The pool (the pool!)

Mevorakh ben Se‘adya

Early 12th Century

The pool (the pool!)—may its fountains fow forth.
Its masters (its masters!)—may they have enjoyment of its delights.
They utter (they utter!) praises and hymns to Him.
I have raised up (I have raised up!) his glory.1
The priest (the priest!) may he bless his crowds.
   [God:] Though I abandoned you, now I help you,
Jacob, my servant, whom I have chosen.
The perfect one [the Messiah] (the perfect one!), out of all that are around him,
the help [i.e., God] (the help!) will be his refuge.
And Asaph2 (and Asaph!) will enunciate songs.
My oppressors (my oppressors!), he [God or the messiah] will destroy with his sword.
The green wheat (the green wheat!) will produce its spring grain.
He [God] will announce, in his goodness, to the beaten and downtrodden:
   [God:] I have not rejected you, just as I have promised!
   Jacob my servant, whom I have chosen.
The signet-ring (the signet-ring!) upon his right hand,3
the olive tree (the olive tree!) shows honor to its maker,4
calling forth (calling forth!) with its sweet speech.
May He deign (may He deign!) to give great joy to them [i.e., the Jewish people],
and may He set (and may He set!) His governor [i.e., the Messiah] over them.
And they will rejoice when they hear from You, O their master:
   [God:] I love you with an everlasting love,
   Jacob my servant, whom I have chosen!

Source: CUL T-S NS 277.174.

Translated by Gabriel Wasserman.

Notes

1. [Literally “I have raised up his horn,” a common Hebrew image for glory and pride. It is not clear if the subject is the poet glorifying God, or God glorifying Israel.—Trans.]

2. [A Levite singer at the time of King David (1 Chronicles 6:2 4).—Tr a n s.]

3. [Apparently a reference to Zerubbabel, a proto-messianic fgure, and thus, here, to the Messiah. In Haggai 2:23, God called Zerubbabel a “signet” on God’s hand.—Trans.]

4. [The olive tree is another symbol of Zerubbabel; see Zechariah 4:12–14.—Trans.]

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

Engage with this Source

This is an ahavah poem, for recitation during the synagogue service inside the blessing “who blesses his people Israel with love [ahavah],” immediately preceding the Shema‘ in the morning service. Marked by the repetition of words, this strophic poem is written in a folk style popular among Jews and Arabs during this period. Here, drawing on Suf traditions, the poet evokes the pool as the source of divine blessing from which blessing fows to the Jewish people. The “masters” of the pool here are the Jewish people. This poem has also been interpreted as meant to celebrate a wedding.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Liturgical Poetry (Piyyut)

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Mevorakh ben Se‘adya

ca. 1040-ca. 1111

Born in Egypt to a leading family, Mevorakh ben Se‘adya was a prominent fgure, even while his older brother Judah still served as nagid, the local head of the Jewish community. Mevorakh was called a rayyis (chief) already in the 1060s, though this was either because he held some governmental appointment or because he was a physician. He succeeded Judah in 1078 but almost immediately entered into a power struggle with the Jerusalem-based gaon Elijah ben Solomon ha-Kohen. In 1082, Mevorakh was deposed by David ben Daniel ben Azariah. He then fed to Alexandria and was reinstated only in 1094, holding office until his death. Mevorakh likely regained power due to his connections with the Fâtimid vizier and the Jerusalem gaon (head of the academy), by then based in Damascus. Contemporaries commented that Mevorakh was knowledgeable about

Jewish law and the Hebrew Bible; he also served as a cantor.

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