For I have forgotten to eat my food

Samuel ha-Shelishi

After 1012

For I have forgotten to eat my food.
When the evildoers . . . to shed my blood, to fght me,
I cried out, and relied on . . .
He heeded my supplication, He who lifts me up and has mercy on me.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, redeemer of Israel.
Due to the sound of my wail, my bone clung to my fesh.
When I saw the cuf on my leg, and the chain on my neck,
I beseeched my stronghold [i.e., God], who looks upon my afiction.
For His sake, he bandaged my pain and broke open the shackles of my oppression.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, who heals the sick of Israel.
I was like a wild pelican.
The depths dripped and fowed over my head, and their jet passed overhead.
I uttered supplications, and my tears poured out mightily.
My Creator blessed me and broke my bronze doors.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, who blesses the years.
I was like an owl of the waste places.
When the haughty dragged me and rattled their swords,
I would have been trapped, if not for the voice issuing from heaven,
which announced the kindness of the One who gathers in doves to their dovecotes.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, who gathers in the dispersed of His people Israel.
I lay in watch, and was like a sparrow that alone upon the roof.
My glow became dim, and I said: I am perishing, I am dissolving.
My spirit wasted away in the prison, and I became still—
if not for the righteous Judge, who yearned to acquit me.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, the king who loves righteousness and justice. [ . . . ]
For you picked me up, [after] hurling me down.
You oppressed me, then reversed, and answered me1 and supported me.
You put much mercy in the king’s heart, so he would not weaken me.
Accept me! Tend to me! And spare me from the grave!
  Blessed are You, O Lord, whom alone we serve.
My days are like a shadow that is cast, and I dry up like grass.
May you fnd it sweet as honey, to calm my heart’s fear. Turn to me, be kind to me, and may all my foes be captured.
I shall declare good praises to You and not falter.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, whose name is good, and whom it is good to acknowledge.
You, O God, are enthroned forever.
Hear my cry and heed my voice!
I put my hope in You, long for You, await You to bring back my captives.
Make constant peace for me, plots of peace.
  Blessed are You, O Lord, who makes peace.
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Notes

[Hebrew ‘anitani, playing on ‘innitani (“you oppressed me”) earlier in the line.—Trans.]

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

This kerovah, a general term for a piyyut written for the blessings of the Amidah, was composed, the heading informs us, “for a fast day commemorating an attack on the Jewish community in Egypt.” It very likely refers to the events of 1012, during which Samuel was imprisoned, that are recounted in his The Scroll of Egypt (Meg-ilat Mitsrayim). The opening lines of each stanza are taken from Psalms 102:5-12. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript.

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Creator Bio

Samuel ha-Shelishi

Early 11th Century

Samuel ben Hosha‘na ha-Shelishi was a leading figure (the third in rank) in the Jerusalem academy. He was involved in communal affairs around the Jewish Mediterranean, traveling to Italy and Egypt. In Fustāt (Old Cairo), after attending the funeral of a communal notable, Samuel was seized by a mob of Muslims and imprisoned with several other Jews. He was later freed by the Fātimid caliph al-Ḥākim (d. 1021). He composed The Scroll of Egypt (Megilat Mitsrayim) to memorialize these events. Samuel also wrote liturgical poetry. Upon his death, he was praised for his knowledge of Torah. His family remained active in the Jerusalem academy for several generations.

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