Tefillot Yom Kippur Katan ("Prayers for the Minor Day of Atonement"), with Yiddish translation
Description
The fast day Yom Kippur Katan has its origin in the holiday of Rosh
Hodesh, which in biblical times marked the first day in the lunar
calendar on which the crescent moon was visible after a new moon.
This day, when work originally was not allowed, later, through the
compilation of the Talmud, developed into a minor festival. The
mystics of Safed in Upper Galilee turned Rosh Hodesh into a fast
day and developed a liturgy based on penitential prayers for Yom
Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). This gave rise to the name Yom Kippur
Katan ("Minor Day of Atonement"). The new custom spread to Italy
and finally on to Northern Europe. Similar collections of prayers
were particularly popular in the 18th century. In contrast to many
others, this exemplar is decorated with an illustrated title page.
If Judah Leib ben Meir of Glogau had not identified himself as
scribe on this title page, it would probably be assumed to be the
work of Aaron Wolf Herlingen of Gewitsch, since the style and the
script correspond to his. For the time being, one can only
speculate about the connection between Herlingen and the actual
scribe Meir.
