Man, know the irrevocable judgment

Moses Ḥazan of Thebes

10th or 11th Century

About This Entry

Through bodily imagery, the penitential poem excerpted here exhorts its readers to repentance. Composed for the month of Elul and the period leading up to Yom Kippur, the poem incorporates material from the Tractate of Gehenna (Masekhet Gehinnom) to describe punishments for sin. The poem calls readers to pursue “justice,” that is, the observance of the Torah and its commandments. The poet signed his name in this poem, following an alphabetic acrostic in the first twenty-two stanzas. The last line of every stanza in this poem is a biblical verse, usually showing a clever use of the verse in a new meaning.

Man, know the irrevocable judgment.
Remember the day when He who dwells in heaven
will take account of the progeny of heaven and earth (Genesis 2:4).
When their basic deeds come before Him,
the reckoning of all flesh and blood—
this is the book of the progeny of man (Genesis 5:1).1
Forcefully rebuke the evil inclination,
for it is what makes breaches [in uprightness].
It begins to be the mighty man in the land (Genesis 10:8). [ . . . ]
My flesh yearns, my substance is destroyed,
when I remember that the earth will catch my corpse,
saying: Sleep with me (Genesis 39:12).
When he descends to his designated place,
he’ll see an angel, beating him on his side—
with the staff of God in his hand (Exodus 17:9).
He’ll beat him, and his limbs will come off;
as thin dust, his bones will be crushed,
and from there it will diverge into four directions (Genesis 2:10).2
His cadaver is disfgured, and its stench ascends.
His belly is demolished, and its offal spilled out,
over its pieces and its head (Exodus 29:17).3
Maggots circle around on top of him.
They go up and down on him,
upon his knees, upon his innards (Exodus 12:19).4
They run around like horsemen on top of him.
They hasten to consume his flesh.
They split up the dead body (Exodus 21:35).5
They tread a winepress by splitting up his belly,
as if they were dividing up his flesh by lot,
and eating their portion (Genesis 47:22).6 [ . . . ]
I arise, trembling, with tears pouring out,
when I remember His great fire, the pyre,
and the flaming, rotating sword (Genesis 3:24).7
I have prepared my heart for my soul’s creator,
but my whoring inclination fell short of my path.
It deceived me and changed my wages (Genesis 31:7).8
I return to you, in trembling and fear,
and to Your ancient garden of Eden—
may I please take refuge there (Genesis 19:20).9
Winnow your crooked heart with a winnowing-fan,
and return to your creator, not to fall into the pit—
do not fear, do not be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8).10
Justice, justice, pursue it amid your people
and do not reject your mother’s Torah,
for it is your life, the fullness of your days (Deuteronomy 30:20).
Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Notes

[Unlike in the biblical verse, where the progeny of man means the flesh-and-blood descendants of Adam, here it means man’s deeds.—Trans.]

[This verse discusses the river in the garden of Eden; here it seems to mean that the dust will disintegrate into the four elements.—Trans.]

[The verse is about the sacrificial victim at the inauguration of the priests and the Tabernacle.—Trans.]

[In the context of the sacrificial victim of the paschal sacrifice.—Trans.]

[This verse is about a legal case in which two parties must split the cadaver of an ox.—Trans.]

[In the verse, it is the portion that the Egyptian priests would receive from Pharaoh.—Trans.]

[The sword of the angel that guards the garden of Eden.—Trans.]

[The verse refers to Laban’s trickery of Jacob. Here, the wages are the reward that the soul would have received for its good behavior.—Trans.]

[Lot speaks to the angels here, asking to take refuge in Zoar from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.—Trans.]

[Moses’ encouragement to Joshua when handing over leadership to him.—Trans.]

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

Engage with this Source

Through bodily imagery, the penitential poem excerpted here exhorts its readers to repentance. Composed for the month of Elul and the period leading up to Yom Kippur, the poem incorporates material from the Tractate of Gehenna (Masekhet Gehinnom) to describe punishments for sin. The poem calls readers to pursue “justice,” that is, the observance of the Torah and its commandments. The poet signed his name in this poem, following an alphabetic acrostic in the first twenty-two stanzas. The last line of every stanza in this poem is a biblical verse, usually showing a clever use of the verse in a new meaning.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Liturgical Poetry (Piyyut)

7th to 12th Century

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