Creator Bio
Menaḥem ben Makhir
11th Century–12th Century
Menaḥem ben Makhir lived in Regensburg, Germany. A legal scholar and a liturgical poet, he produced piyyutim for many holidays and Sabbaths. After he witnessed the Crusader massacres of Jews in 1096, he wrote several commemorative seliḥot (penitential poems).
Content by Menaḥem ben Makhir
Primary Source
As You rescued Adam
As you rescued Adam, the creation of your hands, to protect him—
on the holy Sabbath you brought atonement and indulgence to him—so rescue now!
As you rescued the distinct nation, who were hoping…
Primary Source
I thank You, for You have answered me
I thank You, for You have answered me, kept me alive, not fnished me.
You have not let my enemies gloat over me. You have raised me up from the grave.
I exalt you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up…
Primary Source
The shining light
[ . . . ] The elders, our roots, taught us the passages
that we should read—two before the megillah, and two afterwards,
so that memory of them should count as performance of them, for the precious…
Primary Source
Act of the Makhiri
If a Jew owns a boat, he may not rent it to non-Jews for them to take it out to the water on a Sabbath or a festival. The same applies to a wagon—one may not rent it to a non-Jew to be used on a…