:
Folio 1: Hebrew exhortation in a different hand to the rest of the manuscript. Incipit: ישמע חכם ויוסף לקח ויבין הדברים כפשטן / שובו נא אחים ורעים שובו שובו מדרכיכם הרעים.Folio 231b: Unidentified text in a different hand to the rest of the manuscript, possibly the same scribe as on folio 1.Folio 284a: Judeo-Arabic letter (?) mentioning the land of Yemen.
- Extent:
- Rights
-
- Provided by The University of Manchester. Zooming image © University of Manchester Library, All rights reserved. Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0). Images and Metadata made available for download are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC 4.0).
